Thursday, December 30, 2010

NICE OLD DOE

I got back to deer camp late last evening to hear the news: Danny put a nice old doe down. The 4 wheeler had its first deer strapped to it. DSCN0012Danny said he was sitting on the ground in thick cover when he saw deer legs coming his way.There were 3 deer. The old doe was really being cautious. She finally got to an opening and gave him a 70 yard shot.When the smoke from the muzzle cleared, he could see she was down.DSCN0011Mike had turkey and gravy on the stove for dinner. DSCN0005After that was gone we took her to the butcher and he weighed her at 114 lbs.DSCN0003

Monday, December 27, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Judy and I went over to Mike & Becky's Saturday.We checked out the lights on the mall in DC and had dinner.PC180028We had dinner at Rustico in Arlington. It's a new place and is known for all the beers it has. PC180006Mike's making his own beer now. PC180001This will be his second batch. The first batch got drank in one night by him and his friends before I got to try it. That's not going to happen with this batch.
Cindy wants to help me manage the doe population.She qualified today. PC220001The Jersey guys may have a problem with the couch in the cabin. PC140021

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

IS THIS HIM?

TJ got the monster on the Sylvester farm. PC140004He may be the second biggest typical taken in Maryland. He could score close to 190. I'm sure this is him at one of my mineral spots this summer. PICT0028TJ found a set of antler sheds last year that he thinks were his. I hope he got to breed a lot of does and left his genes behind.
He looks to be at least 4 or 5 years old. They sent out his jaw bone to be aged. TJ said he came out in the open field - I haven't heard the whole story yet.

Monday, December 13, 2010

GOOD SATURDAY

The Mike and Mike team came down to hunt Saturday but didn't see anything.After the morning hunt little Mike helped me with some fire wood.PC110005We cut up and split a dead oak for cook stove wood. After the work was done I went deer hunting with Bill on his farm in Delaware. He has a farm across the the road from Bobworld.It was doe only shot gun season and he hadn't taken any does this year.I got up in a stand over looking a clover and corn field. Bill got in the stand on the other side of the field. At 4:15 out walks 13 deer - 12 antlerless deer and 1 spike. The spike looked like the one I see a lot on my side. They stayed out in the middle of the clover field out of range. My shot gun is really good out to 100 yards. It was nice watching that many deer. Then out came 11 more does and the buck from my side with half a rack.
Just before dark a few of the does started feeding my way and when the biggest one got within 100 yards I took the shot. I made a good shot and she dropped. The rest of the deer scattered and I heard Bill shoot. PC110011I walked out and checked out my deer. Bill came across to tell me he got a really big doe.PC110017We loaded mine and then his. We field dressed them and let them hang over night.PC110029 Bill's was a really big doe. I cut jaw bones to age them both.PC120039I cooked the meat off the jaw bones and made jaw bone soup.PC120069I really never tried it but the dogs love it over their dry dog food.

Friday, December 3, 2010

I PULLED THE TRIGGER

I got permission to leave work at 4:10 yesterday.I ran home grabbed my gun and got in my new stand.I have been watching lots of deer out of that stand since I put it up.
At 4:50 a nice size doe came out in the field by a herself. She started feeding on the wheat and slowly moved across the field. I got her in my scope and just as I was squeezing the trigger I saw a hunter walking out of the woods. I waited for him to get well out of the line of fire. I got the deer in my scope when the deer saw him and turned. I was afraid it was going get dark on me when she moved forward and give me a shot. PC020003
I heard the bullet hit her and she ran 20 yards and went down. Then 7 more deer came running across the field. My phone rang and it was Tim. He wanted to know if it was me that shot - he saw it all go down. He helped me load her into the truck.PC020029 I hung her from the tractor bucket and cut some steaks. Rick came by and we had real fresh deer for supper.PC020014
Pepper steak and rice.PC020018

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

NO DEER

The Jersey deer hunters were down for the opening of shot gun this weekend.PB260130Deer camp was full of hunters. But no deer were shot.I saw a nice buck go into the woods when I was going to my stand Saturday afternoon. No one got a shot at him. I saw lots of does on the clover field that evening. Mike was in the corner stand and got a shot at one but missed. It was getting dark and was a long shot. TJ stopped by with a nice fox he got with a bow. PB260129Saturday evening I had the spike and two eight pointers come out of the corner of the woods. They were with a doe and her fawn. I tried to get the doe but couldn't get a good shot at her. Milton saw lots of does that afternoon but waited for a buck that didn't show. We had rabbit and squirrel for supper. PB270138The rabbit turned out really good.PB270136 I fried it. PB270135 Janey keep Ed's feet warm.PB270156This deer was killed 3 miles south. 106_2123

Monday, November 29, 2010

THANKSGIVING/GOOSE HUNT

Bill and his son Scott, & Rick and his daughter Rachel came for an early breakfast and a goose hunt. PB250042
Rick brought some of the waterfowl sausage he made. I put Rachel to work cooking it.
About 75 geese had been roosting on the wetlands. We sat our decoys up and hid along the new hedge row. PB250052We were all surprised when 4 geese came flying out of the east and with a little calling set their wings and came right in. But they all flew right back out. They just weren't close enough and we missed. The shooting got the geese off the pond. Rick and Rachel got some pass shooting. Rick dropped this nice goose. PB250047 We were all surprised to see it was banded.

Monday, November 22, 2010

FIRST RABBIT HUNT

Rusty brought his 4 beagles to Bobworld for the first rabbit hunt of this season.rabbit hunting 181The rabbits were up against me, my old friend Johnny, Rusty and his friend Bobby.
Bobby grew up just down the road, a couple miles away. It had been years since I had seen him. Of course Dakota and Janey weren't going let those beagles have all the fun. I went over the rules of engagement with the the hunters. Rabbits had to be running when fired upon and not till they made a circle. When you hunt with beagles, hearing the dogs running the rabbit is the best part. Beagles trail the rabbit by the scent it leaves behind and bark. They call it tonguing when the dog picks up the scent. The rabbit always runs back to where the dogs or hunter first jumped them making a big circle.I told Janey and Dakota they could hunt for the rabbits but had let the the beagles do the running. We jumped the first rabbit in the field behind the house.It went in the woods before circling back. Janey jumped up a rabbit that ran between johnny's legs. I had to call her back and remind her about chasing. Then some quail got up and we saw a cooper hawk swoop after one of them but the quail got away.The dogs brought the rabbit back around and johnny got the shot and the first rabbit of the day.rabbit hunting 211I got the next one and Dakota made the retrieve.rabbit hunting 188Rusty got the next one. rabbit hunting 210Johnny seemed to be in the right place - the next couple rabbits came by him. rabbit hunting 206Bobby got the following one.rabbit hunting 207Rusty got another. rabbit hunting 199Johnny got #4 and that made the limit for him.rabbit hunting 205It was about 12:30 and the dogs were getting tired so we called it a day.
We got 8 rabbits out of maybe 10 that we jumped.rabbit hunting 212 There's going to be fried rabbit on the menu at Bobworld. rabbit hunting 231