Kev's deer--2011

I didn't hunt this year.  Primarily because of the tendinitis, but also because Andy and Kev both had permits and I just didn't see the sense in having three deer in the freezer.  I kept busy enough this fall that I didn't miss hunting much, until Kev would come home and share his day, or Andy would describe something he saw.  That's when I missed hunting.  Not the harvest, but just being out in God's Church.

Kev got his deer the end of November/first of December.  (I can't remember!)   He had somewhat of a frustrating season, as he never saw any Mule deer.  We're assuming that this summers drought and heat was hard on them.  In fact, Kev didn't see the amount of deer he normally does, which frustrated him immensely.

 This guy is a white tail.  Kev rattled him in and took his shot.  He's not trophy class by any stretch of the imagination, but Kev typically doesn't trophy hunt.

 He did have an interesting little "claw" on the tip of one antler that Kev thought was cool.

He also had either been shot before, or had been wounded in a fight.  See that dark spot on his forehead?  That was a nasty wound that wasn't healing very well.  Be thankful I didn't get a closeup.  It was ugly.

We hung him up in the shop and the guys butchered him the weekend Mom, Kat and I went Christmas shopping.

I still need to go re-arrange my freezer.  Men, they just don't understand organization :)

This weekend is the final weekend of the season.  Andy hasn't filled his tag.  He can--now in this late season--use either his bow, or a rifle and get a doe.  He says he wants to try still with his bow, so doesn't think he'll switch.  We'll see.  My guess is he'll go out with his bow and come home without a deer.  That's fine.  We've got a freezer full again and we're butchering pigs again next weekend.  I don't think I have space for another deer!

Spring Turkey Season

On Saturday morning, I crawled out of bed bright and early...at 4:30 a.m. Kev and I quickly dressed, and were out the door before 5. We needed to be at the farm before 6 a.m. to try to get a turkey. We'd gone hunting 3 weeks ago, and took a couple of Kev's co-workers who were first time turkey hunters. R got a nice Jake (an immature Tom), but C didn't get one. They couldn't go with us this time, so it was just Kev, with his bow, and me with the shotgun.

We heard two Tom's gobble upon our arrival at the farm, so we quickly settled in to wait and call one in. But they only gobbled a few more times and were moving away from us. We never saw them or any hens. We gave up around 8:30 and decided to move on to our other activities for the day.

Our intent was to cut down some more cedar trees, to check on our blueberry seedlings and just spend the day screwing around at the farm, enjoying the day. We checked the neglected blueberries, and happily discovered them to be still alive and even growing!

After messing with the blueberries, we decided to drive further back in the pasture to cut down more trees. Kev took the pickup, and I followed on the 4 wheeler. We pulled past the shelter belt and he cut the engine and jumped out of the pickup. I turned off the 4 wheeler and he motioned me down, and waved me forward. He'd seen turkeys.

We stealthily scrambled up the hill to a cedar tree and from there, we saw several hens and 2 mature Toms. They were headed west, away from us. Using the cedars for cover, we attempted to see where they were going and tried to call them back to us. The Toms weren't interested in Kev's call. After all, they were sharing at least 10 hens...who needed one more?

We followed them and watched them as they were feeding in the adjacent pasture. After a few minutes, we noticed them coming back! So, we ducked into the shelter belt and ran back toward the creek. It was warming up and we decided that they would probably be heading for the shelter of the trees along the creek. After some strategizing, we decided to run across a clearing to a big elm tree that sat in the middle of the clearing.

And I mean run.

This fat 47 year old woman can still run...while carrying a shotgun, wearing her cowboy boots and not fall down. I wasn't even breathing hard upon arrival!

However, once at the elm tree, we decided to go ahead and cross the rest of the clearing to the creek and sit where we'd have a view of the hill and draw they were following back toward us. So we ran some more.

We got settled amongst the cedar trees and waited. We didn't have long to wait, less than five mintues later, 5 hens soon appeared over the hill. And right behind them were the two Toms. I had the gun up, fired, and Tom hit the ground--hard.

Kev ran over to him first. He was so excited. He looked the bird over, and did all that man stuff and decided to step off how far of a shot it was. We were guessing 40 yards, but the birds were up higher than we were, so they were actually 50 yards away--which really is just about the maximum range.

Tom weighed 20 lbs, had a 9 and 4/8's beard (yes, that's actually 1/2 inch, but when measuring turkey beards, you go by the 1/8 inch.) His spurs were 1 inch long.

Here's the funny aspect of our hunt. When we were in KC, at Cabela's, we bought a video camera that you can attach to your bow, or gun, or on the bill of your hat. Kev thought he turned it on to film the kill...but instead, he already had it on, so when we actually were shooting...the camera was off. If I was masochist, I could post the video of us walking and stalking those birds, and you could watch me run across the clearing and through the tree row...but I'm not going to do that to you.

So...I got my bird. Which changed our plans for the day. We never did cut down any trees, and we didn't end up staying all day. Instead, we drove to Mom's, got some ice, had a picnic lunch, and drove home where I helped Andy paint his new bedroom. (He moved back home on Sunday.)

We invited Mom and Dad up to feast on the bird on Sunday. He was a nice fat boy and the meat was moist and tender. We've learned that it just tastes better to eat the turkey immediately instead of putting him in the freezer until the holidays. So, we ate him.

Season doesn't end until May 31. We might go back out to see if Kev can get one with his bow. Then again, we might not. However, my Turkey season is over...until next spring.

Turkey hunting 2010

Having never Turkey hunted before, I have to admit I learned quite a lot on our trip. Probably the most important thing I learned was that sometimes, it pays NOT to pack light.

I typically am a light packer. I take what I need and nothing more. I coordinate my wardrobe so that I can get buy with one or 2 pair of shoes. I do not take an extra make-up bag simply because most of the time, what I need is just a hair brush, a pony tail holder and a toothbrush. Now, sometimes I will throw in mascara and eyeliner, it just depends on what I'm doing on the trip.

So, this time, I packed both camo pants, two long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt and my light camo coat. I took my light weight boots and one extra pair of sandals. I had a pair of jeans and sweats and a tee shirt and 3 pair of socks. That's primarily it. Unfortunately...it rained 2 inches before our arrival, and 2 inches on Thursday. Which is an insane amount for NW Kansas!

So, sandals weren't a very practical choice. And, my boots weren't waterproof and rapidly became soaked. Nothing is more uncomfortable than feet in wet, cold boots and soggy socks. And, since it kept raining, nothing could dry out. Fortunately, Lynn had brought extra boots and fortunately for me, he has little feet (for a guy) and I could wear his extra boots (since I have big feet for a girl.)

Lesson learned? No matter what the forecast, take the waterproof boots when turkey hunting!

I also learned that Turkey really rely on their sharp vision to keep them safe. Noise doesn't bother them. So, while we were sitting there, waiting for our turkeys to come in, we could talk to each other. In fact, the sound of the gun going off didn't scare off the other two Toms that came in with my Tom. And, as my Tom was dying and flopping around, the other two toms were rushing in to see if he was mounting a hen. If so, they wanted some action too!

Lesson learned? That all men have a one track mind... no, seriously, I learned that you can make noise and not bother your prey.

On Thursday afternoon, we did have a nice sunny afternoon. After lunch, the guys took a short nap while I sat outside in our camping chair, and read a book. I also texted Andy some pictures of my Turkey. When we went back out to hunt, I just left my book, a library book, sitting in my chair with my phone. Less than an hour later, it was pouring rain and thundering continuously. When we got back to camp, I found my library book and my cell phone sitting in 2 inches of water. Ugg. The phone still works (miracle of miracles!) but the book was ruined.

Lesson leaned? To always put "perishables" back in the camper when leaving camp. I now have to buy a new book for the library to replace the one I ruined.

It was a great trip. Besides seeing the turkey, Kev found the carcass of a deer with a beautiful set of antlers. He broke the spine, and brought the head home so he can have a "European" Mount. He's still a little smelly, and doesn't look very pretty, but still, it was neat to find him. And, we also saw several deer--more than a dozen. I got out my grunt tube, but they wouldn't talk to me...typical.

We also realized how much we missed hunting in that area and probably most importantly, we miss hunting with Lynn. It was a great trip, and I'm very glad that Kev asked me to spend our anniversary with him and go turkey hunting. :)

The trip

Forgive me for not blogging about our trip sooner...but it was a very busy weekend here, and yesterday; I was exhausted! We arrived at the Condo-Minium about 8 p.m. Wednesday evening--just after a rainstorm dropped 2" of rain. The road up to the Condo is not maintained, and part of our way up the hill, we were driving uphill sideways. I kid you not.

This is a shot of the "condo." It's a 1962 camper. It might be 10 feet long. Inside, there's room for one person to stand and everyone else has to either sit, or be in bed. There's 2 bunks--one above the hitch, the other in the back of the camper above the table. The table will also come down and the benches can be pulled out as a bed. That's where Kev and I slept. Lynn slept in the front bunk. He mentioned that he felt like a "bean in a burrito" up there. Believe me, there wasn't room for him to roll over! Kev and I hunted together. Me with his shot gun him, with his bow. I couldn't use my shotgun because it's a trap gun and the pattern of the shot was too wide. You want a tight pattern when hunting turkeys. I got one around 11 that first morning, Thursday, our actual anniversary.

I hate having my picture taken, but Kev insisted that we keep a shot of me with the bird. So...here I am, in all my glory. It was a 20 yard shot. I wasn't nervous at all. Probably because I've shot critters before (although a turkey is lots smaller than a deer!)

Of course I had to carry out my own bird! He weighed between 15 and 20 lbs. His beard was 8 1/4 inches long and we forgot to measure his spurs, but I'm guess-timating that they were 3/4". Now, we had probably a half mile walk back to the camper, which wasn't bad at all, but my turkey bled out on the way back...and he got rather heavy. I had to switch shoulders a couple of times...upon arrival at camp, we discovered this:

Blood all over the seat of my pants where the turkey's head bumped against my seat all the way back. They were soaked and I had to wash up once we got back to camp. After lunch, we plucked "Tom" and put him on ice, took a nap, and went back out to see if Kev and Lynn could get a turkey.

When Kev called my turkey in, two other Tom's came in as well. Kev did get a shot off at one Tom, but it was an uphill shot and Kev's arrow went right between that turkey's legs! So, he still needed a turkey. Lynn decided to sit with us because he hadn't seen anything all morning long.

We went back out around 3 p.m. About 4 p.m., a thunderstorm blew in and it rained and thundered for the next several hours. They guys did call in two more turkeys, but they were "Jakes", or young Tom turkeys. They came in to the calls, but they were really most interested in "Bubba", the Tom decoy. One Jake strutted around that decoy, the other kept walking around in circles just staring at the decoy when all at once, he threw out his wing and SMACKED the decoy! Smacked him hard enough to knock "Bubba" down! It was hilarious. Since the guys wanted mature turkeys, they didn't even shoot at the Jakes, but let them strut away, secure in the knowledge that they taught "Bubba" a lesson or two.

There's more to share about our trip, but I'll save that for another post. But I will say that I had a great time on our Anniversary trip to the Condo.

Our trip

Kev and I are going on a 15th Anniversary trip. Unlike most people, we are NOT going on a cruise. Nor will we be spending the night in a hotel. No sexy nighties, no candle lit dinners, no rose petals... We will probably have supper by lantern light and enjoy the sunset and sunrise together dressed in our finest camo.

We're spending our 15th anniversary on a Turkey Hunting trip. Kev usually spends our anniversary with Lynn Dale, hunting, but this year, he asked me to go along. Since I have to use 12 vacation days before June 30, I decided to give it a go and go along! (I usually let the guys have their "guy time" turkey hunting.)

Of course this means that our children will be home alone...but they should be old enough, right? Andy is almost 19 and Kat is 14. My greatest fear is that they might kill each other. On the other hand...Kev and I will have the shotguns and a bow...so I'm fairly confident that they will be fine...I'm not so confident that any of the animals will get fed or the eggs gathered, or even that my house will be remotely clean when I get home.

We leave tomorrow after work, which means that tonight we'll be frantically getting everything together and loaded in the pickup. Ugg...

But, it's my 15th anniversary on the 15th of April (Death & Taxes day)...and dang it, I'm going on a "romantic" trip with my husband...and Lynn Dale.

Come to think of it...it reminds me of my honeymoon...Lynn was with us then too!

Doe a Deer

Officially, I'm the only person--hunter--at our house who didn't get a deer this season. Andy got one yesterday. Except, the season is legally over.

Don't worry, he didn't break any laws.

Andy is working part time for the KDWP (Kansas Dept of Wildlife & Parks). Yesterday they got a call from a farmer? rancher? feedlot? (pick one) who had a doe in one of their corrals with a broken leg. A very badly broken leg. Andy was nominated to go put her down.

Andy said he was nominated because he's the low man on the totem pole and no one else wanted to go out in the below zero weather.

But, he shot the doe, put the correct tag on her, gutted her, and brought her home. While it's nice to have more meat...it will probably be a long time before she thaws enough for us to butcher her. And, dang it...I kinda liked knowing that neither Andy or I had gotten a deer. Now, the only "loser" at our house is me.

Who wants to come over and join me at the pity party?

The end of year recap

Our computer died over the Christmas break. Miss Kat has been inconsolable. She's been at death's door without her computer. Andy had a USB wireless card which became the victim of a dog's foot, as he keeps his laptop on the floor when it's not in use. I wonder if this has convinced him that he needs to find a new home for the laptop?

Today, I'm running our family laptop in to the shop. I think our power cord/supply is all that died. I hope that's the case anyway. We had several brown outs and lost power on Christmas Eve, and I'm pretty sure that is when the computer died. I had planned to blog over break, but...you all know that I didn't!

Hunting...

Deer season ended on December 31. I went out several times, but was not successful for the second year in a row. I'm pretty bummed about that. Kev and I went out on the 29th and actually had 4 does come in within 50 yards of us. Unfortunately, Kev was sky lined. The does were fun for me to listen to. They were snorting and stomping their feet, knowing something wasn't right, but were unable to smell us. We walked out of the pasture following the trail they came in on and that is when we discovered that Kev was sky lined amongst the sagebrush. It was a good end to the season--actually having deer come in like I wanted them to, and getting to listen to them. (I couldn't see the deer as I was behind a different sage brush than Kev. He could see the deer, all I could do is listen and watch Kev and hope that one would come around on my side.)

I am thinking about getting a rifle permit next year. I still want to bow hunt, but dang, hunting on the wide open prairie is much different than hunting from a tree stand along a river among trees!

We spent several wonderful days with family and friends over the holidays. Miss Kat got to go to Colby for 4 days. I made a flying trip up to get her and didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, but there was a storm coming in, and I wanted to get back home safe and sound. Turned out that we didn't get anything from that storm...but with Kansas weather, one never knows.

Shay-on and Lynn Dale both came down to visit with us. Shay-on and I spent time shopping and cross stitching and reading and talking and eating and...well, we just had a good time. Lynn Dale and Kevin went coyote hunting. They used the 4 wheelers and had a ball. They only got one coyote, but did call several in, so they were happy. We did get to play cards. And Shay-on and I actually won! We did! We won a game by 1 point...and, no I wasn't keeping score.

I am infamous for not keeping score correctly and if the guys win a hand, they might lose 100 points, or we might go set and gain 100 points...or so... This time, Shay-on kept score, and she was accurate and we WON! 99.99% of the time, Kevin and Lynn win every game. I swear they can read each others mind and know what cards each other has. It gets rather annoying, losing all the time!

We went out to Dodge City's new casino. The plan was to eat at the restaurant there (we've heard good reviews), but...once we were told the almost empty restaurant had a 2 hour waiting time for seating, we decided to go elsewhere. Besides, the casino was noisy and smoky and not really my cup of tea. We probably won't go back.

I didn't have any big "home improvement" projects this holiday break. Spent a lot of time just relaxing, which I enjoyed tremendously!

2010 is here and I look forward to another year of change and exciting times for myself and the family.

Huntin' with Shell...Episode 7

By now, I know you all realize how great of a hunter I am. Why, the Outdoor Network is on the phone with me daily, wanting me to sign a contract and film all my wondrously exciting hunts. I rank right up there with their female hunters--I'm young, sexy, cute, and a good hunter too. Right? Right? (ok, stop laughing! I was ONCE young, and sexy, and maybe even cute!)

Unfortunately, If they ever contacted me about a show, it would be titled "How not to kill a deer." Cause that apparently, is all I'm good at!

But, in my defense, don't the deer have to come close enough to shoot at? Don't the deer have to cooperate? Man, maybe these stupid deer are related to my kids, cause my kids don't cooperate with me either.

I'm doomed.

I've got three more weekends to get a deer. And, since I have two weeks off from work over the holidays, I guess I could go out every day if I wanted to...cept I'd have to go alone and I really don't like to go alone cause it's more fun to share the excitement. Whoo hoo! It's so exciting to sit in the pasture day after day, hour after hour and see...

nuthin. Why, people are lined up wanting to do that!

This weekend was a perfect example.

I was by my sagebrush before 7. Since it was cold (finally) I was wearing 40 extra lbs. of clothing for warmth. (And I could feel it too! I haven't waddled this bad since I was 10 months pregnant with Miss Kat!)

At 7:30, I scoped the area, looking for those pesky deer. And, Lo, there were 2 does. Over at the tree row. The tree row in which I sat last year. The tree row where no one came to visit me last year. Oh, sure...that tree row wasn't good enough last year, but this year, they like it.

I think it's personal. I think that I must have one of those flashing neon signs above my head with an arrow pointing down to me. You know, those signs that magically appear in cartoons? Yep. One of those points at me and flashes "Here's that female hunter. Go somewhere else." The deer see the sign, read it, and go somewhere else. And these two does? They saw the sign, and never came close to me. In fact, after seeing the sign, they turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

And, that's all I saw.

It's getting rather discouraging.

This week on Huntin' with Shell

I do realize that today is Wednesday, and I went hunting three and four days ago.

Which should really be a clue as to how my hunting weekend went.

But, before we hear about this weekend's hunt, we need to update you on the previous weekend's hunt...Kev's hunt.

We were going out of town and my goal was to leave Saturday morning around 10 a.m. That would get us to Hutchinson around noon, right in time for Bob's home cooked lunch. But, that was not to be.

Kev just had to go out hunting. He didn't figure he'd see anything, but he had to go out just in case that monster buck came through the draw. He left at 5 a.m. At 7:30, I decided to get into the tub and then get the kids up and ready to go. The phone rang about 10 minutes later. It was Kev. He'd shot a stupid deer.

Now, I'm not upset that he got a deer, but dang, the timing wasn't optimal for me. (and it's all about me.)

Kev needed Andy and I to drive over because he thought his deer had gone down into the draw and he was afraid we'd have to track him, or worse, drag him up out of that draw which is rather deep and steep. So, Andy and I got dressed and ventured out.

It was foggy. Extremely foggy. Since Andy wasn't sure how to get to the ranch, I had to watch the road and give directions. We got there fine and walked the half mile to where Kev was hunting.

Once we got there, Kev said that he saw the buck head down toward the draw, and a few minutes later, saw him come back up to the wheat field. So, Kev was concerned that he didn't die quickly and that we'd have to track. So, we started following the blood trail (and it was a good trail) and quickly found his buck.

He didn't kill the Monster, but got a nice 200 lb. Mule deer--3 x 4 antlers. The deer died quickly, and we decided that the buck Kev saw after shooting was a second buck who heard the commotion and came to investigate. (It was so blasted foggy that you couldn't see 50 yards.) The menfolk gutted the deer, and then we started back for the pickup. Dragging that stupid deer.

Let me tell you...dragging 200 lbs of dead weight, through a wheat field for half a mile isn't fun. It's hard exhausting work. And by the time we saw the pickup appear through the fog, we were three happy exhausted people. It took us a good 30 minutes or more to drag that deer out.

At that time, Kev and I decided that we were buying a 4 wheeler. No ifs, ands, or buts.

We got home, hung the deer up in the shop, and went on our trip. Which brings us back to the real star of the show...ME... (remember, it's all about me!)

Saturday, Kev and I went to the Hill to hunt. I really would like to get a deer at the hill...for me and for Grandpa...

We sat there until 9-9:30. Nothing. We did see three deer about a mile away, but they wouldn't come play with us. Before we left, we walked up around the house and the tree row. Found lots of little trees that have been destroyed by bucks polishing antlers, and we found lots to scraps. So, we know they are there (we've even SEEN them...just not today.)

As we left, Kev asked if I wanted to take the long way home and go up by the farm. Fine with me, so we headed west and then north. And, then we decided to just venture further west and further north to a small town with a Polaris dealership.

And we bagged this....

We got a great deal too. So, we loaded it up, and took it home. It's sitting in the garage (and the cars are outside...we have our priorities....)

Kev's excited, the kids are excited. Me, I'm scared of the darn thing! But, this does mean that I won't have to drag out a 200 lb. deer ever again. And that's exciting.

Episode 3 of Huntin with Shell

I'd like to say that in Episode 3, we see a successful hunt. But we don't.

Miss Kat and I spent Friday night at Mom's house. Miss Kat was going to do the jewelry thing on Saturday while I was going out to hunt and leave the house by 6 a.m. Miss Kat and I shared a bed in my old bedroom. I wasn't terribly concerned about sharing a bed with her, because she used to sleep with me every weekend--at least one night every weekend.

But, at home, I have a King size bed. At Mom's, we shared a Full sized bed. And Miss Kat is bigger now, and she's more used to sleeping in the middle of the bed and she kicks and talks in her sleep and, well, it was a rather sleepless night. But, when Dad got up at 5:30, I did too.

I drove out to the hill to try for one of the Whitetail bucks that we know live and bed down in the draws amongst the sagebrush. I parked at the house and cut across the CRP to the pasture. Not a bad walk at all, but let me tell you, it was DARK. I used my red headlight on my headlamp to see. Supposedly, the deer can't see red light, making them safe for hunters to use to navigate dark pastures and fields.

I took a chair in with me because I couldn't see down the draws if I sat on the ground. The chair is a burnt orange in color, but Kev thought it would work because it would be hidden by the sagebrush. Whatever. I decided to give it a try. (Just a reminder, it was one of those camping chairs--folding, lightweight. I'm not a complete idiot and would never carry in a heavy chair.)

I got settled right in front of a big 5 foot tall sage. All I had to do then was wait for it to get light and for the deer to decide it was time to come to bed. There was a storm front coming in, so we figured the deer would be up and moving trying to fill their bellies before the storm hit.

At 6:55--maybe 6:57, I looked to the south, from whence I traveled, and there was a stupid little spike buck following my trail. He had his nose down, sniffing my tracks. Now, I know that Lynn once shot and killed a deer by shooting it in the nose; but that's not recommended. My target could have been his chest or his nose and I was really surprised to see the idiot. I hadn't heard him at all until he snorted. By then, he was 10-15 yards away. He looked up and saw me, sitting there in my chair. He jumped and took off, stopping on the other side of the draw. I probably could have shot him from that distance, but he was so young and really, to be honest, I was amused that we surprised each other. (And, I was somewhat relieved that he wasn't a Rabid Killer Deer.) He then jumped the fence and took off.

But, it made me think...that maybe I picked a bad spot to sit. So, I relocated to another sage brush, a little farther back from the trail that I could now see--which I inadvertently followed into my spot.

And, I sat there for 2 more hours--not seeing another deer. Instead, I composed a blog--a rather poetic blog about the beauty of the morning and the colors of the sage brush and the imaginary deer that I could see and create from various sage plants and shadows as the sun came up. I imagined how I'd wax poetically about the scent of sagebrush, and the colors and textures. and, maybe, someday, I will write about how pretty the prairie is and how many different colors there are out there.

By 9 a.m., I was cold (the wind was coming up) and Mom's bathroom was calling my name. So, I called it quits and walked back to the car and then to town. Once in town, I visited with Mom and the bead junkies as they got creative. It was a nice, warm, and dry way to end this episode of Huntin' with Shell.

Note: We'll have a 2 week break for episode 4. We're going out of town next week and won't be able to hunt. Stay tuned for another "exciting" episode!

This week on...Hunting with Shell

This past Saturday morning was a much better hunting day for me. No fears of rabid deer, elk or cougars plagued my mind, nor was I distracted by pesky sunflower pods or grass seeds. Nope, I was intent on the hunt!



We got into our positions before 7 a.m., and let me tell you, it was dark! Kev and I decided to walk in on the south side of the fence which made for much easier walking. The south side of the fence is a pasture, "virgin" grass. It's never been plowed. It's so much easier and quieter walking in a pasture than it is wading through weeds or a wheat field. Our only difficulty was the 3 times I stumbled into old barbed wire that was on the ground. (Kev also walked into his share! It was DARK people!)



I hadn't been sitting/kneeling long when I heard a deer snort. It was too dark to shoot, but I could see his basic shape and knew he was a nice sized Muley buck. He walked by me--about 15 yards away. Nice shooting distance, if it's light enough to see what your shooting at! He walked to the edge of the draw where Kev was sitting. He stopped, snorted, and turned around and trotted off. I think he caught Kev's scent.



About 30 minutes later, after it was light, I saw a doe being chased by a buck. They were about 250 yards away. At the same time, I heard a deer snort below me, in Kev's draw. I couldn't see any deer, but I heard them snort as they tried to catch Kev's scent. My deer, the buck and doe, also heard the snorting. The doe ignored it, but the buck stopped and listened. You could tell he was trying to decide if he should check it out...but, the lure of the doe was greater and they went on their way, staying well out of bow range.



A little while later, I saw two does come down from the north. They walked towards me, and then cut down into Kev's draw. I assumed they'd stay down there, but nope, next thing I knew, they were 20 yards away! They'd come back up into the wheat field. I picked up my bow, but the doe saw me move and they took off, hell bent for! Right down the hill by Kev, and then up the other side, over the fence and through the pasture. Darn deer were Whitetails! What on earth were they doing in Muley country?



Shortly after their rapid exit, it was time to go. The snorters that Kev had were 4 additional whitetail does. He's wanting one particular buck. so he didn't shoot. I would have, because I want meat, not necessarily antlers, but he wants a big boy.



We had a nice walk out, the sun was out, shining, it was a beautiful day, and the deer had cooperated...somewhat, all in all, it was a good morning...even if we didn't bring home a deer.

Note: No deer, elk, cougars, birds, sunflowers or weeds were harmed or killed during this weeks episode of Hunting with Shell. Tune in again for another exciting episode!

hunting when the deer don't cooperate

So, how do you pass the time while hunting and sitting on the ground early in the morning when the deer don't cooperate? The following is a shortened version of what my morning (Saturday morning) was like...

I like to watch and listen to the world awake. I'm, being quiet so as not to alert the deer, and being quiet, I get to hear the birds wake up and start chirping. I try to identify the various ones. There's a whip-er-will. Doves. Pheasant... I watch the sun rise and marvel at how light changes. The windmill that is behind me is pumping. The rhythm of the rods moving up and down is comforting and familiar. I think about this being a good spot, because I could see lots of tracks moving my direction toward the windmill and toward bedding areas. I sit and watch diligently for a while, but after a while, it's hard to concentrate on listening for deer and watching for them.

So, being bored, because there weren't any deer around, I began to play with the dried sunflower pods and picked off the seed heads and scattered the seeds while wondering how the Indians ever got sunflower oil out of those things. Then I wondered if maybe the Indians planted domesticated sunflowers for oil, because these wild sunflowers are sure dry and the seeds--well, these sure don't seem at all like oil seeds, or even the kind you eat. Man, sure wish I'd brought some of those to snack on.

So then I take a seed and stuck it in my mouth to see it tastes like other sunflower seeds. It doesn't. Just tastes dusty and dry. So I spit it out, and took a quick look around at the field and the pasture to see if any deer are around. (They aren't.) So, I shred another sunflower and wonder what time it is. Dang, left the phone at home. No watch either.

Then I admired the whiteish grass and wondered what kind of grass it is. I ran my hand up it, pulling the seeds off into my hand and wondered if I could gather enough to take some home to the chickens. Then I pulled more seeds off the plant because it's fun. Oh, dang, I'm supposed to be watching for deer, so I quickly take another look around.

Shoot, wonder if I'm in a bad spot...maybe I should move over there, closer to the edge of the weeds...but if I move, will a deer see me? hear me? Dang, this grass is sure wet. My thighs are cramping up. Funny, my knees don't hurt, and they aren't cold either. but, Can I really sit here on my knees for two hours? Yeah, I'm just going to set down. Well, crap, can't see anything...better get back up on the knees....There are sure lots of sunflowers over there though...it's kinda fun pulling all the seeds off. Wonder if I pull all the seeds off if the birds will eat them off the ground? Maybe the birds only look for seeds on the plant...maybe I'll actually kill several birds just by pulling the seeds off these dang sunflowers. Ok, don't pull the seeds off...but it sure is fun though. Surely, surely one dang sunflower plant won't be the end of the stupid birds.

What's that sound? Dang. Just some stupid Pheasant hens... but, man, they make neat sounds as the wind whistles around their wings. Oh, look! A Hawk! He's sure pretty. Wonder if he sees me? How cool is that? Play with more of that white grass. That's cool. They sure pull out of the ground easy. Wonder what it is. And, what is this plant right here. It's still green. Is it Ragweed? If it is, will I start sneezing? No, it's froze, the pollen is gone. Sure is kinda pretty though...leave it alone.

Sigh, better look for deer. Stupid deer. Wonder if Kev saw one? Maybe he shot that big buck...that would be nice, to be done and have meat in the freezer. But, I don't want to cut it up today, with Uncle Dale and Aunt Jo's 60th anniversary thing this afternoon... Hope that a buck doesn't see Kev first and think he's competition for the does. Man, that would be awful if he was being attacked by a deer, and I didn't know it...

Wonder what I'd do if a deer snuck up on me. Would I scare him, or would he attack me? Crap, is there a rabid deer behind me? Nope. Good. Stop thinking about stuff like that. That was a cool article about the Cougar they found...of course Dad says they are around here...what would I do if a Cougar came up one me? Wonder if I could stab a cougar with an arrow? Crap, is there a sneaky Cougar behind me? Ok Shell, time to change the topic... Wonder what time it is?

Ooooo, listen to those coyotes. there must be pups with them. Now that sounds like Dad coming in to feed....

Wow, listen to that steer bellow. He kinda sounds like an elk. Maybe I'll just tell Kev that I heard the elk. Oh, cool, wouldn't it be cool for that elk to come by? That would be awesome. Crap. I hope he doesn't, I don't have my camera either. And, what if I startled him and he decided to attack? STOP that! He won't attack you.

Wonder what time it is? Will Kev whistle? Man, my knees are wet. And they hurt. It's got to be 9 or so. I think I'm going to stand up. I can't see any stupid deer, and I don't care. My knees are sore and wet.

About that time, Kev whistled, so I walked back to him, and we walked out. And that, my dear friend, is what I do when I'm hunting uncooperative deer...

Hunting season 2008 recap

Deer season is over. I didn't get a deer this year.

It's been a year of learning for me. Hunting here is not at all what I'm used to doing, and I'm going to have to come up with some new strategies.

I learned that when it's 3 degrees above 0, it's OK to stay home. And, when you are standing in a tree stand when it's 3 degrees, your toes will get cold first, and they hurt when they get really cold. When it's 3 degrees out and your toes hurt, you can only tolerate that pain and cold for about an hour before saying "to heck with this, I'm leaving."

When you finally get in pickup, and start to thaw, then you will see 2 deer who probably were headed to the tree stand where they could laugh at the stupid human who got cold.

I also learned what it's like to really stalk deer. I crawled 20 or 30 yards to get close to 3 bucks. I made it within 10 yards before they saw me. And, it's my fault that they saw me. See, Kev and I decided to stop one day at the Hill. I had seen deer cut back in the pasture through a draw on 3 separate occasions. So, we decided to check out the draw. The deer were there all right, and I got so close, but I peeked up over some sagebrush to see exactly where they were, and one saw me and they all took off. It took me 30 minutes to crawl that 20-30 yards.

One week after crawling around trying to get close to these deer, Kev happened to go by and see 9 deer right there, within shooting range of my tree stand. For 3 months, I've been hunting there, and never ever had a deer come within range of my tree. I'm sure those deer were standing around, laughing at the stupid human who took the day off.

So, I didn't get a deer this year. But, I've got 9 months, and it will be deer season again. I've got that amount of time to out-smart these deer...

A sunday stroll

Kev and I went out hunting yesterday. I didn't go to "The Hill" because there are some rifle hunters there, and I didn't want to be in their way. So, instead, Kev took me out to the ranch where he got his deer.

The Ranch belongs to the D family. They are a big land owner in Clark County, with farming and ranching operations. Daddy is in charge of the ranching end, cause he don't do farmin'. He's a cowboy through and through.

Anyway, they have several Mule deer who stay on their property, so we thought we'd try it. Kev and I sat for a while in a little hole down in a draw near the wheat and Milo fields. We scared out 2 does when we walked in and that was all the deer we saw.

Around 8:30 a.m., we decided to go check out some canyons. Mule deer like canyons. They can bed down on the side of a canyon and be out of the wind. On cold days, they like to bed down on the north side so that the sun can warm them all day as they sleep. Plus, the wind usually blows from the north, so they get the added bonus of being out of the wind.

Kev drove me over to the east side of the Ranch to some canyons he's been watching and it's an area he thinks is pretty as well. As we drove in, we saw a couple of antelope does. Can't shoot them, but it was nice to see them.

Then, we got to the canyons. Kev wasn't kidding; it's beautiful country. Made me wish that I had a camera along. Folks, if you think Kansas is flat, then you need to get off the Interstate and drive to our area. Canyon after canyon after canyon as far as the eye can see. Not little canyons either, but deep canyons. Some are deeper than 100 feet and are rather...vertical.

We parked the pickup near an autogate [insert lustful sigh] and walked about 1/4 mile over to one canyon. We didn't see any deer, but decided to follow the canyon around to the east and then circle with the canyons to the south and then we would walk back west to the pickup.

So, we angled down some, and around and walked and walked and walked and walked. I had my hunting gear on; my coveralls and my coat and was carrying my bow. It was a fun and beautiful walk. We not only looked for deer, but we enjoyed the beauty of the rocks and the canyons and the creek running through the bottom.

After about an hour of going up and down and around, we came to the Southeast corner. Somehow, even though we weren't at the bottom of any canyon, we were now closer to the bottom than we were to the top. And it was great, it was fun. I was enjoying myself until we turned the corner and saw the way out. To get back to the pickup, we had to walk back up hill, all the way. And it was a rocky and steep trip. We had to climb up several hills and sides of canyons, and it was pretty steep, and, and...

I got tired. Really tired. Tired enough that I stopped several times to rest and I was tired enough to really resent my coveralls. And my coat, my sweatshirt, and my bow, and especially my husband. Who at one point said to me, "You are really out of shape." Of course, he wasn't wearing coveralls. And his coat was lighter, he wasn't wearing a sweatshirt, and he wasn't carrying a bow either. And...and...well, maybe I am out of shape. But he didn't have to rub it in. I think this was about the time when I suggested that he go get Dad and a horse. And then I mentioned if he fell and broke something, I was just going to have to leave him to die, cause there was not way I could get him out of there. Of course he wondered why I'd warrant a horse, but he'd be left to die.

Even when we got out of the canyons, we still had an uphill trek back to the pickup. And I was tired. And besides being tired, my hands hurt from carrying my bow, and I was very sweaty. My t-shirt was rather damp next to my skin under the sweatshirt and coveralls and coat.

I talked to my Dad later on the phone and told him what we'd done and where we were. When I mentioned how steep it was coming out and how tired I got, he laughed and said "You can drive down there to the bottom on the far southeast side, but when you come back up, if you've got anything in the back of the pickup, it's going to slide out." Usually, he just goes horseback down there, it's easier. I know why, but I'm not sure exactly where you'd drive down.

But, I loved every minute of the walk. It was beautiful. It was refreshing. It made me thankful that I can see and appreciate the beauty of this area--even when I'd tired. So, if you think Kansas is flat, stop by and we'll just go hiking to the bottom of a canyon. Just leave your coat and coveralls and bow at home. You'll thank me later.

The hardest part of hunting

Today, at work, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was planning on spending all day tomorrow in my tree stand, hunting.

He asked if I took snacks. I said no. For the record, this is why I don't eat or drink when hunting...

Early in the morning, I put on fresh undergarments. Over that, I add long-underwear. Next, I put on a warm shirt. Then I put on the camo pants/jeans. Finally, I add a camo sweatshirt. My hunting socks and boots are last. All this is bulky and heavy.

Then, we drive to our spot, where first, I take a potty break, then I add coveralls, (bulk), coat (more bulk), gloves, head net, hat and safety belt. The safety belt has straps that go over my shoulders and under each arm, and other straps that go around and between each leg. Another strap goes around my waist and a final strap usually attaches to the belt between my shoulder blades and is wrapped around the tree--and it has to be under your coat, but on top of everything else. Finally, I grab my backpack and bow and head off for the tree stand.

To get to the tree, I have to go through a pasture, and through a field, climb over a couple of barbed-wire fences, and try not to catch my clothes on the barbed wire...I always catch something on the barbed wire...

I do all this, in the dark, trying to be quiet so not to scare off any deer.

Finally, I arrive at the tree and climb up the ladder to the tree stand. When I get to the top, I take off the backpack and hang it to the side of my stand. Then, I hook my safety belt to the tree. Finally, I pull up my bow (with a rope) and get ready to hunt. Now, it's still dark, so I can sit and rest until it's light enough to see and shoot.

Ok, so let's say that before leaving the house, I ate and drank.

At some time, usually right after I get settled into my tree, what went in, now wants out.

If I were a guy, I'd just whip things out and take care of the coffee or hot chocolate or Dr. Pepper--right there from the tree stand.

But, I'm not a guy, and don't have anything to whip out.

So, I have to make sure the bow and more specifically, the arrow, is in a safe location. Then, I have to carefully look around to make sure there aren't any deer watching, unhook my safety belt, quietly climb down from the tree stand, quietly walk away from my tree, take off my safety belt, my coat, and my coveralls. Then, I have to pull down the pants and both pairs of undergarments; do my business, then get re-dressed, put my coveralls, coat and safety belt back on and go back to the tree and...repeat.

I've tried doing...it...from the tree stand, like the guys, but there's too great of a risk of

1. Falling from the tree and
2. "Watering" the ladder rungs, which could freeze and would be a greater hazard when I was done hunting for the day.
3. Or, getting some or all of my clothing wet.
4. Or, having my shiny white hiney being spotted by the world record buck, who would then take off--after letting me see him running away from my big, shiny, white hiney.

A couple of trips up and down the ladder makes me really tired. And, it tends to scare off the deer. (Who are probably really hiding and laughing hysterically at me.)

Don't even ask what guys do when they need to do that other thing. Knowing guys, they'd probably do that from their tree stands too. But, I don't know, and I don't want to know.

And you thought the hardest part of hunting was shooting the deer...

shooting

Kev and I got our bows out last night to get them sighted in and to get the "feel" of shooting again.

Bow season has already started, and we are just now getting our bows ready. That is so WRONG on so many levels.

We should have started practicing in August.
We should already have everything lined up and ready to shoot.
We should, by now, be practiced, confident, and out hunting.

But we aren't. sigh.

My sight pin was way out of alignment. I use a pendulum sight pin now because I really suck at judging distances. Before, I'd have to guess which sight pin to use, and, I always asked Kev and Lynn Dale to draw me imaginary lines...10 yards, 20, yards, etc. Now, my pendulum pin should work up to 30 yards, and it adjusts itself to the target. Much nicer for distanace-challenged me.

I lost one arrow somewhere in the grass. I broke another arrow. I kept letting off from full draw which totally screws up your shot.

Kev, the jerk, just goes out, fires a couple of shots, adjusts a couple of small items, and he's back in business. The jerk. Why can't it be that easy for me???

Me...nothing is easy for me. After spending quite a bit of time looking for my arrows in the grass, Kev rigged up a back stop out of some plywood. But the idiot (she will remain nameless) who was moving my sight pin, moved it the wrong way, and I nailed the plywood.

• My 47 lb bow can shoot an arrow through plywood.
• Shooting arrows through plywood is hard on arrows.
• Pulling arrows out of the plywood isn't easy.
• Husbands get really annoyed when they have to pull your arrow out of the plywood.
• They get really really annoyed when you shoot it again.

We finally got my bow close to where it needs to be set, but now we need to find my broadheads. We've talked about me switching to mechanical broadheads (mechanicals open when they hit the deer) and not regular 4 bladed broadheads. Cause once I shoot a broadhead, we'll have to sight it in again. I really hope we have mechanicals bought already for me to use. I hope we can find them if we bought them.

But, shooting outside does get me in the mood to hunt...course I can't go this weekend, because we will be at a trap shoot... but, by the time I can go, I should be ready!

tree stands

Kev and I went and put up tree stands yesterday. I really didn't want to, because my allergies were really acting up and I just wanted to curl up with my box of Kleenex and die. They were bad enough that I was contemplating asking someone to just shoot me. Instead, I took my box of Kleenex and went to hang tree stands.

That's one bad thing about moving. Before, I'd go with Kev and Lynn, but I'd just stand around, looking pretty while the guys did the real work. Not this time, I had to help. Another bad thing about hunting in a new area is we just aren't as certain of the travel patterns of the deer. At the farm, where we have a creek and 160 acres, we really felt good about one stand, but couldn't figure out where to put a second stand. See, there's water there, with the windmill and even the creek, but...there aren't any food plots for the deer anywhere around, it's pasture for miles and miles. Great shelter for the deer during winter, but no special food. So, we decided to put up one stand here and we'd watch their patterns. We also found a place where Kev wants to put up a food plot, so maybe next spring, we can plant a small alfalfa stand, or just some clover and other grasses that deer like.

Then we drove over to Uncle Glenn's quarter section, but decided it wasn't really good for a tree stand. Then we drove on down to the Hill. Grandpa B's place. Well, Mom and Sandy's place now. Mom leased it to a local guy to run cattle and he had asked to put up a tree stand, and she said yes, but told him that we wanted to hunt there too.

He put up a stand all right, a huge tripod stand with a feeder that he built fence and fenced off an area, and he even took in a tractor and cleared out his area first. He did a lot of work for someone who just asked to put up a tree stand. He's also got a trail camera set up there. (see, we're natural hunters, we have never put in a feeder and we leave the environment natural and trashy. By trashy, I mean limbs and tree branches and such, not trash trash.)

The windmill is running, so deer could come in there for water. They got two tree rows there for shelter and there are fields of feed and Milo near by, so it should be a pretty good spot. Kev and I set up our second stand back behind the house, closer to the water than the other guys, and we are quite a ways from his stand. But, looking at the track in the mud around the windmill, we think the deer come in from the south, get a drink, then circle to the east, where we put my stand, then back around to the north west to that feeder. There were several tracks going that way anyway. We'll see. I know that in years past, there were deer scraping their antlers over my side, so I hope they still do. A friend of mine told me he's seen several big bucks cut across the road there.

It would tickle me to death if a big buck came by and I got him with my bow.

I love being out there, in the country. But it wasn't as much fun with snot dripping out of my nose, with itchy and swollen eyes, and me sneezing constantly and when I actually have to help instead of just looking pretty. Kev told me to stop sneezing, because I'd scare the deer. Yeah, only someone without allergies would even think that was funny. But, the stands are up, fall is here, and I'm ready to get a deer.

hunting

It's bow hunting season. I'm not hunting this year simply because I figured I'd be too busy and have too much to do to hunt. I miss it.

Kev and Lynn and Andy have been going out. Kev's shot a couple of deer, but not good shots, so he hasn't recovered either deer. He's not happy with himself, because he IS a better shot than that, so he's promised to practice and check out to see if his bow was knocked out of alignment.

Andy wants to shoot with his recurve bow this year, but he can't find it. "Dad" (Kev) borrowed his bowcase for the big Elk trip, so Andy had to empty it, and now, he can't find his bow. He accused me of giving it to Gregg, my co-instructor for 4-H archery, when I gave him all the 4-H stuff. My feeling is Andy needs to look, and if he thinks Gregg might have it, then he can call Gregg and ask! I don't think it was in that group of bows, but what do I know?

Daddy asked my opinion on letting the Virginia hunter hunt the farm and The Hill. He offered to pay Daddy $750, if he got a big buck on either property. Nice to be asked, but it also made me sad to think that I'm not hunting!

We've hunted at the farm, but never on The Hill. I think The Hill would be a great spot, cause we've found lots of rubs and tracks there, so I know it would be a great spot to hunt, and I want to hunt it. We plan on putting in some food plots since we will be hunting here in the future. I hope to spend more time out there, scouting and cleaning up both areas some. We'll see, cause I know how life sometimes gets in the way of what we "want" to do!

Definitions:

the farm= my Granddad Woodruff's place in rural Meade County. It's a beautiful spot on a creek with lots of hills and trees and it's remote and is very special to me. My Great-grandfather, Harvey Woodruff settled there in 1890, survived some fencing disputes and feuds. I'll blog about it sometime. Grandma and Grandad moved in the house in the 1930's and lived there till 1973, when a tornado struck. Daddy inherited that quarter section, so we call it "the farm". (It's really not a farm, cause it's all pasture.)

The Hill= My Grandpa Berend's place in rural Clark County. Locals call it "Starvation Hill;" we've always just called it "the Hill." Cause it's on a high point in that area. Looks over pasture ground and you can see Oklahoma from there (not really a big deal, cause it's only a mile from the border!) I don't remember them living on the Hill, but I remember my Great Uncle living there. The house needs to come down, but it's a great hunting spot, with the tree rows for shelter and the gullys and valleys surrounding it.

He's home

Last night, I got to sleep next to my hubby. For the first time in two weeks, I got to snuggle up to his warm, firm, masculine smelling body and drift off to sleep. It was wonderful.

He's home, safe and sound--without any elk--but safe and sound and home with me, where he belongs.

He's a little scruffy looking since he hasn't shaved in two weeks. Ok, he has a full beard. But I don't care, I like that beard. Sometimes I wish he'd keep it in the winter months, but he thinks it's too much work to keep a beard trimmed, so he'll shave it all off this weekend. But he'll wait a couple of days, just to make me happy.

Yeah, I don't deserve him at all. He's much nicer to me than I probably am to him.

But, last night was perfect. I got to sleep with someone bigger than me rather than someone much smaller than me. I had that nice body heat to fall asleep against and had that nice body to snuggle up to all night long. And we did snuggle all night long. It was wonderful. (That's the only adjective I can think of...wonderful, so stop the gagging noises, alright?)

It's only been two weeks, yet it felt much longer. I almost felt like we needed to get to know each other again before I let this man into my bed. Yeah, who am I kidding, that feeling lasted about as long as it took me to shed the clothes and jump into bed.

But, he's home. He's mine, and he's home. And that is...wonderful.

the big huntin' trip

My husband is leaving me for two weeks. He's going elk hunting with two buddies from here, the previously mentioned shoppers, Lynn and Bob.

I'm not sure if they will come back.

This trip could almost be called the "Trip of a Lifetime" because it's probably the first and last time they can all go bow hunting for elk. Of course, if they get any elk, it might be the first of many trips. But if that's the case, I'm going next time.

I've pretty much stayed out of the planning of this trip. Right guys? See, they agree. I've stayed out of this. So, if they get up into the wilds of Colorado without enough clean underwear, or without any eating utensils, or a pillow to sleep on, or any towels to wash up with, it's not my fault.

Besides the previously mentioned $340 grocery bill, this trip has expenses that are...well, expensive.

We've bought a flatbed 16 foot or so trailer in order to haul all the crap they think they need, crap like two 4-wheelers, a deep freeze (and the generator to RUN the deep freeze), a toilet-seat-on-a-box, boxes of food, boxes of bedding, the tent, the barrel stove to heat the tent. Stove pipe so they don't die from the smoke from the stove (It's not packed yet, but that's not my fault either.) Let's see...carpet to put under their beds so their little tootsies don't get cold in the morning. Cots to sleep on. Ump-teen pairs of hunting boots...See why we had to buy that trailer?

We've bought licenses...out of state licenses....very expensive. Like $500 expensive.

We bought new camo clothing because you can't wear the same clothes everyday for 14 days. So we bought lots and lots of camo clothes.

We bought new boots for this hunting trip because, well, I guess because those boots we wear every year deer hunting just don't work for elk.

We bought new arrows. Lots of new arrows. Expensive new arrows. And new fletchings and wraps for the pretty new arrows. Now, think about this one. We bought 24 new arrows and the goal is to use one. I repeat, ONE. That leaves 23 other arrows to do...something with.

Lynn bought a new GPS system. But I'm not sure he knows how to read it, so if he gets lost, he'll still be lost. I think Bob knows how to use one, but I'm pretty sure that they guys won't be together when they are hunting, so Bob will be of no use to Lynn. Lynn's gonna get lost--with his new GPS.

I'm sure I've left out some of the expenses of this trip. And I'm not adding it up. Scares me to much.

The boys are excited and plan on leaving at 5 a.m. tomorrow. They might make it, but I'm not sure how they'll get it all packed, cause I won't be here to help. Yep, someone will forget their underwear. I wouldn't be surprised if someone forgets to pack their bow...but I'm stayin' out of it.