PotashRLS

Crazy isn't it!!!

In School Suspension

Ya, curious how it turned out? The turkey hunt sounds like a blast too.

FFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE CCs of local anesthesia.............

118 and 103 dressed. Both had fawns and both jaws looked to be 3 1/2 yrs. old. I bought that Encore a number of years ago. It sat on the shelf at Gander Mt. for a while and when I would go in there I just couldn't take my eyes off it. It has been a tack driver, and a pretty one at that. Within a year or so after I bought it is when T/C came out with the prohunter line. My brother has the stainless/composite FX Encore and he likes it. But when putting his and mine side by side, there is no comparison that mine is of higher quality. I am really glad I bought it when I did. The FX is still a top notch Encore but you can tell they altered it toward the lower end a bit.

Deer are active in the food but can't get a good buck to show himself. Very cold for early December.

Too many deer in this area so the doe patrol rides again. It was frigid cold with highs in the single digits and windchills well below zero. The deer put the feedbag on and moved early toward food sources. Good eats for 2014! First one was last Thursday and the second was Sunday. It snowed pretty good on Sunday.

Whacked another population control doe last night with the muzzleloader. Getting close to our antlerless goal. Congrats on the buck.

She looks nice and tasty. Nice Job.

Awesome deer. Hoping the bucks get on their feet here for our muzzleloader season too. Been very cold for December. Congrats on a dandy.

In Wisconsin their 3 favorite words are Governor Scott Walker. J/K :clap:

Put a big ole doe down with the T/C Encore this evening. Balmy 8F with winds gusting to 30mph. Fresh 4" of snow and cold really gets em on their feet. 2 of my target bucks showed up on camera after our gun season. Hopefully one will make a mistake in the next 6 days.

Thank you all for your kind words. I truly appreciate it.

It's been rough. My wife is still quite depressed and noticeably more irritable. While not totally surprised, I am a little overwhelmed by how much his being gone makes our home feel less "warm". Our beagle never was an affectionate dog so she really is unable to pick up the slack so to speak. Baxter just left a huge hole in all of us. Unreal how a dog can sometimes be the glue that better binds a family. I miss him a ton.:angel2:

Poor season here too. Very odd year this year with a less than stellar rut. Neighbors were ill prepared for their once a year trip to their hunting land. With all the walking around they did (often lost ), they should have just visited a state park.

Good Job Bud.

My wife called me in the deer stand this morning at 5:50am crying. Our good ole dog Baxter (short hair pointer/cocker mix) started having seizures beginning at 10pm that night. She got ahold of the vet's office and would be driving him there for 7:30am. The vet thought some anti seizure meds and some doggie valium would get them under control. She made her way back with him so she could start cooking. When I got home with my son, the seizures started to become more frequent. In between the seizures, he would just pant rapidly and lie with me unable to control himself. We called the vet again and decided that it was time. We took that long last ride to the vet's office, tears aflowin. Within a few minutes Baxter was at peace leaving us with a 13 year hole in our hearts. We were to be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house, which we did...........right after we placed Baxter in his final spot in the backyard. The decision wasn't hard, letting go of him was. We still have our beagle but she doesn't hold a candle to the dog Baxter was. So this Thanksgiving we are thankful for 13 years of the best family dog we could ever ask for. He had personality second to none. Miss ya already Bud.

You all too.

Ditto. Here's to my Teammate on his B-Day.:drink:

That was very cool. Great memories for your son's first buck and your Dad's as well. You are correct, that is what it is all about.

"Deer Herd Management" starts with the doe. She is the target animal when controlling population. Taking bucks does very little to affect herd numbers. While not always palatable, doe fawns during the end of the season are good targets too as they eat for free all year taking nutrition out of the mouths of the deer you want to keep.

With temps like that, it won't age, it will be frozen. In Wisconsin, deer hang on the pole during gun season for 9 days when temps are below freezing. Heck, some leave em even above freezing. Butchering takes away from drinking.

Our gun season opens tomorrow as well. Will be a high of 20F with 25mph gusts. Single digits overnight into Sunday morning. I guess that will separate the men from the boys, hehe. It will likely be slim pickins as there have been no good bucks on camera all year on the family property. But with all the lead that flies around, wounded deer are generally limping around later on. Nice deer there Joe.

The wind will be the killer on opener. Sustained at 10-20mph with gusts at 25mph. Snow on the way here tonight but only an inch or so forecasted. Long sit when there was not one single "shooter" buck on camera all year on the family property. Good times with family and friends always prevails. Hope everyone enjoys the longstanding tradition and begins a new tradition for a youngster!