yup, its a crap shoot though.

as long as it makes them stop for a split second.
sec

**** hair is all i need. i dont hunt much anymore. have a fella harvest off my place.
he built a bygod of a tree stand. sits about 150 yards from my back door.
anyway his first year hes out with his daughter and im drinking in the yard, about an hour into his hunt i hear him cock the hammer on his 30/30. now mind you this is a scoped rifle. he shoots and about 20-30 seconds later he fires his weapon again.

so i watch till he climbs outta the stand, head to the shop to get my tractor so we can haul it back. when i get down there i see why it took two. one through the ass and one through the gut.
same fella killed a button buck, called it in, and the next day MDC was at his door bright and early. seems it was antlerles season.

Marksmanship at its finest.

Been in the trees a couple times; no luck yet, had a fat doe walk right under my stand Sat. evening but never walked in my shooting lane.

Mostly just ate up by skeeters.

Early firearms opens Sat. for unit 19; go sit in the blind in the cornfield and drop a couple does this weekend.

Bought my 13 year old son his first deer rifle tonight; a .270. He has been hunting for years and killed several deer, but he wanted his own gun for Christmas. He is one happy kid.

Iowa "bag" his own doe yet?

Too busy so far.....very soon Pt....very soon.

YA WHATEVA - like you got shit goin on...

Tbag that bitch for me will ya? (the deer)

I got dux to kill instead.

Well downed a fat doe last night in the early rifle season. Was quickly running out of day light and actually could not see the deer unless I was looking throught the scope, it was so dark. She was about 200 yards eating in a cut corn field, she was shadowed by some tall grass. I waited for her to take a few steps into the field so I could get a better view through the scope. Gave her a whistle so she stood up nice and tall and sent my .270 cartridge right through both lungs, she walked about 40 yards and I found her in a dry creek bed.

That is my success story of the weekend.

Fri. night I was bow hunting out of a ground blind along a bean field, been there a few times this year and have seen alot of deer, just no chance for a shot. Right about 7:20 a nice doe came within 22 yards of me, I actually had to grunt her to stop otherwise I think she was going to walk right into my blind. She turned broadside I let my arrow go and made a solid hit, I knew I was a little high but was sure I just made my first bow kill. She turned and trotted into the timber. I took my time, packed my stuff up and went to the area she was when I shot her. Found alot of good blood, followed it to the edge of the timber where she entered and saw sprays of blood all over the tall grass and on the ground. Seeing this I figured she was not very far in the timber and not wanting to pressure her packed my blind and bow back to my vehicle and waited for my buddy to arrive to help in tracking. He got there about an hour later which gave the doe a good hour and a half without pressure. We quickly picked up the trail, easy to follow, big drops of blood and alot of "sprays". After about 125 yards found my arrow covered in blood on the bottom half and the fletchings dripping blood. Figured it would not be long before we found her.

Well long story short we tracked the blood trail for 3 1/2 hours through all kinds of cover; briar, thickets, tall grass and even over a creek she crossed. We followed the blood until we got into a tall briar patch and lost it. We searched the area for over an hour looking for any sign, nothing. Finally after midnight and our flashlights completely dead we had no choice but to call it off. We had to bushwhack our way out of the woods (which we had no idea where we were exactly) by moonlight. I am amazed on the amount of blood this deer lost and we could not find her. We estimated we covered over a mile and a half of ground searching for her. I was dissapointed not only because it would have been my first bow kill but that it was too warm that night to even fathom that she could survive the night without spoiling. Not the first deer I have lost but still bothersome none the less. I guess the doe on Sun. night somewhat makes up for it, that and the idea that some coyotes had a tasty meal Fri. night and Sat. :shrug:

Hopefully I will get back out a couple times this week during the early season and definitely will be out this next weekend. Trying to decide to bow hunt or rifle?