Deer Firearms Opener 18 NOV 2023

 Nick and I decided we were not going to get up 3 hours before sunrise and go sit in the dark today for the season opener.  Instead, we agreed to "sleep in" until first light and then walk in.  Good thing too as I go back to pick him up, he's still in bed as his alarm was not set properly.

On the drive into Marshall's N woods, we see 9 deer in the fields - most are eating and not spooked, but they still probably got there by being pushed out of the woods as hunters walked into the woods...

We park and start walking.  Eric and Denis are already there and in their stands on Neal.  It's close to 7:20 am and it's 29F (-1.5C).  Just as Nick gets 100 yds N of the truck he starts clapping his mittened hands at me.  I look around.  Nothing.  I pick up the phone and call.  He tells me there are deer in the field eating.  I could not see them due to the shift in terrain.  Ok.  Good information.  I ask if he can hit them.  They are still 300 yds away and the biggest is a 4-pt buck.  We both keep walking.

I get to the bottoms and watch a deer - very smartly - wait on a car to pass and then cross the road.  I walk in, slowly, and hear a close shot, that I think is Nick, go off at 7:50.  Nick texts.  Doe down.  Seems there were four deer, mama, 2 babies, and 4-pt buck that rounded the killing finger.  Nick shot the biggest doe from about 40 yds.  We ain't been in the field 30 mins and already got meat in the freezer.

I walk on and about 100 yds in, I smell something bad.  I check my boots thinking I stepped in something.  I smell my gloves.  I do not identify the odor.  I walk on for another row of trees and find a dead buck.  Weird antlers on this guy - 5 points on 1 side, but on the other he had two growing independently.  Must be due an earlier injury.  At that exact moment, the local DNR officer drives by. I show him pictures of the buck and he writes me a permit to posses the anters.  Nice.

I walk on past the first finger and then climb the hill to the top field.  There I see the other two doe and the 4-pt buck that rounded Nick earlier in the morning.  I put the buck in my scope but do not fire.  He's maybe 150 yds out but at such a young age, I pass on the shot.  Let him grow up.

Nick had a very large doe circle him in the killing finger and then snort before running NW toward Eric.  He never saw it until walking out because she stuck to the fence row.  We know this because we met Harold, Eric, and Denis back at the truck about 10.

Zach and Eric M. were hunting the round barn.  They saw deer until the fog rolled in and shut them out.  Davey passed on a small buck that he may regret later.  Not sure what Tanner saw - he was hunting Krueger's place after driving up from NM.  

I saw 15 deer this morning and by any accounts that's a great day.  Did not hear a lot of shots, maybe 12 or less.  Warmed up to about 45F (7C).

Nick electronically checked-in the doe, we cleaned her and then hung her in the barn.  We are going to butcher her ourselves tomorrow.  We drove the Gator up to Pa Jerry's to give a report of our morning.

First light.  Taken back at Nick's as Ole Red comes up.

I love the reflection off the barn.

Walking in on Marshall.  Note the frost.  It's chilly.

The cause of the odor.

Note the two weird points on his left side.

Enjoying beer and conversations with Harold, Denis, and Eric

back at the trucks.  Sun is out and it's a blue bird day.

Nick's nice doe hanging up in the barn.

Now all we have to do is get her butchered...