Saturday Morning new Double wide stand location on the neighbor to the West of our property.
07:06: I see 3 slick heads at 200 yards on the East end of the field. I had them in sight for a couple minutes before they faded into the brush.
07:16: I have a doe come out of the woods line directly in front of my stand at 160 yards. I have it in sight for 20 minutes. It feeds to within 125 yards of my stand, then works back to the woods line. This deer has white up the sides like an antelope.
07:40: I spot a nice buck at around 275 yards coming my way from the West side of the field. He looks to be an average 10 point. He is working a scrape line crossing the field. He stops under a tree and works the scrape, then continues to the woods line in front of me where he goes out of sight at approximately 200 yards. The woods in front of my stand is a block shape with the field making an L shape around it. A couple minutes later he reappears in front of me at the same location the single doe had came out of the woods line. I watch him go up on his hind legs to rub a branch, then he works another scrape. About this time I decide he is in range at 160 yards. I cock the hammer on the 6.5x30JDJ Contender ready to send a Hornady 123 grain SST on it's way. I have No cooperation from the deer. He keeps turning presenting angles I was not impressed with for my shot. He finally gets broadside, and I have a tree covering his chest. He moves off with no shot I was happy with presented. I have this buck in sight from 07:40 - 08:00.
08:05 I have what I thought was the single doe come back out of the woods infront of me. Same white up the sides. I put the scope on it to Count Coup when it was broadside, and see through the 2-7 Burris scope that this was a 4 point, and not the same doe seen earlier. With the same white extending up the sides, I am sure if was a relative of the doe.
09:30 I see a doe running across the field at approximately 250 yards followed shortly by a nice large racked buck. I have him in the scope, but he is past my comfort zone for a shot.
Saturday Afternoon: I am in the double wide ladder stand behind the house to the North on the Lease.
16:00 I have 9 Jake's (young Turkeys with Beards) work down the point from the East into the bottom. They all get a drink from the creek then cross in front of my stand at approximately 35 yards feeding. At 16:20 they go out of sight up the point going West.
16:30 I have a doe with fawn come into the valley on the West side of my stand from the North. They cross the creek bed, move across the open valley floor and then work up the point to the West following the path of the Turkeys.
Sunday Morning Hunting the Double Wide on the South West corner of my property:
07:17 I hear a stampede. I have between 6 and 8 slick heads running past my stand approximately 200 feet out. They stop in the valley and start milling around and feeding. They slowly move off to the West.
07:50 I hear another deer running. I have another doe following the same route as the large group. It is followed by a big buck. The buck seems to loose interest in the doe. I have him in sight through brush until 08:00. I can see him in the scope, but way too brushy for a shot.
Sunday Afternoon: Back to the double wide stand on the Lease North of the house.
16:55 I have a single doe work up the valley to the East. It moves across in front of my stand, then changes it's mind, and turns around and ends up working it's way up the point to the West.
Monday Morning: Back in the Double wide stand on the South West corner of the property.
07:31 I see a doe moving North down the fence line. I have one tag that must be used on a doe. I think about taking her but decide to let her pass.
07:35 I have a pair of young 4 points working down the fence following the same path the doe took. They are quite possibly twins. I let them pass as well.
Tuesday Morning: Back in the Southwest Stand. The wind is blowing hard. I decide to head back to the house at 08:00. When I get to the house I have a doe and fawn feeding in the pasture East of the house. I guess the deer were out moving around a little. Almost no gun fire, so they were not moving much.
Tuesday Afternoon: I have a Church Business Meeting, and the wife has a get together with the girls, so no hunting. I check out the sliding door to the east of the house, and I have 6 slick heads eating grass in the field. The wife sees 3 more working East down the trail behind the house. I guess our normal deer that feed in the field had guests over for supper.
Wednesday Morning: The alarm clock goes off at 05:30. At about 05:40 I comment to Wilma that I was surprised that it was not raining. About that time we hear the rumble of thunder. About 10 minutes later the sky fell.
Wednesday Afternoon: We decide to not hunt. The wife is painting the kitchen, and I was working on shop clean up, and a little reloading. Wilma blew a shot on a big buck shooting the 357 Maximum Scout. I am sure she was flinching from the 188 grain/1900 fps + recoil. I am working her up some lighter loads with 158 XTP-FP and 140 FTX bullets. I will see how they shoot in the next couple days, and get a chronograph reading on them. And the main thing is a reading on the recoil.
Thursday the Weatherman says will be another cold but nice morning without much wind. I hope the big one comes by. I would like to be able to report on the performance of the 6.5mm, 123 grain SST bullets.
Bob
