Elaine and I went out mid-day Sunday to set up a blind for me to hunt from during Virginia's early muzzleloader season. The site overlooks a food plot and is a proven evening stand location. But the problem is that the deer come down a hillside to either the right or left and are "on me" before I often know it. A blind was the only choice for this site, as the most suitable tree has lost all its leaves and I would be too exposed if I placed a hang-on there. Sitting on the ground is simply not a viable option.
It will be interesting to see how the site performs Saturday. I expect to see deer that evening.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Scouting for Virginia Turkeys while Bowhunting (Blog 413)
With Virginia's turkey season set to start Saturday, October 27, I decided to bow hunt a Botetourt County cattle farm for deer Thursday after school. My main objective was to look for turkey sign and hope that I would see or hear a flock. I have called in and killed several spring gobblers there and hope that I could take a fall bird this year on the property.
At 5:10, I saw a flock and when the members came to within about a 100 yards, I got my crossbow in a position to shoot. In the past, while in a stand with my compound or crossbow, I have waited too long too many times to be in shooting position. However, the flock never came any closer than about 70 yards, but I was able to identify its members - seven mature gobblers.
About 5:30, a mature doe approached my stand, and I was able to kill her. Obviously, this outing could not have gone any better.
At 5:10, I saw a flock and when the members came to within about a 100 yards, I got my crossbow in a position to shoot. In the past, while in a stand with my compound or crossbow, I have waited too long too many times to be in shooting position. However, the flock never came any closer than about 70 yards, but I was able to identify its members - seven mature gobblers.
About 5:30, a mature doe approached my stand, and I was able to kill her. Obviously, this outing could not have gone any better.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Rhode Island Red Chicks Hatch (Blog 412)
What do you do when a hen tries to incubate eggs that haven't been fe
rtilized by a rooster? That's what happened to Elaine and me back in late August when one of her heritage Rhode Island Red hens, Mary, became broody.
No rooster had been in Mary's run since April, and, of course, that meant none of the eggs that Mary had so diligently gathered would hatch. Knowing that Mary would not stop being broody until she actually hatched chicks, Elaine and I decided to put three eggs in our mini-incubator and see what happened. Those eggs were taken from the pen of our alpha rooster, Don, and two of those eggs hatched, one on October 3, the other on October 5.
So we replaced Mary's dud eggs with the two chicks, and she had no problem adopting them. We hope that Mary and her chicks can go outside to live by Thanksgiving.
No rooster had been in Mary's run since April, and, of course, that meant none of the eggs that Mary had so diligently gathered would hatch. Knowing that Mary would not stop being broody until she actually hatched chicks, Elaine and I decided to put three eggs in our mini-incubator and see what happened. Those eggs were taken from the pen of our alpha rooster, Don, and two of those eggs hatched, one on October 3, the other on October 5.
So we replaced Mary's dud eggs with the two chicks, and she had no problem adopting them. We hope that Mary and her chicks can go outside to live by Thanksgiving.
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Grandsons Help me Drag a Deer (Blog 411)
Sunday morning I killed a deer with my new Parker Thunderhawk Pro crossbow, and when I brought it home, I found that Elaine was babysitting our grandsons Sam and Eli. I asked the boys, ages six and four, if they would help me drag the deer to the outside water faucet so that I could rinse out the chest cavity.
They both announced that they had to have long plastic gloves to do the job. So after donning the gloves, they assisted in helping me drag the deer to the faucet. They also, more or less, mostly less, held the chest cavity open so that I could cut out the bottom loins. I am hoping that their dad David and I can take Sam hunting on Virginia's Youth Day in a few years.
They both announced that they had to have long plastic gloves to do the job. So after donning the gloves, they assisted in helping me drag the deer to the faucet. They also, more or less, mostly less, held the chest cavity open so that I could cut out the bottom loins. I am hoping that their dad David and I can take Sam hunting on Virginia's Youth Day in a few years.
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