Deer Season (Gun) 2008

Well, for the first time in many years, I got together enough stuff and know how to go hunting this year. I don't have a bow, so I stick to gun season. When a co-worker, Frank McPherson, said he wanted to go, I quickly jumped at the opportunity. We decided on a location in East Fork Lake State Park that was open to the public. Frank decided to scout the area a little during bow season (he bow hunts). The morning of opening day came and we were out of the house by about 5:30 a.m. to arrive at our location about 6:30. Sunrise was set for about 7:30. As we started to pull up on the spot he had picked out, we found about 20 cars parked in the lot with about 2-3 hunters per car. This is for hunting an area only a couple square miles. Lets see..... 20 cars times 2.5 hunters = 50 hunters for this area. There was no way for that many people to hunt without watching each other hunt (not safe)! They would be on top of each other. We decided to go further down the road and see if we could work our way in by the lake away from most others. Few cars were down that far, so we gave it a try. After about an hour of working our way through thick woods in the dark, we tried to settle in a thick area before daylight was completely on us. Nothing happening. We heard about 6 gunshots all morning. On our way out, we found a much more open area that didn't look like it was over run with people.....but it was time to go home to go to work.
The next morning, we went to the more open area. All morning, I had a good feeling about the day. We drove past the parking lot that was over run the day before to find about 7 cars (less than half). A good sign. As we passed our planned trail entrance, we see a doe take off into the woods. Another good sign. We suit up and enter with our tree stands on our back. 20 yards into the trail, we spook a doe which goes running away (mind you it's pretty dark, so you can only see the white tail and the crash through the brush. I decided to get Frank into a tree in the nearby area in case the doe came back around that morning. He set up looking into the start of a deep ravine. I kept going down the trail about 1/4 mile hunting the same ravine, but around a corner from Frank. After I worked my way up my tree, I realized that I could just see Frank's orange hat if I stood. Perfect distance from each other to be hunting the same ravine. No gunshots all morning. We went into the woods at 6:30 that morning. All morning long, I heard movement in the woods and continued my good feelings. I kept telling myself we were getting a deer that day. Around 8:30 I heard the sound of a running deer coming down the ravine from Frank's location. All at once it stopped.....and BANG!!!. As I was thinking, yeah....Frank got one.....BANG!!!. He must have missed, so I got ready as I heard the crash of deer running again. Then I heard the sound of a deer bleat, the sound stop....BANG!!. Then I could hear it crash to the ground. I sat for a few more minutes, till I knew it was okay to come down, and worked my way down my tree. I headed to Frank who showed me where the doe was that he had missed twice, but got on the third shot. It was across a very deep raving with very steep walls. We left our stands, and headed for it. After a few snapshots on camera phones, we field dressed it and attempted to figure out the easiest way out with it (no easy one). We attempted to drag it a little ways, but it wasn't working well. Frank decided to get it on his back and work his way up the ravine slowly. After about an hour we were able to get out of the ravine (with many rest breaks). We loaded her up and checked her in at the local check-in station.
Frank knew how to skin one (which I didn't), and neither of us had ever quartered and butchered one. So...as any country boy does...we took it back to my house and strung it in a tree after stopping by the local butcher shop for butcher paper. Frank began showing me how to skin it, which I joined in. It was remarkably easy, just time consuming. Then, we had a skinned deer. So we went online (technological country boys) to get directions on quartering and butchering. After a lot of hack sawing and butcher knife work, we got into a routine that worked well. About 4:30 that afternoon, we finished. Frank gave me a bunch of the meat, which I gladly accepted.
After a long day of work, we came out with a sense of pride and the ability to fill our stomachs. Although Frank is the one that shot it, I can't help but be just as happy as if it were mine. Quite an accomplishment to scout, stalk, hunt, kill, drag, load, check, hang, skin, saw, butcher, clean, and package a deer. I haven't filled my tag this year, but feel just as accomplished as I had. Think I may be done for the season.....or at least a while, till I run out of meat.