Well, there's the hunt over for another year. In 2008, I blew 3 potential shots, 2 of which were totally bonehead moves, and we wound up skunked. It just goes to show you that no matter how much experience you have, it doesn't pay to get too cocky. Last year (2009) we had a real wolf problem out there, and no one was getting lucky. The wolves had everything pushed all over the place and nothing was on it's normal run. Mid week my buddy got eyes on a yearling doe but couldn't get a shot, and that was all we saw for the whole week. FINALLY! We got up on the Sat. (30 Oct.) and got settled in. We saw a doe and yearling on his property just looking at us. As the season wasn't open, we couldn't shoot, but sure hoped they'd continue to hang around. We had great weather, only lost one day to rain, for the whole week. My buddy saw the doe and yearling a few times, but still couldn't get a good shot. Come Wed. morning, I'm on one of my bush roosts, and I see movement. I got the glass on it, and it's a young buck picking it's way down through the bush about 75-80 yards away. It had no idea I was there, so I had time to get a good fire lane through the intervening trees and brush. I got my shot, and it wheeled back into the brush. I called my buddy on the radio, and he came a-runnin'. He walked to where I'd shot it. I joined him and we went looking together. I found the buck dropped about 15 yds. away. I have a Ruger 77 in .308 with a Leupold 2.5-10. It's an older Ruger with the wood stock and bull barrel, and it's a tack driver. I'd picked up some Remington 150gr. Accubond ammo on special and my rifle loves this stuff. It'll put 3 shots into a nickel at 100 yds., so I was pretty sure I'd nailed the buck cleanly. When we dressed out the deer, we found the shot was a through-and-through and took out the heart on the way. We now have venison in the freezer and some nice memories of a good year. I hope the rest of you did as well or better.
