30 min to go ohio gun

10 min to go and now in stand. A doe was 200 yards away by neighbors barn. Went the wrong way. We couldnt get up in stand. Wish I had brought shooting sticks in case it did come this way.20191208_171528.jpg
Hoping to get to use early Christmas present from santa a leupold 1600ti range finder.
 
So after being pinned down for awhile we climb into stand with 9 min left of shooting time. I was posting above pic and my son says dad what are those? 20191208_172605.jpg
The deer are coming from neighbors sanctuary and going to cross into our green field. With 3 min left they are 121 yards thank you Santa. My other son would have been with me had Mrs.F not assigned a major project that is due Wednesday. I am going to have to talk to her about major projects during deer season. He learned a lesson that need to get work done that was assigned a month ago so free during season. We would have gotten to see the 350 legend in action but my little guy cant even shoulder a red rider bb gun so we use a youth crossbow with a gun cheek pad on it. 8 doe pour in and we watch them he keeps moving and looking through scope like he was going to shoot. 50 yards is max with that crossbow before it falls like a rock. 11 min after shooting time 5 more doe are coming right under stand. I hear leaves crunch 15 yards to side. I figure let him practice lining up shot. Well before deer gets out front my other suprise gift to myself from black Friday at cabelas falls from my pocket my 10x42 vortex binos. 20191208_172813.jpg
Well they bust out cause I am the one that makes to much noise. They stay 75 yards out in neighbors field till I get my buddy to come and scare them off with his truck from road. I then manage to drop cell phone while giving directions. And then the bolt falls. We get everything picked up and get out of there. As we turn corner walking out we see a big buck from what I can make out now 25 min after shooting time. My little guy liked seeing deer and it almost wasnt enough action for him. Reminds me when my other son was same age went out for 15 min drive saw 3 bucks about 5 min apart shot at last one and had oreo cookie break in between all that and it was still to slow for him. He hunts now when he doesn't have projects just fine. It was a good time spending the last 30 min hunting with my little 5 year old. 16 deer and that was almost too slow.
 
My little brother flew in tonight and back out in the morning,time spent
with family is well worth it.showed off my new hunting toys and he brought
Cheddear Jalepeno Venison Brats!My smoker never had it so good! 🔥
 
Opening Day.
Here is ohio season from start. 20191202_171515.jpg
Little guy wants to go out and my older son can't make up his mind if he wants to go. I take the little one and I have gun to see if anything comes out in last half hour.
He really just wants to go I think cause I give him my phone to play games so he sits still. I use to use candy and snacks with my oldest son to distract him through the boring time of just sitting. We see nothing

Day 2
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After dropping my daughter off at neighbors for bus I swing by where I can glass our stand and a big deer is 60 yards from my stand. I have gun and vest in car cause I have learned this lesson the hard way too many times that just checking to see if deer there results in opportunities more often than not. So I grab gun throw on vest so I am legal and run down waterway in just a light sweatshirt no hat, gloves or boots. It moved over to neighbors field that they don't allow hunting. It ended up being a doe. Glad cause it is 27 deg out. 20191203_072429.jpg
Wish I had a jacket for doing this.

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Take daughter to her activity and get back home with less than half hour to go and a saw deer in a few places already cause overcast and storm coming in. We see nothing.

Day 3

We find out that my son has to read a whole book and do a major project and it is due in a week. My wife flips her lid. He has had project for a month and hasn't started it. Well momma bear wasn't having it. He couldn't even go read in stand. So with 20 min left I went out to just look at what was going on from my glassing spot. 2 does come out and watch them for few min and then i see a buck step out from behind the red barn where the deer bed. I haul over to park and run in cause i can see they are making way slowly through picked corn field to our green rye field. I think there is only 11 min left of shooting time there is no way i can get my son. I dont think I will be able to pull this off. I zip down waterway and get close to corner and doe is already just at propery edge right in front of stand and she sees me. I drop down prone. She watches my way and after while i duck down look back and cant find her. I snap this pic with 3 min to go.20191204_172747.jpg

I think what happened to buck. I look at field right in front of me and see him moving. He is limping a bit and I think man this is going to cause problems I wish my son was here shooting not me but I dont like to see a animal hurt so I line up in prone position. Adjust scope zoom a little bit. Deer runs forward a little bit. Get on him again. Aim right behind shoulder. Squeeze. Deer drops at shot. I dont even have a knife on me this is what I look like so much for all the camo.20191204_173525.jpg
At least I had a fleece on this time. I go home and my son is mad he didn't go. I am mad he didn't go. He starts crying. My youngest starts crying cause he wanted to go but there would have been no way to get him dressed and in stand before time was up when he said he wanted to go. My wife starts crying cause sad that my oldest son didn't get opportunity. I knew it would be bad shooting but I didn't know it would be this bad. I only shot cause of the limp. Oh well. I have been sick since Thanksgiving and only would leave house for little quick trips cause that is all I felt I could do. I even got blood tests earlier this day cause doctor was concerned and medicine wasnt helping. Well my buddy that shot deer night before said he would help if got one. He got my message to come help after doing a chest and arm workout. We go get deer drag it 150 yards to waterway to gut and load in truck. He estimates deer at 300lbs plus. I say 180.20191204_195810.jpg20191204_195806.jpg20191204_203940.jpg
We took him to dad's garage cause it was going to be in 20's that night. Nice to have a cooler that I didnt unpack from New York trip to keep drinks from freezing there were nice and cold and a nalgene with water to wash hands off. The shot was in neck. So can't say how good new 350 legend was other than I did have a dead deer. Wind and or shooting error at 150 yards must have been more than I thought.
 

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Day 4
Well shooting deer got everyone's attention and both my son's wanted to go. 20191205_170813.jpg
It was later than I wanted. In pic you will see the shooting stick from primos. I dont like that it says jim shockey on it but it is way quicker to set up and then adjust for the kids than the bogpog sticks. I wish this had a adjustment that you have to turn an set on first section and then trigger on rest so it could go lower for the little guys ie sitting position. I decided that we wouldn't go in stand just go to corner and wait buy bush there so we could get out easy and we never have had 2 weapons in stand when it was all three of us. The deer come out with 1 min of shooting time and I cant get a range with dad's bushnell rangefinder. It is 200 or so yards. My son has trouble getting on one of the 3 does out in field. Shooting time ends and I unload gun and give it back to son so he can dry fire on doe. It is quiet and still. Little guy is kept quite and still with games on my phone. My oldest gets lined up and checks 3 times with me that I unloaded gun. He squeezes trigger and the pin sounds so loud. Does don't care and after waiting 20 min we slip away with out the know 7 deer knowing we are even there.
Day 5
Project pressure is building and son says he has to finish book. We are early for once but he knows when you get homework out deer come out to distract you. One time in college I went bow hunting with dad in New York and we saw 31different bucks in one weekend rutting. Every time I tried to study for exam on Monday I would hear leaves rustle. I didn't mind except I got no studying done that weekend. Best weekend ever. I take the little one out and see doe in neighbors field but that is it.
Day 6
Go out for look in morning even though really our stand is almost never good in morning. We were up late watching football and so son was sleeping on couch. I mean bunk hunting cause when I get back to drive way I see three does and one buck running across neighbor across street field. I didnt even have gum with me. I guess I never learn my lesson. They are 100 yards out window from where son sleeping. I run in say wake up buck across street and just ran across onto our farm. He starts getting his stuff on but we should have just grabbed gun and vest and maybe a jacket quick cause it was in 20's and ran out door. Shooting sticks are in truck and trailer hooked up cause moving deer back forth between warmer garage and my barn depending on temps. Well son runs for stick and we hear shot on next farm. Too late decide to push out little woods. Son walks himself I stay in warm car. Comes back says heard noise but kept walking. Instruct how to better walk woods how to kick up deer and that if hear something go to it to see what it is. Hunt the evening and nothing comes out in time. We still have one weekend and muzzleloader plus archery is till February so I think boys will still get one.
 
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