First Gun Season

The Monday after Thanksgiving is Opening Day of gun season in PA.

It was the perfect morning. We had our first snow. The stars were aligned. I was excited. 

Hubby and I got up at 4:30 and headed to the woods. By 6am, my Marlin Model 1894C and I were in my treestand waiting for the sun to come up.  Just before sunrise, I started to see deer. I even saw a piebald deer (later found out it was an 8 point), but it was still dark enough that I wasn't able to see any antlers on the deer. I probably saw 20 does before 9am.  There were many shots that morning. But none were mine. Since I had shot a doe during archery season, I can only shoot a buck. (I forgot to send in for our bonus doe tags. You can bet I won't forget that next year.)

Beautiful morning. Picture from my treestand before the clouds cleared.

I got out of my treestand at about 10 o'clock. I was a bit chilly, thanks to the wind picking up after sunrise.  After that we all reconvened to get a game plan. The guys I was with were set on trying to help me get a deer since it is my first rifle season. So it was decided they would do a little pushing of the deer. I was always placed in a spot to hopefully get a deer.  Again all I saw was doe. 

The first Saturday was a more productive day.  There was 7pt, another got a 5pt, a doe and hubby got a button buck. These 4 deer were the only deer I saw that day.

Today and tomorrow are our last days of gun season. I'm not sure if I will get out today, but I will be out there tomorrow in the rain. So hopefully I will see some buck and be able to get a shot.

Thanksgiving Week

This Thanksgiving Week has been a roller coaster ride for my family. 

The week started out nicely, spending some time with my family. I hunted with my brother, dad and husband for the first time. We had a full family photo done for my mother's birthday. Took her out to dinner. We picked our new addition to the family, our beagle puppy Sage.

Hubby and I did not get to go out small game hunting like we had wanted to. But we did have a nice Thanksgiving dinner out with his family at a local restaurant. Then we settled in for a movie at home and enjoyed the evening .

Black Friday, brought a whole new meaning to our family. Again we were not able to get out and do any hunting. Of course, with a new puppy we have to go outside first thing after we wake up. So I trotted out side with the puppy and our lab. After Sage did her business, we headed inside but our lab stayed outside. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door...our lab had been hit by a car. It was not a good way to start our day. That night was the most shaken up I have seen  my husband. He showed our 3 year old son where Remi was buried and told him that he would not be coming back. Our son has taken our pet loss well. I think it is due to the new puppy.

Remi was a good dog, even though he got on my nerves. He will be missed.

Hunting Buddy Found

Hunting Buddy Found

On our trip to New York, we found the Beagle pup we have been looking for.

We really lucked out. There were 8 pups, 3 male and 5 female. All puppies were tri-colored. We chose a female pup and we named her Sage. When it came down to picking a pup, there was only 1 male left and all the females. Hubby really wanted a female so that we can breed her. The name Sage was chosen because of the meaning that we found.  Sage - Meaning "wise, healthy" Sage is a great Beagle dog name for the wise canine you have at home, and one you can always go to for advice. Sage is just a little peanut at 13 weeks old. She was the runt of the liter. Both parents are 13 inch tall beagles. I think, Sage will have a lot of growing to do to get to that size. 

Sage

Dam OSO II

We will be registering her with AKC. She has excellent bloodlines. Her mother has won trophies at competitions. This Dam is from the Ninja and Warlock Bloodline.

We will be going out small game hunting this weekend. Hopefully there will be a few bunnies. We will use the bunnies for training with Sage over the next few days and weeks. I'll write more about training later.

Christmas List

 

My Christmas Wish List...

 

This is my wish list for things that I would like to see under my Christmas tree this year. These are things that I would like to have for next hunting season or things I would use right away.

 

 There will be another post for the things that I would love to see under my Christmas tree sometime.

 

So here it is...

 

 

These first two are what I told hubby that I wanted for Christmas.  I have wanted a bow sling all 3D season. I think these earings are just great! So hopefully these will be under our tree Christmas morning.

 

 I would like to add these two my hunting bag. I'm pretty sure they could be useful next hunting season. But I guess I would need to learn how & when to use these and my grunt call that I already have.

 

 

A girl always needs a new camo sweatshirt.... When my brother asked what I wanted for Christmas, I told him I wanted this sweatshirt.

 

Other gifts I have put on my wish list are: gift certificates to a few stores, beagle pup,

 

 

dutch oven for cooking all the wild game and

 

a fleece pea coat. Too keep me warm and stylish.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and good luck hunting!

 

 

 



Hunting in NY

 

Our trip to Western New York is almost over. We have enjoyed spending time with my family. And they have enjoyed having us, especially seeing their grandson.
 

 

Hubby has been able to go hunting every day since we arrived. I did not go out until yesterday. I wanted to spend some time with my mother while we were here. So, before we arrived I had decided that I would only hunt 1 or 2 days. Maybe I will go out again for a few hours tomorrow before we head back home.

 

Yesterday's hunting started out really cold and slow. My brother and I were sitting in his blind. We didn't see anything in the early morning. The woods and fields were really quiet. Hubby saw a few doe and a buck from his stand. So he and my brother formulated a plan for a drive. After my brother finished the drive, we decided to go in for a bit so he could rest and we could get warmed up.

 

After getting warm and my dad getting back, we decided to go to the north end of the property. My brother and dad would put on another drive for hubby and I, hoping they would push some deer to us.  It worked, I saw 2 doe and 2 buck. I drew up on one buck, but he didn't stop where I could get a shot on him. The other buck was too far away. But I was happy that I finally saw some deer. With one last drive before we called it a day, we kicked out a small buck and a doe. No one got a deer.



Since this is my first gun hunting season experience, I am learning that it is very different from bow hunting. I knew that the guys did some drives while gun hunting, but did not realize how much walking there actually was. I was a wimp. My legs were wore out. My hips were burning. I think it was the fact that I was wearing my Muck boots, multiple layers of clothing, mud caked on my boots and stepping over the cut field corn. All things I am not used to doing on a daily basis. (I work in an office where I where high heels or dress shoes everyday.) This walking worked muscles that I'm not sure I knew I had or obviously didn't use often.

Next week I will find out what PA rifle hunting will be like. I wonder if I will be just as much as of a wimp? The one thing I do know is that I will not be such a wimp next year. I am getting my butt back in the gym, to lose some weight and gain some more muscle. I will also get out and walk more in my Muck boots to help build the muscles that were hurting yesterday.

Stay tuned for my PA hunting stories.

 

Chick shirts & hunting

As I have begun my hunting career, I have discovered many websites for women that are hunters. They are inspirational and exciting. Most of them have their own line of clothing and accessories, that I can't live with out. My first purchases was from the The Crush website. I have several Crushvill shirts. My favorite is:

 

Then I discovered Just for Does. I love there scent free products and I have a few Just for Does shirts. I have a couple favorites from this line and wouldn't have my feelings hurt if there were some more under my Christmas tree this year.

My favorites:

 

 

 

I only have one shirt from Trophy Chick Apparel but I wear it all the time.

 



 

I love showing my excitement for the outdoors and hunting with my shirts from these great companies supporting women in the outdoors.

 

 

 

*** All pictures were taken from the company's websites.

Recipes to Try

Today, I am gathering recipes to try, since we will be deer hunting and small game hunting over the next few weeks. I use venison in many different ways already. But I am always up for a new recipe. I have never cooked a rabbit or pheasant so I need to find some recipes to cook then. Here are a couple that I think I will try after our next hunts.

Honey Roasted Pheasant

Ingredients:

2 1/2-3 lbs pheasants
honey
salt and pepper
granulated garlic powder
tarragon
thyme
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pheasant into a baking dish.

Pour lemon juice over the pheasant.

Generously spread the honey over the entire bird.

Season the cavities of the pheasant generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Lightly sprinkle the outside of the pheasant with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Place into the bottom third of the oven & roast until done, which will be when you puncture the bird & the juices run clear.

Be careful not to over cook the pheasant, as it is a very dry bird with very little fat.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pheasant into a baking dish.

Pour lemon juice over the pheasant.

Generously spread the honey over the entire bird.

Season the cavities of the pheasant generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Lightly sprinkle the outside of the pheasant with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Place into the bottom third of the oven & roast until done, which will be when you puncture the bird & the juices run clear.

Be careful not to over cook the pheasant, as it is a very dry bird with very little fat.

---

This article was printed from: www.ultimatepheasanthunting.com

I am finding more recipes for pheasant that I would like to try, than I want to try for rabbits. Maybe it is just a mental block because I don't think I have actually had rabbit before and I already know that I like pheasant. So here is the recipe that I am going to try for rabbit.

BBQ Rabbit Sent in by Dave & Jessica Oller.

~ 3 rabbits, quartered ~ 1 large onion, chopped ~ 1 large can tomatoes ~ 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar ~ 1 tbsp butter ~ 1/2 cup vinegar ~ 1/2 cup ketchup ~ 1 tbsp favorite bbq sauce ~ 1 tsp cinnamon ~ salt ~ pepper ~ dash chili powder

Place rabbits in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Remove meat from pot and allow to cool. Debone. Place meat in a crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients adding the sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low all day. Serve on buns or on the side. I'll let you know how they turned out after I give them a try.  What are your favorite pheasant and rabbit recipes?

Growing my hunting Closet

 The 2012 hunting season is quickly coming to a close. It has been quite an adventure for me. I tried turkey hunting, bow hunting for deer and small game hunting. Before the year is over, I will also have tried my hand at hunting with a rifle and a muzzleloader.

As my year and experience has progressed, I’ve found myself in need of more hunting apparel and accessories. I started the year out with a water proof suit that is light weight, that my hubby bought me along with Coldgear Under Armour for Christmas last year. My FIL also bought me a pair of quilted pants at Christmas. The water proof suit was a perfect hunting outfit to start out with because it worked for spring turkey season and early bow season.  

Now that I have tried small game hunting, I find myself needing a good pair of brush pants. I ordered this pair from LL Bean. 

I have not had a chance to go small game hunting since the brush pants arrived in the mail. But hopefully I will get to go a couple of times over Thanksgiving. I could also use a hunting vest to wear while small game hunting. However, I haven’t killed anything while small game hunting so it hasn’t been a problem. J

Since the rut has started and gun season is approaching along with the cooler temps, I have been looking for a warmer hunting jacket. I have been considering a women’s Redhead jacket from Basspro. 

But I am going to go shopping this week to see if I can find something else that I like.

Someday I think I would like to get Scent Blocker’s Sola outfit or Under Armour’s Grim Reaper.

Now that I know that I like hunting. I did not want to buy a more expensive suit at first, in case I did not like hunting.

What hunting suit do you wear the most?

 Do you layer with Under Armour or do you like something else better?

Rabbit Hunting Dog

Do you have hunting dogs? What kind?

When we went small game hunting a couple weekends ago, we had a beagle hunting with us.  While we were hunting hubby said that he wished we had at least one more dog with us. He says, beagles work better in a pack. Later that day, after we were done hunting, he asked me how I felt about getting a beagle to hunt with. I'm not sure. He said it would be an outside dog. He believes that beagles that are outside dogs are better hunters.

This week after our hunting adventure, we have been talking about hunting dogs. But there are so many hunting dogs. How do you know which one to get. I used to have 2 german shorthaired pointers, male & female. The male took 2nd level at a field test. He was was a good bird dog, but his talent was not utilized.

As we have continued to talk, we have decided that we will get a puppy, a beagle. Now the question is do we get a male or female. Hubby grew up with beagles and had good luck with males. I have always favored females. Hubby is also interested in getting a female and breeding her at some point with his father's beagle.   I'm just not sure what I want to get this time. Hubby keeps going back and forth on it also. I guess we will just have to see what there is when we get to a breeder. However, we have decided that if we get a female her name will be Sage. We have not picked a name for a male.

I would like to wait until after the new year. 1. So I don't have to do deal with a puppy and the Christmas tree. 2. Hopefully then the ground will be frozen and we can get the puppy housebroken by the time the ground gets muddy again in the spring. My FIL knows we have been talking about getting a puppy and he has mentioned getting us one for Christmas, so I may not have a choice when we get the puppy.




So I will keep you posted on the puppy topic.

 

New Adventure

Yesterday, we ventured out to the woods and brush in search of small critters. This was my first time small game hunting. My husband has always said how he actually loves small game hunting even more than deer hunting. I couldn't understand it....

Hubby, FIL, Miller (FIL's beagle) and I started hunting on this cool November morning. We were not 10 minutes into our hunt and  hubby shot a pheasant.

He was shocked. According to hubby and FIL, that have not seen pheasants in the area in many years.

We walked on in search of rabbits and more pheasants. Miller started hunting and we started seeing rabbits. Both FIL and hubby were not shooting at them because they wanted to give me all the opportunities to shoot  one. However, I quickly discovered that I do not have the fast reflexes to shoot a rabbit or pheasant. (no pun intended) :(

I had opportunities to shoot at 4 or 5 rabbits and one pheasant. I just could not get my gun up in position and the safety off fast enough. I was bummed out. But every time I saw a rabbit or a pheasant, I got the adrenalin rush that hubby was trying to explain to me. It was not the same adrenalin rush for me as seeing deer, but enough to give me the itch to try it again, but not with out some practice pulling my gun up faster.

I'll keep you posted on my practice and my next small game hunt.

New discovery

Recently I discovered a new love in jewelry. The world of "outdoor" inspired jewelry. 

I first saw these earrings while watching The Chase. Leigh was wearing them. I immediately went on their Facebook page and asked Leigh where she got them. I told my hubby that I would be a really happy wife it these were under the Christmas tree for me this year! If you  love these too check out Spent Rounds Designs.

Babes, Bullets & Broadheads just introduced their new bracelets.

I am ordering mine this week. It is delicate for me but shows my love for hunting and the outdoors.

Other "outdoor" jewelry that I would like to have...

This ring was what I wanted for our anniversary, but got a new scope for my rifle instead. I am not complaining. I love the scope, but I do still want this ring. But maybe it would be better fitting to get this ring after I shoot a buck. 

Pinterest....

I wanted to share a few of my favorite hunting sayings from Pinterest.

This is definitely me. I hunt like a girl. My bow is a Hoyt Kobalt with black & pink strings, wrist sling and a pink peep tube. I need to add some pink silencers.

This is truly the reason I started hunting. It is an amazing feeling knowing that I harvested the meat that we have at our dinner table. 

"Families that hunt together stay together"



I truly do believe that families that hunt together stay together. It is the way is was hundreds of years ago and it is the way it should be.

Now that I hunt, I feel I am truly a country girl! And I LOVE it!

Girls with Guns

Ok ladies are you apart of one of these statistics? Have you started to carry a concealed weapon? Are you out in the woods hunting or at the shooting range?

Yes, yes, yes and yes I am. 

This year I bought a pistol and got my licence to carry a concealed weapon. This was my first time purchasing a firearm. 

At first I thought of it as a gun to have fun with on a Sunday afternoon at the range. But then there was an fugitive that was considered armed and dangerous that was hiding near my place of employment. When I got home that day, I put my pistol in my vehicle. Rarely do I carry the gun in my purse but I have it in my car now at all times.

Recently I also bought a rifle for hunting. So I am now apart of the women hunters statistic. This year is my first year hunting. I shot a doe so far during archery season. And we will see how I do during rifle season, it doesn't open for another month.  

So I am apart of the 67% that have a gun for protection, apart of the 66% that use a gun for target shooting and I am now apart of the 58% of women that use a gun for hunting. I am helping to make the statement "Women are buying more handguns, rifles and shotguns." true.

Balancing Life

Trying to balance everything in life can be tough sometimes. Especially for a family with young children that would like to get out in the woods to whitetail hunt as much as possible. We have been juggling our commitments, activities and family time to be able to squeeze in some deer hunting time.

Since I have discovered my new passion for hunting,  I want to be out in the woods all the time. My job is a 8-5 job so that prevents me from getting out during the week. We also have a 3 year old, so that prevents us from just picking up and going to the woods when ever we feel like. Then there is the weekends that I have to work and all the social engagements we have this time of year.  I am not able to get out in the woods as often as I would like too.

Today is our 6th annual pumpkin carving party. I don't want to give up our party, but I am bummed that I don't get to go out hunting today. The wind is supposed to be the perfect direction for my treestand tonight...but I won't be there. 

The kicker is that next weekend I have to work in the morning then we have another Halloween party to go to in the evening. (However, we may end up going late so that we can go hunting in the evening.) The first weekend in November I have a baby shower for a very dear friend and I wouldn't miss it for anything. So I'm gonna try to get out in the morning.  November 10th will be my last chance to get out, because the 12th is the last day of the first archery season. I will most likely have to work some, but I will try to schedule it so that I can get out for either a morning or afternoon hunt.

The shining light at the end of the tunnel is that we have taken the week of Thanksgiving off. We will be heading to New York to spend some time with my family and get out hunting with my brother and dad for their shotgun season. Then we get back home and will be able to get out to do some small game and turkey hunting. Monday, November 26th is opening day of rifle season in northwest PA. I took the first 2 days off. And I have not even really thought about the second season of archery or muzzleloader season (However, I don't have a muzzleloader. I'll have to see if I can borrow one.)

So the good news is, I do still have plenty of time to kill a big buck this year!

Evolution of a Hunter

I think this cartoon is completely correct. I also think that every hunter goes through the different stages at some point during their hunting life.

My husband is in the Sportsman Stage. He is teaching me to hunt and he is also getting our 3 year old out in the woods to walk with him during small game season.  As for me, I am Limiting Out Stage, sorta. I have already filled my doe tag and would love to shoot a buck before the season is over. I would for my husband to also get a doe and a buck. It would be great to just eat deer meat all the time. However, I do have to say I love a good  medium rare steak or prim rib every once in a while.

What stage are you in?

Girls Hunt Day

Sarah & I

This week I had my first ever Girls Hunting Day!

Last week Sarah and I got to go out in the woods after work. Unfortunately we did not see anything in the stand. We did see 2 does when we were walking out of the woods.

This is also Sarah's first archery season. She started hunting last year during rifle season, but has been eluded by the whitetails of PA.

I get to Sarah's house to change my clothes and she greets me with gifts. A new flashlight and a head lamp. Sarah is so good to me! As we are putting on our face paint,  before going out in the woods, Sarah says to me "Is bad that I love painting my face?" I reply, "I like doing it to. I never put it on the same way." Our you can take the girl out of girly things but you will never take the girly out of the girl. Common it is still putting make-up on.

Maybe a reason why we did not see many deer was that Sarah's alarm on her phone went off while we were in the treestand. Nope...It's because all the crazy squirrels talking to the deer and telling them we were out there waiting for them. We are convinced that the animals communicate. We will not let our lack of seeing deer get us down. We will be back out in the woods again on another girls hunt. After hunting, we went down to our local tavern for a couple of beers. We talked about someday going on a big all women's hunt. Maybe for boars. How many of you ladies go on women only hunting trips? Do you get to hunt with your girl friends regularly? I know that this was just the first of many girls hunts, but I will remember this day always.

Going hunting with my hubby is a great bonding experience. But there is just something about hunting with your girlfriends.

Hunting Rituals

As I was getting ready to go hunting this weekend, I began to do things the same as I had done the week before when i was getting ready. I realized I was creating my own pre-hunt ritual. 

How many of you have a pre-hunting ritual? What does your ritual consist of?

My ritual begins with taking a shower with Just for Does scent free products.

Then I put on my Under Armor, dryed my hair (with no product, of course), finish getting dressed, and put on my face paint.

When we get to our hunting ground, we make sure that we close the truck doors quietly, spray down our bows and our entire bodies with Scent Away and then start walking to our stands.  There is one last part to my pre-hunting ritual... I stop for one last potty break before climbing into my tree stand. :)

Hubby then makes sure that I get up in my tree stand, wishes me luck and trods off to his stand.

I think that as the years go by and our son starts hunting, we will create more family pre-hunting rituals.

One thing, that I just realized is not apart of my pre-hunting ritual is...hubby and I do not kiss before we get in our stands. I am definitely changing that this weekend.

So tell me your hunting rituals.

My Favorite Hunting Shows

I had watched hunting shows with my husband before. But when I started shooting my bow and enjoying it. I started to get interested in hunting, I WANTED to watch the hunting shows with him. This is when hubby 

introduced me to The Crush, with Lee and Tiffany Lakosky.

Every Sunday night at 7:30 pm, life stops and we watch The Crush. I just amazes me the deer that Tiffany shoots. She really got and kept me interested in hunting. Hubby was happy to watch with me. He thinks Tiffany is beautiful.

Then I discovered Driven TV with Pat & Nicole. My favorite episode is when Nicole is on a moose hunt in Canada. So Now Sunday mornings I like to be home so that I can watch Pat & Nicole. Or if we are home, I'll watch on Friday night. The have children that they sometimes take on the hunts with them.

The Chase with Leigh & Travis, has also become a favorite. I love how they show their son being with them on their hunts. We have a 3 year old and he watches the shows with us and wants to hunt with us already. I really relate to Leigh & Travis, because their son is just a little younger than ours. It really makes me realize that we are truly passing down a great tradition to our children. As I have seen some place before, "A family that hunts together, stays together".

 Another show that I don't get to watch as often as I would like is Family Traditions with Haley Heath. They are also passing down the great tradition of hunting to their son and daughter. 

Haley just got her biggest buck with a bow this week. Way to go!

I follow all of these shows on Facebook. I really enjoy seeing the pictures of their kills or where they are making appearances at.  These families and especially the women are helping me to become a huntress. I encourage you to watch these shows and get caught up in the thrill of the hunt and the family traditions.

(All photos were taken from the shows facebook page.)

What's in your pack?

Last night, I was getting my hunting gear ready for this weekend. So I started thinking was I packing enough gear or too much, or I even thought what I should I be packing that I am not. So here is what I packed for last weekend and what I am packing for this weekend. I am packing light right now, but the weather has been mild and I have only been going out in the evening for a few hours. So I really haven't needed much.

1. So far I have just taken my FieldLine fanny pack. But for the longer days in the woods I'll be taking my backpack instead. The backpack was really great for turkey season. The front zip pocket has smaller pockets inside for box calls. The fanny pack is roomy and of course I love the pink accents!

2. My pink camo Buck Knife. Can't go hunting with out a Buck Knife.

 3. Gloves. I can't stand it when my hands get cold. As the weather continues to get colder, I will be adding hand warmers & maybe even feet warmers. (Don't like cold feet either.)

4. Kleenex...

5. After watching my husband gut my doe last weekend, I purchased a field dressing kit. So this is an addition to my packing list. I just don't think I can put my hands in there without gloves on. Sorry...I get squeamish with blood and organs. But I'm gonna put the gloves on and give it a try when/if I kill a buck.

6. Range finder. So that I can map out yardages around my stand. And to range find some wildlife.  I would like to have a pair of binocs for watching the wildlife. I guess I will have to put them on my Christmas wish list.

7. Flashlight. I actually need to get a nice one. Or even just one of the lights that clips on the bill of your cap. Right now I just have a freebie compact flashlight. Maybe I should add a flashlight to my Christmas wish list too.

8. A new addition for this weekend if it arrives on time is my Just for Does chapstick. I'm a lip bitter. So I often have chapped lips. With last weekend's gusts of wind, I noticed I was bitting and my lips were getting chapped. I love the Just for Does scent free products so I thought I would give the chapstick a try. I'll add a comment below after I get to try it out and let you know how I like it.

9. My stainless steel water bottle.

Here is hoping everyone has a successful weekend hunting.
Let me know if you think I should ad something to my packing list.

My First Archery Hunt

September 29th was the first day of archery season in Pennsylvania. My husband and I had plans to go out in the afternoon for my first archery hunt . Why the evening you ask?  We have a 3 year old and we did not have some one to stay with him in the morning. But we did have someone to keep him in the evening so that we could go out to hunt.

So by 3:30 pm, we were headed into the woods. It's the first time I am in the tree stand, in the woods. (I had practiced shooting from the tree stand in our yard.) Hubby is giving me last minute tips and encouragement, then he leaves me and walks about 100 yards from me to his tree stand.

The wind started to pick up and the tree started moving, I started freaking out. REMINDER... this was the first time actually sitting in my tree stand where I was hunting. Hubby and I were texting a bit. I had to tell him I was nervous about being in the tree when the wind picked up. He told me about the black squirrels running around below his tree stand. Then he said get ready, here come some does.  I saw the does, but they were at the other end of the field from me. Seeing them made my heart start pounding and I was thankful that I actually got to see some deer on my first night out. Just a short while later, I hear some movement to my right. It was two doe, they walk up to about 10 yards away from me. I'm so excited, catastrophe strikes...I physically can't pull my bow back. I think it was just the adrenaline and excitement. After a bit the does turn and walk away from me, but then one walks underneath the tree in front of me. I was able to pull my bow back this time, but I did not get a shot. She then turn around again, but this time she entered the field to my left and walked around until she was behind me.  At that moment, I was so happy I was in the tree I was in. I turned around, hide behind the tree to pull my bow back and then leaned around the tree and got my shot at this doe.

The Rage Broadhead was good to me. We only walked about 20 yards before finding my arrow.  The doe was just a short distance away from where we found my arrow. About 60 yards total from where she was standing when I shot her.  I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe I had shot a doe (which I wanted to shot first). I have the best hubby in the world...he gutted the deer and dragged it to the truck for me. 

The morning after proof that I really did shoot a doe the night before, my bloody arrow back in the quiver. Round two, will be this weekend. This time I hope to see some bucks. But for now I am still just basking in my triumph. I shot a deer!!!!!