Black Powder Vacation

Normally each year I’ll take some time off work during black powder season. This year was no different I took vacation from work for both weeks of black powder. Maybe it’s because for the first time in about 15 years I didn’t do any archery hunting. In my lease we are allowed to kill two bucks a year and as many hogs as we want. I had gone prior to the season and found several areas that were going to be hopeful for the season. Both of my daughters had told me that they wanted to kill a buck this year which is fine with me because I can still kill hogs. But I’ve told them that I will give them first chance to kill a buck but will not continue to pass on bucks all season. One of the bucks that I had picked for them to shoot is a wide 6 point that has reached his limit. I wouldn’t shoot him, but for one of the girls he’s really nice and needs to be on the hit list. The other buck that is on the hit list is an 8 point that is a mature buck and has some weight on him. On the rest of my cameras I’ve got several 8 points and smaller bucks but they are young bucks and need more time to show their potential. The first morning I got the girls on the stands and the only thing they see is a couple of small bucks. Of course I saw an 8 point that was a young buck and wouldn’t shoot because I want the girls to shoot one of the bucks that was on our hit list. I had told the girls that if they wanted to kill a buck they needed to do it in the first on the season. Another buck that is on the hit list is a pi bald buck that I have watched for 3 years now. Last year he was a 5 point that had about a 15” spread so this year I’m expecting that he will be impressive. I’ve told the girls that I will pass on all other bucks unless the pi bald comes out then I’m going to shoot. I have stands that range anywhere from 20 yards off the road with a buck on the hit list to a stand that is a mile off the road with a buck on the hit list. Sometimes I hunt in a stand and sometimes I hunt off the ground by spot and stalk. The second morning one of the girls told me that she need to stay home and study for school since she is scheduled to graduate RN school in December I told her that was a wise choice and that there would be many more years to come to kill a deer. I saw a small 6 point and several does and other smaller bucks. One morning during the next week I was walking and came up on a group of hogs that were feeding under an oak tree. I didn’t shoot one of them mainly because I know that this time of the season is the best time to focus on deer and hogs can be focused on all season. The first week every day I saw something that I could have shot. I really didn’t try to kill a deer because I was hoping that the girls could get the deer on the hit list. Still checking the trail cams now I have two bucks on the hit list at block 7 the wide 6 point and a young 8 point. On the trail cam in block 1 we now have three 8 points coming in the camera. One morning’s hunt I was sitting on the ground during part of my hunt and saw movement. As they moved I noticed it was deer and it was two bucks. They moved toward me and I noticed that it was the 6 point that was on the hit list for my daughters and one of the smaller 8 points that had showed up on the camera. They moved off and never even noticed that I was around. After about 10 minutes I catch movement in the opposite direction, and as soon as I do I’m like OH man! There is the pi bald. I grab my riffle up real quick and take good aim. I take the safety off and take a good look at him. What?? He’s a 5 point? Man that is a huge let down he was a 5 point last year and still one this year. There was another afternoon that I was walking into a stand as normal in shorts and flip flops when all of a sudden I heard this loud hiss. I froze in my tracks because I knew right away that it was a snake and a big one at that. I’ll tell you it scared the crap out of me because at this time I hadn’t even seen the snake and didn’t know where it was at. Once I found the snake I saw that it was a Diamondback Rattle snake. Well I know that they usually travel in pairs I was looking for the second one. After not finding another one I started looking for a limb to kill him. Finally got him killed and he was 4 ½ ‘ with 12 rattles a button. After 2 weeks of being off and hunting just about every day I can say that I had a great time even though I might not have killed anything. The season has just begun.

 

Everyone of those pictures were taken with my cell phone in the woods except the pi bald. I didn't have time to take a picture of him.

 

gatortrout he is a legal buck in our area of Florida but in our hunting club we manage a 6 point or better rule so we can try to have a more mature herd of deer. He is at least a 3 1/2 year old buck because I've watched him for that long, but as for weather he'll get any bigger I don't know because he was a 5 point last year. I will give him one more year before we put him on the chopping block as a hit list buck for a cull.

Levy County Jeff.