We were in by 6:15 and by the time shooting time rolled around....Kenton was fast asleep. Such dedication has never been seen before by an 8 year old. Somehow our portable furnace helped lull him to sleep. 
No deer all day!
No deer all day!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Success in Meadville
Rev. Paul Houseworth (Dad's pastor) scored on a 19 1/2" inside spread 8 point. It was the biggest one he had ever shot. Dad was pretty happy that he was able to get one after hunting for two weeks with him.
Friday Night at the Preserve
Chris Hatcher heading to his stand.
The snow was falling pretty fast and heavy.
The snow was falling pretty fast and heavy.
Getting ready!
Our gun rack.
Our furnace.
Our fridge.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday Night Hunt on the Preserve
Kenton all happy to be in the stand with heat!
We had a great time...I missed a fox at 200+ yards.
First group of 3.
1st group of 2
Second group of 2
1 Doe by itself.
One came within 40 yards.
Kenton's trigger finger was very itchy!
All total we saw the red fox twice and about 9 deer.
Sorry about the quality of the photos.
I took them with my cellphone.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Date Night at Longhorn
With my beautiful bride at Longhorn Steakhouse.
I should have known when during the supper hour we had the whole place to ourselves. I liked the decor. It was very homey!
The rack of ribs that should have been a half a rack (I took the other half home). I was not crazy about the flavoring at Longhorn. The rice pilaf had a curry seasoning, and everything was over salted. I was not overly impressed with their BBQ flavor - too mesquite for me.
Julie's meal - it tasted good! :)
At Gander Mountain we found a boot drying rack for $59.99 + tax. I think I will stick to my homemade one that works awesome for $10.00.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
My Wife Had A Wreck
....okay it was not even a fender bender. I just wanted everyone to know that since I am sick in bed, I had to answer the phone and find that my wife was traveling at a high rate of speed and left the road striking the drive and came to rest just inches from nearly smashing in the front of our brand new 13 year old car. Now everyone on Carter Road knows my PJ's have bear, deer, and elk on them. I guess it is good for my pride and bad for my cold. Love you honey!
Saturday's Hunt
This was the lead doe in a group of 19 doe. It was the largest group of deer I have seen in quite a few years. I watched her in the scope for about 5 minutes as she stood and stared at me. I have experimented over the years with gun drawing. If you stay smooth and slow the are not as spooked. The quick movements are what cause them to run. Steve Churchill took this picture about a minute after I shot her. I am not sure why it turned out cloudy.
Dad shot his right after I got mine. We took 5 deer total out of that group.
We learned the hard way. Never try to drag a deer 2/3 of the way up a hill when you can drag it down the hill and put it on a 4-wheeler and drive it up out. Dad - that was a hint for future years. :)
Posing with Papa Jack.
Tom putting on a drive.
Posing with Papa the Farm.
Papa Jack having a laugh at how I left the deer after field dressing it.
Kenton wishing it was his deer with a set of horns. 
I have lost count in my head...but I believe this was deer number 61. Out of those were: 18 bucks, 2 button bucks and 41 doe. I take pride in the fact that I attempt to scope the deers head before shooting. They will only be on the yearlings and most of the time you can see the bumps and hair pushed up pretty easy. 
The estimated non-weighed weight of my deer was 140 lbs. Most deer weight gets over exaggerated unless properly weighed on a scale. By using a tape you can get a fairly accurate weight without scales. My chest was approximately 36 1/2".
The chart below will help you estimate your deer's live weight, field dressed weight and edible meat weight. How to use this chart: 1. Chest/Girth = Measure the chest just behind the front legs 2. Live Weight = Live deer on the hoof 3. Field Dressed = body cavity cleaned out (no entrails) 4. Edible Meat = Boneless edible venison 5. Weight is in pounds Chest/Girth (in.)
The first number is the Chest/Girth measurement. The second number in the list is live weight. The third number is the Field Dressed. The fourth number is the Edible Meat.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
20 37 26 18
21 41 29 20
22 45 32 22
23 50 35 24
24 55 38 27
25 61 43 29
26 66 49 30
27 71 53 31
28 77 59 34
29 82 64 36
30 90 70 39
31 98 74 42
32 102 8045
33 110 87 50
34 118 91 54
35 126 99 57
36 135 104 61
37 146 115 66
38 157 126 71
39 169 135 74
40 182 144 80
41 195 156 88
42 210 170 94
43 228 182 103
44 244 198 110
45 267 214 120
46 290 233 130
47 310 251 139
48 340 272 153
Not That You Want To Know....
...I am home sick from church. Thanks to some of my church people who are braving bad roads to get me some medicine. It has been an extremely rough week for me in many ways. Probably one of the toughest weeks in my life. No one likes to hear someone else whine and cry so I won't. I think stress, pink eye, and a major head cold has me conquered at this point. Say a prayer if your read this. I only have 4 more weeks till I finish my core for my Masters in Education.
I can make it...
I think I can....
I think I can....
With God's help I will!!
Keepville Christmas Banquet
Our Church has a night each year to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. It is an important night for our church. It one of the means of outreach that bring in new people in a non-church setting. I thank the Lord that we had several new ones that were introduced to our church congregation that night. See my wife's blog for pictures and details.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
First Day of Buck
Our management area (2D) went back to Buck Only for the first 5 days. By the time we took this picture around 9:30, we had seen almost 40 deer, over 2 dozen turkeys, and 5 squirrels. We saw two buck, but Kenton could not get on them quick enough. I could have shot both, but it is all about him right now. I was just as excited to be in the woods as his mentor enjoying the wildlife. He was so excited at having deer so close to him "in real life" as he stated. 
Up in the Hilton Tower with Papa Jack discussing how many deer we had just seen. Dad was equally as excited about the amount of deer he saw. It reminded him of his old hunting days over in Neiltown. He even got a shot off at a buck.
Up in the Hilton Tower with Papa Jack discussing how many deer we had just seen. Dad was equally as excited about the amount of deer he saw. It reminded him of his old hunting days over in Neiltown. He even got a shot off at a buck.
Proof that Kenton was sleeping!
Zzzzzzz....Snoring Sleeping!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Believe It or Not!!!
....she bought her hunting licence and practiced shooting her rifle. I about fell over in shock! I am thinking there must be some ulterior motive behind this. I guess we will wait and see.
New Additions...
Besides the wreaths, Dad helped me install snow and ice guards. We will now have a lot less shoveling on the porch. Kenton and Vincent will be happy about that.
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