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".

Deer Weight Estimating Chart

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