Opening Weekend of
Deer Season
Have you ever wondered
what a Webmaster does
outside the cyber world?
Well, usually when Connie is
subbing for me online, I am
in the great outdoors -
hunting or fishing
somewhere. Here's an
account of your webmaster's
latest adventure "in the
real world".......
November 1
I arrived at our deer lease
(Circle G Ranch, Bulverde -
north of San Antonio off US
281) late on Thursday
afternoon. Bill, my
brother-in-law, was already
there. In fact, he was
sitting in his blind when I
arrived - just to see what
was moving around.
Next comes the chore of
unloading my pickup - water,
food, ice, and hunting gear.
(When I pack to leave,
Gloria always wonders if I
will ever come home again.)
As I am unloading and
unpacking, I noticed that
Nolan, our landlord, has
installed satellite TV !
Go figure- we do not have
running water, but we have 3
TVs, (dinning room/living
room, kitchen, and
bedroom). We also have a
microwave, two
refrigerators, a freezer and
... An outhouse.
We have a bathroom, but,
without running water, it’s
not much good. Bill rigged
a barrel to catch rain water
to operate the toilet and he
also fixed a barrel for an
outside shower. That
arrangement is all right
during the summer - that
is, if you like cold
showers.
Friday morning, Bill went
back to his blind again. I
thought about going to mine,
but I wanted to check it for
wasps first. Good thing I
did not go before daylight,
because I had a large nest
of red wasps in it. After
Bill came in and we had some
breakfast, it was off to
check out feeders. I had
filled my feeders in early
September. Bill is usually
at the deer lease at least
once a week and he checks my
feeders for me. One feeder
had already been emptied and
he had put more corn in it.
We put a couple of bags of
deer corn in each one. I
then checked the blind for
wasps and cut some small
limbs. Everything was ready
for opening morning.
A
short while later, back at
the camp house, Bob V. (
a.k.a. Boerne Bob) arrived.
And not long after, Bob D.
(Chicken Bob, who had owned
a Church's in New Braunfels
and Universal City - and,
he always brings chicken for
supper on Friday night)
arrived with his electric
cart. As we were all trying
to figure out how to mount
the deer lift without
removing the feeder, Nolan
told us to look at the gate.
And there he stood - a
small 6 point buck, not 30
yards away. He stayed
around the barn for a couple
of hours.
Another hunter, Andy, did
not come out on Friday
night. His wife is expecting
their first child any day
now.
Supper was fried chicken,
potato salad, beans and rum
cake. Usually we have a game
of 31 after supper. But this
year, there were only three
players. We lost a player
last year when Bob B.
(Galveston Bob) had to quit
hunting because of his eye
sight. He was also our dish
washer. Now, unfortunately,
I have that "honor".
Nolan Gass, owner of Circle
G Ranch
Opening
morning
starts early
- 5:30 a.m.
DST. Four
pots of
coffee are
brewing.
Everybody is
stirring
around
getting
ready.
Before you
know it,
it’s time to
leave for
the blinds.
I turn off
the main
road and
drive a
short
distant into
the woods.
I get my
bag, rifle,
and a can of
corn. I
scatter corn
up the
clearing
behind my
blind. I’m
in my blind
by 7:00 a.m.
DST. It is
55 degrees,
clear, calm
and the last
quarter of
the moon.
It is still
dark and I
pour a cup
of coffee
and wait for
daylight.
7:10 – it is
still too
dark to make
out if they
are bucks or
does at the
west
feeder.
7:15 – I can
make out a
deer down
the hill
(south)
where I
scattered
corn. 7:35
– a doe is
crossing in
front
(north) of
the blind
headed
toward the
northeast
feeder.
7:40 – 2
does are at
the
northeast
feeder.
Then,
another deer
steps out
into the
clearing.
It is big
bodied and
dark. It’s
got to be a
buck. It is
an 8
pointer.
But the
horns are
not past his
ears. 7:46 –
another 8
pointer
comes out at
the
northeast
feeder. His
horns are
just past
his ears,
but he looks
small
compared to
the other
buck. Also,
his front
tines look
to be only
about 1 – 1½
inches
long. I
cannot
decide if I
am going to
shoot. If I
do, which
one? The
bigger one
or the one
with the
wider
spread? A
short time
later, they
made my mind
up for me
-they leave.
7:59 – a doe
and a 6
pointer are
crossing in
front going
to the west
feeder.
10:14 –
three does
come to the
west feeder.
10:45 – Time
to head back
to the camp
house for
breakfast
and hear
about what
everybody
saw. I did
not hear any
shots.
The
afternoon
hunt was
slow. I got
in my blind
at 3:30. I
saw 8 does
and a 7
pointer.
Back at the
camp house I
asked Todd
(Nolan’s
son) about
the 7
pointer. He
said during
velvet the
deer had
broken the
main beam
and the tine
just shot
way up. I
heard
several
shots during
the
afternoon.
There was a
shot at
6:00, I knew
that Chicken
Bob had
gotten one.
It was time
to leave
anyway, so I
went to help
Bob. He had
gotten a
nice 7
pointer.
Back at the
camp house,
Bill and
Boerne Bob
both had
gotten 8
pointers.
Not bad for
opening
day.
I got my 8
pointer
Tuesday
morning.
Just
another day
for the
Webmaster-
in the real
world......
|
