Surprise! Didn’t think you’d get another entry so soon, did ya. I’m known for that. (chuckle) Anyway, I just thought I’d bring my dedicated readers up to par on the events of this past weekend.

Some good friends of ours live in southern Arkansas where the wide areas of pine groves, hardwoods and country roads give whitetail deer the perfect environment to flourish. They own a patch of this hunter’s paradise and invited me down to hunt in a privately owned area where I didn’t have to pay some outlandishly expensive membership fee just for a chance at getting a deer.

Well, early Saturday morning, that chance came. I got my first deer at the age of 32. Other hunters might chuckle and wonder why it took me this long to bag my first deer. But if you don’t know the way I was brought up, then you wouldn’t know that the only hunting I’ve really done is with my grandfather and then by myself.

My dad’s not really an avid hunter. I enjoy it, though. What I know, I’ve had to either learn through instruction or on my own. I’m no seasoned pro. I know the fundamentals and I know the safety aspect, but it’s not like I was sitting on a 4-wheeler at the age of 10 with a deer draped across the back rack.

I didn’t go on my first deer hunt until I was about 17 years old. I try to go each year, though I rarely see many deer. The area I live in is over-hunted and under-stocked on deer. I have hunting clubs all around me and a wildlife refuge area located just down the road from my house. What usually happens during deer season is this;

The “smart” deer typically feed at night in the open pastures near my home, and then return to the safety of the protected refuge by morning’s light. Thereby avoiding the high-powered rifles, bows and muzzle-loaders. There are a few times when deer will linger in pastures. These are the ones that typically get picked off in a matter of time.

At any rate, my deer was a doe. She had plenty of meat and will be a welcome addition to our freezer. I nearly got a shot at a 6-point, but it wasn’t a clean shot so I didn’t take it. Too many trees in the way to pull off a killing shot, and I certainly didn’t want to just injure the animal. I always try my best to be an ethical hunter. I kill what I’ll eat. I eat what I kill. And I’ll never take an unsure shot.

Well, enough of my rambling for now. More later.

Hrmm… here it is, the 18th of November and I’m looking forward to my eldest son’s 9th birthday party tonight. My oh my, where does the time go? Doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was holding my firstborn in Children’s Hospital. He was a preemie…born 2 months early and weighing only 2 lbs.-5 oz.

He was, and still is, my miracle boy. Now he’s nearly as tall as my wife and weighs a hefty 90 lbs. He’s having his party in a football theme. Many of his school buddies are coming over for a bonfire weenie roast and smores. The cake’s done and the house is clean, so things seem to be ready.

Tomorrow, I’m headed out to our friends’ place down in south Arkansas to do some serious deer hunting. Oh, we have deer around my place…but I live near a wildlife refuge. We have several hunting clubs that think they own the woods around my place…and with so many of em running around with their guns and 4-wheelers, it’s a wonder anybody kills any deer. Most smart deer head over to the refuge during the day and only venture out to feed in pastures at night. I know… I’ve seen em.

Down where I’m going, there is more land and fewer hunters per acre. I stand a very good chance of at least seeing a deer if not shooting a deer. That reminds me…I gotta clean my gun tonight. It’s been in storage since last season.

Well… I’ll close this entry by saying that I’m sorry for the “few and far between” status of my entries of late. But, I’m working two jobs right now and it doesn’t leave a tremendous amount of time for blog entries. I’ll post what I can as soon as I can. Please bear with me.

Y’all take care and I’ll post again soon!!