Summer Pictures

Been a while since I've done one of these!  I honestly haven't had my camera out very much this year, so I don't have a ton of pictures, but heres a few I have gotten recently:

Most of the coyotes in my area have been trapped by neighbors, but looks like at least one got away...

I saw these bucks hanging out with each other, or another deer, a lot.  During the summer, it is interesting to note that while bucks are normally solitary animals (with the exception of the rut), during the summer they will group up together in "bachelor groups".  Sometimes these groups will contain up to 4 or 5 animals (possibly more!)

Ooh, nice little 8 point

And I believe this is him again

I know it's a very short post, but I hope you enjoy the pictures!

NC State Parks: Hanging Rock

A few weeks ago (I am very behind!) I was able to go to Hanging Rock State Park in NC.  I would highly recommend this park, and here is why:
1.Great hiking trails.  Trails surround the park lake, go to an observation point, and of course lead to the hanging rock, the main attraction.
2.Fishing.  While I didn't catch anything, sadly, I still had fun in the parks lake.  I tried fly fishing and regular spinning rod.  Fly fishing wasn't easy because you could only do it in select spots and the fish weren't biting flies or regular lures (timing may have played a part, it was mid afternoon). Oh well.  And, there is also more fishing in the Dan River, which borders the park.  Which brings me to my next attraction.
3. Boating.  More specifically, kayaking or canoeing.  You can rent a boat for the lake, but you are free to bring your own boats for the Dan River section of the park.
4. Swimming.  In the summer, swimming is open in the park lake.

5. Opportunity for pictures.  Great scenery, especially from the top of the mountain or observation tower (even the visitor center!), provide great places to take pictures.

You gotta try it sometime.

Spring Season

Since the last post, I haven't been up to too much, yet that doesn't mean I've done nothing!

Back in April, I went to Cabela's and shopped around for some fly fishing gear.  I had to be careful looking around because, given enough time, I would buy the store!

After I got the fly fishing lures at Cabela's, which were poppers, the family and I decided a week later that it would be a great day to kayak.  I took my fly rod, of course.  And I brought an ultralight, which I let my siblings use.  I started using a small frog popper and had a lot of luck, if you consider bites and not set hooks luck.  The panfish were just too small to get their mouths around the hook.  I was ready to try a smaller popper when I realized, I had left my tackle bag on shore with my siblings.  So, I continued fishing.  Eventually, I got lucky and a small bass bit the lure and didn't let go.  Yay!

Also in April, the mount of the 8 point I shot back in November was finished!  I got him back and he is now on my wall.  Shout out to Jeff Poston of Living Image Taxidermy for doing a great job!  I would definitely recommend him!

The picture does not do it justice!

That's all for now!

The End of a Season

On January 2nd, the 2016-2017 deer season ended in North Carolina.  With that, I had a few thoughts looking back on it.  Not to mention personal records :) Always have to have those.

• Record: I harvested my biggest buck to date, a nice 8 point.  You can see details here
• Record: I harvested two does in one night, one may have been my biggest ever.
• Record: All three of the deer I shot this season were during Thanksgiving week, does on Tuesday, buck on Saturday.
• Lesson: I learned that you should never shoot from a position your not comfortable with.  I should have already known that, but I know now.  I was crouching in a weird way, not sure exactly how I was positioned.  It cost me another doe, whom I missed...twice.  I was 3 for 3 before that night, now I hit 3 of 5 shots...ouch.
• Lesson: Never give up.  The buck I got is the first big one I got after six years of hunting.  Six years!  You will get one if you hunt long enough and try hard enough.  
• LIFE TIP!! I should also mention that prayer helps tremendously.  I prayed for that buck that evening, and he came.  No, not every single one of my prayers are answered, but without prayer, I don't think I could have shot that deer.  Why, you ask?  I had never seen that deer before, in person or on camera.  It was a gift from God Himself.  When He gives you a gift (whatever it may be, even a deer), thank Him for it.

Hope you all enjoyed this, and enjoy what's left of the North Carolina snow!

A Six Year Wait

     On the evening of November 26th, 2016, it was chilly and windy.  I was in my stand at 4pm, and planned to be there until around dark.  Once I got settled in, I prayed "Lord, please let me get a deer tonight.  I would love a buck. Please Lord, let me get one.  I've never gotten a big buck.  I've had so many close calls, so many hunts, so many times seeing big bucks on camera and never in person.  Please Lord.  Amen."
     After sitting in the stand for close to an hour, I heard something almost directly behind me to my left side.  My stand is positioned on the edge of a field, the field being on my right side, I have a funnel directly in front, and the woods on my left. At first, I thought it was a squirrel, but it sounded too heavy. When I looked back, I spotted a small doe. I looked to my right, and saw a head sticking out out the brush at the edge of the field.  It stepped out, and it was a small buck.  The doe I spotted came out the same spot soon after. Then I heard more rustling.  Another doe came out.  All of these deer were too small to shoot.  "Well," I thought, "at least they'll be fun to watch."  Then I looked back where they had come out.  I saw a much larger body through the brush.  Then some antlers.  Big antlers.  This was a nice buck, one I had never seen before, not even on camera.  No matter, I was going to take him. I slowly swung my gun around and "bing!" My gun barrel had hit the metal of the stand.  My heart sank.  I knew I had just blown my first chance at a big buck.  There was now no way they would not be able to look in the direction of the sound, spot me, and run, and me having to watch this majestic animal bound away.  The deer all looked around, but thankfully, none of them seemed too alarmed.  I breathed a sigh of relief as the smaller ones went back to eating.  But the buck still stayed put, he wasn't coming out until he was sure it was safe.  After taking another look, he thought everything was ok and stepped out.  I aimed, the shot rang out.
     I've been hunting since I was 12.  I started with squirrel hunting, and even did a little deer hunting. Since then I've taken multiple deer and a couple small bucks, but no buck of decent size.  I've seen nice bucks on camera, sometimes seeing fair ones in the field, but no big ones.  This has been the case for 6 years.  Seeing plenty of does, maybe a couple of bucks, if any during some years, and never getting a shot at a nice one.  For 6 years.
   Finally, the 6 year wait and longing for a great buck ended in an instant.  He dropped.  God had answered my prayer.  With a nice tall tined 8 point.  And you know what?  To celebrate, it's headed to the wall.