How many of you guys wear glasses or use reading glasses? I know its us old f.......s but........

I'm milling up some great looking cases,they'll be about bullet proof if interested let me know.

Its raining so I'm working tonight .

Good luck to the rest of you, Jim

been in gulf shores on vacation....took the boat with big fishin plans, only to meet about 8 foot waves everyday in my 20 foot aluminum boat. got good weather finally yesterday. headed out a mile or two off coast because the water was smooth as glass, started chumming for sharks, and as soon as we dropped hooks in the water it started to rain and then lightning all around us. crazy how fast weather can appear. it was the scariest boat ride ever. three sixteen year olds holdin on for dear life as lightning is poppin down everywhere and the rain is blowing so harfd it feels like needles. i couldnt see nothin, but we were rampin waves tryin to get back anyway. as soon as we got back the rain let up tho[:@]

still had a good time and even better it is COLD here. i get home today and step out of the truck to 60 degree temps. i am sooo pumped to head out. get caught up on work tomorow and hopefully can head out friday mornin (on fall break)

Wow sounds like a trip you will never forget anyways lol. Glad you made it back safe. Yeah the cool weather has hit everywhere. GAME ON!!!

Funny night in the bush.. I'm set-up down in the bottom inside corner, where thick woods meets a section of high weeds(40 yards or so)before a field planted in Corn and newly sprouting winter wheat. I'm about 15 yards into the woods. (this is the spot the wife picked for me).

I have good visibility for 300 degrees but can't see behind me over my left shoulder. it's too thick, and by design that was my outline break. Well first off I spook at least one deer as soon as I step into the woods. Blows and goes! So I sit there till 6:37 haven't seen anything and I'm thinking I'm getting skunked again?? I look up at the OPEN field and there is a deer walking acrossed it..not a just deer a Buck! I slip the Bicoculars up he's a nice 8 pt 100 yards out! He's looking at something in the woods..I mean he is boring a hole into the woods with his eyes. (not at me in fact at a 90 degree angle to where I am) Something really has his attention. This has given me a chance to really look at his rack..And I say to myself.. I'm glad he's 100 yards away, cuz he's not a buck I want to take this early in the season..But he's good enough that he'd be very tempting.
NOW I hear crunch crunch crunch..a deer is walking withing 15-20 yards of my stand but from the directionI can't see. Moving slowly through the underbrush I hear it headingcloser and will eventually work out into the field edge. I turn ever so slighly to look at the buck up in the field and see what he's doing.. CRUD he's loping down the field straight at me. I reach for the bow, this is gonna be a game time decision he'll stop either before or just after he enters the woods line. I'll have seconds to decide. Just before he hits the high brush he stops still some 40+ yards out. Iassume he'll jump the first line of weeds and then the trail will bring him literally right to me. Again he stops and stairs into the woods at a 90 degree angle to my left. (the other deer is getting closer still can't see it) The buck looks down at the noise of that deer..and then as if shot..he runs to my right as hard as I've ever seen a deer run..not loping, head down, tail down, pure race horse run! I honestly thought death run..I thought someone shot him. He ran the toughest route possible, breaking brush running over stuff crashing through underbrush.I heard him enter the woods and slow down. All this ruckus sent the deer that was very close, but unseen, take of the way it came in..never to be seen.

Gimme some thoughts on what spooked him that hard. Wasn't me, wind was in my face..he didn't cross my entrance trail as I had come in the other direction, no other hunters showed up..no cars anywhere around me. Big public land tract. He never even looked at me or my direction for more than a casual glance in the 1/2 hour I watched him in the field.

Could some coyotes have been shadowing him in the woodline? Best scenerio, a rival buck? I mean if he just ran off like a spooked deer..I could say, he just didn't like something..but he tore out of there!

Anyway, saw a buck had other unknown deer close..finally broke a spell of several sits without seeing a thing.

Can't hunt today and Saturdays out..maybe Friday and definetly Sunday!

Wow, that must have been some heart pounding action!!A fewthings immediately come to mind. If the animal approaching from behind (and I say animal because at this point you arent sure what it was but, we assume its a deer of course) was what indeed spooked the 8 pt buck,theappraoching 8pt buckhad to either visually see the animal approaching from behind you thuscausing the buck to run, or smell it or have been previously alerted by something there.You say there is no chance it smelled you or the animal approaching from behind so I would say itpossibly could have been a bigger buck that had whooped up on the 8 pt before, could have been spooked by a person there before, maybe a predator? Are ther yotes, bear or wolves around there? My guess is no on the predator, but what else would cause a deer to bolt, more specifically what would cause a 2.5 year old buck to bolt. My guess is it wasnt shot, but could have been shot at before as well which makes bucks very spooky in daylight.

Whats up boys! You'll see more of me now thatI get toplay Also we're getting Cable/Internet hooked up at thehousetomorrow so that will be a nice change. (I bought a log home last October and we've been to busy to bother till now.)Looks like rain in the forcast for my long awaited opener this Saterday but I'll be out in full force as long as it's not steady pooring. At least the merc dropped and is finally starting to feel like the fall season is upon us. I have several stands out and a load a treesmarked for a climber. I've stayed clear of my new lease landsince I didn't have time toscout it earlier in the year. I plan to inch my way about asI hunt itwhich hasworked well for me in other areas in the past. I did manage to sneek in and speed scout a couple months back and locatequite a few obvious stand sites andhave high hopes due to the numberof nice bucksusing the land.A few privatefarmsI hunt are showing signs of shooters and the state land 8 minutes from mynewplace is up in theairas to what it carries or how much pressure it receivesbut I foundacouple sweetpinch pointsfar off the beaten pathI plan to spend some time at.All in all I'm in pretty good shape and cant wait to get out their!

The boy isthe coolest!He loveshis short walksin the woods around the house you should see his eyes light up and look all around at the trees haha he's got hunting in his blood!

Sounds good guys, it seems everyone it starting to get a little more action and better weather. It is just a matter of time now.

Man Gr8, that is a wicked story, sure does make you think a little. When I was reading it my first thought would be a mountain lion, not sure if you have them around your area. I know a full grown cat can take down a full grown deer no problem. Just my thinking, could be way off base. Good luck everyone!!

Hi Mantis and Millertime..Glad to see ya! Enjoy each minute Mantis, it gets better everyday..My youngest is now 18 months (daugher Brooke) and Brandon is 3 (actually he gets his first "true" birthday in 08 as he was born on leap-day!).. wait till you walk in and they start to say.."Daddy did you get a deer today?" Or "when I get bigger I'm gonna hunt with my Daddy" {sigh} Melts your heart!

Good Luck on your opener..hope you get plenty of action. Can't wait to hear your reports!

As for predators, the meanest (natural) thing we have, is Coyote, and this area has quite a few. I've seen plenty of spooked and alarmed deer in my days and NEVER saw one react like this guy did. Anyway I'll be out there tonight..comtemplating the same area.

Wow, was a great night last night to hunt. I went back to my main property, and saw 4 dinks the whole night. Was 62 and cloudy when I climbed in teh stand, and was 52 when I climbed down for the evening 3 hours later. Cant beleive the lack of deer, it has to beacuse the creek is dry, I dont know what else it could be. I put a trail camera and 2 bags of corn out10 days ago. Had 300 pics with all does and fawns. I was getting 300 pics a night before the season started in August when there were lots of deer. Has me concerned thats for sure.

I'll be heading back to my back up property accross the street from my house. Plenty of deer there, just much less property, 120 acres vs 2200 acres. I guess this is proof size doesnt matter LOL!!!!

I have heard that before, but I am not sure if I believe it.

But on a serious note, Diesel, sounds to me like they have switched up the routine on you. You know this time of year a lot of things change. The foodand hormones are the two main things. They are still there, you just have to find them. Having 2200 acres you shouldn't have a problem. I would try to find a scrape or rub line and set up on it. It is about that time. Just keep your head up and stay after it, you'll get one down before too long.