What A Season
 

From my previous posts, you all know that this is the first year on my new place. You also know that I got busted by a cough early in the season, had coyotes ruin a hunt, had the wife knocking my bow down result in an arrow flying high and right on a huge buck, etc.

Now as Paul Harvey says, the rest of the story.....

Bow hunting here in Iowa gets interrupted by the two shotgun seasons. During the break, my son and I did some shotgun hunting. The people hunting the property to the east were notified that there were people on my adjoining property line and instructed not to shoot that direction. One of the inbred nimrods ignored that and almost shot my son. The evening after that hunt, we had a bad ice storm roll through and knocked out our electricity (which is NOT good when you live in an all electric home). It took 8 days to get electricity back. Eight days of constantly watching the generator and trying to keep the inside of the house warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. Eight days of living inside a home that at the warmest got to 60 degrees. After the ice storm rolled through, we had two snows that dumped 9 inches each time roll through while I sat in the darkness. By the time I got power back,
I ended up with pneumonia. While thinking it was just a cold, I kept taking over the counter stuff that after two weeks had done nothing but make the pharmaceutical companies richer. Finally, last week went to the doctor who informed me that I am not the brightest bulb in the pack for not coming in sooner. He gave me a regimine of antibiotics and some audacious cough syrup.

Yesterday, since I was feeling a bit better, I went out to remove the latest 6" of new snow from the driveway. I was wearing my Air Force extreme cold weather jacket and pants that are gray in color. When I got down the lane about half way, I had a bullet go whizzing by my head. I jumped off the tractor in the opposite direction from the gunshot sound and laid there for a few minutes. I heard someone yell "I got one!" Ok, I am now laying in the snow thinking, "Why didn't you bring a weapon to plow snow?" I guess I have a lot to learn like always go armed when plowing snow. Pretty soon, I hear $#*@()$!!! Son, you shot somebody!!! I look up and there is a man standing next to a boy who was probably no more than 12 years old. Seeing that their weapons are not aimed at me, I get up and start wiping the snow off my face. The man asks me if I'm alright, and I reply I could use some help getting back to my place. I was not hurt, but I was shaken and upset. He says he'll go get his truck and get me home. After they ran off, I thought that they were going to take off and get the heck out of there. I took my cell phone out and called the sheriff's office and told them what happened. The dispatcher said they would send someone out. I figured by the time the law got there these two yahoos would be long gone. After 5 minutes here came the truck with the guy and his son. They picked me up and drove me up to the house. I asked them to wait a minute while I used the restroom and went inside a minute. As I walked outside again, here came the deputy. Long story a little bit shorter, the guy was prohibited by law from owning and possessing a firearm and his son has not been through the mandatory hunter safety course.Dad ended up with three charges against him. He post miranda admitted everything, and as the deputy was taking them away, he asked for my forgiveness.

I am going to try and hunt again tomorrow, but who'd a thought one guys season could be so event filled?

BTW, today I have forgiven the guy, but you know what, the boy didn't apologize even once. That still irks me.

RE: What A Season
 

Wow what a season you had. Sorry about you accident there, but at least your alright and still on here talking to us!

RE: What A Season
 

Wow thats nuts! So the kid was shooting at a deer and the bullet traveled thru the deer and happened to zip by your head? They didnt hear your tractor running in the direction they shot? Scary stuff. I have been in the woods and have heard a bullet zip by me from within 10 feet, I jumped behind the closet tree that provided cover.

RE: What A Season
 

The only thing I could figure, was the boy say gray moving across his field of vision and thought he'd shoot a coyote. I still can't fathomhow someone who saw movement and heard a tractor in the same direction could think it was a viable target.But since they were trespassing, what could one expect?

RE: What A Season
 

Suddenly with all your stories, Iowa sounds worse than PA.[8D]

RE: What A Season
 

You know Rob, when I was younger, people respected other people and their property. Iowans would also help out another without expecting something in return. Now that I am not so young anymore, the people who still emulate what I described above are mostly people my age and older. I think once people around here know that I won't put up with that I suspect it will get better. Finally, most of the people I have had trouble with since buying this place have been out of staters. Most of them come up here because they have heard all the stories about the monster bucks in Iowa and are foolish enough to believe them. FOLKS, THERE ARE NO BIG DEER IN IOWA. I HEAR THAT ALL THE MONSTERS ARE LOCATED IN FLORIDA, SO GO THERE TO HUNT!!!!

RE: What A Season
 

I went to the shack in the campgrounds tonight to wait for the deer to move through. Just at sunset, the neighbors grandkid came flying along the fenceline on a 4 wheeler. Then he proceeded to ride back and forth until it was too late to shoot. I wanted to go over and throttle him at first, but he was well within his rights to have fun on his grandpa's land. I walked back to my 4 wheeler and came home. On the brighter side, no gunshots tonight. lol

RE: What A Season
 

LOL AF H. Yeah, send them to FL...

I know exactly what you mean as far as respect, one of my common sayings is the world needs more common courtesy. Even the 4 wheeler thing, it's hunting season, you'd think it would dawn on those that someone might be hunting.

RE: What A Season
 

Well unfortunately, not everyone hunts. The kid was at Grandpa's and probably doesn't get to ride much. I remember when I was young (Yes, I can remember back that far!), I used to look forward to going to my uncle's farm every summer because my cousins had toys like dirt bikes and go carts. It took a threat from my aunt to get me and my one cousin off those things every evening.

Now if he's out there tomorrow morning at daybreak, I'll have a case of crankyneighboritis!

RE: What A Season
 

Man, and I thought we had idiots in WV.... ;)

Glad to hear you are ok...good luck with the remainder of your season.

-Mike