Well yesterday I used a decoy (Renzo's) for the firts time.

First off my hunt started badly..by the time i pick up the kids (one of which is 7 months) get home then wait for the wife to get home 1/2 hour later (it's now 5:20). I rush to get ready and out the door. Deciding i was gonna travel lite, I forgo the fanny pack and stuff my pockets with all my accessories. I can ride my atv to my area so off I go. Set up my decoy in a nice location and get the climber ready to go up the tree. Well in my rush..I forgot my frigging..tow rope. Ok fine I'll hunt from the ground. Gotta change location slighty though. Hide stand and safety vest. Gather up decoy. Take 2 steps and a doe jumps up less then 20 yards away. Get to new location set-up decoy assume ground stand position. It's now, that I realize all my calls and stuff are still in my vest [:@]. oh well.

I see 2 doe walking down the railroad tracks. they poke their heads into the field to view my decoy and continue on their way. A little while goes by and I see a doe walking out of the woods toward my decoy. She walks right to it sniffing it, almost touching it with her nose. She backs off near the woods and another deer appears with her, another doe. They both walk up to the decoy and sniff it and feed with it. They occasionally walk up on it and sniff it. This goes on for 30 minutes. It's now way to dark to shoot, but I can't get them to leave. I don't wanna spook them but I can't sit here all night. I toss a stick into the underbrush and they snort but still don't leave. Finally I just gather my stuff and walk out, I think they ran before they actually saw me.

I am taking my brother in law out there tonight, he has never gotten a deer. I'm gonna set him up with the decoy. It should be fun.

Now that you and Mr. Murphy have had the annual run in you can get back to hunting.

On the bright side I didn't hear anything about a speeding ticket

I always have at least one hunt like that every year -- and usually it's a show stopper.

Let's see --
Last year - forgot my release. Find out once I'm in the tree. Lower my bow, get down, hide bow (private property) and go get release. Get back out there and the wind changed so I decide to hunt from the ground. Go find ground blind but get the feeling that something's not right. Quick check, License - check, release - check, bow - check, quiver -- um... up in tree! See, I was trying something new and hanging my quiver! Go up in tree, get quiver (pretty much decide to just pack it in for the day). Hmm... left tow rope on ground. Climb down, get tow rope (not a big fan of climbing with broadheads), climb back up, lower quiver. Pack it up and go home.

Year before - got out into treestand and in my haste, banged sight on the way up[:'(] Pull out my Judo point arrow and aim for a leaf on the ground. Miss by 2 feet. Pack up and go home.

You get the idea. Murphy loves to hunt. As long as he only comes once a year, it's all okay. But somehow my wife always knows when and asks with a smile "I thought you said you had a good spot tonight and thought you'd get one "

Hey. I think this is post #50! Fawn no longer???