Yesterday was opening day of rifle season. It was my first day to hunt my new place. I was sitting in my blind that overlooks a small field surrounded by pine and hardwoods.

The blind backs up to the woods and sits 25 yards from the tree line to the left. As I was sitting, I caught movement in the trees to my left. Using my Weaver 8x30 Grand Slams, I glassed the woods and soon located several does moving slowly through the trees. Shortly, I watched them bed down. I couldn't tell exactly how many there were. I continued to glass and noticed antlers sticking out from behind a tree. The buck was bedded and only part of his antlers were visible.

About 5pm, the does starting getting up and slowly slipping toward the field. I watched as one at a time, three does came out to cross the field grazing on ryegrass. I glassed back and looked for the buck but he was still bedded down.

After a several minutes, he got up and worked his way to the field. I slowly sighted him in and decided to pull the trigger...






....of my camera. He wasn't a shooter. The does had worked their way to the back of the field. I had two doe tags but decided to wait to see what else came out. Those four deer moved on and right before dark I saw another doe walk the back tree line and slowly slip down one of the trails. Didn't pull the trigger on that one even though it sounded like WW3 around the county the last 2 hours of daylight.

Didn't see anything else before dark. I walked back to the cabin, met up with my buddy who also let 2 deer walk. We grilled some salmon burgers, drank some bourbon and sat around the campfire shooting the shit.

Didn't draw blood opening day but still had a great hunt.

How was your opening day?

Looks like you had a fine weekend there Scott. At my age the comraderie and campfire antics are a big part of the hunt. Not that I get tired of killin' stuff. I usually let most all bucks walk early in the season unless they set my heart to thumpin'. We tend to take our does early before they are bred. Nice thing about the bow lease I'm on is that it has an MLD permit and TPWD is recommending that 30 does be taken. Hope you get back to your place soon. Are ya'll seeing any hogs?

Now as to my opening day, in a word, enjoyable.

I got an early start. Bow hunted Thursday evening, watched deer but didn't kill. Shot a small hog with my pistol Thursday evening. Friday morning I watched a good shooter buck at 29 paces from a tripod. Would have arrowed him, but he never gave me a proper presentation. Too good of a deer to take a chance of a straight on shot. Left Rio Frio and went to Reagan Wells around Friday noon. Shot a good sow Friday evening. Saturday morning I took a doe early. Got skunked Saturday evening. Don't want to hijack your thread so I'll post pix with more detail on another thread.
I hunt with nine other guys there. Had a great meal and campfire with tunes Saturday nite. I always wake up everyone in camp. Didn't realize it was time change Sunday. We ended up calling it a nite about 2 AM Sunday morning. I woke everyone up at what I thought was five AM Sunday morning, then went back and slept in, as I had two hogs and a doe. Needless to say my buds weren't too happy when they realized it was actually 4 AM.

All in all it was a great weekend. Also called my bud at my bow lease. He nor his son took the shooter buck that I had seen. Gonna go back next weekend and see if I don't have better luck.

Best

GWB