Sat at my spot for 4 mornings, never saw a thing. Guess that's why they call it hunting and not killing.

It's a relatively new habitat, seeing that I had to brush-hog the clearing that had sat overgrown for years.

Hoping they get used to it and come out to eat.

I had a realllllllllllly nice 8 point buck and three does visiting my spot this week. The does were regulars, but yesterday was the first day I saw this big buck. Been also seeing a nice 4 and six pointer for the past month.

I was out there just checking on "things" when the big guy came through. He was clearly in the rutt, his neck was huge.

I "air shot" him perfectly. Now if they just keep coming through.

The guy that owns the land adjacent to our property posted the entire thing last week. He has a "Hunting Club" that has members that pay to hunt that land. I really wouldn't care that it is posted as we never hunt there, but I have been trying to contact him to ask permission to retrieve a deer should we shoot one and it runs onto his property. He has not responded. I am friends with the local game warden and asked if he could help, but seeing as the warden had written him up about 2 years ago I don't think I'll be dropping the game warden's name.

Around here, the rut will be pretty much done by the time rifle season starts next week. The only does that will not already be bred are the yearlings that are old enough to come into season.

You can only hope his "hunters" stay on their land and make so much noise they run everything your way

That is a very likely scenario that I believe happened last year. If I see any of his guys hunting on our land they will be asked to leave - you don't post several hundred acres of land and not cooperate with the neighboring property owners without some consequences.

Took a few days off last week and did the big deer hunt for the season. May go to the family place for a few more days if I can make room in the freezer. Got two bucks and a javelina. Had a big time hunting on a portion of a 24,000 acre ranch. Have hunted in Texas all my life but never have had much opportunity to take a javelina and this was the first one. Was a sow so I cut it up for the freezer. Had javelina gumbo last night that Mrs. noelekal concocted and it was great. Grilled a bit of the back strap too and it was nice.

Have long wanted to try out the little M1 Carbine on deer but the few times I've carried one over the years never saw a good opportunity to take a deer with it until this hunt. Deer was 49 yards (steps) out and bullet placement was perfect so the .30 Carbine round was a success in this instance.

So, basically a wild bore? Taste like pork?

Hah! I'm probably a wild bore and this wasn't a boar but a sow. I hear the boar javelina are stinky to field dress and the meat is strong and retains a bit of javelina boar stink making preparation of the meat for a meal more problematic. This javelina sow was very mild, with texture more like beef, and a unique slightly sweet flavor all its own. The rancher was a bit skeptical of eating the things but it worked out well in this instance. The critter probably went 35 lbs. on the hoof and 12 lbs. of meat was all that could be had off the carcass but we'll have a dab of javalina to enjoy for a few weeks. Mrs. noelekal was considering making most of it up into breakfast sausage using her recipe for the pork sausage she makes from time to time. I'm looking forward to trying it.

My brother in law has gotten a javalina before as well. He said they can be stinky to field dress. When he made it for us at a family gathering, he dipped it in a buffalo type sauce, then coated it in flour and pan fried it. Not my favorite, but not bad either.

I did grill some small pieces of the javelina so as to get an idea of what it tasted like 'unadulterated." I had some many years ago, prepared like Swiss steak and so spiced up that one couldn't really taste the meat. Could have been cat for all I could tell.

It does appear to be a meat that lends itself well to grilling. We live just 45 miles north of the northernmost counties in Texas to host a javelina season and our long time hunting haunts have no javelina. I've only encountered them on visits "down south" and never before had opportunity to take one. I'd probably take advantage of the opportunity to dine on javelina if it were more available to me.

Typical deer rifle calibers certainly aren't needed for javelina and might prove to be wastefully destructive. This one was taken at long range and was well hit so the .30-06 used didn't waste any of the "good bits."

Woo Hoo! I got a call from the land owners who posted the land that borders ours and they said they had no problem with us coming on their land to recover a deer. Takes a load off my mind knowing we can recover an animal if we need to.

Also found out that the 10 point that I posted a picture of made it through archery season and was spotted about 200 yards from our stand this past Saturday. The guy who saw it said that it was the biggest rack he has ever seen on a deer. Can't wait to get out there Monday morning with my son.

Sure would like to hear a good deer story next week that included that 10-point.

I'll do my best

However, local weather forecast is calling for rain, and 50 degrees for the three days I have off

While I hope that my son gets an opportunity at the 10 point, I think he will shoot the first decent buck that comes his way (hoping that a decent buck comes our way!). After he has stocked the freezer, I will likely spend several long days hoping for a shot at the 10 point.

I'm still getting skunked. Saw a really nice 10pt on camera at 3 am.

I'm going to keep trying, but my pop-up blind doubles as a wind-sail so it's gone. I'll have to figure out some kind of a cheap blind before I go out again.

Cold and raining for the next week here. Not sure if I'm tough enough to sit exposed with the rain.

Norm, I think a lot of hunters give deer too much credit. I usually try to find a tree or grove of trees (not hard as we live in the foothills of the Appalachians, plenty of trees) near a path and lean against a tree. You blend in and deer come right my way.

I did post up under a tree yesterday upon finding that my blind blew to another county. I'm game for sitting under the tree, but not when the rain is howling. Our old place in South Texas would spoil you. A 100 yard hike from the hunting cabin (central HVAC) to your completely enclosed box blind (your choice of 5 on the property).

Maybe someday I'll have that again.

Brother told me to buy some doe pee pee and hang that out. May try that method. I just need them to start traveling the new paths I've cut.

In the off season, go back and plant some good grass along those paths you cleared.


I laid out some corn and apple mineral blocks along mine all fall.

I realize baiting deer is not permitted, these were laid out for squirrels and rabbits, any deer caught eating them will be shot

I agree on giving deer too much credit.

Due to being a nitwit, I found myself without my wallet containing hunting license after shooting the javelina early in the afternoon of the first day of my hunt. As there was found to be a gaping hole in the bottom of the hip pocket of the ancient pair of surplus British BDU trousers I was wearing, I spent the remainder of the time afield that afternoon fretting over the loss of the wallet while waiting on the rancher to come the five miles to pick me up at dark. I had walked to a hill and meandered around, picking my way to its top prior to taking the javelina so figured on having a long and ultimately futile search for the wallet while trying to backtrack.

While sitting there in a tower blind, watching a feeder some 50 yards away, with my rifle left on the ground because I was out of deer hunting circulation without the tags on my now-lost license, I thought to call my dad and relate the javelina story to him. We'd talked for some time, very loudly from my end because, at 89 years old, my dad's quite deaf and can scarcely hear on a telephone any more. While doing all this shouting into a cell phone, a decent buck came to the feeder. He knew full well I was there, could see me and could hear me. He'd nose at the ground and then take a few steps toward me to scrutinize me then go back to nosing around beneath the feeder. He never became so alarmed that he left and he presented numerous opportunities for shots. So for all that "being still and quiet" business we hunters fervently adhere to. I've noticed this on other occasions during my hunting career. Sometimes it's amazing how stubbornly deer will ignore the hunter. Even so, I still subscribe to being still and quiet as the best approach to bagging deer.

Found the wallet in a pair of heavy wool trousers in which I hunted that morning. Didn't find my memory though.

My son and I saw a buck a couple of weeks ago while turkey hunting. I never heard or saw it come in, I just noticed it moving around about 75 yards away. He never paid us any attention, just kept his head down and moved on along.

It's been my experience that if a deer can see you but not smell you (the wind is in your favor) they don't usually bolt unless you make big sudden movements. They tend to trust their nose more than their eyes or their ears. That being said, it is very frustrating to get caught by a deer and have them lock their eyes on you if you don't have your weapon ready. It's like an old time Western at that point and you likely are not going to win the gun fight at that point.

I've had them fall dead in their tracks and their buddy never move an inch. Just kept eating corn like nothing happened.

So, I agree that they aren't all that illusive. Once they show up at the party, they usually stick around.

I was standing over my son's 8 point last year getting ready to field dress him when my son said "Dad look!" I looked up and there was another nice buck standing about 50 yards from me. I had the gun in my hand, but I honestly I had all I could handle getting the one he shot out of the woods!

The guy that taught me to hunt used to always say:

"Nothing will screw up a good hunt like shooting a deer."

LOL ain't that the truth. I have been dressing a smaller buck or doe and see a nicer one go right by me.

Well, the adventure begins Monday. Will be out till Thursday.