This past Saturday, Dad, Mom, a couple friends, and I spent the morning hunting at another friend's property. We left later than we had wanted to and so it was already fairly light as we made our way to our different spots. We were hoping that because this property hadn't been hunted as hard as most others, we would have a better chance of finding some deer but things hadn't been sounding good. There are very few deer around this year, whether because of the flooding or the increased coyote numbers, or what, we're not sure.
As Dad and I walked to our spot we spooked up five deer. I only saw the one but Dad said that he saw five white tails disappearing- it was too dark to see anything else.
Dad sat a little ways away from me so that he could see in a different direction but none of us saw anything from where we were sitting. I thought that I heard a couple of grunts but it was hard to tell because the wind was making everything creak and groan. Plus I was concentrating on a squirrel right about then. I was quite nervous that he was going to jump on my head! He was in the branches above me and if I had been standing I could have reached up and grabbed him. After a few tense moments, he decided that the tree two yards behind me was a better vantage point. Let's just say that I was close enough that I could see reflections in his eyes and watch his nose twich!
Later, after Dad had come and got me, we walked through the bush for a ways before splitting up and pushing bush towards Mom. All went well- except for the fact that we weren't seeing any deer- until I saw Mom and we were directly opposite each other. That was when the deer decided to make their grand entrance.
A doe and a nicely-antlered buck ran directly inbetween Mom and I. I'm no good at running shots and neither of us wanted to shoot the other so we didn't even have our guns levelled at the deer. I did just about get the buck in my crosshairs when he stopped just for a brief instant out of Mom's line of fire but he took off again before I could get in a shot. Mom and I were both a little bummed out. She kept exclaming over how high his rack was (although she seemed to be exagerating it a bit!).
While we were talking, two shots rang out from Dad's end of the woods but we couldn't tell if he had hit the deer. You can sometimes tell because instead of just a "bang" there will be a "bang-whump" but we only heard the bang.
Dad caught up with us and said that he didn't think that he had gotten them and that he wasn't surprised. He could see them running through the brush so he had aimed for an opening between trees and when he thought that they were there, he pulled the trigger.
After we got back to the truck and talked to the owner of the property for a few minutes we went and picked up our friends and dropped them off at their truck. Afterward, seeing as we were going in that general direction anyways, we decided to drive along the bush where Dad had shot at the deer.
We wanted to make certain that Dad hadn't actually hit the deer (Mom couldn't believe that he missed completely). Sure enough, as we were driving along, Mom suddenly hollered out that she saw him!
It turns out that Dad HAD hit him! Right behind the ear! Because he had dropped so fast, Dad just assumed that he was running slightly beside and behind the doe and had run through a dip and out of sight. We were all happy about that!
well, I tried to put pictures on but I seem to be having technical difficulties so I'll try again later! God bless you all!
Sunday 27 November 2011
Thursday 24 November 2011
Deer hunting- Reimer style!
Well, deer season started off on an odd foot this year. Actually, it hadn't even started before we started seeing some mighty brave deer walking about.
The day before deer season started (a Sunday), Dad, Elizabeth, Jennifer, and I took off to a near-by field to get in some target practice and sight in the rifles. We got our targets all set up and paced out before Dad realized that we had forgotten a very important aspect of the operation- the ammunition. I mean, we all had ear protection, multiple jugs filled with water for targets, two .22s, and two or three rifles of a larger caliber. So Dad had to drive back which was fine by us girls as we got to explore a near-by creek for a few minutes.
We had the rifle targets to the side of the truck and trailer spaced at 25, 50, 100, and 200 yards while those shooting the .22s shot off the back of the trailer at two jugs hanging in the bushes at about 20 yards. I'm putting this info here for those technical people!
Jenn and I were having a turn shooting the .22s when Jennifer (without thinking) shouted, "A buck!" I didn't believe her until I had seen this buck, walking down the hill behind our targets toward us! I had to holler at Dad and Liz becuase they couldn't hear me with their ear protection on and were just about to shoot. By the time Dad noticed what was going on, the deer was walking about forty yards away behind our targets before he ducked into some slight brush. Before we knew it, he had popped out and was walking between the 50 and 100 yard line!
Seeing as he was pretty tame, we followed him for a while, especially Jennifer. If that deer had waited until the next day to do that, he would have been a dead deer seeing as this is Jennifer's first year deer hunting and we all had deer licences!
Just so you know, Dad had accused me of missing all but one of the targets which I couldn't believe. I mean, I'm not in the sniper class by far, but I always hit what I shoot at. Turns out, I was right. Dad had forgotten that he had filled one of the targets with dirt so it didn't burst like the ones that were full of water and thus he assumed that we were all missing that target!
Then, about a week later, we were calmly sitting doing our schoolwork when Mom's phone started ringing. It was Dad. He was working at the garden when a deer ran past it towards the ravine that runs past our house. So Mom quick put on the orange coat and loaded up the rifle before heading to the back deck to wait for him to walk past. She didn't have to wait long. Once she shot him, he ran down the hill and across the road before she lost sight of him. When Dad and Mom went down there they couldn't find him for a while until Dad glanced up the creek. That buck had found an excellent hiding place. He has under the bank of the creek with the grass hiding him even more!
Mom had made the best possible shot that she could have made in that situation. A double lung and heart shot! All this with a .243 and in her pajamas and slippers! Go Mom- I love you!
The day before deer season started (a Sunday), Dad, Elizabeth, Jennifer, and I took off to a near-by field to get in some target practice and sight in the rifles. We got our targets all set up and paced out before Dad realized that we had forgotten a very important aspect of the operation- the ammunition. I mean, we all had ear protection, multiple jugs filled with water for targets, two .22s, and two or three rifles of a larger caliber. So Dad had to drive back which was fine by us girls as we got to explore a near-by creek for a few minutes.
We had the rifle targets to the side of the truck and trailer spaced at 25, 50, 100, and 200 yards while those shooting the .22s shot off the back of the trailer at two jugs hanging in the bushes at about 20 yards. I'm putting this info here for those technical people!
Jenn and I were having a turn shooting the .22s when Jennifer (without thinking) shouted, "A buck!" I didn't believe her until I had seen this buck, walking down the hill behind our targets toward us! I had to holler at Dad and Liz becuase they couldn't hear me with their ear protection on and were just about to shoot. By the time Dad noticed what was going on, the deer was walking about forty yards away behind our targets before he ducked into some slight brush. Before we knew it, he had popped out and was walking between the 50 and 100 yard line!
Seeing as he was pretty tame, we followed him for a while, especially Jennifer. If that deer had waited until the next day to do that, he would have been a dead deer seeing as this is Jennifer's first year deer hunting and we all had deer licences!
Just so you know, Dad had accused me of missing all but one of the targets which I couldn't believe. I mean, I'm not in the sniper class by far, but I always hit what I shoot at. Turns out, I was right. Dad had forgotten that he had filled one of the targets with dirt so it didn't burst like the ones that were full of water and thus he assumed that we were all missing that target!
Then, about a week later, we were calmly sitting doing our schoolwork when Mom's phone started ringing. It was Dad. He was working at the garden when a deer ran past it towards the ravine that runs past our house. So Mom quick put on the orange coat and loaded up the rifle before heading to the back deck to wait for him to walk past. She didn't have to wait long. Once she shot him, he ran down the hill and across the road before she lost sight of him. When Dad and Mom went down there they couldn't find him for a while until Dad glanced up the creek. That buck had found an excellent hiding place. He has under the bank of the creek with the grass hiding him even more!
Mom had made the best possible shot that she could have made in that situation. A double lung and heart shot! All this with a .243 and in her pajamas and slippers! Go Mom- I love you!
Saturday 29 October 2011
My hope is in the Lord
Lately, I had been losing hope but after listening to a song by Kristian Stanfill called "Day After Day" I realized that my hope was in all the wrong things. I couldn't hope in school becuase what happened when I got a bad grade? My hope hit rock bottom. Same thing happened when I put my hope in my family, friends, and pets. I mean, fights happen and everyone has bad days. But if my hope is in God, then who (or what) shall I fear?
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. ... The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46:1-3, 7
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. ... The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46:1-3, 7
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