TOPIC: opening day...

Today is 3/6

Back when I was planting stratified seed (now I only plant berries)... but back then...

I found my first 3 leafer up

03/20/2011
03/19/2012
03/18/2013

3/18 is just 12 days from now...

Below is what that one looked like back on 3/18/2013.
Notice it had a twin coming up right beside it, but pushing up thru the leaf litter broke the top (leaves) off of it.

PS.. if they come up that early this year, I am afraid they would get frost bit.

TNHunter

that's pretty good TN.

another great early spring day here.....this is a look at the holler behind my house.....

....iam under a winter storm advisory till 8 oclock tomorrow morning.....

Hang in there chief it can't last forever. Looks like some good deer woods. We're finally going to get a warming trend according to the weatherman. Come this summer I'll be complaining about the heat, lol.

yes sir the 40 years I bowhunted killing deer was easy....I was no trophy hunter, I shot them all,looks like a warm up is on the way but with it comes rain,may get 3 inches this weekend....heres the north end of my shop with my bow kills that had racks...

....theres a dozen I couldn't get in the pic.and two mounts in the house.

Great Pic Chief... and lots of fun memories in that room no doubt.

I was a nut for bowhunting for many years, not just bowhunting but was big time into archery competition.

11 time TN State Champion in NFAA and 3D Archery competitions... National Staff Shooter for High Country Archery... killed near 200 deer with bow and arrow, and a wild turkey. I killed around 60 with rifle / muz-loader... but after making a few bow kills, I pretty much stopped using those and hunted with bow thru all seasons.
Nothing like a bow kill. Up close and personal, and thrilling.

I have photo albums full of bow kill deer pics... I will have to get those out and check em out again. it has been a while.

TNHunter

That is awesome chief! It sure looks like you got several trophies in there to me. TN, that sounds mighty impressive as well. I know what you guys mean about the thrill of bow hunting. It's like trout fishing with a fly rod vs a regular rod n reel. The first buck I shot was with a bow a nice eight point. I was 15 years old and it was right before dark. I remember my heart beating so fast, I could hardly draw it back, lol. The arrow hit the deer to far back I'm guessing, either that or I grazed it to low. I remember seeing sparks to when it hit. I assume from hitting a rock. Me and my friend tracked blood well into the night, but never found the deer. Man I was just devastated. Nothing worse than wounding one, but it happens. I've never had one run more than 50 yards with rifle/muzzleloader.

I started bowhunting in 1974 I was a junior in high school..back then there was 5 bowhunters in the whole county,now you can drive in one subdivision in the nearest town to me and theres more bowhunters than that on one street...I retired from bowhunting in 2014..made a lot of great memories...got to the point my loving woman and kids wouldn't even eat them.so I thought what iam I doing out here killing animals no one will eat.i have more fun digging root and catching crappie at that time of year now....

I'm not a big venison eater, but i've got an uncle that makes some killer deer jerky. He always brings some on our hunts. I'll have a whole zip lock bag eatin before I get home. It's some really good stuff. We have some family in Colorado and they elk hunt. I remember having some elk burgers there when I was a kid. That was some good eating.

same with me ,I got a buddy that makes jerky and summer sausage its good eating.he brings me some every couple of months...I was lucky enough to kill two elk in four trips to Colorado back in the late 80's...if I had elk here I would still be hunting...them elk are delicious .......