Hunting Season 2013

This season for me and the boys has been eventful, but I have fallen short on keeping the blog updated. I will try to update through Thanksgiving in this post and begin fresh after that. I will be changing the way I do these, but you will see what I mean in the post Thanksgiving post.

Lets begin in September with the first hunting season of each year, Dove.

• Dove season opened on Sunday this years so Jeff and Kelli's Annual Skeet shoot was on the day before the opener. We had a good turnout and the boys actually won a little money in the kid shoots. Brock actually put me out in one of the wolf chases. I eliminated Pop in a previous wolf chase so the day was not all bad.
• Opening day we met at Jeff's before daylight and headed over to Josh's blue house to hunt. The day was slow and we ended up in the pasture on the highway by Josh big barn. We killed a few but the fellowship was the best part. Kevin, Bubba, Jeff, Brock, Bryson and myself were involved in the usual Braley Tailgate Dove activities.
• We dove hunted a few more times, but we usually only hunt dove on the opening weekend...not sure why either.
  
  
  
  

  

  Brock and Jeremy...Dove Hunting 2013

  
  

  

  Bryson Dove Hunt 2013

  
  

  

  Brock and Bryson on the hay meadow dove hunting 2013

Next season to come round is archery deer....lots planned, but no follow through. Its is hard to bow hunt when you have two boys and a lil gal wanting to go with you.

• I did manage to go once and saw deer, but only little buck came with bow range.

  

  Kyle on the ONLY bow hunt of 2013

  
  

  

  Best bow setup I have ever had....hunted it ONE time!!!

November 2nd 2013 - Rifle Opener

• Opening day of gun season was spent at deer camp at Jeff's so we didn't hunt. Go Figure!! The boys wanted to stay at camp all weekend and ride 4 wheelers with Dawson... I didn't argue with them. As long as they are having fun...I'm happy.

Pops Place - Graford TX

• Pops took us to his lease between Jacksboro and Graford. I planned on bowhunting, but I quickly realized I don't like bowhunting in a  pop up blind. After the first morning set, I decided to set in a blind with the boys.
• Bryson and I sat together first and we saw a few deer, but none offered a shot. Right at dark, two coons come to the feeder so I let Bryson shoot "at" one with his .308. The feeder is about 150 yards away and the coons were half grown. He made a perfect shot and dropped on in its tracks.  

  

  Bryson and a Jack County Coon 2013

 

• Next morning Brock and I go to Danny's blind and we saw lots of deer but again, nothing offered a shot. Bryson was sitting with pop and made a text book shot placement on a great cull spike buck. Shot entered between ribs, took out the heart and exited between ribs. The deer ran about 75 yards and piled up.

  

  Bryson's first buck!

• After that weekend, Brock and I have hunted, but Bryson feels he has killed enough deer and elects to sleep in on morning hunts. We have been keeping up with the trail cams and have only got one decent buck on camera so far.

  

  Big Boy 2013

  Randy has several pics of this buck, but no one has seen him in the flesh.

Thanksgiving 2013

• It is time to harvest doe in Texas....but evidently not in our world. We have seen doe each sit this season I we thought a doe in camp on Thanksgiving would be a slam dunk. My family celebrated Thanksgiving this year at deer camp. I was worried that the mud would hinder it, but the weather was perfect.

  

  Family Thanksgiving 2013

  

  Kevin, Kyle, Jeff
  2013 Thanksgiving

• Kevin, Jeff, Brock, Bryson, Isaiah, Ashton and Austin stayed at deer camp from Thanksgiving day until Sunday morning. On Friday, while I was at work, they went on a hog hunt with the dogs. Remember it was Jeff and Kevin and 4 kids. needless to say, they caught a BIG sow. Austin, Chazleigh's oldest, has never been hunting or anything like it. He was the one who got to spear the hog. I think it may have made him want to do it again.

• Jeff and Kevin said my boys were VERY good help with everything during that hunt. I guess they have learned from watching us, because we have never tried to teach them. Makes me proud!!

Bryson and Rocky

From Left:
Bryson, Kevin, Isaiah, Brock and Austin

From Left:
Isaiah, Austin, Bryson, Brock
Middle:
Big Sow Austin killed with spear

• A few weeks after thanksgiving, I took a day of vacation to tie up some things around the house. I also decided to take Ms. Brylee on her first hunt.

Shoot it daddy!!!!....it was a crow about 1 mile away.

Looking a 4 point buck as it passed the blind.

 

• We sat in Randy's big blind and actually saw lots of deer...Brylee wanted me to shoot every living thing we saw. She was good with he iPod for about 10 minutes, then she began asking 200 questions and wanting to climb out the windows. I wouldn't trade a minute of it of anything in the world!

That pretty much sums up the season so far. Sorry for not keeping this blog updated like in years past with better stories and summaries.

Like I said at the first of this post, Form now on I will be doing things a little different. I get a GoPro camera and I plan on posting videos on here as well as stories.

Until Next Hunt!!!!