Prentice Cooper 2010: Day 4 and Wrap Up

I got up this morning and headed out to another field for a quick morning hunt. I set up and kicked back to enjoy my last day in the woods for a week. I watched the squirrels and chipmunks play and listened to an owl calling in the distance. Turkeys were gobbling and birds were singing. It was a beautiful morning. I sat there until almost noon with no action other than the normal everyday commotion of nature.

I came down and loaded my gear up. I went back to camp and got ready to pack up. I noticed my buddies across from me didn't make it out. They overslept after another movie night. LOL!!! I changed out of my hunting clothes and into my street clothes and started breaking camp. for some reason it seems like it doesn't take as long to tear down as it does to set up. I tore down camp and loaded the truck in less than 30 minutes. It took me about an hour to set up.

I made my way around camp to the regulars and bid my farewells. I wished them all luck for the remaining of the day and the season and told them I couldn't wait until next year. I got a few phone numbers and some invites to some hunting leases and other hunting trips for later in the season. Some of us even made plans to get together for the muzzle loader hunt at Prentice Cooper in November. I got in the truck and got on the road headed home.

I got home and unloaded in about 15 minutes. (it's get quicker as I go, lol) Fueled the truck up, hit the car wash and then took the truck back to my mom and got my car. I came home and took a nice, looooong, hotttttt, shower, shaved and started looking human again. I called my wife at work and let her know I was home and that I missed her. Now i'm just resting and relaxing while waiting to pick the kids up from school. Then I have a meeting tonight and then slide into my comfortable bed, next to my wife and get ready for back to work tomorrow.

Wrap-up:

Even though this year was like many others on this hunt as far as bringing something home, it was still a great weekend in the woods with great friends and acquaintances that I only get to see once a year. I have drawn this hunt for 6 years now and always bring home some very wonderful and cherished memories even if I don't bring home a deer. Sometimes there are times when the hunt, the experience, the fellowship, the friendships and memories made are greater and worth more that any amount of meat in the freezer or bone on the wall. 

Always cherish time spent with family and close friends in the great outdoors and never let the pursuit of your game diminish the experience gained and the memories made while gathered together with your fellow sportsmen and women in the great outdoors. Happy hunting y'all.

Prentice Cooper 2010: Day 3

Morning:
Another 3 am morning after a long night. I watched a movie with the guys across from me. One of them brought their laptop. So it was later than planned when I finally crashed out.   There are two different time zones up here so they run everything on eastern time so I have to get up and hour earlier than normal. It was cool this morning but was supposed to be hot again and it was. I grabbed my hydration pack and headed out.

I bumped four deer on the way in to my stand in the dark. I didn't figure my day would be good after that. I got set up and settled in and took a little stand nap. I slept until the turkeys woke me up flying down and working towards the corn field. I was hoping the deer wouldn't be far behind. Apparently they weren't because the guy set up in the field next to me got a doe and the rest scattered. He recovered her and I decided to stay on stand to see if they would come back.

The action was slow and the woods were quiet. I did see a couple of does come across the end of the draw from the direction of the other guys stand where he shot his doe. They went up and over the ridge away from me. It was getting hot and I was sweating something fierce. It was noon so I decided to come down and get some more water and eat. I moved my stand closer to the edge of the field and headed out.

Afternoon:
My Sunday afternoon ended up like they all have in the past. There is an old man named Wayne that comes up here every year. I call him the Storyteller. He is in his 60's, farms, owns his own business and has hunted all over this country and a few others. He has hunted since he was young and has enough proof for most people to back his stories up. I didn't think he was here this year because he always camps across from me and he wasn't there by Friday evening. He got here late Friday so he was in a different spot.

I saw him on my way in and stopped to talk. He remembered me from years past and we started catching up. He had a buddy with him this year, made the introductions and started telling stories like always. Every time he tells a story, it leads to another and another and so on. Also, if somebody else tells a story it leads into one of his. It is really great. He has probably taken more game than most people will ever see in their lifetime. I gave him the title of " The most interesting hunter in the world" after the dos equis beer commercials. My buddies across from me came into camp and stopped at Wayne's camp to see what I was up to and within 30 mins. we were all sitting around listening to his stories.

It is a really special part of my trip up here every year to find Wayne and listen to his stories and adventures. He tells them with such detail and so vividly, that you can picture everything in your mind as if you are there. I think he enjoys it just as much as we do. It was hot so we all decided to sit there and talk until later in the evening when it started cooling off.

We all headed out about 4 pm for about 3 hours of hunting before dark. I didn't get in my stand. Instead I opted to sit in a hedgerow along the edge of the field right in the corner. There wasn't a good tree there so I brought my blind and stool and figured I would wait and see.

About 5:30, two does came out about 40 yds. down. They were picking at the corn on the edge and moving towards me. I couldn't take a head on shot so I waited. Then they jumped into the corn and milled around some. I was watching where they went in at and was watching the corn move and thought they were coming back out. So I clipped on my release and got to full draw. One of them stuck their head out but went back in so I let  my bow down to rest and relax. They stuck their heads back out and I drew back again. Then one jumped from the corn to just inside the edge of the woods. I told my self that the other one was probably going to do the same so I held my draw and waited. The other one stuck her head out and I released about the time she jumped and watched my arrow sail right under her back legs.

They took off and when I couldn't hear them anymore, I went to get my arrow. No blood and no hair. It was a clean miss. One blade broke off the broadhead from hitting a rock. I probably shouldn't have taken the shot but I had decided it would be a clean kill or a clean miss, so I justified the chance to myself. I packed my blind up and moved my stand to the other corner in a good tree and will be back in the morning.

Evening:
One of the guys got a small doe this evening. We razzed him about it. We had a big camp dinner. We all congregated on my end of camp with everybody's stoves and food and did answer camp version of potluck. Several people had plenty of food left and some needed to be eat because it wouldn't keep much longer and couldn't be refrozen. So we lined the tables up and the stoves up and commenced to cooking. People just lined up with a plate and got what they wanted and as much as they wanted. I'll tell you, it was as good as any church picnic I have ever been too. There was a lot of great food and fellowship and so far this has been about my best year ever coming up here.

Well, it's late again. Time to tuck in and get ready for the final day and hopefully those does come back and I'll be putting one in the freezer when I get home. Happy hunting y'all.