Lots of driving for a short time hunting

[Bwana]

So my oldest is in his sophomore year of college and for the 3rd year in a row he failed to draw a deer tag in our usual unit, the one where my folks farm is. Instead he drew a tag for an area SW of here where we typically do our turkey/pheasant/coyote hunting. So it is a 6.5 hour drive home from college and then another hour drive the next morning to get to the ranch where we have permission to deer hunt, in other words 15 hours of driving over the course of the weekend just to get a chance to hunt. Last year he hunted a grand total of MAYBE 10 minutes before shooting his doe.

This year we tried to recreate last year's hunt only to run into other hunters in the same area, time for Plan B. Shortly after the new plan was initiated I noticed two deer on the hillside in front of us, a pretty decent buck and his lady friend. After what seemed like an eternity my son finally pulled the trigger and the doe dropped in her tracks. The buck ran off a few steps but when he noticed the doe wasn't following he came back to see what her holdup was. Long story short he hung around for 15 minutes before finally leaving, all the while circling her and at one point even pawing her with a front hoof in an effort to wake her up.

Though he got his deer he had to hunt a bit longer than last year, this time his hunt lasted just shy of 20 minutes after legal shooting time. So in two years he has 30 hours of driving in for a total of 30 minutes of hunting time. Hopefully he realizes this streak isn't likely to continue.

Anyway, here is a pic of the boy and his deer as well as a couple of the buck that I took with my cell phone through by binoculars.
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[airbud7]

Thats what I call... Git R Done!!!

[Thumper]

Man, that having to draw a tag would drive me bonkers! And to anticipate hunting all year and end up with a doe only tag ... plus being told where I can and cannot hunt, would put me over the top. Congrats! Lot's of effort for 30 mins. hunting ... but it beats watching football on the ol' tv.

[Nandy]

Man, that having to draw a tag would drive me bonkers! And to anticipate hunting all year and end up with a doe only tag ... plus being told where I can and cannot hunt, would put me over the top. Congrats! Lot's of effort for 30 mins. hunting ... but it beats watching football on the ol' tv.

Yup, I never get it but it is what it is in that side of the country...

[Captain]

Man that's a super cool hunt. Congrats to him and you both. It sure would be hard for one of us Southern Boys to let that buck walk off... I'm sure there are a lot of folks that would just have to try to sneak that boy to the freezer.
It's just a different world out there having the restrictions and limits you have. I'm sure it's necessary because of the winter kill(s) and carrying capacity of the land. But it almost seems like if they allowed you to shoot more deer there would be less deer to die from the winter and the ones that were left would be healthier and less winter kill because there would be less competition the food source there is? I'm sure it's all above my paygrade and the biologist know what they are doing.
I can't get over how much all your children have grown!

[Chicken Dinner]

Nice!