I started off the day worried about rain coming in but feeling pretty good about my chances.



This is the first year I'm going to go all ground hunting. Not carrying a treestand is nice but with an all day sit planned and rain in the forecast I think my pack was about as heavy as a stand.

Good luck to you Rob! Nice view!

with no deer in the morning hours I had a chance to take som pics.

Took a break from the rain that finally came. This is an area I spent a bunch of time in as a kid. Nice dry spot to eat.

Love the close up bow pic!  Looks like a calander pic.

I finally decided the rain wasen't going to stop and moved back toward the oak flat I hunted in the morning. There are some big beech in here as well. My bow is leaned up against this one.



As I got back up to the flat I caught movement up ahead. I could see a medium bodied deer with its head behind a tree in the spot I hunted earlier. I closed the distance a bit but as the deer moved I came to a knee near the first tree I could find. In a couple seconds the deer was at 15 yards broadside.

       

yeah!

What I thought was a nice fat doe for my opening morning on the ground ended up being a cocky little 3 pointer. I have always said I'm a meat hunter but for some reason I hesitated. I don't know if it was the rain coming down or the first day of season but I drew and let him walk. Looking back I'm glad I did becuase soon after it was raining Forest Gump kinda rain.

All in all a pretty good opening day and the start to a promising year on the ground.


Rob  

That's a really cool overhang!  Nice pictures!  Good luck with your season.  Today was the opener here in Iowa also.

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

I'm trying it from the ground this year too.

The pic of me drawing was actually earlier in the day testing out my camera mount. If there wasen't a steady light rain I planned on video taping.

Nice job with the story and the photos......  

What kind of seat you using?

Rancho Safari knee pads today. I split time between standing and knee pads. I sometime use a Torges seat or small swivel stool but feel like I'm kinda hanging out there in the wrong position.

Rob,
Next time you are under that rock house you best be looking around for some flint points....  

great job. awesome pics. best of luck to you this season.

Good stuff, right there !!

You gonna make it over to the SIDH camp site this week end..?