Intro: Hill Country's Miss Hope and Faith....(roster added on page 2)

Looks like you got "heart wood" on that there stump, Rob!

Good luck and keep after them.

Bisch

[Guru]

That's great stuff right there Rob...keep on 'um!

[Shedrock]

Great pics, good luck!

[threeunder]

Great report Rob.
I'll be getting back out with Faith again this weekend and then a bunch next week.

[Shinken]

Am enjoyin' your adventures Rob!

Thanks for sharin'!

Keep the wind in your face!

Shoot straight,Shinken

 

[Terry Green]

Will do Denny....just catching up on this one!

[b.glass]

Rob, when I saw your name on this thread I started following. Looks like your having a good time anyway. Good luck!

Bona
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[Rob W.]

Finally got some colder weather and a little snow. Hunted with a buddy this evening with no luck. I have the next 10 days off so I will be hunting hard to put another in the freezer. December has been tough to say the least but maybe this weather change will bring new hope to me and Hope.

[Bud B.]

10 days off sounds goooood.  

Go get'em!

[Rob W.]

Had to take a hunting break for Christmas. What a wonderful time of year. Friends, Family, good food, and as of this morning a good SNOW! Which I love to hunt in. Hope to get some good pics of my last few days with Hope.

I did snap a pic of Hope presiding over some of the family feastivities. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

 

[Rob W.]

Had a lone doe wind me at 30yds. this morning. Getting down to the wire but with the new snow I have a better idea where to be. Swirly wind and ground hunting is tough. Pretty morning though.

[threeunder]

Well, with Christmas over, I was able to head over to our family property for the last few days of the month with Faith.
Got out today a little after daylight and hit the woods.
Weather hasn't been very cooperative the past several days.  Winds today are 10-15 mph constant with 25 mph gusts.  Not the best conditions for sure, but I've been waiting all month for this week to hunt with Faith.
We had a skiff of snow last night.  Very fine snow falling this morning.  Took a moment before I headed in the woods to snap a photo of Faith.



A lot of our place is an old strip mine that was reclaimed about 30 years ago.  Most of it was planted in white pines.  Here's a shot of the trail leading up one to the ridge directly behind my house.



Easing up the trail, I came across this.  I haven't hunted here since early bow season in October.  This wasn't there then.  Not a big tree, but this rub goes way up!

[threeunder]

I've got 5 popups set on our place (91 acres).  Also have 3 ladder stands, but too much ice on everything to climb into one of the ladders.  This is the first popup I came to in this area.  Snow and ice has got it a bit lopsided, but still huntable.  My sights though, were set on making it to the next blind.

 

The next blind sits on the edge of a 12 acre hayfield.  We've got it positioned on a small finger that comes out into the field.  As I got closer to the blind, I could tell something was wrong...it was gone!
Looked around a bit and found it back in the pine patch on its top....LOL...wind has been horrible the past couple of weeks.  Guess those stakes didn't hold.  While I was standing there contemplating my next move, a doe eased into the field in what I call "the pocket".  Its the small corner to the left of the blind.  Maybe an acre in size.  Wind was good, but the ice underneath my boots wasn't.
She was 50 yards away and all I could do was hope she would pull back in the pines and come toward me.
After 20 minutes, she eased back into the treeline.  Then headed down over the lip back to the bedding area.
I eased over to the pocket and hastily set up infront of a large pine hoping she would come back.  Here's a look at "the pocket".

 

Just had to get a salute to my brothers and sisters at Tradgang.  Without you all, I'd still be lost in traditional archery, or worse, back to hunting with wheelie bows and crossbows.

 

[threeunder]

I sat on that edge for a couple of hours.  Nothing moving but the trees.  They were really rockin' from the wind.
I packed up and headed back to the first blind.  It is in a protected area from NW wind that was hammering us.
As I made my way back, took a moment to snap a photo of the area I had just come from.

Don't know if you can see it or not, but you can just make out my upside down popup in the left part toward the edge.  I'll have to reset it Sunday (no hunting on Sunday in Virginia).

 

I made my way back to the first blind and crawled in.  Much better!  I really hate hunting in the wind.

Now that was I set for a while, thought I would show you my view.  Next 3 photos are the left view, center view, and right view.

 

 

 

Faith was ready!

 

[threeunder]

I guess the wind just had most everything holding tight.  Only other animal I saw was a gray squirrel that climbed the diagonal limb you see in the picture of the view out the right side and sat there.  It spooked as I made a little too much noise changing my broadhead arrow for a blunt.  That diagonal limb is only about 7 yards from the window.
Time to head out of the stand and make my way home.  Took a moment for one last photo of me and faith.



I'll be back out tomorrow.  Will hit the other end of our property.

Thinking I may take Faith on a predator hunt Saturday rather than deer hunting.  Will depend on the weather.  If more snow and ice will hold off, I'll be able to make it to our lease. If not, we'll be right back here at the family place.

[59Alaskan]

Great pictures!  Looks like fine property you have there.  Good luck!

Good luck, ken!

Bisch

[Rob W.]

Finally seeing some deer here. A couple took this trail up the ridge. Moving to it for morning.

[Rob W.]

Thought I would share this. Found it during spring turkey scouting. Not sure what did it. Goes all the way around tree.

 

   

[Terry Green]