The weather forecast said the temp would be around 40 yesterday, morning, but when I collected the SD card out of the game cam, I was bundled up and just knew that the temp was colder than that. The game cam snapped this “shot” of me lumbering up for the card and, sure enough, the temp was 32!

Mickey Donahoo, my neighbor and softball buddy, and I had gone out before sun up yesterday morning on our annual doe hunt. Having lots of doe, we donate one, or more, to needy folks in the County. Layla and I provide the doe and Mickey shoots them with his .204 Ruger, pops them in the head, with no wasted meat!

Around 7:00 AM, two doe had come into the feeder Mickey was guarding, but a big buck with heavy antlers showed up chasing them off. Since my buck ticket had been punched, I had told him to shoot a buck, but he passed on this one.

Over in the tripod stand where last month I shot my buck, see my post of November 14, 2010, “[Cedar Fever vs. Hunting]”, nothing happened until 7:45, then a yearling showed up, just browsing along. Then a big doe came running along, head down and I got ready. Sure enough, she was being chased by a spike and raising my gun, I cross-haired the spike. But, seeing movement in my peripheral vision, I didn’t take the shot, but glanced to my right and saw that I’d been “made” by another doe that I’d not noticed before. She was standing with head up, looking right at me and the yearling spike and other doe melted into the thick stuff.

Frustrated at not taking the shot, I thought I’d try to get the spike to show himself and I issued a challenge series of grunts, grrrunt, grrrunt, grrrunt. No spike, but less than two minutes later, out stomped a huge, 10 pointer, the second biggest deer I’d seen on the ranch and I mean he stomped out, neck swollen, tall rack and all, looking for a fight!

Right away I put the scope on the buck, ready to shoot and up jumped my conscience. Being a Christian and a lawful person, one, my buck ticket had been punched earlier and two, Mickey who is a good, Christian man, would be put in a delicate spot. He is also the best taxidermist around and would have to lie about the buck, so I looked and didn’t shoot!

As the buck was walking away I put my gun down, pop, Mickey’s .204 Ruger, broke the spell and I knew he had gotten a doe. Climbing down out of the blind, I hurried over to Mickey’s stand and he confirmed my thought.

Here’s a pic Mickey, his doe and his .204 Ruger.