HELP! I need opening morning stories.

[DonBo]

I've just missed my first opening morning in probably 20 years. My wife is layed up and needs my care.

Please, tell me some stories so I can feel the hunt through your experiences. All the stories, not just successes. Opening morning has always been special to me, tell me what made this one special for you.

[Bobby Bass]

Wrong hunt.

[DonBo]

Not exactly the tree stand story I was hopeing for, but thanks for getting me in the woods. Beautifull account of your morning hunt.

I guess the love for hunting doesn't have much to do with the weapon or the quarry.

[archerystud]

My First Ever Opening Morning

I had practiced all summer and was inching my bow up to the 40lb minimum requirement. I made the minimum requirement with about 2 weeks to spare. The night before the opener I probably got about 3 hours of sleep but I was wide awake as soon as my dad opened up the door. I was 12 years old.

We had a breakfast of sausage and eggs and put our PSE's into the old beatup 66 Ford Galaxie and headed out to one of my dad's favorite hunting spots. About 4 years later that same Ford would become my first set of wheels which to me seemed like a Corvette at the time, but that's another story.

The morning is dark, calm, and as most Archery openers go in MN it is rather warm. We proceed to walk around to the back side of a bean field. As we enter the woods on the back side of the field I take up a stand on a nice deer trail which is about 15 yards away. As my dad disappears into the darkness I can't stand the anticipation.

The anticipation wears off in about 15 seconds as I realize every mosquito in the 5 state area has found me and determined that I am breakfast. I try to remain still but these mosquitoes are relentless. However, I do decide that I have to show my dad that I can and will be a bowhunter.

For about the first half hour all I can hear is a solid buzz, in between the occasional slap that I make to break up the monitony. The woods begins to lighten a bit but the MN state bird does not let up.

I literally make it another half hour and decide that I have had enough. I climb out of my deer stand and make the trek back to the old Ford with little red bumps covering most of my body. At this point I'm completely dejected and I feel that my dad will be very disappointed.

As I near the back of the old Ford I see movement from inside the car. The door flys open and out pops my dad, "How could you stand all of those #$!* mosquitoes?!".

True Story.

[deerminator]

Ha! I had about the same experience by first bow opener about five years ago. If I could have just held out, I would have had a nice doe, as she busted me a minute after I had climbed down from swatting away the mosquitoes. I itched for days. Ugh.

This morning was a nice way to settle in. No deer to speak of but sat in the blind in a light drizzling rain that went on an off for 3 hours before I headed in and the downpour ensued. I didn't think I'd see anything if it was wet but you just never know. I almost didn't make it by first light. The alarm went, off, I rolled out of bed at 5:15, then I noticed it was actually 6:15 (kids). Luckily, I was hunting a couple of hundered yards behind our house and had everything ready. Showered, geared up and was out the door in ten minutes. Still had about 35-45 minutes from when I settled in til I could see well enough to shoot, so hopefully didn't bump anything. Not much to speak of but was good to be out again.

Hope your wife gets better soon.

[Meat-Run]

Well I made it to my stand with enough time to settle in before the sun came up and luckly enough that I didn't scare any deer going in. Once settled in it took along time before I saw/heard my first deer. It started out that I thought I could hear a buck grunting behind me but ah, i'm just excited and hearing things. Then about 5 minutes later I heard it again. Ok, now curiosity has taken a hold and I had to turn around. Of course then there was a mother with two fawns with her and she eyeballed me about 20 yards... GREAT, busted. I did the look down and don't make eye contact for about which seemed like for hours, five minutes and then they finally moved along. One or both of the fawns must have been button bucks because someone grunted again. Then about half hour later as I was like an owl and couldn't keep my head still another doe and two more fawns came up a ridge and ate around my stand for a good half hour or more. I played stare down with the momma doe two, to many times and she eventually walked off. Saw another deer but couldn't tell if it had any hardware. Eight total deer and I was out of my stand by 8:30am. Good action I figured and I was just content to see one on opening morning. My opener was a success! Good luck with your wife and the let the stories continue...

mr

[DonBo]

Thanks for the stories guys, it's the little things I miss.

Keep 'em coming.

[Studer]

I will be heading out tomorrow morning so I may have a story for you. But until then I will keep reading other peoples. WOW AM I EXCITED!!! First sit of the season!!!!

[bigbucks]

Settled into the stand about 6:15, shooting started about 6:30. At 6:45 about 80 yards out here comes a deer, is it a big doe? No it's a buck. It's actually a young 8 pointer, possibly a 2 1/2 year old. He's as wide as his ears, but pretty short, a tint of red to them, must not have had the velvet off long. He's long & tall, no ribs showing, but not a heavy old deer either.

He's not a shooter, but is he going to give me an opp? He's passing through a corridor in the brush to my right, probably not, oh wait he's coming in to the immediate vicinity of my tree & then I can't see him. Well okay not unless I look through the cracks between the floor boards of my permanent stand! Yes that's right if the stand breaks I can ride back to my truck on one very surprised buck.

He comes out the other side presenting the dream kill shot 10-15 yards, slightly quartering away, head down. I can hear him crunching the acorns with his teeth. Aah it's bow season again & I've toughed it out for 15 minutes of season before passing on my first deer of the year. All is right with the bowhunting world...

[fishinmajishin]

Yep. My first sightings were two young bucks with a half hour of shooting left in the eve. The 6 pt stood right at the base of my tree for over 15 minutes nibbling at the browse. His buddy the fork wandered around doing the same. Watched them til well after dark until they finally walked off and let me climb down. Great to be in the stand again. Sunday eve was even better but too dark to shoot.

[Stratosman]

Got out yesterday afternoon, climbed into the stand about 5:15, sat for a bit with nothing, spotted a smaller 8 and a doe head out of the woods into a grassy area between the woods and the corn. A bit later saw another two does heading into the same area. Then about a half hour before sundown, heard some movement again behind me in the grass turned around to see a very nice 10-12 point milling around, no idea where he came from but was only about 35 yards, only thing there was some brush so no way for a shot, thought for a bit that he was going to head my way, but like 99 out of 100 times, he turned and walked towards the corn. That would have been a heck of a first night. Oh yeah, he was in full velvet yet. I wanted that deer. Brother in law passed up a doe with a fawn and my cousin passed up a small 8 the same evening. Good times!

[DonBo]

WOW, Stratosman, that was a great first day. Good luck with that deer, hope you get a crack at him.

Everyone else too. Sounds like a pretty good opener considering the weather.

[FISHINGURU]

hey donbo don't feel bad...i live for bowhunting and the outdoors and i missed opening day also...i missed the whole weekend...to make matters worse i haven't went out yet...to many overtime hours at work and mandatory weekends this year...its been pretty warm to hunt so thats been helping me get through it lol...i still like bein out there though...about a month left of work then i have all the time in the world!!

[SDbowhunter]

Opening morning I was neck deep in late product for work, I volunteered to put in a little extra effort to get caught up. First opening morning I missed since I started hunting. I was rewarded for my work by cleanly harvesting a yearling doe in the evening. I learned alot at work and couldn't have asked for a better hunt that evening. With the meat hunting out of the way now I can concentrate on antlers and can be picky on the next doe I take.

[Hula_Grub]

What made this opening morning special for me was the fact that my son (our first child) was born the night before!

I haven't been in a stand yet and can't complain because caring for him has been unbelievable! The tears of joy are only just starting to die down.

I think this will be my most memorable opener ever.

[tednugefan]

Congratulations Hula_Grub. thats better than shooting a deer

[DonBo]

Congrats Hula_Grub! Pretty special opener indeed.

SDbowhunter, nice job. By the way, I once spent a night in jail in Watertown. A lonnnngggg time ago.

Fishingguru, I still haven't been out either. The hot weather is my only solice.

[FishGUY]

I hunted the first two days of the season, it was nice to be in the woods again. Saturday it rained almost all day, Sunday it rained in the AM, but was really windy the rest of the day.

I was in a tree stand on the side of a hill that gave me a great view of two trails between me and the river. After about 3 hrs of watching the trails a nice doe comes out though the brush on the hill side about 5 yards form me. I have never seen a deers eyes get that big. As she was turning to get away, I put a double lung, though the heart shot on her at about 6 or 7 yards. She went about 60-70 yards form where she was shot, not far, but out of site. It was raining at the time so tracking involved looking at bottom of leaves, because the rain cleaned the tops of them. She was bleeding a lot so it did not take too long to find her.

Only saw one buck that weekend a nice 8 pt, he came out of a corn field right before dark at about 90 yards and walked away. Now that I have a deer, time to hunt for one with atlers.

Congrats to those that have taken a deer and good luck to the rest. Great time of year when you to have to decide to hunt or fish!

[DonBo]

Way to go fishguy, good shot! Mmmmmm, fresh backstraps.

[Hula_Grub]

Thanks for the kind thoughts!

[snoozebutton]

Great stories and congrats Mr. and Mrs. Hula Grub!!!