# !st day of deer rifle season.



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I'm 53 years old and I've been out there on opening day of rifle season everytime since I was 13 years old. 40 yrs. But today, opening day, I stayed home. Wwwwhhhhaaaaat? 

We had a cold northern come in yesterday with rain and spittin snow, and temps way down in the 30's. I told myself if it's this cold in the morning with wind blowing, I'm staying home! Well got up this morning and the temps way down in the 20's, wind whipping around 15 - 20 mph, decided I'm staying home! 

Never, since I was 13 have I ever missed opening day of rifle season. I've seen 12 inches of new snow on the ground with temps and winds even worse and I've gone out on opening day. I've woke up sicker then a dog, and still went hunting on opening day. I even had a girlfriend break up with me, just because I thought opening day was more important then her. 

But today I decided to stay home. Clean house, watched all the gardening shows that's televised on Saturdays, and since the kids are all at thier moms for the weekend---, I cooked a big supper for myself with all the foods they don't like. Like Blackeyed peas and cabbage. Just kept feeding the woodstove all day and enjoyed the warmth. Didn't miss hunting one bit since it was so cold out. Full and miserable now! 

Maybe tomorrow morning! I might go if it's just cold but I don't like hunting in that wind.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

This morning in N. WI the temp was about 5F with fierce winds, so the chill factor was about -15F. Brutal! Better in the evening, with less winds and 15F (actually felt warm!) But no deer!


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

i can relate im not nearly as mad at the deer as i used to be.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

I went out yesterday evening for a bit, dam was it cold, with high winds. Only stayed out about an hour. Went out again this morning with my boy. Not as windy, but only 11 degrees. Bout an hour and a half amd he asked if we could go home. I had ice in my moustache, he said he was frozen solid, so we came home.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Dixie Bee Acres said:


> I went out yesterday evening for a bit, dam was it cold, with high winds. Only stayed out about an hour. Went out again this morning with my boy. Not as windy, but only 11 degrees. Bout an hour and a half amd he asked if we could go home. I had ice in my moustache, he said he was frozen solid, so we came home.


I'm glad you decided to come home and not keep the boy miserable. Bad experience of freezing too much can ruin a young hunter.

Well I didn't go out this morning either. Too cold for my bones! But went out this evening and set in my tree stand for the last 3 hours of daylight. Nothing! 

I do have plans to get out there early tomorrow morning. I'll be joinning my nephew at his moms place and see if I can run something to him. I'll keep a bit warm if I'm doing the dogging. My nephew will be the one in a tree stand suffering. I hope it pays off.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Good luck!
And you are right, bad first experiences hunting can make a boy not want to hunt. This is his first year, and he is already discouraged cause he hasn't gotten a deer yet. 
I will let him go at his own pace, and I keep trying to encourage him by letting him know I got my first deer the third year I hunted.


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## rod44 (Jun 17, 2013)

Colder than heck here opening day with the second day not much better. Very slow opening day. Only heard two shots in the first few hours. Usually hear twenty or thirty. Only highlight was that my ten year old grandson had a shot at a deer. However, he missed it. :shrug:


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

Well, pretty much the same here. Opening day was brutal cold with 25 mph wind out of the north. I stuck it out most of the day but didn't see a deer. Next morning was pretty much the same - Brutal wind, At about 9:30 I got out of my tree and went down in a deep holler out of the wind. Saw 2 does with 2 fawns each for a total of 6 deer for the day. Nothing I wanted to shoot on the second day of season. ( I may live to regret that). Muzzleloader season was pretty good so I don't really need alot of meat, but one more would be nice. Today I was almost run over by a coyote but wasn't able to shoot it. The weather is suppose to be improving for the next few days.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I'm 67 and only missed opening day in 1966 enroute to VN then. 1967 I went awol to have opening day and have not missed one since. Yesterday it was 5F wind chill and I was out in a blind deer hunting and catching up on my reading. Told the wife I probably should take a candle or two and stick them in a tin can to get the temp to raise some in the blind so I can take the gloves off. Being in a blind even a cloth one helps with the wind problem. Better yet is having a blind deep in a cedar swamp for the thermo heat from the swamp and the cedars blocking the wind.
How ever I don't have a cedar swamp here at the house.

 Al


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Well went down to my nephews and hunted all day yesterday but we didn't get anything. I tried making a couple of circles around my nephew but didn't jump a thing anywhere. They're all bedding down somewhere and not moving. However, I did see a nice big beautiful 10 pointer while driving down the highway. I wanted to stop so bad and shoot the thing. But totally illegal and no permission to hunt from the land owner. So I just wept a bit and drove on! 

Didn't go out today at all since I had to go eat turkey dinner at the local senior citizens center and helped out around the place. But, I'll try again tomorrow morning.

It would have been nice to kill one on opening day and let it hang all during this cold spell we've been having.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Well I tell you what, things arent any better for me! The wind and the cold finally improved, but now I'm down in the back. I've basically only gone hunting on Wednesday and Friday morning. Now my back is out and I'm doing good just to get my shoes on and walk around the house. I didn't see anything out in the woods while hunting. Only while driving around have I seen anything. I still have one more week, but I have to work also. So that will shorten my time. Maybe I'll get lucky!


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