[bustabuck]

I've been waiting on this weekend for a long time! The stands are up, the food plots are nice and green and the pics from the game camera I set up several weeks ago show a DANDY 9 point in the area. I'm heading out to the camp house Friday night. Oooo...I can hardly wait!As far as hunting for racks or meat....My wife and I eat more venison that beef or pork. The freezer is empty, and I've been instructed by the "boss" to fill it back up. Here in MS, it's possible to harvest up to 7 deer per year legally. So...it's grocery shopping I go!Now, don't get me wrong. I love to see a big ol' buck come easing through the woods. I've got several racks hanging in my gun room. But, it doesn't matter how long you boil those antlers...they're still tough and taste like crap!

 

[bustabuck]

For my weekend to start off so bad, it ended up being a great one. First off, me and some buddies of mine were gonna meet up at the camp house Friday night. I drove almost 2 hours to get there, and no one else showed up. I called one of the guys and he said that because it was going to get "so cold" (in the upper 20's), they had decided to just come down Saturday morning. No problem, I thought. I'll just pop the lock on the door and make myself at home. Finally got the door opened and flicked the light switch. No power. The house has a well out back with an electric pump. OK...no lights, no water...no problem. I lit the propane heater and it burned beautifully...for about 6 minutes. No gas in the tank. OK, I'll light a fire. I get the flue opened in the chimney and it's filled with bird nests! To heck with this...I'm going home. I drive another 2 hours to get back home and get back up at 2 in the morning and drive all the way back.Saturday morning, everyone shows up, right on time. One of my buddies shows up with his neighbors son. He's 14, his parents are divorced and his father won't have anything to do with him, so "D" thought that it would be fun to bring him hunting with us. We all think it's a great idea too. I get to my stand and D and Sean are set up about 300 yards away from me. Around 6:05, the deer start moving. In less than 30 minutes, 17 deer have passed by my stand...all does and yearlings, except for one spike. I sit there another 15 minutes, and a 4 point comes walking up. I look at him through my scope and realize that if he keeps walking the way he's headed, he'll walk right in front of D and Sean. I just watch him walk by.About 10 minutes later, I hear Sean shoot. The little buck came running down the trail, right back to me. I raise my rifle, thinking that Sean missed. As soon as I get the buck in the scope, he falls over dead and slides in the mud. He ain't getting back up. I climb down out fo my stand and can hear Sean, "Look, Mr. D...BLOOD! I told you I hit him!" I hollered and told him, "Yeah, you hit 'em! Now come help me drag him out of here."I swear, you would've thought that he had killed a Boone and Crockett. I didn't squeeze the trigger all weekend, but it was one of the best hunts I have ever been on.

 

[bustabuck]

Here in MS, does can be taken legally during any season as long as you're on private land. I saw 3 NICE bucks traveling together yesterday evening, but I couldn't get a clean shot. At least I know that they're there. I'm going back this afternoon...if I can slip out of the office a little early...*cough*, *sneeze*, *cough*!