Charlie: Don't want to tell you (oh sure I do) but after leaving the creek and heading back along the frozen mud road, the deer were jumping out of my way. They were in the fields, the ditches and on the road. Didn't see any bucks but probably 30 does, all within easy range - but it was "officially" dark. I do scare up deer throughout my pheasant haunts and I have seen some very nice bucks this year. Someone else mentioned that shotguns and rifles don't mix well and each need their own safe. My rifle safe has been very neglected and every once in a while (like last evening), I start thinking about letting them loose again but they cause so much work
Cheers,
Jack
PS As for CHARLIE's share of supper, I have started boiling the legs and the rest of the bones and peeling off the meat. Now I did that for years and ground the meat and made sandwich spread. This year, instead, I'm adding that into the dog food as a special treat. They both like it. CHARLIE's bird had not been previously wounded, nor was it sick. I think it just got itself so deep into the snow and rose bushes that it couldn't escape. CHARLIE didn't mess it up either, so it will be a good meal for sure. A farmer friend has the birds all around the yard in the winter. He also has a resident great horned owl that dines well. One day, as he drove into the yard, the owl had just killed a hen but flew away when the vehicle approached. He decided that one would be for him and the owl would have to find another. The lengths we can go to not to add lead pellets to the environment.