As opening day approaches...
 

What do you do to get ready for the first day of archery season? Do you pull out your good luck camo or lucky hat? Any superstitions?

I have a favorite camooutfiit but I would not call it lucky. I plan on shorts if it is hot on opening day, which right now there is a good chance of that being the case.

Next week, I will place my scent free camo in a scent free bag. I will start going through my backpack and of course continue pulling my bow!

Then on Wednesday of next week, the meal planning for opening day begins to take place. Food, fun and bowhunting.....what a great receipe for a outstanding season.

I have a long list of things to do and I know I'm forgetting something, I always forget something. The big thing is getting all my camo washed and packed in scent free bags also.

Most of the week I'll be by myself so sandwiches is on the menu for most of those days. My wife will handle the menu when she will be in camp with me.

My biggest decision this year is which arrows I'll be using....tough decision.

Use the ones that show up good in pics and film.

I typically go over my gear for the 10th time and then start praying for cooler weather.

I sure hope it cools off just a little.
I've made so many opening days I can do it in my sleep.

X2, If it was november 2, I might give it some thought.

Rain or shine....heat stroke and all.....I will be in my blind as long as the man upstairs allows me.

I be packing shorts and mowing equipment. Porbably going to be to hot for me to get into the blind, so I will be mowing around camp and getting things cleaned up. Got word that someone broke into our camp house the other day:mad:, so will be having to make a inventory to see what was taken. Bob

Cool front scheduled to come through Oct. 1st. NE winds and highs in the 70s for Oct. 2nd!

Add one more thing to my pre-season prep list now - setting up a pop-up for a NE wind. I'll take it!

I will get in the truck and sleep on the way to the lease as Bobby should have all of my things packed and loaded by the time I get home from work! :D :D

Actually, I am going to wash all of my hunting clothes in scent free detergent this weekend, which means there will be a water shortage in The Fe. Then they will get repacked in my enormous hunting bag that Bobby loves so much. I also need to recheck my field bag and see if I need to restock any supplies. I am going to try out my 3-D Leafy Suit with shorts and a tank and while Bobby's mowing, I will enjoy a nice cold adult beverage as I watch from the shade of the porch. :cheers:

:jump:You better look out Bobby might think you are a week and mow right over you.:p

You should have started a month ago just so you can find all that stuff since you used it last time.

Jo did you wake up again to early this morning. Bob

Its the hair color Bob.:whistle:;):)

Misspelled works will kill a joke.:err:

Try not to eat beans or real spicy food!! :D

rofl I am glad I did not say that. Bob

My opening day has come and gone this year. I have some "rituals" I go through leading up to the big day.

I mainly hunt out of a tree.....actually a platform built between two pinion pine trees. Around noon the day before, I place my target on the trail which my tree blind overlooks (25 yards) and shoot six practice arrows. If I get five out of six in the inner circle around the bullseye, I'm set. Then I move my target back to 35 yards and shoot six more. The requirement here is three out of six in the circle but none more than 6" from the center of the bullseye. If all goes well there, I'm set.

The day before I've already packed my de-scented camos in the plastic tubs I keep them in.....with the pine flavored scented wafers scattered over them. I check them out to be sure everything is in order.

I get my scent free soap and bodywash out and place them in the shower so they will be there in the morning.

I sharpen my knives once again.....whether they need it or not.

I pack my little belt bag (my wife calls it a "fanny pack".....sounds too girly for me) with jerky, an apple, a couple of granola bars, roll of orange fluorescent tape for marking the bloodtrail, Zip-Loc bags for the coffee I drank before I left the house, toilet paper, rangefinder, and knives.

I go to bed early.....so I can wake up at 1 AM to pee then lay there till 3 then go ahead and get up because I'm too pumped to go back to sleep.

Coffee, the scent-free shower, carefully getting into my pine-scented coveralls, checking out my pistola (mountain lion presence), snapping on my gun belt and little belt bag.....then I'm off.

I treasure the hour or so I'm in the blind before daylight. The sounds I hear echoing across the ridge are magnificent. Some are eerie and it makes me glad my Ruger Blackhawk accompanied me. The sound I like most is rocks rolling around on the side of the mountain as the deer make their way up the trail.

Man, I love that stuff.

I also know that sound. Having hunted out West for many years. I love it also.

Yep my arrow decision is made. This was this evening at 15 yards with my longbow. Feeder is 12 yards from my blind = Bambi in Trouble!

That's some good shootin' Derek! I don't have a longbow and far from competent with my recurve.....so I'm going to have to cheat with my Switchback.

Bring the recurve along. Might be able to give you a pointer or two between hunts.

I hope you have patience...... :beating:

Yes sir I sure do as I taught my kids how to shoot, that tends to develop patiences......;) Biggest thing is to make sure you have your bow setup right. If it isn't then you won't ever get good with it.

Good shootin there!!

Great shooting Derek! Do you give lessons?:)

I just ordered a new recurve last weekend.

Jo I wouldn't call them lessons but I'm willing to give pointers. One thing I've learned over the years is no two traditional shooters do it the exact same way. Now the most important part is getting the bow setup right and getting the right arrows for the bow. That way all you have to do is fix what you are doing wrong and not have to worry about if you have some setup issues.

I thought that was a 1/2 dozen roses when I first saw it. Good shootin Derek. Bob

Bob you are the second person that mention they looked like flowers. Hope I can give one of those flowers to a deer this weekend.....;)

Attachment 2754
Delivers!!

Go get 'em, Derek!

I will be doing my darnest to deliver one or two next week.

Well my camo is all washed, bow and arrows are all tuned and ready. Got an extra string, taking my old longbow just in case as well. Now about all I have to do is worry about getting some food & drinks, packing up the Escape and hitting the road.

I have a dozen arrows to build tonight. I wasn't going to work on any more arrows until after my week hunting, but I just can't say no to a lady in need. Cameron even made up some awesome custom wraps for them on short notice. To beat it all, these are for a compound bow, but then again I can't say now to a lady in need. I'll post up a picture when they are finished, they really are going to be some kewl arrows.