Showing posts with label deer. Show all posts

Snapshot #30 - Unpredictable Weather = Kansas


Only in Kansas can it be 70 F on Monday and by the end of the week be snowing and -3 F.  I didn't even know it was going to snow.  I decided to go to Hays to make pictures for our Christmas cards on Saturday.  By the time I got out of Wal-Mart, my first stop, it was snowing.  I rushed to Dillons and made it home in time to have supper with Redbeard and his old roommate in Phillipsburg. (I hear he is reading the blog, so a little shout out to him! :)  We will see if he really is reading!)

 To show the progression of the week, this was my outfit on Cyber Monday.


And this is what I was wearing by Thursday while we bow hunted.

 The outer layer starts with a nice new Christmas hunting coat that is reversible.  Mom and Dad were nice enough to give it to us early so we could use them.  Redbeard has a matching one!  Under the coat are my favorite pink coveralls and my awesome purple gloves.  I had my head covered with my new camouflage hat that has LED lights in the front.  It works great when I have to walk outside in the dark.  It is a handsfree flashlight that keeps me warm!  I wear the same boots that I wore years ago when I shot my one and only deer.  I hope to change that this year...number two to come?  I sure hope so!

Hunting outer layer
The middle layer is complete with Redbeard's oversized green zip up jacket and my new hunting pants with a pair of socks.  They are furry inside and soft on the outside so they make zero noise while walking!
Middle layer

The bottom layer consisted of my favorite pink Under Armour shirt and black Under Armour pants.  These pants are from a ski trip six or seven years ago (this means I am getting older I guess...whoa) and have been worn so many times!  That big purchase at the time was well worth it in the end!  Notice this is a second pair of socks.

Bottom layer

 This was a lot of clothes to wear while hunting.  I received many looks from Redbeard as I waddled into the blind.  There was a lot of noise being made by me since I could hardly walk.  Here is the proof of my many layers.  I am smiling, but really I am freezing from being out in the blind for over two hours.

Can you see me shaking from being cold?  Well, I was.

Our little Custer was so happy to see us when we got back.  Isn't he cute?  I think he has separation anxiety.  Every time we leave him alone he barks and whines and scratches....do I need to go on?

Little Custer was glad to see us when we got back.  I was excited to be home and warm up too!

agronomygirl

Snapshot #26 - My Best Shot

We have a Thanksgiving tradition at my parent's house.  In the afternoon, around 2pm, all the men and I go out to shoot shotguns at clay pigeons.  I usually leave the event frustrated because I cannot shoot a shotgun right and I miss almost all the targets.  This year I decided I would practice shooting my bow instead.  I shot a few arrows when all of the sudden I realized I couldn't see one of my arrows in the bale.  Upon further investigation, I found this...



No wonder I couldn't find my other arrow!  It was so close to another that it looked like the same arrow.  I was pretty proud of my shot.  This is the closest I have put two arrows together since I started shooting in October.  It isn't a Robin Hood (shooting an arrow into the end of an already shot arrow), but it is the best I have done so far.

My uncle (an awesome bowhunter) helped me out with my shooting form on Thanksgiving, so hopefully great shooting and a deer is in my future!  I come from a bowhunting family so there is a lot of pressure to score my first deer!

agronomygirl

Snapshot #14 - Stand and Wait

As I write this post we are hiding in a row of bales. (Shhhh...don't tell the deer!)  We are hoping to get our first good shot together.  Redbeard has had a few opportunities to shoot at a deer, but I haven't yet.  Of course I need to be a lot closer to the deer than Redbeard.


As you can tell Redbeard was being a little bit grumpy at the time of this picture.  For now we stand between the bales and wait. This is a good break for us from my barn quilt block priming and RB's electric fence installation.


After the hunt analysis:  Now that we are back inside and reflecting on our hunt, I will tell the stories of the November 14, 2013 bow hunt.  It was an exciting experience for me!  I had a shot at two does twice.  I drew back to shoot one of them the first time and at the same time a truck drove by and they ran away.  I was lucky enough to hide behind the bales again and the same deer came right back to the area and I had another shot at her.  Unfortunately I shot too low and only gathered a few hairs on the arrow.  Better luck next time I guess!

agronomygirl

Snapshot #10 - We are on a Craze-y Mission

Like I said in Meet Bowhunter Jessie, I am shooting a Mission by Mathews Craze this year.  This morning we went on our first hunt together.  We went out again this evening, but had no luck again!  There were four does and a buck out this afternoon.

Redbeard rattling antlers

Checking out the landscape


Grunt call

Our release (We each have one)  It hooks on a loop on the bow string.  It helps to have a smooth shot.

Redbeard and I waiting in the blind
Our view for the afternoon
Nice sunset as we were walking back to the truck
Hopefully we will have better luck in the future.  I haven't had a chance to shoot yet.

agronomygirl

Snapshot #9 - First Bowhunt!

This morning Redbeard and I went on our first bow hunt together.  We saw some deer but didn't get a shot.
I am obviously not wearing my own clothes.  Need to ask for camo pants and coat for Christmas!
Tonight we will try to hunt out of our ground blind.  We will see how it goes!

Snapshot #8 - I Have a Fabric Addiction                                               Snapshot #10 - We Are On a Craze-y Mission

agronomygirl

Snapshot #6 - 3 Reasons I Love Redbeard

Time flies when you are having fun!  It has been seven months of marriage happiness for Redbeard and I!  Today's post is in honor of Redbeard, my loving husband.  The reasons I love Redbeard.

1. He may appear to be grumpy a lot, but he really isn't.  Jake cheers me up when I am sad and makes me laugh when I am mad.  He is there for me when I need it.  This fall we started bowhunting deer.  He has said multiple times that I will get the first shot.  How sweet is that?  I just hope I can make him proud!

After long days in the combine, he still finds a way to have fun!  We had just seen three bucks...BUCK FEVER!!!!

 2. He is a smarty pants!  Redbeard was always my first choice for help during college.  I figured if he didn't know the answer I shouldn't feel bad for not knowing.  Of course he almost always has the answer to my questions.

K-State had just scored a touchdown.  The excitement is justified.
3. He is down to earth.  Redbeard keeps me grounded.  When I am unreasonable he tells me.  I can be hard to get along with and he just deals with me.  I seem to be in a better mood as soon as he walks in the door.

Our awesome aprons.  Thanks Tony and Christy!!!

This November I am very thankful for the man I have for life.


Snapshot #5 - Grain for Gold                                                                               Snapshot #7 - Wheat Growing on the Farm

agronomygirl

Snapshot #1- Introduction

It is November already! Where has time gone?  It seems like I just started this blog, it has already been two months!  What better way to celebrate our two month blogiversary, than with a new blog series?  I will be posting a new photo (or two, maybe more) each day with a story to go along with the picture.  My plan is to have most pictures be taken the day they are posted.  I have no plans for the future, just that you will see a snapshot of our lives everyday!  Today's picture is an introduction to our lives for any new readers!

First disclaimer:  My husband is Jake, but I call him Redbeard.  It is obvious when you see him.  He has the most beautiful MANLY, bright red beard. (Don't tell him I called his beard beautiful!) Redbeard and I met at K-State in the department of agronomy.  We were engaged April 21, 2012.

He proposed when I was wearing my "I kissed a farmer and I liked it" shirt.
Disclaimer #2: Redbeard also goes by the name of Grumpy from time to time.

We were married April 6, 2013 and he actually smiled!  One day that he wasn't actually grumpy!

Look at that beard and smile!

On September 1, 2013, I started a blog about our lives.  I wanted to give friends, family, and followers a chance to see what was going on in our life since we moved three hours from where I grew up.  We moved to his family's farm and Jake farms full-time.  I help out when I am needed and have many hobbies; crocheting, home improvement, bowhunting, and barn quilt blocks.  I also started some farm photography, hence the name of our blog.  These are a couple of my favorites!

This was taken on a Sunday morning.  What a beautiful sight to see before church. 
Sometimes running around the field like a chicken with its head cut off turns into the perfect picture.  The men didn't think I was quite as weird when they saw the finished product!

And our pride and joys, Andie Catz and Ricky Scraggs.  They are our entertainment throughout the day.  They are ornery and get into everything, but at least they eat all the flies in the house.

Andie (left) and Scraggly (right) love each other!  They are full brothers and the sweetest cats I have ever owned.

I encourage anyone who hasn't been to our blog to look around and enjoy!  For a complete list of my 30 Snapshots of a Kansas Farm posts, check out 30 Snapshots of a Kansas Farm.

What pictures would you like to see over the 30 days?


                                                                                                                     Snapshot #2 - The Best Doggie Ever

agronomygirl

Meet Bowhunter Jessie!

It is official! I have joined the bowhunting world!  My obsession with bowhunting started when I was very young.  My dad and aunt have been bowhunters for a long time.  When I was little I would admire the deer that my dad shot with his bow.  I always wanted my own bow and dreamed of shooting my first bow killed deer.

Redbeard got a bow about nine months ago and that made me want one even more!  I never thought it would be possible for me to have an adult bow because I am so weak.  I figured I would have to be able to pull at least 45 pounds before I could get a bow.  A couple weeks ago, Redbeard started investigating my options.  Well...he found one!  I am now the proud owner of a Mission by Mathews Craze bow!  It can be adjusted from a 15 to 70 pound draw weight.  My starting draw weight is 35.5 pounds.  I was shocked that I could pull back that much weight.  My draw weight goal is 45 pounds.  Maybe one day I will get that strong!

My first bow!


Shooting my new bow!

A week and a half ago Redbeard and I went to Cabelas and found the ground blind that we will be using to hunt deer and turkey.  We are excited to get out in the elements and hunt!

We decided to see how the blind looked, so we set it up in the living room.

Scraggly decided to get in on the action!

The blind is ready for a hunt!

Can you see me?

I was really excited to check out the blind!

Hopefully I will be able to have a little bit of success this fall and winter!  

agronomygirl

Bowhunting...it has its drawbacks

I was talking with my buddy the other day.
I said, "Deer season starts Sept 16. I'm getting excited for it!"
" But wait, what's that, Jake? That would be archery season." He said
"That's right!" I said
"So that would mean that you are going to bow hunt deer?" He asked
"That's right!"
"So you are going to hunt deer with a bow and arrow?"
"That's right!"

 That's right, I will be bow hunting deer this fall and winter. Hunting with a bow isn't an entirely new thing for me, since I went spring turkey hunting with a bow earlier this year. So yes, I am new to the bow hunting experience. When I first purchased my bow,  I only intended to turkey hunt with it. But I soon found out that shooting a bow is quite fun. Naturally, my hunting desire turned to deer.

 As I envision how my first few hunts will go this fall, I see myself like Tom Miranda on Territories Wild, making epic shots on big trophy deer or like Steven Rinella, the MeatEater, harvesting game and cooking a part of them out in the wild. However, I know that historically, bow hunting has a low success rate. Chances are I will have few good shot opportunities and even more missed shots.

 I guess the standard way to deer hunt in Kansas is to put up a tree stand and wait for a whitetail deer to come in. I don't want to climb a tree to just fall out, so that's not in my plan. I plan to spot and stalk or still hunt Mule deer. With that being said, I wouldn't pass up a good shot on a whitetail.

 So, I know I'll have to take one for the team and I'll end up with more hours and days hunting because of this bow hunting thing. Actually if I really tried to, I could up my hunting time by weeks or even months. Its a terrible thing, spending more time hunting. Thanks a lot Archery Season.

 Bow hunting... it has its drawbacks.

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