On Friday afternoon, after driving through a rain storm that created a deluge on the highway and made the air miserably muggy, but somehow managed to miss actually raining at the ranch, I fired up the smoker for some baby-back ribs. Always good to start the hunt on a full stomach.
Late Friday night we hunkered down into one of the ground blinds to watch a feeder for any activity from deer or hogs. We heard the Axis deer bleating through the dark, but only saw a Whitetail deer at the feeder, and since Whitetail season doesn't start until November (and you can't hunt them at night anyway), we were left empty handed. Still, it was good to see deer on the property.
On Saturday we did a few chores during the day removing some cedar brush that was cut last time, then suited up for some dove hunting. This does include an actual suit, of sorts.
There were a few birds flying, but we only notched a couple -- luckily, brother Scott had brought some frozen birds from a previous hunting trip, and whipped up some real man food for an appetizer Saturday night: dove breasts in jalapenos wrapped in bacon.
Sunday morning was spent doing a little more dove hunting, and with a little luck, adding a few more birds to the freezer. Then we did a few ranch chores, including filling feeders with corn and setting up a water tank for wildlife, which we hope will attract more animals to the property since there is no permanent natural water source in the area.
We also set up another trail camera at a second feeder. If you look closely, you can see a hunting blind in camouflage up the hill.
Even though we don't usually see any wildlife during the day, the evidence that they have been active on the property is sometimes very clear. The bark on this small oak has been worn away from deer rubbing their antlers on it.
And this grassy area shows extensive damage done by feral hogs that roam the area. They are on our hit list for future hunting.
Overall, it was a great weekend to be outside (and inside) and enjoying the ranch.
