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Well, it is time for the wrap this. The hunt is over.

No more M, she is Marion, named after my mother's sister, my Aunt. During the past months Marion went online and passed her Maryland Hunter safety class. She has been practicing dry firing with the snap caps I sent, with her late Grandma Katy's rifle. She also has had a couple of range sessions with Dad. Thanks Son.

Jane and I bought a cheap small travel trailer-hard side small camp trailer more like. The Ranch owner had us park next his barn. Then he proceeded to install a 30 amp electric plug and a trailer drain into the septic tank. There already was a water spigot. What a nice thing to do. During deer season, we will leave the trailer parked by the barn. After deer season we will move the trailer up to the hunting cabins which have no hookups.

We booked Marion a flight from Reagan Airport by DC to OKC-a direct flight. Jane and I picked Marion up at the airport just after 6 PM Friday the 17th of November and we drove straight down to the lease.

On the way down we talked a lot about what was going to happen. I had been watching the camera's and in particular the two blind/feeders I had built. The first feeder is called End of the earth. Initially it was very active, then it cooled off.. Turned out there was another feeder about 400 yards away, up trail from mine. Deer were going there and not always passing on. That stand is called North 400. I hunted End of Earth during early archery and Muzzle loader season. The blind was north west of the feeder. It turned out the deer were also coming into the feeder from the power line and road to the north and west of the blind. When I sat the blind, deer would not come near it. A couple of days before season we moved the blind to the west and across the two track. Deer liked that. In a couple of days the deer started coming back to the feeder. But not like they had.

I built a second stand called Elk Stand. There had been a stand in the area in the past and Elk have been seen passing through.

Does came to this feeder daily, morning and night on a regular basis. Bucks pass through every few days. We have seen big bucks come through this stand.

The prevailing wind around Elk Stand was from the south to the north. The blind is north-north-west of the feeder.

The Hunt plan was to hunt for Bucks until Tuesday, then Tuesday would be any deer day.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning we sat Elk Stand. We did 4 hours in the morning morning and 3 hours in the evning. We saw a lot of does. No Bucks.

This was a first hunt for Marion. Her dad was concerned if she could sit quiet and not get bored.

She did quite well at that. I stuffed her pack with circle word and sudoku puzzle books. In full day light I let her look at her silenced phone. During the entire 4 days of hunting, she always spotted critters before I did. Of course she was positioned in front the open window and I was not.

We were sitting in a Barronnette foresight see-thru blind. I was skeptical of this blind, but I learned to like it. I bought this one unintentionally, but would buy again.

On Monday the 20th of November the weather changed on us-blowing out of the north. I did not want to sit Elk stand in a north wind.

The hottest blind currently on the lease is one we call North 400. There is a steady parade of deer going through that feeder blind as long as no one is sitting on it. For some reason the blind is south-south east upwind of the feeder. I have sat it a few times and seen deer scent me as they were coming and take off. We have a new leaser this year and he put in a tower blind on this stand. I sat it once during muzzleloader season when there was no wind. Typical noisy tower blind place where the ground blind had been before. SSE of the feeder. When we have a north wind the North 400 blind is the place to be.

We checked with the other leasers and no one was hunting the lease at all. We decided because of the wind to hunt this blind.

We also decided to go into the blind early. Sundown was 5:21 pm. Normally for an evening hunt I like to get to the blind about an hour and a half early and sit for two hours. Because we had not been in the blind before, I wanted to go in earlier. This was to arrange furniture to meet our needs. Also Marion had never been in a tower stand before and I wanted her to become familiar with the set up. We parked the Mule about 1/4 mile away and walked into the tower. I checked the time when we got the ladder, it was 3:30 pm.

We climbed the ladder and opened the door. I went in. Marion followed and as she came in the wind caught the door and banged it open--KERBANG! We got in side and noticed the shooting chair was in the wrong position. We opened the window and started to rearrange the chairs, not purposely noisy, but not quiet either. About this time an armadillo started nosing around on the ground right below the tower. Marion whispered, "get me a picture. I started digging around for my phone. We were not being very quiet. Then Marion says, "look Grampa!" and points at a little buck, head down eating corn at the feeder which is 28 yards from us.

I quickly load her rifle-we hadn't done that yet. I hand her the rifle and she sits down and aims in. I whisper to her, "broad side shot only, aim right on the point of the elbow".

The time on this phot0 is 3:40. Remember when we got to the tower, I checked the time and it was straight on 3:30.

The buck fed a bit more but never presented a broadside shot. The deer finally jumped the fence and started moving to our right. I whisper to her, "change windows". She pulled the gun up and and starteds to turn and BANGS the rifle barrel on the window frame. Loud! The little buck walks behind bushes and started walking across the two-track heading for the brush. I grunt and the deer stopped long enough for Marion to shoot.

I saw the bullet impact just above the elbow. The deer went head down, going for the bush. The deer reacted very clearly as a heart shot.

I turned and look at Marion and the expression on her face was priceless. I asked if she was okay and she said it felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest.

Marion wanted to immediately climb down of out of the blind and go after the deer. I told her no, we need wait and give it time to go down. We packed up our gear and cleared the rifle.

After we got packed and climbed down out of the tower. We can see the deer off in the bushes. When we got on the ground, and Marion started for the deer. I told her no; we have to go over where the deer was when you shot and follow the blood trail. I told her she needs to learn this as she won't always be able to see the deer right off.

We followed the trail around and she learned what a blood trail looks like and how to find her deer.

Although it appeared the deer was dead, I told her, she still must poke it and make sure it is dead. I made sure she understood to poke in the rear. I explained poking it in the eye is sure fire way to get hurt if the animal is still alive as most animals have all their sharp, pointy, stabbing, biting and clawing parts in front.

After that came the glamour pictures with Grampa.

Then came the last lesson. I gave her a custom made Mike Miller hunting knife for a successful harvest , so she could field dress her deer.

I am not sure who was more excited about her success, her or me.

She used Gramma Janes new classic model 70 Winchester in 7mm-08. Scope is Leupold VX2 4-12, set a 4X. Ammo is Winchester 140 grain extreme point.

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DD, Ret.

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