@ the Taj ~

You won't be catching me at home the next few days unless I'm lucky enough to fill my gun/deer tag.  I'm sitting out @ the TajMelHal ... aka. my little hunting shack. the deer blind ... trying to put some venison on the table.  Dear Hubby hasn't hunted in 9 years ~ he leaves this little task up to me. 

This was my old shack that the bear ripped the door off of ~ it was very unstable, the floor was falling apart, huge cracks in the walls and very cold and drafty.

... and this is the TajMelHal ~ my new shack that my guys built for me last year:

 I know Jack ... don't look too close at the structure of it; the roof was a goof up  ~ but hey ... I'm not complaining... it serves it's purpose.  It's a LOT more comfortable than the old one.


Yes, I decided to join forces with the other 30,000 or so hunters out there in Wisconsin and try my luck.

Today was Day 2 of the 9 day season and so far my luck hasn't been too good.  I did shoot at a spike buck yesterday but my bullet hit a tree!  The deer ran away unscathed.  First time that ever happened.  I guess it just wasn't meant to be. 

Truth be told ... I regretted even shooting at the bugger and won't be doing that again.  He was too small and he was one of my regulars that comes in ... I seriously don't know what I was thinking!  I really think I subconsciously pulled up on the gun at the last second; because the bullet hit high and to the left of the deer.

 Last time I listen to the guys telling me what to do. 

I'll hold off and shoot one that I've never seen before like I originally planned.  Dang ... this hunting is hard on the subconscious.  I do want some venison; but I also want to see my deer in the area go unharmed.  Now I'm waiting on a big old rutty buck that is just traveling through that I've never met. Just because it's brown does NOT mean it's down in my book.  If the guys don't like my attitude about it ~ too bad. 

Just like up in my yard ... that is the safety zone ... NOTHING gets shot in the yard!!! Nothing.  Go out in the woods to do your harvesting.  Yeah ~ my back yard is wooded  and it's all woods beyond ... but you better be at least a half a forty acres away from it to do any shooting ... phew ... got that off my chest.

I have three blue jays that keep me company all day long ~ flitting around in the trees:

 ~ the female seems to have a dangling, injured leg ... 

I think it's from the wild feral cat that's been hanging around...

 notice ~ the female is duller in coloring than the male

 I also have some partridge that are hanging around the TajMelHal ... I enjoy watching the birds ~ it makes the day go by so much faster.

Talk about camouflage coloring ...

... do you see it?

I'll zoom in ...

DRATS ... look what's after the partridge ... that dang cat ~

I'm sure he's the reason for the injured blue jay too.  I've seen this cat up by the house a few times now stalking the birds on the feeder ... Mom has also seen it over by the farm.  It's wilder than the dickens and Mom's afraid it's going to go after her chickens.  hmmm... did that rhyme?  

I also had a chickadee land on my opened TajMelHal window sill today ...  but I was too slow with the camera ... but I did get a snap of this wood pecker in the tree right out the window:

 

Slim and Sam told me tonight I'm never going to shoot a deer if I keep bird watching and reading a book while I'm hunting.  That may be true ~ but if I keep seeing this feral cat ...

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel