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The bucks are running for sure. We had rubs, scrapes, bucks on camera fighting. They’re running all over the woods.

The pile of gear in the gun room continues to grow.......Friday morning and the ride north just can't come fast enough. Looks like a big pot of chili Friday night after scouting, and a big ol' roast in the slow cooker on Saturday. Good luck to everyone heading out for the Mn. opener next weekend. Northern Dave, Chickenbuck Joe, and all the other cast and crew, here's to a great hunt. Stay safe guys.

We no longer have gear piles. We each have our gear in rubber maid bins. Wash and wax at the end of the season so the the night before it's "grab 'n go."

I had to repack a little bit because Jack is hunting at his step-dad's place on opener. But other than that....we're ready.

My daughter took the trek north with dad yesterday. First we did some shooting. There is no deer safe in her sights. She did great. She was even hitting clay pigeons at 100 with the 22. I was VERY impressed since it's been over a year since she shot a rifle. Between the 22 and .223 she shot 150 rounds or so.

Then we headed a few more miles to where we hunt and cut some entrance trails to a few stands so we have a better way in with the N or NW winds typical for that area. Rut sign was all over in that area. Scrapes and rubs within 25 yards of her brothers stand. Beds and trails all over by her new spot. We also cleared a little spot out for a pop-up blind that is within a few hundred yards of one of my stands. That road was full of scrapes but no rubs that we found.

It would be a cool area to bowhunt this week. An overgrown logging road on the north, south, and west side of a 10 year old clear cut that's growing back in. I think the bucks just run those roads sniffin to see if does are bedded up in those now heavily covered cuts.

We are going to be babied pretty good in WI. We are staying with my mom. She's already got the food to spoil us rotten at the end of the day when we get back in!

OK, opener was kind to us.

Lots of dry does, does & fawns seen in the morning sit.

I let 2 small bucks walk & Deb saw a good one, but never got a shot.

4pm Saturday afternoon, I heard a shot from Joes direction, in the opposing 1/4 section.



Meat for the pole.

At 5:45, with the light fading, something made me lightly pull down my right side window.

Good deer, on hinds, licking a high branch !

Then the ensuing nightmare of shifting gear, setting up & shooting left handed out of the right side window, all without spooking the deer.

By the time I got back on the deer, he was quartering to me & knew the gig was up.

25-06 barks, good solid hit, deer hunches up & runs.









POA was just inside facing shoulder, to exit behind opposite shoulder.

Back story, had some issues getting my normal 115gr SST's shoot consistently & with no time left to dick around, I went to my usual fall back, 117gr Federal Fusion.



Bone & ribs going in, top of heart, lungs & creased the liver & 2 ribs going out of the cavity, found under hide !



Hung, gutted, skinned & cleaned up.

Butcher & vacuum pack on Thursday night, 'cause we leave for Europe on Wednesday evening.

Excellent Paul!

That's a fat sucker and a nice rack to boot!

Nice deer Paul! Congrats!

Looks like the fusion held together really nice too.

Thanks Guys,

Great start to another season. Freezer looking good too, with the bear + last of last years ground meat.

Get this one processed Tuesday & then 2 week holiday.

Once back, Deb & Doug will get in on the act & we'll be done.

Yes, I do like the fusions.

I use them in my larger calibers & never had questionable performance, even on moose.

Always have a supply on hand for the .243 & 25-06, as back ups.

They're my "go-to" for starting out with a new (to me) rifle. Most of the time I don't need to try anything else. I've shot deer with the .30-06, .308, .280, and .243 Federal Fusions. No complaints at all.

In fact, I'm trying to think of a deer that ran after being shot with them and I think it's only one, shot with the .308, facing me. and it didn't go far.

Apparently, nobody in my office wants to take part in the pre-deer camp fart contest. The good news is, I'm winning.

This guy made it 50 yards, into the thickest tag alder/blow down stuff.

I was sweating like a "whore in church", after the drag back to the trail.

& it reminded me, how much more that I like snow for tracking, rather than brown wet leaves !

Urrrrrrp. Urrrrrrrrrrrp.

pffft-pffft, fffffffffff (snort wheeze)

I haven never tried Fusions. I kinda like the Barnes TTSX. We are slug zone so no deer examples, but the last 4 antelope haven't went a combined inch from where they were shot. The bonus is, they are not lead. I listened to a hunting podcast on lead shot recently that gave me more concern than I ever had before.

Verified that all the guns shoot in the general direction they are aimed, so that excuse is now gone. The kids are ready for Saturday for sure.

Not sure why my clock is slowing down. Seems like I have that problem every year this week. The thing just crawls along a fraction of the speed that it will have this weekend.

Deb shoots 120gr TTSX (Barnes vor-tx) from her Lady Savage Hunter.

Never been a problem either, other than the $46 price tag for 20.

Figure 3 testers/confirmers & 1 or 2 killers each year = 4 - 5 years for the $. I'm good with that.

I used it to take my last bull moose !

Veddy cool!

Well...warm actually.

And I'm winnin...3-0.

lucky bugger.

5 here