The problem was getting there as it took a good bit of “settling time” for the deer.  As such, I was in my stand at 3:00 PM and was resolved to sit there till dark.  My plan worked as I sat and watched two fawns come in and feed and at the very last light a mature doe walked out – obviously cautious.  She never busted me and as light was fading fast I had to make a decision on whether or not to harvest her.  The Winchester Model 70 30-06 with 26 inch Douglas barrel was topped with a Leupold VXIII 3.5-10X-40 mm but the crosshairs were getting ever more hard to see though I could see the doe just fine through the lens.  It was now that I had to decide whether or not to shoot.  I opted to do just that.  I settled the crosshairs on the base of her neck and let loose a 165 grain Nosler Partition.  Bang, flop.  At 75 yards, it was deadly, severing her spine and taking out the top of the opposite shoulder due to the angle of the shot.  It was good to have my first “semi-custom” rifle get bloodied again.  I can’t even guess how many game animals this rifle had taken in the past, well over 30 I’d guess.  Like I told the guys in camp, “it’s baaaaack!”  Sorry, didn't get any pics of this doe.

3^rd Day morning

Finally the weather broke and I knew deer would be moving.  This morning, I opted to hunt “the woods” instead of the more open areas.  Getting on location at about 45 minutes before light, I had bumped a few deer out in the field on my way in but there’d be plenty of time for things to “settle.”  This location is “busy” with terrain features that deer like to use.  Halfway down the spur I have a blind placed on the edge of a thicket.  From here, I could see deer skylined on the edge of the field I had walked through, intercept deer traveling along the bench from the adjacent drainages and see deer come up the spur from their bedding thicket behind me.  In short, a good spot. 

Today, I had opted to go “old school” and use a factory stocked Winchester 94 AE 30-30 with open sights.  Like the doe I took with my 30-06, it had been a long time since I had taken any deer with an open sighted firearm and never had I taken one with a 30-30.  Today was the day I thought.  The blind I was in was cold and I anxiously awaited the suns warmth.  Standing inside the blind every so often to get circulation up (about every 45 minutes) I  took notice of the surrounding shooting lanes when to my surprise I noticed a good buck cold trailing along the edge of the field but nothing I could do could get him to stop.  Dang!  Shortly thereafter, a doe came out at about 100 yards and I was planning to take her but she was curiously watching her backtrail.  I knew something had to be following.  Sure enough a decent little 6 pointer came out but not quite the caliber of buck I was hoping for so he got a passing over.  Then after him came two more fawns.  All came quartering towards me and the thicket behind me.  I lost them but about 15 minutes later heard the same pack coming up from behind and at a distance of about 5 yards the big doe popped out.  The shooting lane was too narrow for the amount of time I had so she was passed over.  The pack moved on and I was contently watching for more deer.  About an hour later, a big doe and her two fawns came along the shelf I was one and I was resolved to take the big doe.  At about bow range, 40 yards, I cocked the hammer of the “gun that won the west” and waited for the shot.  Naturally, the doe stopped behind a tree covering her vitals with only her neck showing.  She started to get nervous and though there was no wind, the thermals were probably drifting my scent up to her.  Knowing she’d bound away, I aimed carefully at her neck and let loose a 170 grain flat nosed Speer of old.  It found its mark and the doe rolled downhill nearly into my lap.  The fawns just stood there and finally bound away when I got out of the blind.  A few pictures, a field dressing job and a return trip with the Yamaha Kodiak 450 (unlike many I don’t hunt from vehicles but do use them for access and recovery) my second deer of the year was on the ground.