I have to say, this trip was all about the boys for me. I was excited to spend time with my friends and to play cards, but getting dirty, shooting guns, and killing animals is not my cup of tea. Greg was thrilled to be able to attempt to shoot a deer and even more exciting were his thoughts of showing Brett what a "man's weekend" was all about!
We packed up everything and even had to borrow a friend's SUV in order to make the trek to the ranch. A two and a half hour drive and 6 mile dirty, bumpy road later, we arrived. I must say, all I could think about was how far we were from a grocery store, hospital, and gas station. The only sounds I heard were crickets and hogs as we were driving in. The sky was beautiful and I couldn't remember the last time I stepped outside and couldn't hear a car, a neighbor, or see a light in the distance. Despite my hesitations, it was nice.
When I stepped outside the next morning and saw the view from the porch, I gasped. A beautiful pond w
ith small cliffs overlooking it was in the distance.
You could see for miles and the recent rains had made everything look vibrant and healthy. It was breathtaking. The sun was shining and the temperature was a perfect 70 degrees. I didn't get the memo that everyone would be dressed in camouflage. However, we found a perfectly sized camo hoodie that fit my girl.
We first went out exploring on the four wheelers. After all, there was corn to put in feeders and timers to set. Sydney enjoyed the rocky ride and we even saw a giant tarantula on the road. After about an hour, it was time for the girls to head inside. I realized quickly that a shower was unnecessary until bedtime because we were covered in dust.
Brett took his turn at the shooting range. He did great:
On the last morning, Greg went on his hunt with the owner of the ranch. We had explained to RJ that we didn't have any desire to post a big dead deer on our wall so killing a pretty one was irrelevant. I think this made him happy since he has been working for five years to get his stock/breed/herd (whatever you call a gaggle of deer) to its perfect state. Currently, a 1-1 ratio of buck to doe live on this land. Apparently, in the wild, it's more like 6-1 doe to buck. (Impressive, huh?)
Greg went into the stand to wait for his chance. All I know about how it went is that he came back with a deer missing its brow tines.
I'm not exactly sure what this means except that it's bad to lack them. And, you might even make babies sans brow tines which would be even worse. So, Greg took one for the team- the Diamond "J" team. He shot his first buck albeit a deformed one!
All in all, we had a wonderful time at the ranch. We are processing the meat so I will now have to learn what to make and how to make it. Seems like a lot of work for a weekend getaway, but I am glad to help.
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