Saturday was the last youth deer day my youngest daughter will experience as a youth hunter. It had been seven years since she had harvested a deer and she was certainly itching to put a deer in the freezer. Our freezer gave out a few days ago and we lost quite a bit of meat that was in there and almost all of it was our venison. I tried not to think about that as we headed out the door Saturday early AM to spend time together in the field as father and daughter.
The destination we had in mind was a piece of property behind a cemetery not far from where we live. When we got there we were surprised to see the lot had been pushed off, some container boxes were on site and some roads had been blazed through the woods. I knew that something was wrong and we probably lost that location to hunt due to a sale. I am not sure why I was not alerted by the owner but not one to take chances, I told my girl we should try to salvage the morning and run to the other property we could hunt.
Once we got onsite the wind started picking up out of the north and a hint of fall was in the air. This was a welcome change from the heat we had experienced the past few weeks. I had an idea where I would sit and wait for a deer, but my daughter had other ideas. She wanted to sit right under an old pear tree. I thought that a bit silly given there was no cover and we would be seen easily. However, she knew that tree was a deer magnet so she decided to sit right in the breakfast plate so to speak.  The proof is in the pudding. She had a spike run up after an hour or so of sitting. We needed meat and she put it on him.
The gun belched smoke and bullet and the deer whipped around and ran into the pines. We had to track it nearly 100 yards, which surprised me. He had both lungs punched and a clipped heart too.
After running that deer to the local country store to check him in, we started quartering and cutting it up for the freezer, then we decided to rest a few minutes and head back out. This time we set up in a stand about 100 yards from the morning location. We made a few jokes, relaxed, enjoyed the chill in the air and settled in. The coolness crept in with the evening shadows prompting me to whisper to her, "The time is right. We will see one soon!" About 20 minutes later I spotted a brown lurching shadow creeping through the hedgerow we skirted to get to the stand. Then I saw yellow/brown antlers and a head. The deer was behind some tree branches right in front of us at 75 yards  but not offering a clear shot. The bad news was that he turned away and started drifting out of range.
Almost on cue of my whispered prayer, the buck turned back to the right and started down through the field. I told my daughter to take the buck as soon as she could get a clear shot. She hissed back that he was moving and she did not want to shoot him moving.
"So  you want him to stop?"
"Yes!"
"Stand by then. I will get him to stop. You just lay him out when I do."
As soon as I saw her nod that he was clear of the brush I peered at him and let out a loud "Baahhhh" twice. The deer pulled up short, looked around and tried to figure out where that awful sound came from. His thoughts were cut short by the blast of the muzzleloader spitting a bullet downrange the 80+ yards. He humped up, ran a bit and then had a slight stumble as he reached the downhill woodline. The smoke was almost non existent in the dry fall air, so I got to watch the entire scene play out.
After tracking the spike in the AM, we were excited to track the buck but in a bit of a hurry as it was getting dark and we knew we had some work ahead of us to get him reduced to sizes to fit in the refrigerator.
I found blood first and then my daughter's young eyes started finding it faster than I could. Pretty soon we found where he crashed into the woods and saw him piled up.
What a joyful time to spend with my daughter! I am very blessed to have two girls that love to hunt. I kept telling Kristy that getting two deer in any day of hunting is a super experience. To get two on her last youth day in the same location with a clean shot and kill was unreal as far as I was concerned. She agreed. Our enthusiasm outweighed the lack of sleep and exhaustion we felt for our busy morning and afternoon. We soon had the buck in the field for a few photos and then into the truck to go to the check station. We found that Kristy was the first two check station cards in that book for the year. Again, we are blessed for such clean, lean meat on a great fall day. We are so grateful for the time we got to spend together and so glad there is a youth day in Virginia where dads, moms, and kids can go afield for a special memory.

If you live in the Northern Neck, Fredericksburg, Caroline or King George, Virginia  area, and are in the the market for a registered American Labrador retriever with strong hunting/retrieving instincts, please consider contacting us. We have a litter of puppies born September 25th that are yellow labs (4) and either very dark yellow or quite possibly copper or fox red color. (3) We will know more as the pups grow to verify the coloration.
The dam, Liberty Baily, is a driven hunter that retrieves anything she is commanded to retrieve. She marks extremely well in both the sky and upon birds landing in the field (dead and alive). Her nose is exceptional. She has found birds that we thought were not dead and had flown off. Baily was trained and hunt tested here in Virginia and has achieved her Junior Hunt Title in short order. Her elbows tested normal, hips were good and eyes were clear. She is lean but muscular at 50 pounds.
The sire, Copper Kettle, came from Whiskey Hollow  Kennel, and has a first class look about him. He is a large, but an excellently proportioned dog at approximately 85 pounds. He has exceptional drive and is a lean, hunting machine. His hips are good with normal elbows.
We expect the puppies will be ready to go just before Thanksgiving. One pup has already been spoken for. Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] or call us at 540-834-8448. We will post pics regularly as well as more information in the very near future.

This week we got a taste of fall with temperatures in the upper 60s today and just the 70's for the foreseeable future. In the Northern Neck region that means good fishing, the beginning of hunting season and pleasant times afield.
September goose season opened this past Friday and a few hunters got some birds. On Saturday the rain messed up some hunting and particularly so for dove hunters. However, while goose hunting with some great guys, Scott, Tommy and their friend Clint, we were observing a number of flying doves over our field in the rain. Had it been noon or after I think we would have tried the doves! Some farms have not cut corn yet. We need a good dry spell to allow them to get the grain out of the field and make a good area to hunt.
It won't be long before archery season is here for deer and turkey. If you bow hunt, start practicing and by all means get your bow looked over before it is too late. October 1st is too late to try to get a new string!
Squirrel hunting is ramping up with decent mast crops such as hickory, some acorns and paw paws available. I am amazed at the power of some of the newest air rifles out there. They have plenty of power to take down a squirrel, are quieter and yet have a range that does not put neighbors within range if they are a few hundred yards or more away. I will do a review on one I have in the near future. There are some things I really like about it and some that I don't. Look for the details later.
Fishing is quite good but with the blow of Irma headed our way, the saltwater bite could take a serious hit. Cold NE winds tend to run cobia, Spanish macks, croaker, spot and bluefish out of here. Let's hope Irma veers off to the east.

Pond fishing is getting much better with a great bass bite and some crappie coming on too. Look for great live bait action for bream. In the river the catfish are turning back to a daytime bite. Croaker are biting for now. Bass anglers are seeing decent catches that should improve as the cooler temps prevail. Fish grassy edges and some hard dock walls too. Spinnerbaits are said to be good right now.


New Kennel for Labrador Retrievers!
Last, a big news announcement from me about my daughter. Kristy is starting her own kennel/breeding business very soon. She has worked very hard to do this correctly and not be just some random backyard breeder. Her dog, Liberty Baily, has a retriever title, good elbows, eyes and hips certification and she was bred to a beautiful copper colored AKC lab from Whiskey Run Kennel. The pups should be gorgeous. Both dogs have solid hunting lines and are hard charging retrievers. I anticipate pups with strong instincts to retrieve. Keep checking back for details on what her website will be, puppy news, prices and so on. The pups are due at the end of the month and should be available for pick up around Thanksgiving.