Up to Clarksville for a little doetag shooting.

The lunar eclipse finishing up on Saturday morning.

Rough business. Pulled the deer back into the field after finding her below the hill on the edge of swamp. Shot from the front. Bullet exit can be seen.

Doetag shooting with Remington 700 in .308. No blood trail. Bullet in from the front between chest and shoulder, mostly chest breaking multiple ribs and blowing out interior, exiting abdomen on right side.

Dr. Sneed, deer murderer and scientist. Big blood trail and several bloody lay-downs but not until she got into the woods. 30 yards or more with nothing. Tuft of hair at the spot where she was shot.

More doetag shooting. 120 lbs live weight. Through and through with a .308. No blood trail, just a tuft of hair at the site of the hit.

Kid reading book in the kitchen at the ranch house.

Shooting any kind of live animal, I try to remember to notice EXACTLY where the animal is standing when I break the shot so that if I have to track it, I have a place to start without thrashing around or guessing. It's VERY hard to remember that when an animal is moving and you are trying to get a good break on the trigger. I try to notice a tree or branch where they are and the then notice the LAST place I see them when they run. I rarely get both. My mind just gets busy.

We had to track Dr. Sneeds deer out of a big green pasture where it hardly left a trace. He had marked a tuft of hair. There was one little spot of blood about ten yards away, then nothing. I had the Good Doctor stay at the tuft, dropped my hat at the spot of blood and walked a line into the trees where I picked up a good blood trail. We found her about 60 yards further on.

I marked my first deer exactly where she was when the trigger broke. No blood. I started by angling down into the woods where I had seen her last and she was there. No blood trail at all though the M852 went between her left shoulder and chest from the front, blowing up a patch of ribs as big as a hand, exiting from the abdomen on the other side and pulling out a couple coils of little intestine. No blood trail.

Second doe was shot side to side with M852 match ammo in .308. Tuft of hair at the site where she was. Six deer ran so I lost her but they all went the same direction. No blood trail. I was zigging and zagging in the grass when I saw her laying dead in the open. Big exit wound on the shoulder. I backtracked from where I found her. No trace of blood.