Tomorrow is opening day in D-14, San Bernardino mountains area of Southern California. I KNOW I will not be able to sleep much tonight. We are going to set out about 3 a.m. and get to the hunting area about 4:30 which will give us an hour+ to get way back in there so the morning hunters will be pushing them toward us... hopefully.
The morning should be just below freezing, but as soon as the sun comes up I expect a very very comfortable day maybe reaching 62F or so.
The rest of the season I'll sleep fine, but opening day is a different story for me.
I usually stay up with the guys until midnight or later, sleep like a rock until 4 or so when the alarm goes off and up and at 'em! I might try to go to bed earlier this year as I may be hunting by myself opening day.
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You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.--Gospel of John 8:32 NRA Member
Actually, for my opening day (California B zone) I can't sleep - mainly because I stay up getting ready the night before, drive 45 minutes to meet my group by midnight, load up everything (including horses) and leave by 2 a.m., drive 4 hours to our trailhead, unload and pack the horses for another hour, hike for 3 hours... and by then it is lunch time so I hardly notice I forgot to sleep!!!
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I take my coffee how I take my women: bitter and overbearing.
I can never sleep before. But even if I get 45 mins I feel awake and alert all day until I come out of the woods. Then I crash like a plane out of gas.
opening day over, I did get 4 hours sleep out of the house by 3am. still going, no nap. Italian dinner on the way then I expect to sleep a LOONNNGGG time.
unusual day, very few shots heard. not sure why, but the deer just were not moving. I never even saw a doe. But it was a great day anyway.
opening day over, I did get 4 hours sleep out of the house by 3am. still going, no nap. Italian dinner on the way then I expect to sleep a LOONNNGGG time.
unusual day, very few shots heard. not sure why, but the deer just were not moving. I never even saw a doe. But it was a great day anyway.
Doesn't take a kill or even seeing a deer to make a great hunt. I'm gonna admit something here, I'm a late bloomer when it comes to hunting and haven't gotten that first deer yet. Shot one when I was 14 with a 20 gauge, but never could find it. Found lots of hair out to about 80 yards, then the signs just stopped. After that season, I quit until last year (about 9 years) since I got shipped out to boarding school and didn't have any time for the fun stuff (scouting, placing stands, building food plots etc etc). Passed on several last year, but enjoyed every day of it.
This year, oh I'm ready. Hope to take my first one with my muzzleloader. That's just 6 days away! But I have to wait till Monday week till work will allow me to hunt.
Tomorrow is opening day in D-14, San Bernardino mountains area of Southern California. I KNOW I will not be able to sleep much tonight. We are going to set out about 3 a.m. and get to the hunting area about 4:30 which will give us an hour+ to get way back in there so the morning hunters will be pushing them toward us... hopefully.
The morning should be just below freezing, but as soon as the sun comes up I expect a very very comfortable day maybe reaching 62F or so.
The rest of the season I'll sleep fine, but opening day is a different story for me.
this is a serious diease called "opening day fever" it is incuriable but who says anyone wants to be cured it can lay dormant for years and then strike the night before,or up to a week before opening day it keeps you awake wondering thinking restlessly the entire night, this diease is seirous condition that will strike you year after year, their is only one thing that can be done for it go hunting altough not a cure does offer tempory relif form the horrible beast.
by the way this diease strikes hundreds of thousands of hunters each year so bad in some areas it cause lost jobs, closed schools,and tons an tons of lost time porductivity on the job.
by the way as cool as it would be i did not make all of that up i accutal read it in an issue of american hunter great article thou
I was super excited for the start of the season this year, probably because I started hunting about half way through last year. This was going to be my first year, I've bought cameras, been keeping places corned up, cleared the way early for 2 stands, later added a third, it's been great.
Out start date was August 15th, and it's been kinda rough, it was so hot for so long after that, after I shot my first 7 point of the season I've kind of took a break, but this cold snap coming through South Carolina feels like the real start to me, and every weekend from now til Jan 1, I'll be in a tree!
And August 14th I did sleep, and I got up for the morning hunt, and went on the evening hunt, only to sweat my b@lls off.
