Car Parts And Bucks

Busy day yesterday. I left the house before sun-up and got back well after dark. I spent the day at our deer hunting lease, about a three hour drive from the house. My older son and I refilled feeders (1000 pounds of corn), set up two new blinds, cleared shooting lanes, performed general maintenance on existing blinds, and also managed to sneak in a little time to hunt.

Our lease is just outside Sonora, Texas, a small town in the west central part of the state. Like many other small Texas towns, Sonora experiences a bit of a boom during hunting season. Out-of-towners flood these places, buying corn and other types of feed, beer, groceries, beer, lumber and fencing materials, beer, gas, and oh yeah - beer. For the most part hunters are welcomed with open arms by the townfolk, and not just because we fill the towns' coffers. We also tend to share certain core values - a love of nature and the outdoors (which we demonstrate by shooting things), a sense of self-reliance and independence, and a fondness for firearms.

This last was exemplifed by the sign pictured below, taken on the main street of Junction, Texas. The wording on the sign is hard to read, so I've reproduced it in the caption.

Welcome hunters. 5% off with NRA/CCL (Concealed Carry License) card.

I mentioned earlier that we snuck in a little hunt while we were up there. I saw a magnificent buck that I would have loved to put on my wall. However, I just couldn't bring myself to shoot him. When you see the picture below you'll know why.