I got up and knew it was cold. However, I didn't know the temps had dropped to 14 degrees. I realized this as my Honda Pilot made it's way to the 20 acres we own. I didn't have the gear to withstand these temps, I'm good at 25 degrees(maybe a little lower) . . .but, that's about the limit for the gear I had with me. So, I decided I would drive up to the second ridge and watch for crossing patterns until it warmed up a little. Usually after a good cold night, the deer will start moving to the sun around 9:30 or so. Well, I noticed a lot of action on the Matthews property which joins our land. The Matthews land is now public property and they allow archery only hunting there, well, I thought. About 8:30 I hear a rifle go off and it sounds like it came from the Matthews land. About 9 a.m., two wardens drive up behind me. I got out of my Pilot and they both meet me at the back of the vehicle. The first one asked if I'd had any luck. I told him no, that I decided to stay in the car until it warmed up a little. He explained to me that hunting from the vehicle was illegal in Virginia as he peered at my Georgia tags. He proceeded to ask for my hunting license. I told him I didn't have one. His eyes got a little bigger and he asked for my driver's license. I then explained that I was in the middle of my 20 acres! They check to see if I'm hunting over bait. As the warden walked up the ridge, a doe I had been watching jumped up and ran off. I asked the guy if he had seen the deer and he hadn't. His partner told him, "yeah, I told him to shoot it" . . .would that have been funny or what?
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
They had been over on the Matthews land setting up disabled hunters for an exclusive rifle hunt and saw me on the ridge. I guess after they got their "work" done and had a couple of hours to kill, they decided to kill them with me.
I got to thinking . . .what's the big deal anyway? They allow all kinds of blinds and "houses", yet, I can't park my car? Why the no feeding law? There are so many deer anyway . . .I would think they would want them thinned out a little. Funny, they enacted a law to keep anyone from hunting over bait. So, from Oct 1 till the end of Jan(or something like that), the law says you can not feed wild animals, period. Therefore, everyone that has a bird feeder out in Virginia right now is breaking the law.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)