Alarm Clock Math is Important During Hunting Season

Today I screwed up a hunt as bad as I could. Except it wasn't the hunting part I screwed up.

I set my alarm for 5:30 am. Sunrise was at 7:29, shooting time was 6:59, which meant I wanted to be in my spot by 6:30. It's a 45-minute drive to my spot. That meant if I got out of bed at 5:30 I had 15 minutes to be in the truck and rolling. I wasn't.

I am always brain dead for the first 15 minutes I'm awake. I will stand at the mirror and a minute will go by and I was just zoned out. That's normal. Then I decided I wanted a Eggo waffles for breakfast. I had to fill coffee mug and thermos, rearrange my pack, double-check I had everything. I was on the road at 6:10.

I arrived at my spot 45 minutes later, got my pack out and rifle slung and headed down the trail for the five-minute walk to my spot.

As I crested the hill at the end of the trail I saw five deer walking into the cornfield where my spot was. I ducked down and yanked out my binoculars. Four does and a nice buck. Dammit!

To make this story even more tragic, these deer walked 10 yards directly in front of where I would be sitting.

When in doubt, add 45 minutes to your alarm clock time.