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Nine-year-old Brandon Campbell scored with his .50 caliber muzzleloader on opening morning while hunting with his father, James. This is Brandon's second deer.

I continue to be impressed with the pictures and reports I'm getting from adult hunters who are spending their time in the woods with youngsters this season. I know the sample size is so small it's hard to call this an official trend. But maybe we are at a point where more adults are investing in the future. I hope so because we need it.

Regular readers know that J.R. is a one of the more enthusiastic bowhunters out there. So they won't be surprised to hear that he was in a tree on Halloween evening in Floyd County in the pouring rain. This big doe was his reward.

He reported that his heart was pounding when three does showed up and this one stepped into a shooting lane at a range of 31 yards.

"I know it seems silly to get so excited over a doe, but I just love bowhunting and to work so hard all summer and move stands the last two weeks to get fine tuned," he wrote. "Its an awesome feeling to know all I have learned and put afield has a reward in the end. The first buck is next I hope but if not, I still love getting a shot at a big doe."

Well put, J.R., and congrats.

My friend Tim Hoden of Madison Heights shot this great eight-pointer Saturday morning while hunting in Franklin County. Tim is not a small guy  -- though he's smaller than he was since he started triathlon training earlier this year -- so this is clearly an impressive buck.

My buddy Freddy McGuire spent a rainy evening last week hunting in a pop-up blind overlooking a food plot. The effort paid off when this doe got to within 23 yards.

Freddy's arrow was tipped with a Rage broadhead. I assumed this was the exit whole. It was actually the entry. Wow. There's no debating that the broadhead did its job in this case.

Freddy does most of his hunting in Franklin and Bedford counties, both of which are under the earn-a-buck regulations. Getting that first doe down is always a relief. Freddy knocked down doe number two a couple days later. So he has earned his number two and three bucks should he get the chance.

If you hunt in an earn-a-buck county, it's always best to get at least one doe out of the way as soon as possible.

Dale Wade reported last week that his deer hunting in Floyd and Montgomery counties hadn't been going great -- one doe killed -- but he did manage to kill this impressive coyote on a recent hunt.

Jamie Brugh sent in this great shot of his son, Austin, with his first bow kill. Austin was hunting with his grandpa, and Jamie's dad, Jimmy Brugh in Bedford County.

Saturday's early muzzleloader opener started the busiest four weeks of deer season in these parts. The cool weather should help the help the action.

OK, that's not really what's happening here.

Austin Martin got this cat last year and just got it back from the taxidermist. But that caption just doesn't seem to do this photo justice.

I always joke that scouting cameras are great for getting pictures of the big buck you won't kill this season.

Of course we know that sometimes we do kill those bucks.

Jason Nicholson, who got that recent cool coyote/eight-pointer double, filled his second west-of-the-Blue Ridge buck tag on the morning of Oct. 24 when he shot this great eight-pointer in Floyd County.

It's a deer he had captured previously on trail camera pictures that appeared here in September.

Nicholson said the buck showed up early in the morning and got to a range of 15 yards where Nicholson made a good shot and the 100-grain Thunderhead-tipped arrow did it's job. The buck still had the wound on its snout that was visible in the trailcam pictures.

He further reported: "All in all I have been truly blessed this season to have take a great 8, good 8, doe and coyote all in the same week. I owe a lot of credit to my wife who puts up with me going hunting as much as I do."

The good news for the rest of us is that Nicholson plans to start hunting in North Carolina so he will leave some game out there for all us average hunters.

Jerry Borger of Christiansburg had quite a hunt on the morning of Oct. 9. In less than two hours he had opportunities for a coyote and a bobcat, and he capitalized on both.

"The squirrels on the Borger property are rejoicing," reported Borger. "As is the local taxidermist."

What a couple of awesome animals.

I've been preaching since I launched this blog that I wanted any and all hero shots -- not just of trophy bucks. A hunt isn't just defined by antler inches, but what goes into the hunt and what the hunter gets out of it -- beyond the actual animal. It's why I post shots of myself with does and I'm always glad when others submit the same.

Anyway, regular Ralph Barton came through with this shot of his great doe from a recent hunt on public land. After Ralph smacked the doe at 18 yards it ran just 40 yards before crashing. It's a long walk out but he had stashed a game cart in there so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I wish I could post a shot of me with a nice doe but I haven't been hunting since the first week of the season. Tonight wouldn't be a bad night but I have an assignment. But, looking at my schedule, my non-hunting streak might end tomorrow. It's a little warmer than I'd prefer but I've got to take the opening when I get it. I hope I get some openings next week because it looks like a nice cold front is coming.