Yesterday, a man that my father-in-law does some work for invited us to go hunting on his 2000 acre ranch.  He is a quail hunter and isn't real big on deer hunting.  I've been all over this ranch several times and know my way around it pretty good. We built the roads so I know where they all are and where they go. As most of you have heard me say, 99% of my hunting is done on a 15 acre plot outside of town. My Father-in-law went to one side of the ranch and got in one of the owners son's stands. Not me, I get enough sitting at my own place. I started at the gate and walked the other half of the ranch. The place is one hill after another with shooting lanes for his quail hunts checker boarding most of it.  I wanted the chance to hunt like I used to before my dad lost his lease in SanSaba Co. 10 years ago.  I put all the gear I could carry on and headed out. I got to use my binos for the first time in years. I walked and glassed for about two hours.  I got tired and sat down for a bit on the side of a hill, where I had a real good view, and started glassing from there.  Finally I saw some movement just past another hill about 400 yrds or so away.  All I could see were three does with my binos but they were just past the edge of the hill. I started out walking parelell to them till I could put the hill they were beside between me and them.  Then made the trek across the open ground between them and me.  While I was where I couldn't see them they had walked up the hill I was going towards.  When I finally crested the hill (after what seemd like hours because the dry grass sounded to me like I was walking on broken light bulbs.)  They had just reached the top of the hill also. I was expecting to be loking down at them instead we were eye to eye at the crest. I had just seen one of their heads and she had noticed my movement. I had to freeze in my tracks. I had blundered up into a spot with no cover. So I just was squatting there trying my best to look like a harmless old bush.  I guess she bought it cause she went back to eating.  But I was still out in the open with her not 20 yards away.  Finally she turned her back to me and I was able to move to some cover. Haven't had to low crawl in a while, but I managed. They walked back down the same side of the hill they had come from and I followed.  I didn't shoot any of them, I just wanted to see if they had brought their boyfriend with them, which unfortunatly they hadn't.  But I had a great time. Man, I miss this stuff.  But he told us we could come back again. So maybe next time I'll get to test myself against someone a little more wary. I have no doubt that if that doe had been a mature buck it would have all been over when I first crested the hill. I wouldn't have gotten that second chance.  But hey, I'm a little rusty, alittle older and a good bit fatter than I was back in the day. All in all, though I came home empty handed I had a great time that brought back some wonderful memories.