I didn't see a harvest thread for this year so post them up! Had an old doe and spike come in yesterday afternoon, but didn't draw back. Good luck this year.
Went yesterday after work and ended up shooting a bobcat. It spun around and around growling then the arrow snapped it shot back into the thicket where it came from. Heard it stop and didn't hear it again. Couldn't find it so went back this AM and got on my hands and knees, but couldn't get in far enough. Pics or it didn't happen I guess... Finally starting to cool off a little. Hope y'all have some luck.
Opening day today in the South region, had 2 bust me while on the ground in my ghillie suit this evening. Overall a good evening, got to see some.
This year i'm going to keep a deer journal. I've done so in the past and its alway interesting to look back and see how many deer were seen through the season. So far i've had 5 sits from ground blinds (natural) and tree stand. Of the 5 sits 3 were on the ground and two from my climber.
I have been busted all 3 times on the ground and not necessarily from the wind. It has been from not having enough background cover and deer either coming in from the wrong direction (why can't they get the script right :readit: ) or me just standing out like a sore thumb!
I use a Kill Suit type grille, but have learned that I do better if I have full cover all the way around me. Its the drawing of the bow that get me busted more often than anything else.
The first sit in the climber produced nothing as I set up in an new area to give the hot one a break. But yesterday we had a cold front move through, so I planned to be in the climber in the white oak grove. The oaks are on private land I have permission to hunt. It was here that i've been busted while on the ground those 3 times. I hoped to change the stories narrative if at all possible.
I got set up by 0640 the next morning (not without a comedy of errors, dropped my backpack half way up, clanging banging etc...) and seen the first deer, a doe by 0740. At 0859 a young basket rack buck stepped into a small dry creek bed and I shot low shaving hair off it chest.
At 1000 I heard squirrels moving behind and over my left shoulder and turned to see if I could locate it. When I did it somehow morphed into a deer standing board sides at 18 yards lol.
I couldn't see its head but was sure it was a doe by the looks of the body. I committed myself to shoot more this year and not be concerned if I missed, this has always kept me back from a lot of opportunities. I hate missing!
I quickly drew and shot and honestly I don't recall focusing on a certain spot (pick a spot, pick a spot...).
At the shot the deer turned slightly my direction and I remember seeing the arrow glance off it neck! How in the word did I miss that bad was my first thoughts. But the deer turning in towards me was enough to shift the sight picture from a kill zone shot to a graze across the neck.
I watched it calmly take 2 steps and stand in place for at least 5-10 minutes, then watched it get wobbly legged on me. It half fell/laid down with it back towards me and laid there for 20 minutes, until a coyote showed up!
I tried to find a shot at the yote but couldn't get a shot off before it turned and left. When I looked back at the deer it was slowly walking away with it tailed tucked hard against it hind quarters.
Long story short it travel for about 300 yards and made for a difficult track on pine needles and me on hands and knees crawling through gallberry thickets. It continued to bleed every 3' but after backing out and giving it more time it had dried and was hard to see in pine needles.
And the doe turned into that same basket racked 3 point from the earlier miss.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5733/29892548593_808fdd56a5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Mxv8fR) IMG_1490 (https://flic.kr/p/Mxv8fR)
I'm grateful to the Lord for this deer and a shaving sharp Simmons Tigershark! I'm a believer that if not for these heads I would not have this deer due to where it was hit.
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5537/29892577083_60d81c0fc1.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MxvgJ4) IMG_1487 (https://flic.kr/p/MxvgJ4)
I always look forward to this thread! Good luck everyone. Tomorrow will be my first hunt of the season.
Went for a quick hunt yesterday afternoon and wasn't in the stand 5 minutes before I heard movement. 3 does came out with the biggest being about 10 or 12 yards. Drew back and let it rip. The arrow made an odd movement but corrected and hit her good. She ran less than a hundred and piled up. Turns out my string grabbed a loop on my harness. Having 425 grains upfront corrected the flight quickly and probably saved me a miss with my old heads. The other does just stood there wondering what in the world she was doing taking off like a rocket.
Great job! I've done that with less than stellar outcomes. Now where's the pic's, lol.
I've killed one doe, haven't been out much...tradgang pic posting is beyond me!
Kyle,
Sent you a PM. I can post your pic if you want? Nice job by the way!
QuoteOriginally posted by South MS Bowhunter:
This year i'm going to keep a deer journal. I've done so in the past and its alway interesting to look back and see how many deer were seen through the season. So far i've had 5 sits from ground blinds (natural) and tree stand. Of the 5 sits 3 were on the ground and two from my climber.
I have been busted all 3 times on the ground and not necessarily from the wind. It has been from not having enough background cover and deer either coming in from the wrong direction (why can't they get the script right :readit: ) or me just standing out like a sore thumb!
I use a Kill Suit type grille, but have learned that I do better if I have full cover all the way around me. Its the drawing of the bow that get me busted more often than anything else.
The first sit in the climber produced nothing as I set up in an new area to give the hot one a break. But yesterday we had a cold front move through all night the evening before. So I purposed to be in the climber at the white oak grove on private land I have permission to hunt. It was here that i've been busted while on the ground those 3 times. I hoped to change the stories narrative if at all possible.
I got set up by 0640 the next morning (not without a comedy of errors, dropped my backpack half way up, clanging banging etc...) and seen the first deer, a doe by 0740. At 0859 a young basket rack buck stepped into a small dry creek bed and I shot low shaving hair off it chest.
At 1000 I heard squirrels moving behind and over my left shoulder and turned to see if I could locate it. When I did it somehow morphed into a deer standing board sides towards me at 18 yards lol.
I couldn't see its head but was sure it was a doe by the looks of the body. I had purposed to shoot more this year and not be concerned if I missed, this has always kept me back from a lot of opportunities. I hate missing!
I quickly drew and shot and honestly I don't recall focusing on a certain spot (pick a spot, pick a spot...).
At the shot the deer turned slightly my direction and I remember seeing the arrow glance off it neck! How in the word did I miss that bad was my first thoughts. But the deer turning in towards me was enough to shift the sight picture from a kill zone shot to a graze across the neck.
I watched it calmly take 2 steps and stand in place for at least 5-10 minutes, then watched it get wobbly legged on me. It half fell/laid down with it back towards me and laid there for 20 minutes, until a coyote showed up!
I tried to find a shot at the yote but couldn't get a shot off before it turned and left. When I looked back at the deer it was slowly walking away with it tailed tucked hard against it hind quarters.
Long story short it travel for about 300 yards and made for a difficult track on pine needles and me on hands and knees crawling through gallberry thickets. It continued to bleed every 3' but after backing out and giving it more time it had dried and was hard to see in pine needles.
And the doe turned into that same basket racked 3 point from the earlier miss.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5733/29892548593_304e2e9a73.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Mxv8fR) IMG_1490 (https://flic.kr/p/Mxv8fR)
I'm grateful to the Lord for this deer and a shaving sharp Simmons Tigershark! I'm a believer that if not for these heads I would not have this deer due to where it was hit.
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5537/29892577083_b431e64b64.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MxvgJ4) IMG_1487 (https://flic.kr/p/MxvgJ4)
way to go, buddy! i've been twice but haven't seen anything yet.
hope to change that this weekend. congrats on the buck!
Thanks "Deadeye " lol. Hope you stick one soon.
Here a pic of "jkm97" (Kyle) doe he shot, great job!
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5458/30610480165_8f1969bb84.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NCWHip) IMG_1564 (https://flic.kr/p/NCWHip)
Kyle what bow is that? Tall Tines, Shafers? Looks good.
QuoteOriginally posted by South MS Bowhunter:
Here a pic of "jkm97" (Kyle) doe he shot, great job!
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5458/30610480165_7c7ec5d5c7.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NCWHip) IMG_1564 (https://flic.kr/p/NCWHip)
Kyle what bow is that? Tall Tines, Shafers? Looks good.
He is shooting a very nice Tall Tines!
If I could only get more chances to take it hunting!
Hunted this morning same stand as where shot the buck, got busted at 1025 as I was standing to prep to leave.
So far have had better than average deer sighting while on stand this year.
Anybody hunting around Georgetown/Rockport/Shivers in Mendenhall county? I'm on a tiny lease there. No shots yet. Boy that area is ate up with yotes for sure. Too many chicken houses in area I guess?
We have been in camp meeting since Wednesday night with day services going on since Thursday, so haven't had much chance to hunt.
Well after this mornings last service and lunch at the local catfish restaurant I slipped into the woods for an evening hunt.
I climbed up a sycamore tree overlooking a dry creek bed. We have been in a little drought condition here the past 40 days. We did get some rain two days this week.
Due to the late nights and little sleep combined with the heavy fish dinner I was immediately tire and sleepy once settled into the stand at 1540.
I felt like I needed to pray so I loosen my harness lanyard to allow me to kneel down and pray facing the tree (and allow me to close my eyes hugging the tree :pray: )
After a few minutes praying and praising him I settle back in the seat but not before requesting he bless me with a early deer.
Not 5 minutes later I look left and there a deer standing across the dry creek and moving parallel to me. And then I hear footsteps closer and there another deer right on the creek also moving towards me.
I remove the Centaur Chimera from the holder and ready myself while sitting. I have always done better sitting shooting than standing so I usually stay seated if I can.
The deer join up and their both young yearling does and of course they keep whatever cover between them and me.
There is an opening at 25 yards that will allow a shot if one of them will cooperate :pray:
The first one to it jumps through the gap not allowing a shot. The second one step in and stops but I have to clear a screen of brush to make the shot.
I draw back and never reach full anchor and the arrow is away :scared:
The arrow is flying nock left and slams into a oak tree to the right of the deer but 10' up.
They bolt with one heading east of me and the other, the one I shot at heading due north.
The squirrels go crazy barking and cat meowing for what seems like 10 minutes.
And after 20 minutes I see movement to the east of me and see the young doe start to head back my way slowly stiff legging it all the way.
I can't believe its going to come all the way back but it does.
It goes right back to the same spot where the two milled around prior to my shot. The one that I shot at that headed due north of me now reappears and joins it's sister.
And then its like its groundhog day, they repeat the same scenario going through the gap! The first one jumps through and gives no shot.
The one who I shot at earlier now walks through but this time is further up in the gap and offers no clear shot.
I wait for a shot to materialize and the deer is now at 30 yards and slightly quartering away from me and within 2 steps will be out of my life.
I stand now as it offers the best shot angle and to clear limbs that are now in the way.
I draw and make sure I have full draw and try to focus on a spot this time.
I cannot for the life of me focus down and catch myself "peeking" at the shot and hear the hit but cannot see it. The deer turned sharply away from me at the shot and I think I may have hit the neck again like the last buck. It runs hard and I hear trashing as soon as it goes out of sight.
I give it 25 minutes and make my way down its now 1640 or so. The Lord has at least kept his end of the blessing now it time to see if I made good on mine.
I slowly pack up to give it more time and then cross the creek and look for the arrow. I find it stuck in a tree root with one drop of blood next to the shaft and a light dusting of blood on the fletchings.
It looks eerily like the last arrow that cut the bucks neck in a grazing shot with a Simmons Tiger Shark.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5792/30834448232_440f8911c0.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NYJBcN) IMG_1598 (https://flic.kr/p/NYJBcN)
The deer stood in the space between the two trees in the background upper right hand side of picture.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5508/30649217680_bb8c172b8a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NGnfBA) IMG_1591 (https://flic.kr/p/NGnfBA)
While looking at the arrow I heard movement a few yards ahead of me so I backed out not wanting to spook the deer and push it to the clearcut that was just ahead.
I gave it another hour and went searching for it and after finding the arrow again started looking for blood.
I found the second drop of blood at about 10 yards and then more a few feet from there and it looked similar to the last deer as in bright red blood but no froth.
I shine ahead and to my surprise there laid the deer but it was still alive but very weak with it head laying down.
I again backed out and gave it another 30-40 minutes and this time I found it barely alive and finished it off by cutting its throat.
And to my amazement the wound was again through the neck almost exactly like the earlier buck except this time I punched two holes through the skin cutting the neck deeper.
I'm sad to say the deer was younger than expected as she had spots just fading away. I could not see them from the tree stand and her being in a shaded area and dimming light. Otherwise I would not have shot.
And due to this I did not take hero pictures. She will be consumed and make for some good meals ahead.
I hope others are experiencing a good year as well!
Any new hunting stories of success or failures? How the rest of the state doing?
I know Will Cocke has a story or two to tell...
And for some reason my pic's got messed up on flicker...may have been due to me playing around with the access functions.
Anymore success?
Went out this evening, and bundle up real good for the low 30's and a windchill in the low 20's BRrrrrr :saywhat:
Nothing seen.