Last Tuesday, I rattled in a dandy buck to 14 yards and sent one right over his back. I didn't pick a spot and just blew the shot, flat out. This was by far, the largest buck I have had a chance at. I have since replayed that shot in my mind thousands of times and it has literally haunted me. Blowing a chip shot on an upper 160's will do that.
On every deer that I have ever missed or wounded, I have always learned something and taken something away from the experience, this one was no exception. I came away from this opportunity knowing that before I took a shot on another deer, I needed to tell myself to pick a spot, and tuck the arrow a little lower than I usually do. After that miss, I spent my spare time shooting from our elevated deck at my target, working on picking a spot, and tucking the arrow low (since I had been missing high from my tree stand). Slowly but surely my confidence was coming back but that miss was still etched in my mind.
Fast forward 1 week and on a different property. With temps approaching 80, I debated whether to even hunt. I always tell myself you can't kill a deer if you aren't in the stand and since it's mid November, I got my rear-end into a tree. The wind was light and coming from the south and I had the perfect stand in mind where I had been consistently getting pictures of dandy buck, this would be my place for the evening. The stand is located in a thick shelter belt in between 2 feed fields. It's a perfect cruising spot for bucks during the rut. I left my school and raced to my spot. By the time I made it in the tree it was 4:10pm. As the sweat rolled down my face, I contemplated getting down and going home but I was already there, might as well stick it out.
At 5:00, on an evening where you could hear a pin drop, I heard the distinct sound of a tree branch hitting an antler. I looked to the south 40 yards and said to myself, "it's him". I watched the buck I was after lick, and thrash a tree branch 40 yards through the cedar trees. In the stand I am in, the max distance I can see is around 50 yards and more often than not, the deer are on top of you before you even see them. I inched towards my bow, slowing grabbing it and lifting it from the hanger. My heart was starting to pound in my chest at the anticipation of this deer offering me a shot. The buck finished licking his branch and turned and started slowly making his way down the trail in my direction. he came to a stop 10 yards from my stand, facing my direction, contemplating his path of direction. He had 2 choices, turn to his left and come down a trail that would give me an 8 yard quartering to shot, or stay on his path and when he would enter my shooting lane he would be approximately 12 yards broadside. At this point, auto pilot started to kick in and I told myself to calm down, pick a spot, and tuck the arrow low.
The Buck took choice #2 and as he started to appear in my shooting lane I felt my bow arm slowly rise, being careful to move slow and not alert him of my presence. My fingers were putting tension on the string. I continued to tell myself to calm down, breath, and pick a spot, pick a spot, pick a spot. As he became broadside with no limbs in the arrows path, I came to full draw, focusing on a small tuft of hair right behind the bucks shoulder. I hit anchor and let the arrow fly.
I can honestly say I was as calm as I've ever been when I took the shot on this buck. I have ran that shot through my head and imagined it at least a thousand times before as I've sat in that stand in the past. Your mind is a powerful tool and it will work if you tell it to do something.
Back to the shot. As the arrow struck the buck, the first thought in my mind was heart shot. The arrow entered him right behind the shoulder but low, I guess I did tell myself to tuck it low but I didn't intend for it to be that low. The arrow snapped off and the buck took off to the north. Almost immediately I could see the buck lowering his head as he ran, he did a 180 degree turn and headed back to the south into the cedars directly across from me. Since my visibility is severely limited in this spot, I had to rely on my ears to tell me where he was going and what he was doing. He crashed through the cedars and he came to an abrupt halt. Then I heard a crash and what sounded like him kicking in the grass. I continued to hear this kicking in one central location for several more seconds and then the woods went calm. At this point I knew what happened. I collected my thoughts, threw up several prayers to the big guy, and as quietly as I could, I lowered my bow, climbed down from my stand, and walked in the opposite direction from where he went down. I got to the road and called a friend that lives nearby and told him what happened.
I started to second guess myself running all the scenarios through my head....What if my arrow actually hit him in the leg and didn't go behind the shoulder like I thought? What if he laid down and got back up after I left......My mind started to play tricks on me but I kept going back to the mental picture I had in my head of seeing that arrow hit where it did, and hearing him go down. I called my wife and my dad to let them know what happened and I waited on the road for a couple friends to arrive.
Right before dark we went to my arrow. Snapped off with blood and hair covering it, i knew I had enough penetration to get into the heart before he broke it off. We took up the path where I heard him crash through the cedars. My buddies hung back as I took the lead. and just like that, the track job was over. I caught the distinct sight of a deer rump through the cedar trees. The buck I was after all season lay 30 yards from where I had shot him. with a smile on my face, I turned back to give the guys a thumbs up. Approaching an animal that lost his life to your hand, no matter how big or small, can be surreal. You are filled with so many emotions and the anticipation of getting your hands on his horns is a feeling like no other, it's one that you want to go on forever. Like always, I thanked the deer for his life and went to work. This was truly a hunt that I will remember untill I die, I couldn't help but think about my miss exactly a week ago and how it was all meant to be.
On this hunt I used my 56" Javaman Elkheart 53#@28", a footed Easton Axis traditional shaft tipped with a zwickey delta broadhead. After looking over the deer, my arrow entered his shoulder low, right at the crease. The broadhead took out a good chunk of his heart and passed through, exiting the off side leg. The Zwickey Delta continues to amaze me, it has no problem blowing through bone, even at 48-49lbs (I draw about 26 3/4"). This buck has 13 total points and sported a 21 1/8" inside spread. My guess is he will score mid 140's.
(http://i.imgur.com/ps0IDyB.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ByIpvUl.jpg)
A picture of the slice through the heart.
(http://i.imgur.com/4kFDgQX.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/IonbZo9.jpg)
Great job Caley!! :clapper:
Wow, that's an awesome buck! Great story as well!
Congrats!
Very nice congrats
awesome deer and great story..
Fantastic good job Im going through the same thing without the chance at redemption,
GREAT hunt! Don't you love it when everything comes together.
Wow...
Nice deer and a great shot.
Congrats! Great buck glad you got another chance at him :thumbsup:
Tracy
Awesome buck!
Congrats,
Bisch
Great buck! Congrats!
Congrats!!! Great story and a great buck!!
Great deer! Thanks for sharing the story and pics with us. Congratulations.
What a fantastic buck...congrats to you way to keep after em!
It always feels good to redeem a miss... especially with THAT kind of redemption!
Congrats on a great buck and a great comeback!
Thanks for sharing.
Great buck!! Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Well done my friend! Awesome that you got pics of him and then put a stick in his boiler room! We're gonna have some great show-and-tell at the next chapter meeting!
Sorry....
...I somehow triple posted!
Beautiful... Thanks for sharing the story Caley. Congratulations and God bless.
Congrats beautiful buck!
Atta'boy....what a beast
Tim
Great buck! Congrats to you!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Very nice congrats
Very nice buck! Congrats.
What a great story about an exceptional hunt! I really enjoyed being with you through your "redemption". Congratulations on a beautiful buck and very nice pictures! :clapper:
Bernie
Nice......well done. :clapper:
Way to comeback!! :thumbsup: Congrats :clapper:
Congrats! Great deer and a stoty to tell. :clapper:
that's a dandy!!!
Holy moly that is an awesome deer.
Nice job!
Great story.. Well told, and a fantastic buck
Congrats I'm glad you could hold it together for that KS buck
Great job Caley!!! Congratulations!!!
Great deer and story Brother!
:archer:
That's a beauty! Congrats!
That's what we are all after. He's a dandy!
:clapper:
congrats
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Wow! Well done and well told. In need of some redemption myself.
Congrats on a nice buck. Great story and advice.
Nice!
Congrats on the great buck! Good story too!
Thanks guys, appreciate the comments.
Congrats!!!
Great buck and great story....congrats!
AWSOME deer!!