Well it finally happened. I knew i was do for one sooner or later in my trad hunting career, I just never thought it would be on my biggest buck I have ever drawn on. The buck came in about 20 yards quartering away, not too much but just enough to make it look like a beautiful oppurtunity. I stopped him, drew, stared a hole in his heart and let it go. The instant it left my hand I thought oh chit duck it duck it. He didnt make it fast enough and my arrow burried up to the nock in his hams. With one bound I could see the bright red blood starting to cover his ham and by the time he covered 50 yards his entire back ham was coated in blood. After an hour and a half I eased out of the tree and went to the spot I had shot him. Within 5 yards there was already big puddles of blood and blood up on saplings as he dashed out of there. From the looks of it I might have gotten lucky and hit the artery, however I dont want to bump him up and find out I should have waited longer. I shot him around 845 this morning. Weather is forcasted in the mid 60's as a high today. How long till I go look for him? I didnt go any further than the spot I shot him and could see blood along where he ran for probably 25 yards without even looking for it. it was everywhere. So if i hit the artery how long will it take him to bleed out, if I didnt would a meat hit bleed that much?
If he's letting blood that much in that period of time, I'd say you cut a main line. He should have crossed over into the hereafter by now.
I think its bad mojo to try to stop a deer for a shot. It perks up an animal that is already high strung!
Good luck in your recovery and post some pics of this monster when you find him!
He's dead. Better go get him. Pictures Please.
If you hit that artery, he bled out fast...If it was "gut" blood, it'll take him considerably longer to die....It won't make him any deader to wait a little while!!!
I know it wasnt guts. I am 110% sure there werent guts in that shot. I just keep replaying the picture of the guy on here that shot that elk and had that much blood at the site of the shot and jumped his elk back up. I dont want to do this to this buck. I am going back out in 45 minutes to give it a go and see if I can find him.
Dustin,
If you hit the femora and it sounds as if you have. He is dead! The weather is on your side as well since it is not going to get too warm.
Good Luck
Sean
Well I would go in with several hours of light left and still hunt him. He is more than likely down but I never just go look for downed game keep in the hunt mode!!!
After running late to the stand this morning I crawled up just in time to beat the rush hour traffic past my stand. Small buck, then a tiny buck, then a nice 2.5 8 with good mass and thick tines came through behind them. This is great I thought 3 bucks and its only been 20 minutes now where are those does. I just want a nice fat doe to break the ice and the mojo of the tomahawk. After watching those three bucks feed off another one appeared to my left in the set aside field working over a sapling over there. I had forgotten my grunt call but knew I could grunt with my voice and thought its early lets see. I grunted and this deer turned and walked straight to the base of my tree. I was taking pictures of the little 6 pointer I had trail cam pictures of when he started to walk away. Then I noticed a much bigger buck coming in to investigate the grunting. He came in just above one of my shooting lanes and I thought this isnt going to work. Then as if on cue he turns and walks right down the logging road im set up on. I baah to stop him at about 20 yards my eyes burning a hole in his heart, string gets to anchor, hold, the string slips from my fingers. I have made this shot a million times in the backyard and it always felt so familiar to me except this time. The instant it left I thought OH CHIT duck it. Get under that arrow. The puffs and heavy arrows had my bow whisper quiet and he didnt even realize an arrow was about to make contact. The arrow burried nock deep in his ham. With in his first two bounds I noticed bright red blood forming on his ham, Within 50 it was running down his back ham, and at 80 there was no mistaking that he was pumping some serious blood. I sat for an hour and waited and then got down and checked the shot site, blood everywhere I could see where he had bumped trees on his way out and there was blood covering the undergrowth of the forest floor. I eased out and made some phone calls and plenty of texts to stallion. My dad said it sounds like I might be the luckiest bowhunter he knows, stallion ( a second buddy) says give him 4 hours, my head is saying you hit that artery, but my heart is saying nice shot dumbass dont get your hopes up. I went through a pack of gum between 10 and 3, I was nervous to say the least. At 230 I couldnt take it any longer I had to know. I took my bow, my binoculars, and my phone and eased back in to check it out. I went to impact site and started following the blood at about the 80 yard mark he had stopped and a large chunk of fat had fallen off of him some how. My first thought was oh chit he is clogging up already. Then common sense said if he is artery hit he should be dead inside of 100 yards. We only have 20 more to that deadline. At 100 yards he was cutting across the bean field to the swamp on the other side and off the property. I lost blood in the bean field because the beans were so short and it had baked in the sun all day. Everything was brown and the dried blood was brown.. I marked last blood with an arrow and got on the phone to text message my dad to see what to do now. I called my buddy and he said just keep on it. If you jump him keep him moving dont let that artery stop bleeding. As I looked up from my text message I couldnt believe it. This is what I saw....
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/DSC02304.jpg)
At that second Jon had sent me a text message asking if I had found him yet. I replied "Im looking at him right now" I couldnt believe it. I had killed one of the two bucks I had my eyes on this year and it was only the first morning hunt of the year. My first thought was WOW, you are damn lucky dumbass. Then I thought holy cow the chase of this deer is over. No more chase next year for this guy. Then another holy cow, Im on doe patrol for the rest of the year and I dont even get to rattle em up or call to em during the rut. Mixed emotions of joy and sorrow for not only the end of the life of such a great animal, but also the end of the chase. However he is by far my best buck yet and one I learned many lessons on. I hope these pictures do him justice as he means the world to me.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/DSC02306.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/DSC02309.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/DSC02313.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/DSC02315.jpg)
I am so thankful for this deer the hunter sorrow that we all feel each and everytime seems to have really gotten me with this deer. I am happy to be behind him smiling and clearing a place on the wall for him (Im trying to smile but sun was in my face)
That is a dandy in anyones book. Congrats!!!
Congratulations, Dustin!! :archer:
Congrats :clapper:
Very Nice Buck
Dustin, Good job on the follow up on an outstanding buck! Congrats! Mike
A dead deer is a dead deer. Some are not as easy or pretty as the others, but the end result is the same.
That is a hoss of a buck. Congrats!!!
Brett
WTG!
Great buck, great patients on your part.
Congratulations!
That is a beautiful buck. Great job on finding him.
John
:clapper: :clapper:
Dustin, The hip shot was one of Fred's most favorite shots on deer. He never hesitated to take a shot into the ham. I'm thinking Fred just might have been right.
I don't deliberately try for hip shots, but I've hit more than a few hips when I was trying a long-angle quartering away shot; and a couple on running shots too; but I've yet to lose a single one of those accidentally hip-hit animals ... and that includes several animals that were WAY bigger than deer size.
Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow
Dandy Buck, Congrats!
Very Nice!! Congrats!
Nice buck! Way to go!!!!
Great job can you tell us more about the actual hit, since you found him and were able to better assess the damage. Wher did you hit it and what did the arrow do ? I see a slit in the belly so I am guessing a pass thru was acheived.
Later
ChuckC
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Nice buck!
Congrats great job waiting nice buck. :thumbsup:And doe patrol not that bad. :goldtooth:
The shot center punched his right side ham and exited about an inch in front of the off side ham. The slit in the belly was to relieve some of the stomach gas that had built up so the pictures didnt show me sitting next to a bloated deer. He died on a hill in a bean field and sat there for my guess around 4-5 hours deader than a hammer. The shot completely severed the femoral artery and lucky enough the arrow fell out of him somewhere along the way. (i have yet to find it) I think if the arrow had stayed in him the blood wouldnt have been quite as profuse and the track might have been even tougher. He went around 150 yards and died on his feet. His antlers were stuck in the dirt when I walked up to him.
Thats a beauty, heck of away to star the season. Joe
Nice buck! Congrats!
Wow! That's a Great Buck. Glad it worker out.
Tom
Congratulations on a great buck. I enjoyed the story also. Very good write up.
Congratulations Dustin, that is a beautiful buck! :thumbsup:
One big bodied deer! Congratulations on an awesome hunt. Now how can you make the best of the doe hunt? Great way to see how they act and draw the bucks during the rut. Should pay off in the future.
You did it right. Got unlucky, then lucky. Bowhunting can be very trying. Wouldn't have it any other way. Very nice buck. Congrats.
Great job Dustin. Now you can concentrate on getting a doe. They will test your hunting more than a buck, IMO.
Dennis
Excellent!
Very NICE Indiana buck Dustin!! You ARE the man! :notworthy:
Congrats :thumbsup:
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/P2160376.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/P2160378.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/P2160380.jpg)
Super buck and a beautiful mount.
Awesome mount!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!
Nice Dustin! Real nice!
Bona
Not sure how I missed this thread. I've shot two in my time in the hams and they don't last long. Nice deer and congrats.
used to watch videos made by Tink somthing he shot everything in the hams and yes never saw him loose one seemrd to kill fast within eyesight ,, shot a pope& young whitetail he urned at the shot hit him in front of hip came out han also killed it in 40 yds :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Great looking mount
Great mount :thumbsup:
Great lookin' mount. I would hang him inside though, so the weather doesn't get to him. ;) Seriously, that is a good lookin' deer.
Great buck and great mount. Congrats!!!! Tripper
Very nice!! Big Ed
Exciting. . . a memory forever.
Lookin' gooood.
Wow I missed your story also back in Oct. Awesome buck! Good job tracking also... :thumbsup:
Way to go Dustin, great buck !!