This year has been a long one with many hours in the field and many miles on the boots. I had some great times and learned more about my farvorite haunts than any year but still I have been 1" away all year. I had blamed it hard units and bad luck but really for some reason this year I couldn't do anything right. I had four tags this year but had successfully had tag soup 3 times. My last big game hunt this year was an antlerless tag I had put in for to help my nephew harvest his frist deer and a little string time for myself.
It has been a cazy month which left me without anytime to hunt for myself. I hunted a half day on opening morning with sevaral fail stalks,it was just to crunchy. A few does were still in heat then and I spent too much time trying to take pic's of bucks. Between becoming real sick,extreme weather,new job and an unexpected surgery on my wife the month flew by. What litle time I did have went to helping my nephew,dad and a friend with thier tags and proccessing of meat.
I had two days off this week and one was spent proccessing other people's deer. I finally had time for myself. I wanted to do a spot and stalk style hunt to practice my skills. My day off was spent glassing deer and doing stalks. This time of the year the deer are concentrated on the winter range in big herds which means lots of eyes. Now if you were hunting with a firearm on this hunt it is real easy. The deer are watched nightly by people putting around in there vehicals looking for big bucks. It keeps them pretty tame as long as you stay in you vehical. Getting within a hundred yards of a bedded deer is not that hard this time of year but to stalk within trad range is just as tough as anytime IMO. I had alot of fun crawling around making stalks but I always got busted or didn't have a clear shoot.
Now I was left with only a couple of mornings to hunt before work so I was going to make it easy and sit in a ambush location were I had been seeing 50+ deer travel through each day. My set up was behind some tall sagebrush and the deer were headed my way. I picked out a big doe and hit my anchor when her head was down. My heart sank as I watched the arrow go low and nick her brisket taking a few hairs. They were all gone in a flash but a few fawns that I let walk by at 5 yards. :knothead:
Dang it! I love those late season tags. Do you still have some time? If so good luck!
I didn't see any pics.... :campfire:
God bless,Mudd
With A few hours left until work I had to try another stalk. It didn't take long until I had located sevral herds to stalk. One herd of three does were feeding acrossed a hill in a stalkable location. I made some quick time up the backside of the ridge they were feeding in hopes of a quick ambush. It was like they read my script and before I new it I was within 50 yards. They were feeding acrossed the hill right for me. The leed doe was coming right down the trail in front of me. As she hit my shooting lane I drew hit my anchor and the arrow was gone. She whip around on a dime before my arrow had reached her striking her straight on. The arrow sank to the feltchings and she was gone. I was sadden by the shoot placement but seeing blood gushing right away made me feel better. This is what I found at the scene. (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss248/barebow13/IMG_0185.jpg)
Yea buddy! Where's the snow?
WOW you dont need a dog to follow that one.
loks like a spilled can of paint.... love seeing that !
Don't leave us hanging... :coffee:
I am sorry I was called into work,like I said it's been crazy. As I waited after the shoot the other two does had only went 70 yards accross the little canyon. By there reaction I could tell that the doe I had hit had not gone very far. The snuffer had hit hard and painted a short trail. (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss248/barebow13/IMG_53811.jpg) (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss248/barebow13/IMG_5384.jpg)
(http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss248/barebow13/IMG_5386.jpg)
nice shot! :clapper: now thats nice looking country ya have there.
I got lucky on this one. I thought the deer was not as wired as it was. I wouldn't have taken the shoot if I had known it would have done a near 180 by the time the arrow struck. The arrow had went in above the brisket below the wind pipe and went through the hart,liver,lung and stuck in the pelvis. The deer travel about 40 yrds then piled up. I have seen alot of coyotes, bobcats and houndsmen out this last while so maybe the high predetor count has them wired. Maybe she caught my movment at the last second I really don't know but I am glad it was a short recovery. (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss248/barebow13/jimmysdeer.jpg)
Ryan we have had so much rain this month it melted all the snow and washed out St George and Beaver dam. Two weeks ago there was about 24" where this deer was. When I left work tonight on the moutain there was at least 30" of new and 5" to 8" in the valley. It was great thou I had to take off my boots and go in the wools for the final 50 yrds. Stalking in shocks in december that don't happen too often.
Congrats on a fine doe! :thumbsup:
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Congratulations!!
Thank you for the pictures.
God bless,Mudd
PS: I guess I jumped the gun so to speak with my 1st post...lol Sorry! I think you showed me!
Congrats! I hear ya on the rain and now more snow. Weird winter so far.
nice story,congrats
Way to go sir! What are the specs on your bow and arrow set up? Thanks for the pictures! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good job! Thanks for sharing!
Looooooooove them Snuffers
Thankyou for you comments everyone.
Randy my bow in an Algoma hybred I picked up used in late Oct. from a tradganger. It's 58" NTN #62@27 which puts it at my draw at #64. I shoot a Beman ICS 29.5" with 260 grains up front. If I remember right it weights in about 555 grains.