Well, I just finished sitting very still for a long time. Just got over a bout of uncontollable shivering, to the point I had to lay my bow down and get it worked out.
I was on the ground, wearing my ghillie suit, an ultralight version of the Shaggie. I like it a lot. Unfortunately, with the wind and the temperature drop of evening, it and the light clothing I wore beneath it wasn't enough.
I got up and walked over to the other side of the blow down tree, about 30 yards from where I was sitting all afternoon, and look what I found.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0388.jpg)
ChuckC
Looks like it was raining! :campfire:
Does that picture look too big ? I resized several and Photobucket appears to show they are 640 wide.
ChuckC
I'm not sure all that shivering was from the cold. :coffee:
Took about 5 paces to the end of that and found this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0389.jpg)
five more paces, and then this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0390.jpg)
five more paces and then this
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0391.jpg)
:pray:
ChuckC
Kinda glad I got all those reports done at work and took the afternoon off to sit in the woods and wind down.
ChuckC
Lookin' good!
:campfire: :coffee:
:clapper: :eek:
Bill
Looks like either the beginning of a horror movie ("look, Mother... blood!")... or something better! :campfire:
Right click on your picture with your mouse and then click on "view image info" when in doubt about the picture size. Yours are perfect 640 x 480.
Looks like you done good on the shot too!
Duplicate post... Sorry!
I hunt a couple public access areas north of Madison. Been hunting this particular one for about twenty years. It is like home to me. I go there to hunt and also to wind down and relax.
In the past, once I put in the time and learned some of its secrets, I saw deer all the time, almost never a time where I didn't at least see something, even if not close enough for a shot opportunity.
Then we found CWD in the herd. The DNR has since created rules. I don't necessarily like them and I pout about them every chance I get, but they are the trained experts and I acknowledge that.
We have had quite a spell of unlimited free tags with an earn a buck slant for this area since that time.
Results are mixed.
Two years ago, I sat 13 evenings before I saw a doe. In many of those sits over the recent years I had nice, and some VERY nice bucks saunter past me. But, alas. . no buck tags for this boy.
It also resulted in nearly no competition during bow season and very little during gun season during the last two years. That was a real change. I guess everybody was smart but me (and moved on).
This year, for the first of many years, and I believe due to extreme pressure from the masses, the DNR relented and allows you to take a buck first in the CWD area, using your normal either sex tag, not the free CWD tag. Boy, I sure want to do my part, but with no does, it was sure a tough wait.
ChuckC
Thanks for the lesson Randy. . I was worried.
This area is about one third uplands with mature oaks and good ground cover, and two thirds marsh, mostly only seasonally wet, but thick and nasty most of the time. I usually hunt the marsh, cause nobody else seems to.
But the wind was totally wrong for all of the marsh stand locations, and it is starting to get close to the exciting time of year.
I chose to hunt near the "bucket stand", from the ground in my ghillie suit. The bucket stand is a name given to a corner of the property where an older gent used to sit 20 years ago, on an inverted bucket.
He almost always saw 30 or 40 deer and as many turkeys every time I met up with him at the parking lot, after a morning sit. I think he saw them in his dreams, but he kept it exciting.
The area is a natural funnel with a ring of high ground with a fairly steep drop to the big plain at the bottom. a 100 yard wide timber runs along the edge and a fallow 60 acre field abuts the timber. Next to that is private, this year it is in corn. And they just removed the corn this week.
ChuckC
:campfire:
:campfire: :coffee:
:help: :help:
This is starting off good......
Doh! Clicked to page two expecting the rest of the story. I'll just have to check back. :campfire:
Maineac...it tricked me too!!!!
:bigsmyl:
:campfire:
sorry, It was getting late and I fell asleep at the desk. zzzzzz this getting old sucks.
Let's see. . . oh yeah I remember it like it was just yesterday. . or the day before..
The wind was from the ENE and blowing well enough I could tell without looking at my wind indicator, a 6" piece of dental floss taped to the inside of my top limb. The last two inches are frayed to a fuzz and it works very well. It is also in my face nearly all the time so I can't miss it.
The bottom that I chose to sit has a very well defined trail running down the middle, east to west and I chose a spot just down wind by maybe 12 yards. It was somewhat between two slight fingers or loaves as I have called them, coming down the drop off and often funneling deer on their way down.
At that location was a blown down top of a white oak that landed just right, with some of the large browned out leaves still hanging from the branches. I clipped some of the stuff from the uphill side and built a sparse but "just enough" blind on the down hill side.
My ghillie is brown and instead of yarn-like strings, it is built of patches of cloth that quite resemble leaves. I guess I dissapeared.
About an hour and a bit before the end of day, I was really cold and thinking about getting up and walking for a bit. Not a great idea at this time, but Brrrrrr. As above, I didn't dress well for this one. Then I heard something.
I slowly looked right and there was a small forkie buck, maybe 12-15 yards away, browsing down the drop off into the bottom. I warmed up pretty quickly, at least for the moment.
Although I am not a trophy hunter, I decided pretty quickly though that I did not want to shoot this one. It was pretty, but obviously pretty young, its fork antlers were hidden by its ears when he held them forward, and more important to me... let's just say he would have made for an easy drag.
But watching him showed him posturing and looking to his right. Hmmm In just a lil bit I saw yet another deer, obviously another buck, and I decided just as quickly that, yup I would shoot this one if given the opportunity. For this area, this dude was pretty nice.
ChuckC
When he finishes the story someone call me . WOW!
I gripped my bow just a little tighter. They were about twelve yards away, feeding obliquely across the hill and it was looking good for them to walk in front of me. . . if they didn't spook.
Although I love carrying a longbow, one of John McDonald's 66" hybrids, painted, of course,
:eek: (Sorry John. . but I ordered it in all black for a reason..) on this evening I had my Predator recurve. I love this bow too, and actually shoot it better than the longbow, but I just have this thing about a longbow, a love affair I guess. Don't tell my wife please, although I guess she can see it in my eyes and already knows.
Anyway, I have been dealing with a form of target panic for years. Premature release whenever my brain tells me to let er go. On some days I can shoot pretty darned well, and on others. . not as well. I like my shots close for that reason. I put a clicker on the recurve to help me out, hoping that adding another step would keep my mind off releasing for just a little bit more time. It is working. . so far.
On the arrow, a GT fairly well suited for that bow set up, was a nicely sharpened VPA Terminator 175 head with a 100 grain adaptor inside the shaft. Plenty of arrow weight, plenty of bow, keep on walking.
Well beyond any hopes I had, the forkie walked right in front of me, at one point about 7-8 yards away, working and browsing slowly to that trail just a bit downhill from him. About 10 yards after him came the bigger buck.
Neither deer saw me, smelled me, intuited me or acted at all concerned. . . right up to the moment that one of those GT's zipped right thru the big guys chest, low, a couple inches further back than I was aiming, but angling slightly forward. I am guessing he was 10 yards away when I shot.
The big guy bounced around the deadfall and it was silent. I didn't see him or hear him fall, so I sat still as a ghost.
ChuckC
Wow! Can't wait for the ending! Or, was that it?
Im tellin John :D
When I teach Bow Hunter Education here in WI, we preach. . "if you don't see it fall, or hear it fall, sit tight for 30 minutes, or even more if the shot didn't look great". Deer will very often run to the first decent cover, then stop and watch its back trail to try to figure out what the heck just happened and to see if it is following them. If nothing follows, they will bed down nearby and that is where you will find them, if given enough time for the arrow to work.
That first photo shows where he stood, just 25-30 yards away, hidden from my searching eyes by the big fallen tree.
Meanwhile. . that darned lil guy first ran off, kinda... then he started sneaing back, just uphill, soon to be just downwind of me.
I watched him sneaking. No covering leaves on this side of me, it was just me, sitting there in my ghillie suit and a young buck, just scared because of some rucus, and looking for the cause.
Again he came right by me, this time maybe 10-12 yards away. I never moved, except my head turning slowly to follow him. He never saw me. . . but oh boy when he got my wind ! He made a bee line outta there, and I think, caused my buck to move. The next few photos show the result.
Giggling to myself, I looked at the watch and kept sitting, then started shaking, and pretty soon the cold caught up to me and I started shaking pretty violently. Brrrrrr.
After 30 minutes, I got up and started the the following chore. As you saw from the pictures, the first 30 yards or so of the trail looked. . promising. But unbelievably, after he entered the overgrown field, things changed.
It was now dark, very dark. That little flashlight that the Wensel's distribute is awesome and I slowly followed the trail, marking my way as I went, but, unbelievably, it petered out ! (the blood trail. . not the flashlight). I found four different beds along the way, with less and less blood showing. The beds were only maybe 25 yard apart. Hmmm what I thought was a gimme, to be found "just ahead", was turning into a problem.
OK, sit and think. Multiple beds, that means I was bumping him. . . not dead yet. Stop and wait. Only 25 yards apart, in a fallow field with thick weeds, but still only 3-4 feet tall. He can't breathe. He is not gonna survive, but he is not yet dead, and I am bumping him and losing blood.
Get out of there. I reluctantly called it a night and drove home. . hopefully to be finished in the morning.
As is typical, I doubted and found fault with everything I did for the entire drive home.
Why DIDN'T you do this, why DID you do that ?
It was gonna be a long night
Great story.
Great tale
Morning came. . . "why the heck is the sun not up yet, it's nearly 7 am already ! ".
I called the office and made it known that I was finally taking a whole day off, had a chore to do. My supervisor knows I wait all year for the fall and is actually pretty understanding. She shakes her head and wishes me luck.
I finally got to the scene and as I approached the field thru the woodlot to the east, I slowed and stopped, surveying the scene. Art LaHa, a blast from Wisconsin's past, taught me to go slow and watch and listen for the birds. Often the crows (ravens if far enough north)will find the deer early and be gathering near it, making themselves known to the world, as always.
No crows. . no obvious signs, time to get back to it. I found my last flag. Got on my hands and knees and really searched. By that time the trail was only a small drip here and there, and he was obviously bounding across the field. This was not looking great.
Finally, after totally losing the blood, I walked back and surveyed the trail markers. They showed he was headed for the far corner of the field, headed for the swamp. great. . .
OK, change tactics. I moved about 20 yards to the side of the projected trail and started walking towards that corner, slowly looking all over for beds, broken weeds, anything. As I approached the corner, which rises a bit to form a slight hill, and which has several smaller oak trees, still holding their browned out leaves, a buck rises up and slowly hops away, into the marsh. DANG it all !
My optimism just drained away. There he goes, he isn't dead. I must have really misjudged where I hit him. I really screwed this one up. Maybe I'd better just hang up the bow and watch videos. Dang it all.
Is it bad that I keep hitting the refresh button to see if Chuck has added the next segment? :)
the question Was it the buck he shot?
I walked over to where he dissapeared. The whole time my mind is churning (so was my stomach as a matter of fact). He had the dark antlers of the buck I shot, but. . . I sure thought he was bigger than that.
I walked all the trails. . after that bounding he must have started bleeding again, just a drop, a confirming drop of blood. But there was none.
I saw him pretty well as he bounced away. I was only 35 yards or so from him and he started out quartering away. I saw his side really well and I sure didn't see any indication of trauma.
Hmm I wonder. What are the odds that another buck bedded down near my buck ? What if someone up above was up there just giggling away, having thrown me a real curve ball ?
OK. . keep looking Chuck. So I continued the search.
Another 40 yards of slow walking and. . . wait what's that ? A buck. . . my buck ! WOOOO Hooo. I did it right after all.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0394.jpg)
:goldtooth:
Success !
My shot was nearly exactly as I recalled, a bit back on entry, a little lower than I wanted, but right in there. Took out some liver, one lower lung and creased the heart.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/BiteMyButtski/DSCN0399.jpg)
I have no idea why his trail ended up stopping, except for blocked entry and exit wounds. He was really fat. The broadhead did its job. The arrow flew right through him and lodged in the ground beyond. He bled very well from the start.
The holes left in the ribcage were impressive triangles with the centers pushed open. It took a lot to block them.
It ended well, he was still in decent shape when I found him and he is getting parceled up into meat today.
end of story ! (finally)
ChuckC
Great story, very nice buck and a nice shot. Congratulations!
Thanks for the story! You put a big smile on my face this morning.
Congrats!
Way to go sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I learned some valuable lessons with this deer, not the least of which is. . invest in a deer cart. . didn't think I was gonna make it out of there dragging him. As I said earlier, getting old sucks.
Chuck
Good for you, Chuck. Good hunt, good story!
Wonderful harvest! Your detailed vivid story will serve to imbed itself more firmly such that you may be able to re-live the experience many years from now, if not a lifetime.
Congrats!
Great story, and nice buck. Thanks for the journey.
Yes!! Great story, great hunt, great buck! Way to go! :clapper:
:clapper: Nice buck and good story.
Congratulations!
Thanks for sharing, Chuck! He is a handsome buck. Congratulations :clapper:
Thank you for a wonderful story. Congratulations.
"feeding obliquely",.."...wenzels distribute..."
This guy's writing got class... almost had to look up a word or two, but you write well my friend!
Really enjoyed the tale and sharing that period of self incrimination! Been there, done that!
Congrats on the pursuit and perseverance that paid off handsomely.
And yea, from 63, a cart is a must! Even getting them ONTO a cart can be a chore by yourself if they stiffed up a bit! :)
2 years back last day, I shot 2 within an hour of each other: Doe then buck... me trying to gut 2 stiffed up deer alone would have made a great Laural and Hardy film clip! :)
Congrats again!
That's a great looking buck.Way to stick with it.Nice looking bow too.
Awesome story and a beautiful buck!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing your great story. Enjoyed it very much.
Great story and great buck!
Great story Thank you for shareing with us! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Dave (Doc Nock) you brought up an excellent point. Dragging it out was a real chore that I made a bit easier by walking back to the truck and returning with a piece of heavy plastic sheeting, they used to call this a "deer sleigh'er", that forms a slicker surface to drag on. But, then I got back to the truck.
By that time, the deer weighed in the neighborhood of 600 pounds (dressed !) and I looked at the pick up , then looked at the deer, looked at the pick up, and looked at the deer and then almost started to cry. Now what ?
I did something I never did before and it worked. Yeah, this buck was heavy, but part of the reason it takes two to get them into the bed of a truck is cause there are no good handles on a deer. Sure, some in front for dragging, but not for picking it up (unless you are REALLY tall).
I took a couple strap-on tree steps that were in the truck, and cinched them around the deer's torso, one just in front of the rear legs, one across the chest and between the front legs. With these straps in place as hand holds, I was able to dead lift the critter up and plop him onto the tailgate.
Hooray ! it worked.
ChuckC
Great stuff Chuck! Congrats :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Really nice effort, deer, & story! Pack a few of these to the truck & you'll stop on the way home to buy a deer dolly. Haven't been w/o one since. Excellent! Thanks
Great story, and buck, congrats!!!
Chuck, sir that was an excellence transfer of the hunt from your minds eye to mind! Really enjoyed it and think I may have even gotten a few "take aways" from it, like the tip from Hunter Ed how deer react when shot and the crow etc... very good information and a very fine deer... now where did I lay my bow got to get in the woods, thanks.
Congratulations!
Congrats on a beautiful buck!
Excellent job, Chuck! The property you described sounds a lot like a piece of public land about a mile from where I used to hunt in Columbia County. And yes, I know what you mean about the CWD regulations. The herd got hammered pretty hard.
A trick for getting deer into the bed of a truck, from a guy who looks like he'd need to quarter and pack out a squirrel: get a ratchet strap and a knife. Slit the rear legs where you'd insert a gambrel. Hook one end of the ratchet strap through the legs and the other end onto a tie down in the truck. Lift the legs, pull the strap tight, and then ratchet the back end onto the tailgate. Grab the head, and swing the front end in. Nothing to it.
If you ever need a game cart, and I'm up at my property, I'm only about an hour away. I'd be more than glad to help. If you want me to shoot you my phone number, let me know.
:thumbsup:
great story telling really enjoyed the adventure.
I keep a come along in all my trucks with 2 loops of rope. throw loop over tree branch attach come along other loop around antlers or through the legs. Works great.
Used the technique couple weeks ago on a 195lb hog.
Thanks Jason. I will file that tidbit away. I am guessing you are on to my "secret" spot. Go ahead and pvt message a tele number and I will program my phone if you don't mind. Help is often a wonderful thing. Goes both ways too.
Ya gotta admit though. . me dead lifting a 600 lb deer (huh prove me wrong !)into a pick up bed was pretty awesome for an old fart.
Chuck
Huzzah! Congratulations! :clapper:
Absolutely awesome story! Good job all around.
Gerald
Cool story! Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Craig
Nice one, congrats! :thumbsup:
Very nice :thumbsup:
Nice!!
Very nice story. Congrats Chuck :thumbsup:
Nice buck,and a great story,thanks for sharing. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Chuck,
You're humor has to parallel the 3 I hung with last week up with Whip! :saywhat:
Great story and pics Chuck ! A few inches higher and you would have had a dead center heart shot bud ! :archer2:
Thank you for sharing. Great job! Great buck!
Good story..good shot
Chuck, that was a great story and a happy ending thanks for sharing with us
Cool story!!! Kudos :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great writing! One-lung recoveries are not easy. Way to stick with it and great buck!
congrats and great story! :campfire:
:thumbsup: :archer:
good lookin critter :thumbsup:
Very nice buck Chuck! great story also!
Awesome buck and story, well done my friend.
Congrats! :clapper: Way to stick with it, and way to drive all of us TGer's nuts with the well told, yet drawn out stories! The long drawn out ones seem to always be my favorites, and this one didn't disappoint. Thanks for sharing and enjoy that beautiful buck.
Nice- Congrats!
Great story, I enjoyed it!
It helps if you carry a couple of 2 x 6s just slightly shorter than the pick up bed.
You can "winch" them in on top of the 2 x 6s which function as an incline plane.
Works for elk.
Bob
Thanks Bob and everybody. Lots of great ideas for getting big critters up into the bed of your truck.
Tag. . someone elses turn now.
ChuckC
Congrats on a nice buck!
Good play on the recovery. Sounds like you did it just right to me. Congrats on a nice buck!
:thumbsup: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Great Job!!
Glenn
Chuck I ve hunted with you for a long time before I moved....You sure you didnt just find that deer...Bhlhahahahaha
For real nice job and the spell is broke
cricket helped me find it !
ChuckC
Great looking buck and super story. I really like those dark antlers! Congratulations!
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Nice Buck! And a great shot. Congrats.
Congrats!
Bisch
Chuck,Great story and an awesome buck. Now i have to get to the woods, you got me fired up! :archer2: