I had an interesting hunt last night.
Normally Laura and I hunt our property and have access to it thru a farmer's logging road or if the river is high, via canoe. It's been a tough season. My main hunting bow limbs broke in August. I had Lyme's disease. I had muscular problems because the anti cholesterol meds I was on (Lipitor) was being rejected by my body and the weather, hunting conditions. lack of natural food, was making this a long season. We weren't even seeing the numbers or quality of deer on our cameras that we had become used to.
I even missed a four pointer from my DB blind about a month ago when my shoulder "popped" when I raised my bow to shoot and it alerted the deer. The result...a rushed shot...in line but high.
Two nights ago I set up a decoy as a nice buck had been working the area and about four days ago he stood about 50 yards from the blind sight checking it for does. He did the same thing the next night so I figured the decoy had to come into play. The evening I set the decoy up four does showed up. The smallest, about a 60 pounder, had no trouble with it but the older does were stomping, snorting and keeping their distance. I could have shot the small doe but I knew much bigger ones were around and didn't want to use my only doe tag on such a small deer. So much for decoys. It's found a permanent home on the ground in back of the blind.
Well....it's Thanksgiving morning, in-laws just woke up and I need to cook breakfast. I'll continue but here is a preview.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Bloodtrail2.jpg)
Looks like the RazorCaps made a mess.
Glad your having success Bill.
"Smokin!"
:campfire: :archer:
Dadgummit Bill! Why you want to go and get us all worked up like this for?
Look forward to the hearing the story. From the looks and sound of things so far you had a rough season with a great start to Thanksgiving.
Stiks
Come on Bill, they're just in laws. It's not like they're blood relatives or something. You got a story to finish here :readit: :biglaugh:
:campfire:
C'mon already...... :)
OK over two hrs. I am sure the way you shoot it did not go that far! Out with the rest of the story!! New hex-6's or what? Shawn
Man, the "hair was flying everywhere" title sure drew me...
Ohh, the anticipation...
Give him break.....he's doing breakfast then dishes.....then he has to start diner for the in-laws, you have to make a good impression you know. :biglaugh: Then there's clean up.......
Don't know when I'll get back for "the rest of the story", but CONGRATS! Bill.
Well, my brother-in-law Mark and I had to go get a Christmas tree (for Laura). Since we get the tree on the farm I hunt we went in and found the arrow and a pair of gloves I dropped last night. I also ran over my headlamp with the truck....sometimes success comes with costs.
Back to the story. A couple of weeks ago we had the infamous Halloween snowstorm. I found other hunter's tracks in the snow (the farm is posted except for Laura and me) so I followed the tracks. What I found was two apple trees I was unaware of and a pinch point or funnel about 50 yards off the path we walk on out to our property. I never caught up to the other hunter but checked out the new funnel. I set up camera and it was getting pictures of all kinds of deer...some before sunset and more, including nice bucks, after sunrise. I sat there one morning with no activity. I kept checking the camera and kept getting good pics. I decided that this week, with the New Moon would be perfect for this spot. They would use it to cross my path and head for another group of apple trees that were very difficult to hunt.
After the goof up with the decoy and the does I decided that I would hunt the stand (it's a ground blind....the farmer let's us hunt only from the ground). On Tuesday the weather looked bad. Big rain coming and the forecast for Weds. was rain and wind but a big cool down over night. If only it wouldn't rain Weds.it could be a perfect night to sit out. I was surprised when I got up on Weds. and the forecast had changed. No rain but cloudy and windy with the wind from the Southwest....couldn't be better. I just wondered what deer would show up.
When I got to the blind I decided to move my stool a bit deeper into the blueberry bushes as I felt very conspicuous where I had originally set the stool. So I did a little trimming and got comfortable.
Four thirty came and I had that sinking feeling that it was going to be another no show kind of hunt when I heard a branch break somewhere off to my right. A nice doe walked out to the apple tree and sniffed at few of the small apples that were there. When she picked her head up she saw me. I had no shot...she was looking at me and I had three 2 inch saplings covering her chest. She was about 10 yards away. She couldn't smell me but was concerned with what she was seeing. She put up her tail about half way and went back the way she had come from. She stopped behind some brush after about 20 yards and looked back my way. The decision to set back into the brush seemed to pay off as she could not see me. She seemed confused and came back but circled out about 20 yards and stopped directly in one of my shooting lanes...perfectly broadside. Because of the difficulty with my health, broken bows, etc. I really was not interested in a shot over 15 yards. But this was too good to pass up. I made a hasty decision to shoot with about 10 minutes left. The arrow appeared to shoot left and low. However, she had started to drop and turn. As the white feathers were swallowed by the decreasing light all I could see was hair flying everywhere. My first thought was that I grazed her. With a little bit of light left I decided to try to find the arrow...which I didn't til this morning....but found hair all over the place. As I inspected the hair there was blood on it. I looked in the direction she had run, thinking that I would be following an non fatally hit deer for most of the night in knee deep water from the previous evening's rain. It looked like there was more blood a few feet away. I went back to my pack and gathered my things and got out my little "Wensel" flashlight. Here is what I saw in the light.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Bloodtrail1.jpg)
Need to take a potty break...be back shortly.
Potty break? You're killing me.
My first thought was that I had perhaps hit her leg, grazed her chest but surely the hit was non fatal. The blood trail, however, was compelling so every few yards or so I marked the trail with toilet paper. I had gone about thirty yards and my flashlight showed me two glowing eyes. She lay in about six inches of water and what I thought was her running thru it was her thrashing her last in it. I was delighted but puzzled. Where did I hit her. I turned her over and saw this.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Lethalwound.jpg)
It was then I realized I had left my headlamp at home and didn't have my spare deer cart in the truck (we keep another one out on our 23 acres all season). I called Laura and told her the good news but that I would have to come home to get the cart we had there. It was a tough job dressing her out without the headlamp especially in the water. So I dragged her to the apple tree and did what I could until I got back with a headlamp and cart.
After getting the cart and finishing the field dressing I got home just as the in-laws drove up. Tomorrow I will get her registered and to the butcher but for now I simply have to say that this was one time that being lucky was better than being good. The lumenok on the arrow did not work so the flight of the arrow, in my mind, is not certain. By the looks of the fatal shot it looks to me that if she had simply stood where she was I would not have gotten her. But when I replayed the shot this morning at the stand sight and found the arrow it appeared that it would have been deadly, nevertheless. But, after all, it is Thanksgiving and to say that I am thankful for the outcome would be an understatement.
I still have two buck tags left one of which I must fill during firearms season and I still have my "special archery" tag which entitles me to an antlered second deer. Next week I plan on being more of a morning hunter at this stand as bucks, for whatever reason, seem to pass thru with good shooting light.
I was shooting my DAS recurve with Winex limbs set at 59#. The arrow was a Beman MFX 340 with 100 grain insert and a 150 grain Razorcap. On shots like this I am glad that I use multiblade heads...I think the bloodtrail speaks for itself.
By the way, I found a new tool to very useful that I had presumed to be a joke. It's called a Butt Out and it made removing the intestine and bladder easier than I have ever been able to do it with a knife and zip saw.
Since I was alone and the in-laws showed up when they did there are no hero pics...I'm not that photogenic anyway. I would also add that when I found the arrow this morning it had no blood on it...none whatsoever. If I had found the arrow before I inspected the hair I may have assumed a clean miss and a superficial wound. If there is a lesson in this incident it is to follow up on any hit on any animal no matter how minimal you think your shot may have been. Blood on the ground, at least in this instance, told me more than blood on the arrow.
Way to go Bill. :thumbsup:
Nice deer and story too! :clapper:
Congrats. :)
Way to go sir! Good story! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Nice doe!
Congrats Bill!
I know of more that one person who has shot a deer with an arrow with all white feathers...no blood at all on them and a dead deer a short distance away.
Well Done Bill! Good luck with those remaining tags.
:clapper: :clapper:
:clapper:
Way to go Bill!!!! I can attest as to how difficult it has been around here this year, horrible mast crop has made it very difficult. Nice job. :archer:
David
Good job Bill! :thumbsup:
Dave: I know you know about hunting in NH. Two nights ago it was really hard not to shoot the 60# doe at the DB blind. I knew I could do better than that....not sure it was going to be this year or not, however. How has your season been going?
Nice job Bill.
Happy Thanksgiving indeed.
CTT
Congrats!!
Pretty slow Bill. I have been hunting a lot probably less than a mile west of your land, but still been pretty slow. (That's where I will be in the morning with my nephew again.)
Hope all is well with you and Laura, and good luck to both of you in the next few weeks.
David
Nice
Congrats Bill!
Congrats Bill!!
:thumbsup: :clapper:
Good Job, way to get it done. Great follow up.
:thumbsup: :notworthy: :clapper:
Nice job of following through and finishing the "deal", Bill!
Glad to see you're out there... in spite of it all!!!
Daryl
Great story and conrgrats!
I am still curious about the arrow path...So did it hit behind the shoulder and come out in front? Where did the hair come flying from?
Good story, Bill....and congrats on the doe!
Congrats Bill!!!
Congrats Bill. Some good eating there for sure.
Congrats
GREAT STORY...and PROOF that regardless of how much experience a bowhunter has, there is ALWAYS something to learn!
Great job on all accounts! Thanks for sharing, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
FarmerMarley: Fred Eichler once stated that bowhunting is a matter of inches. The pic shows the entrance and exit hole....hence, "hair was flying everywhere". I was extremely lucky she wasn't a bit quicker. Obviously I hit the carotid artery. Again, I like multiblade heads because this could easily have been a non lethal shot depending on how the broadhead was aligned to the artery as it passed thru. It could have easily slid by, I believe.
Dave: Laura and I are doing very well. The night before I shot the doe she saw 11 deer and could have had a shot at a walking big buck but he showed up at the same time four does did at her stand. The does took off with him in hot pursuit. On our way out we encountered two bucks fighting in the farmer's field about 50 yards from where I got the doe and on my ride home with the doe I saw an awesome buck cross in front of me and about half mile later a one horned eight pointer (had a one sided 4 point rack) ran along in front of me for about 25 yards before veering off into the woods. I think rattling would be a good strategy...I know it worked for you last year.
Congratulations buddy!! I like those multiblades too. A bone hit isn't the only way to hit a deer bad, just one of many and the multi pays off.
I too thought the "Butt Out" tool was some kind of joke until I saw a guide use one at Solana a few years back. Quite impressive in it's ease of use and every guide there owned one.
Oh yeah, Mudd has been usin' the "Butt out" tool for years, every Sat. night... :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Congrats Bill. Good thing you still had some trees with apples. None of the trees where i am hunting have any left. making it even tougher to pattern the deer. Way to make and opportunity count!
Mike: There is not much of anything left. The deer on this farm, which is primarily a flower and herb farm, feed on the left overs and most nights as I leave I can see eyes in the fields even though they have 7 foot fences. Yesterday as I was going down to their remaining Christmas trees they were overseeding the whole field with winter rye. If we get some warm weather the next week and or so and it germinates and begins to grow I know exactly where I will be sitting. Every deer for miles will be into that stuff...they love it: especially the first growth.
Nice Bill! :thumbsup: Looks like you hit her in the Jugular Vein!!?? :eek: :archer:
:clapper:
Bentpole: If I could choose what "bad" shots to have this would be the choice. I hit another deer in nearly the same spot about 3 years ago when my arrow was deflected by a twig in low light. That one only made 3 jumps or so. While in Labrador hunting caribou the wind took my arrow a bit wide and took a nice bull thru the carotid. Blood was spurting everywhere and he only made it about 5 yards from where he stood when the Woodsman took him. I would never intentionally aim for this spot but if an arrow is errant or a deer tries to beat the arrow and doesn't this is where I would prefer the wound to be.