No matter how you cut it, 5 years is a long time between whitetails and I mean any deer. It hasn't been for the lack of trying but for those of us who hunt NH where deer density is low, the woods are big, and there's an almost total lack of agricultural crops it takes a step of faith to go to the woods."Hope springs eternal in the hearts of men" as the saying goes so...
A red oak flat near my home revealed some deer activity around a couple of producing trees so I put up my pop-up blind on the down wind edge, cleared a path in the second growth and leaves to allow quiet access, and settled in to wait on a still, tomb quiet September evening...
At sundown a large doe stepped out of the thick stuff and paused broadside 20 yards away. It was too far a shot for me out of a blind so I watched her meander and feed til she was out of sight. She appeared to feed down an old skidder trail which intersected my approach path to the blind. Familiar disappointment was settling in but with the wind direction favorable and a path cleared through the duff I thought to try a stalk. Nothing ventured, nothing won...
Out of the blind, I eased down the path, arrow on the string trying to see my quarry before she saw me - fat chance! She saw me and blew and lept a couple of times into the timber where she stood and stomped. We've all been there, right? I was in the shadows, kneeling and gave a couple light bleats. She took a couple steps toward me not quite sure what she had seen. Fortunately, the wind hadn't betrayed me. She took a couple more steps toward me. Hmmmm....
With light failing, I moved toward her and knelt again and bleated. And again. She seemed to be relaxing more but kept staring. After one move toward her, I picked up an acorn and loudly crunched it in my teeth. That move seemed to be the convincer. She wagged her tail and sniffed around for her own acorn which allowed me one more move in her direction which put me at 18 yards from the skidder trail. The doe moved broadside in her search for nuts and paused to look my way. I was already drawn and released the arrow which, in the fading day, appeared to take her low in the heart and lungs but I heard a disturbing metallic "chink" sound. She bounded away, tail up out of sight and hearing. Had what I heard been the sound of my arrow passing low and into the granite laden NH soil? Unsure, with questions in mind, I backed out to search in the morning...
Of course, it rained steadily all night long.
The next day, my wife Deb came out to help in the grid search I was sure would be necessary. Where the deer had stood I found the broken back end of my arrow with about 3" missing and about 10" of blood sign on the shaft. I hadn't hit low after all. Our extensive search proved fruitless until we looked back along the doe's approach path from the evening before. She had returned to the area she had previously determined to be "safe". Never have I felt so elated and thankful to find the object of the search. Ironically, her 100 yard run ended under an oak containing my tree stand...
The night's rain would prove to be a moot point as the high double lung hit would have allowed little blood to reach the ground. My broadhead fractionally missed the near scapula on entry, split the near rib as well as the off-side rib, and remember the metallic "chink" I heard? The off side scapula was completely penetrated too...
I shot my Big Jim Thunderchild LB on the hunt pushing a GT Trad carbon shaft and a SB No Mercy broadhead, 585 grains in weight which yields a footnote...
Like many, I've followed with interest the Ashby studies on heavy bone penetration and arrow/broadhead combinations. Not stir up debate because I'm totally on board with those who say a scalpel sharp broadhead in the right place (accuracy) is paramount but WHAT IF the archer is off in the shot, the animal moves, or that unseen twig deflects to make a hit less than perfect...
With that in mind, I think I'll move up in total arrow weight and FOC because WHAT IF I'ld hit the near shoulder blade too!
Thanks for letting me share. My friend Bill Carlsen is helping me out with this, my first ever post, by posting a couple photos as I'm definitely e-challenged.
The prize:
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Toddanddoe.jpg)
The inside view:
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Arrowinchest.jpg)
No Mercy thru the scapula:
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/Arrowthruscapula.jpg)
Awesome!!!
Good for you....how far did she go after the shot? Just curious....... :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Congratulations, good thing are worth waiting for. Just curious, what was your bow poundage?
Nice doe! :thumbsup:
Congrats.
I like the crunching nut move. Very nice Brother and congrats.
Nice job on a nice doe!!!!!
David
Congratulations! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good work on the crunching acorn. And it worked!
Congratulations...especially with the guts to stalk the deer rather than just sitting and saying that's that. Good on you! Enjoy the backstraps!
Congrats on a Great Hunt and a nice Big Doe! Glad you found her!
Good Shoot'n!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/buzzards.gif)
Congratulations! Meat in the freezer! :clapper:
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
That's awesome! Great story. Very articulate with your words! Congrats
Thanks all!
As for the couple follow up questions, she went about 100 yds. after the shot and I'm shooting 60# @ 27".
Congrats!!
Congrats on a fine deer!
Todd..thats great and like I told Bill to tell you congratulations on the turkey and deer..but here I will also say congrats and thats awesome
I have a lot of respect for you guys that hunt with traditional bows in areas like NH and Maine. That has got to be some of the most difficult whitetail hunting there is. Great job!
Well Done--Congrats! :thumbsup:
Good work!
Very nice. Well worth the wait. Congrats
Congrats!
I would like to add.
How you went about taking this doe was pure bowhunting at its finest! It is how I hunt as i cant stay still for long. Crunching that acorn and bleeting was over the top and maybe something can be learned by the masses for such a great smoke screen trick.
Well done sir!
Very kind of you No Sights. I learned the basic drill hunting boar with locals in Hawai'i who would sometimes "smack" their lips when near boars to mimic another near pig feeding. Calmed the target down and sometimes brought them closer out of curiosity.
Great job.Happy for your well deserved success.
Congrats!
X2 on the nut crunching idea. Might have to try that.
Congrats.
Good eats there
Appreciate the story and the pictures. Nice doe! Congrats!
X3 on the acorn move! Desperate times call for desperate measures! Congrats!
Awesome!
Great job! I like the decision to make it happen.
Congrats on a fine doe and thanks for the story and how to get it done in NH! :thumbsup: Thanks Bill for posting pics to help share your friends success.
For those who might try the acorn move - red oak acorns are pretty bitter though I understand Native Americans would submerge red oak acorns in the bottom mud of shallow water and leave them until the next season leaching out much of the tannin and making them edible. Not planning on adding them to my diet though!
Well done, Todd. :thumbsup: She's a beauty.
Yes Birdbow, red oak are bitter ,but white oak are pretty good to eat if you had to survive. Congrats on your deer taken on the level with her trying to figure you out. Great story and pics.
Congrats on a great deer.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...eat!
Great story! Thanks for sharing with us. 5 years is a long wait. I love the stalking job you put on this one.
K.C. <><
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Bill has said it before, and those of you that know me have heard me say it too.......Jon has it right when he says NH and Maine are very difficult places to hunt for and kill deer. Deer density here is not high, we typically kill around 11,000 deer a year here. That's 11,000 total with all weapons, which includes a month long rifle season and a 10 day muzzleloader season which normally falls into the middle of the rut. Our bow season is three months long, and is included in the various gun seasons.
That makes killing deer here with traditional gear all the more impressive.......congrats again Todd!
David
Nice photo honoring the deer and the bow. That bow is very striking! Well done all the way around.
Bona
Exceptional job thinking on your feet, err knees. Great job. I missed the draw weight of the bow, but the no mercy did its job on the scapula after breaking a rib on entry. nOt that I disagree with more over all weight.
Well done.
Congrats, nice stalk.
Good job Todd! And 5 years is no embarrassment around these parts.
Congrats!!!
Wow Thats Great. Congrats!
Good job!! I think i'll start bringing a not cracker.
I think I saw you shoot a nice Bull moose in maine on you tube,nice job on the doe.
Congrats!
Bowbird has some nice pics of some really big bucks on his trail cameras. I keep waiting for a call from him to help in tracking one of these big boys. If he gets one he'll be immediately famous. Big deer are few and far between in NH...deer in general are. I am hoping he gets the timing right on one of his big boys. The rut is coming...stand by.
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper: Very well done Congrats.
Nice ,,
Gerald,
Thanks and you're correct about the moose video. My (probable) once in a life time moose hunt and a video of it to boot! What a week hunting with Eldon Jandreau! Highly recommend it if you're looking to do it.
Todd
:thumbsup: :clapper: