Seems like sometimes you sit on stand hour after hour and never see a deer. Just when I am ready to throw in the towel and climb down, a little voice in my head says "it only takes one second to see a deer and one more second to shoot it" After all, for hours you haven't seen anything and one second later you could see a deer. One second you still don't have a shot and the next second you do! So if I can hold out for 2 more seconds, maybe I can take a deer today. I am also a firm believer that you have to hunt and put the time in to be proficient and consistantly harvest deer.
I wouldn't normally post pics of a doe I took but this hunt was different. I posted pics of a new bow I built about a week ago. This doe is special because it is my first kill with homemade equipment. The area I am hunting, has an earlier 2 week season from most of the state, you get 2 free tags but the first one has to be a doe. Every year I kinda feel like you are out there to kill instead of hunt until I get that first doe. I understand it is for deer management control but I still don't like the idea of going out to kill instead of hunting. After the first on you can hunt for bucks. It has been ungodly hot here for October. In fact it was 85 today! I have hunted each of the first 3 days with no luck or no deer movement. Today I worked till 4:30 and decided it was just to hot to hunt. I decided to go for a jog instead. When I got back I was soaking wet with sweat. I looked at the woods behind my house, I heard that voice "it only takes a second to kill a deer"
I went into the house, changed my sweaty shirt to a camo t-shirt grabbed my bow and headed to the woods. When I left the house it was 6:58 pm Two minutes before sunset and 32 minutes before end of legal shooting time. I had a stand just over the hill so I headed to it. Running shorts, running shoes, no facemask no nothing, heck I even forgot my hoist to pull the bow into the tree. As soon as my feet hit the stand, I saw a deer out about 60 yards. Ended up being two. They feed into me until the lead doe was about 3-4 yards. Problem was she was either coming at me head on or strongly quartering to. I let her go and waited for the second one. Same exact scenario! Now the first one was right under me, so I got turned in the stand to position for a shot after she passed. Well she decided to turn back so I got turn back also, now she was about 5 yards but still no good shot. Finally she winded me. probably wasn't too hard as I was litterally dripping sweat onto my stand! By this point she had enough and ran down the hill but stopped about 15 yards broadside. Came to anchor, picked a spot and let fly. Checked the watch, it was 717 pm! 19 minutes since I left the house. Ended up being a good double lung hit and I heard her crash just over the hill, 40 yards maybe 50. She was 106 lb field dressed so a decent size doe around here.
The moral I guess is, if you aint out there, you ain't gonna kill em! You hunt hard and right and sometimes can't buy a deer. Then you have days like this where you can do everything against the book and still get lucky???
Pics were taken by my 14 year old son. So I guess I am fortunate I have pics at all! I think the maple sappling out there may have listened better to my instructions on taking the pics! :confused:
Actually he is a GREAT kid!!
Not the greatest story, but not an everyday hunt either. Steve
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade001.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade018.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade016.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade013.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade012.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/warden415/10-4-07Doe1stwithhomemade011.jpg)
Congratulations and great story! :thumbsup:
Great story! Note to self....go jogging....get sweaty...wait till last light...run to stand behind house..shoot deer...got it :readit: , I should be so lucky! lol! :notworthy:
By the way, I changed clothes when I got home and before I went to get the deer, I had to put on something a little more traditional than nike shorts and brooks running shoes for the pics! :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
awesome bro,,,CONGRATS!!! :thumbsup:
really cool. congrats :)
Who says you need all that scent control crap! Congrats on a fine kill. What part of WV are you in? I grew up in Mercer County and then lived in Motown for about 4 years before moving to the land of cotton. Its always hot down here and I have struggled with hunting in these hot temps. Good luck with the rest of the season.
Congradulations! Hap
Great job and it makes it all the sweeter with homemade equipment! Next time I'm up there and frustrated I'll just have to remember 2 more seconds.
Great deer and story, thanks for sharing your experience.
Congrats!
Good story, congratulations. Is it just me or do you shoot some long arrows?
congrats :0)
Great job. Nice Bow. Hey...does that quiver look familiar ?
:thumbsup:
ChuckC
Way to go :thumbsup:
ChuckC in fact, that is your old quiver! Steve
Turkey Duke, I am from the very morthern part of WV about an hour and a half above morgantown, In fact I went to college at WVU
LV2HUNT the arrows are longer than my draw. They are right at 30" with outsert and all. I only draw 25" I needed these arrow long to get the spine down and get them to fly right. When I bareshaft them I just cut and adjust untill they fly straight with no kick or wobble. That is the length these arrows ended up for this new bow. Steve
Good eating there. Enjoy the rewards of a good hunt.
Just curious, looked long but they seem to work just fine! :thumbsup:
Such a true, hunt! Right spot, right time! Is everything! Thanks for sharing the story, and your son did fine with the pic's!
Brent
Way to go!!
Well done! :)
Thanks for sharing your story! :campfire:
great job and nice deer
Shot my first with homemade equipment just a couple years ago, great feeling isn't it! Congrats!
-Mike
Nice job! So when's the new Centaur making meat and the old one shipped to my neck of the woods? :)
Way to go Steve!!!
Easy there Ken....wait in line!
Imaginary interent line? You'ze in front of me?
Step aside, my boy. :)
Steve,
My kind of hunt brother!! A run and a kill. Very cool story. Thanks for the pm to let me know about it. I cant believe your son is 14!!
Shane
awsome!!!
what were the specs on your set up?
Yer boy takes fine pics.
Your story supports my favorite saying during deer season: You can't kill one sitting on the couch!
Shane, worse than my son being 14, my daughter is 16 and driving!!! Pray for me! or better yet. pray for everyone else out the on the road! :pray:
QuoteThe moral I guess is, if you aint out there, you ain't gonna kill em!
Words of wisdom.. :archer: