What a week! I took off Tuesday through Friday this week to go hunting up in Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge area for a few days. I decided that a change of scenery would be nice. Well three days up there the scenory was nice but for a guy using a bow I never quite could seal the deal. So yesterday morning around 1030 I decided to break camp drive the two hours back home and sit in a lock on I had hung for dad several months back. (He was out of town on hunt up in Indiana and I felt that it was an injustice to leave his stand unhunted!  :evil:  :evil: ) I washed all my cloths when I returned home. I decided to take my costal bend long bow, I'd been shooting my recurve the past few weeks and figured I'd take the longbow. I walked out back to fire a few shots to see where I was hitting at 27 yards I put one in the heart, I drew another arrow and shot again and heard the pop as my second arrow banged the first I laughed and said to myself "no need to waste the third on on foam" so I pulled the arrows, showered, dressed, and heading for the woods.

I was calm and quiet by 5pm, the stand is hung a little higher than we had previously planed the base of the stand is just a touch over 20 foot putting your head while standing near the 30 foot mark... But that was the only way to use the back cover of this tree that was absolutely perfect for this spot.

The stand sits between to 10 year old planted pines next to a super thick creek bottom dividing the two thickets. How the land was timbered the wind rows left made this spot a natural pinch point and so far a great producer. We planted a foot plot of peas, rape, and clover this year and it has become a nice hang out for several nice deer and pigs.

At 630 I made a few soft grunts and had a response some 75 yards to my west from a pig and some squeals. I smiled and though more bacon would be nice! Well I saw nothing for the next 30 minutes and heard nothing so I decided to give a few more grunts. I gave 4 to my south then turned and gave two short grunts followed by little drawn out one. I put the call back behind my bino and I heard limbs breaking to my west and a series of three or four short grunts. I grabbed my bow and prepared for the pigs I new were coming. Then I see movement on the trail leading to the west end of the food plot and think wow that is kind of tall for a pig. Then I see horns, and more importantly I see a deer!

I shift my weight preparing for a shot if the deer was a shooter as he come walking out i quickly count 3 on his left beam then think oh no it's the tall six we have been getting pictures of and my heart sank a little then as he steps into the plot I see four points on his left! I decide right then if he presents a shot though a little young I was going to take him because we have no pictures of this seven!

He steps in the west end of the food plot head on a swivel looking for the deer he had heard in the pea patch. I slow began to raise my arm as he looked to the north, i could feel the tension growing in my fingers from the bow as I burned a spot in the lower portion of his shoulder. I guess I was burning a hole a little to hot because he snapped around and looked right at me! We played to old good, the bad, and the ugly stare down for the better part of a minute before he turned to look around again. As his head faced north I began my draw still picking a spot and at 3/4's the way back he turns to look at me I knew I couldn't stop I hit anchor and made my last minute adjustments as the bucks head started that same bobbing motion a cobra does to a snake charmer playing his flute.

I focused and released the 650 grain arrow lead by the 200 grain vpa terminator out front at the deer. The young buck ducked and spun to run as he saw me relase and my perfect low and tight should shot arrow was not burried to the knock mid way up the body and mid way back! The deer bounded North for 40 yard took a hard right and all was silent.

My heart sank I couldn't believe he had ducked me that much at 23 yards! I called my dad to tell him the story and we both talked for few minutes about the events that unfolded.We both then some 1200 miles apart had a light bulb go off that both could see. My arrow should be sticking some six inches in the dirt in I went through this gut! We both agree that the only think that would have slowed that arrow down that much at that distance would have been if I hit the off side shoulder and if the arrow had hit that shoulder that would mean I'd have a very dead buck!

It had been 30 minutes he wished me luck and I decided to take the trail up for 50 yards or so and see what I could find. upon inspecting where I hit the deer I saw nothing no blood, no hair, just tracks! I started down the trail for some five yards and found blood! Then another two steps I find this....


I smell no gut on the arrow and I see bubbles towards the fletchings my hopes raise!  :cheer:  :cheer:  :cheer:

I continue the trail for another 25 or 30 yards and find spotty blood but enough to follow I then reach the last place I saw the buck and find this.....

I countinue north no blood! I go west no blood! I go back north a little further still no blood! I then go further west no blood I then realize East the deer turned east I turn east see blood on a limb and right behind that not five yards I see my buck, dead as a hammer! I touch him to make sure he is down, walk over do my prayer, and then look at this horns and what do you know he grew another brow tine! Making him an eight point!

I called my father to tell him I had my prize and how he had grown some extra horns and we said our congrats and I love yous and I began the drag! I had my girlfriend come help me with the deer, she was excited for me but after 3 days of not seeing me the last thing she wanted to do with me was clean a deer but she was sweet and helped me get him cleaned and butchered.




My first deer with my coatal bend long bow


Vpa left an nasty hole as usual!


For those interested 60 inch Costal bend longbow, right at 68lbs at my draw, Gt trad 75/95 arrows 250 grains up front lead by a vpa Terminator broadhead!

out standing!

Nice buck, congrats!  

Congrats!  

Congratulations!

Nice deer and even better story telling.

Thank you for sharing.

God bless,Mudd

Well done , Congrats sir..........
,,Sam,,

Congrats!  Pretty buck and pretty bow!

nicely done!

   

I very much enjoyed the story, and end result  with photos , nice deer and equipment. Maxx

Good job! Nice deer. What part of the Piedmont were you hunting before you headed back home? I live near there. Don't give up on the Piedmont as there are some very good deer there, but your home boy deer looks just fine.

Nicely done, Beau! And a darn good job of telling the tale too!    

Mike

Congrats!!

Well done,I am glad for you..

At 20' up he doesn't have to duck much to hit mid body. I would say you made a pretty good shot. Congrats

Good Shootn'!

Nice buck! Congratulations!

Congratulations!  Nice story and pictures!  Thanks for sharing!

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

Congrats!