JCJ.....way to go....we need pics and a story!

JCJ        

Nate & All:

I shot the deer late enough in the evening and it was fairly warm 50 degrees so I did not get any photos before I processed it. It was basically a little basket rack 5 point, 3 on one side two on the other. Maybe 130 pounds dressed weight.

Saturday night we had a steady 10-15 mph SE wind. I took a ambush location along the West border of my property in a clump of Buckthorn. About 5 yards East of me runiing North and South was a trail between a bedding area and a cornfield.

I started my hunt a 3PM. Fell asleep for about an hour ad when I woke was all refreshed and ready for the evening sit. About 7:15 PM I heard some sticks cracking to my East and a couple minutes later four does and fawns stepped out on the trail about 20 yards North of my position. They fed there unknowing of my presence. Not long after they appeared I heard some movement coming from my South. I peeked through the Buckthorn and I saw the rack of a deer bobbing my way through the tall grass. As the deer approached I readied my bow and visualized how I wanted the shot sequence to go if the deer kept coming. Once I could see he was in fact going to walk exactly as I anticipated I went into what I can no better describe as auto-pilot or a state of heightened conciousness where my inner predator must kick in. It happens every time I shoot a deer.

Basically the deer stepped into my shooting lane and without really recognizing it I picked my spot drew and loosed the arrow all in a smooth simple motion. THe "thwack" of impact woke me from that state and I watched the buck wheel and head to my East with the entire arrow hanging out its right side save for the fletching. At that point I shook uncontrollabley for about 5 minutes as I went through the joy and remorse that I expereince each time I take a shot and make a hit.

I waited an hour and then with flashlight in hand bloodtrailed the deer and recovered it about 60 yards from where I took the shot.

Besides the bow, arrow and broadhead combination I described in my earlier post, I was wearing a green and brown Woolrich wool plaid shirt. A green hat, and dark green pants. I rubbed a little charcoal on my face to take of the shine and that is about the extent of it.

The deer was 15-18 feet of me when I shot it and was totally focused on the does and fawns to my North and unaware of my presence.

Way good read JCJ...great job    Longbows and plaid,  gotta love it....we're going to have alot of good reads this season with the stories of success already coming in with Jeff and now you.

18' on the ground....wary whitetail...longbow/woodies/plaid....priceless.

Mudd....sometimes you gotta sit up against a tree or bush....if I have to choose,  I like back-cover over front-cover.

JCJ Hunting the had way the way it was meant to be on the ground no camo Great JOB.

QuoteOriginally posted by sunset hill:
Way good read JCJ...great job       Longbows and plaid,  gotta love it....we're going to have alot of good reads this season with the stories of success already coming in with Jeff and now you.

18' on the ground....wary whitetail...longbow/woodies/plaid....priceless.

Mudd....sometimes you gotta sit up against a tree or bush....if I have to choose,  I like back-cover over front-cover.

I just like to tuck into a blowdown or a thick shrub. I don't like anything in front of me. I have shot the last three bucks and one doe from makeshift groundblinds. The longest shot was maybe 15 yards. None where aware I was present and were totally relaxed when the arrow hit them.

Great stuff JCJ; about as simple as it gets!

Jeff

WOW, I have been playing around with my new Cheetah and have been shooting ok, nothing special.  For kicks, I ordered a new string, D-97 from Josh.  I put a bit of muskrat fur on the string, stretched it a bit went to shoot.  Wow, it is quiet, feels more crisp(?) on release and my first 3 shots with broad heads at 17 yards had 3 shafts touching! - kinda hard on the fletches.  I thought it might be a fluke, but I did it again next round, so the rest of the evening I shot at individual targets.  I got hte bow for shooting fun, but heck man I may have to hunt her this year.

P.S.

JCJ, cool story, I hope to have the same luck as you!  

Bob.

Hey Rob,

Your avatar bird is not an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) like the one you have pictured in your post.  That appears to be a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).  Our kestrel was commonly called the sparrowhawk back in the day, but you don't hear that much anymore.  They are two very different birds.  The American Kestrel is a real looker though.  

Yes I like traditional archery, but I'm also a bird nerd as some would say.  Wow, I finally got a chance to teach someone something around here.  

 

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by Ben Kleinig:
... Cool avatar photo! What kind of bird is that?

why, a sparrowhawk, of course.        

an american kestral ...

  [/b]

JCJ-

Congrats,

Darren

Way to go JCJ!

Nice shootin'!

Shoot straight, Shinken

 

QuoteOriginally posted by mikebiz:
Hey Rob,

Your avatar bird is not an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) like the one you have pictured in your post.  That appears to be a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).  Our kestrel was commonly called the sparrowhawk back in the day, but you don't hear that much anymore.  They are two very different birds.  The American Kestrel is a real looker though.  

Yes I like traditional archery, but I'm also a bird nerd as some would say.  Wow, I finally got a chance to teach someone something around here.  


 

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
   

QuoteOriginally posted by Ben Kleinig:
... Cool avatar photo! What kind of bird is that?

why, a sparrowhawk, of course.          

an american kestral ...

    [/b]

[/b]

yeah, and i  knew that, too, but it was such a nice in-flight pic ....   :D

This type of bird doesn't fly, but it will throw feathers at you

The core, the sweep at the fades...

if I didn't know any better Jesse,  I'd think you like that bow....  

With the way my funnels lay to my blind I'm looking at a max of a 15 yard shot, so I setup for this distance instead of twenty last night. Here is one of my 6 shot groups, still one flier but I'm making good progress!

 

I'm removing a lot of variables from my shooting(different strings, nock points, gloves/tabs, 3 under/split, etc) but I did try two sets of arrows last night.

   

On the right: 2117, 31.5" BOP, 175 grain tip, 4 fletch with 5" shields at 75/105.

On the left: 2117, 32" BOP, 175 grain tip, 3 fletch with 5" sheilds.
(I went to the longer arrows because my broadheads were hitting my riser with the shorter ones, just barely. I've been shooting them for a few weeks with only accuracy problems       )

Last night I tried a few of the shorter ones and they grouped noticeably tighter than the longer ones so I shot them all night. Notice that wear spot on the sideplate? There was nothing like that when I started and all that wear came from one night with the shorter arrows.

Would half an inch make such a difference on spine that it could effect my groups so drastically or tweak the paradox to this extent?

I'm either on the cusp of another break through with my shooting or I'm off in the weeds again...

Nate, the extra care involved with them is worth it in my book. Nothing shoots like an all wood bow.

Here is a photo to commemorate my recent harvest.

SNS...that wear on your arrow plate could be from fletching...with 4 fletch the extra feather could be dragging. If the arrows are grouping like that,  I wouldn't change anything.  If the shorter arrow lets your broadhead hit the back of the bow you can mount the broadhead vertically or on an angle so it doesn't touch.  I like arrows as short as possible because...less length=less flex= easier tuning. Looks like you're ready for opening day !!    I'd be willing to bet that if you shoot at an animal, your broadhead won't hit the bow, most guys underdraw a little under pressure shooting...

Swampthing...take care of that bow and it'll take care of you...and you have plenty of speed and power to put down animals...

JCJ...pictures are worth 1000 words.  Put that in your hunting album or on the wall....it's the type of photo that begs details of the hunt  

JCJ-

Were waiting    for the story.

Congrats,

Darren