First Louisiana Trad Buck!

[LimBender]

I love my family property in south central Louisiana, but have come up empty with the stickbow the last couple years of trying.  

After several fun hunts, but no shots taken, I found myself sitting in the same stand that Jeff (Tippit) hunted last year during the Cajun flood hunt - a wooden ladder stand just inside thinned woods next to a strip of clover.  It was a rare, crisp Louisiana October day, and the wind was holding up well.  It was a Hunter's Moon and the first sit for this stand:

[Lin Rhea]

[magnus]

This is gonna be good.

[South MS Bowhunter]

:eek:

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[Gen273]

   

[LimBender]

It wasn't looking to be, I had a bad cold, had a doe bust and blow on my entry, and my biggest battle was not coughing.  I had 3 cough drops in my mouth, breathing through only my nose, but kept it under wraps as prime time crept up.

I was standing and facing the woods when I heard footsteps behind me in the clover.  I slowly pivoted and couldn't believe a big bodied buck was walking the edge about 15 yards or so away.  He crossed my entrance route without spooking.  As I slowly moved into final position to draw a deer which must have been following the buck crashed away.  The buck looked back, then around and had that about to bolt look, so I drew and shot.  

It felt good, but I heard that loud bone crack sound, saw the arrow had hit the bottom of the spine, and the buck whirling on the ground.  I am scarred when, at 12 years old, a large monster buck got up and gone after I watched him on the ground for several minutes.  So now shaking, I pulled my second arrow and just missed.  He was facing me trying to get up and I shot him through the front shoulder.  Now the two arrows and his horns were clacking and making a big racket.  I then nocked my blunt and shot him in the lungs.  It was finally over and I was out of arrows.

 

[Gen273]

Way to go, Congrats on a great buck!!!

[LimBender]

I'm shooting a 51# Zipstick, with 595 gr. arrows and 250 VPA Terminators.   Here's a couple clean pictures:

   

   


I'm really thankful for all the work my dad has put into the property over the last several year.  Without his efforts, this would not have happened.

[TJK68]

Nice buck!
Tom

[JMR]

Nice buck! Congratulations!

[South MS Bowhunter]

Great deer can feel your excitement!

[oldway]

Congrats Tom!

[Benjy]

Cograts Will! I have done that exact same shooting sequence. Good job on following up cause I have had a couple get up after that spine shot...

Benjy

Great looking Zipstick!

[LimBender]

Thanks guys,

It was quite a scene, but I have had bad experiences with wounded deer and it had been raining and was threatening - so I wasn't letting up.  

Benjy, wasn't sure if the pretty new Zipstick would go in the woods, but it it is my best shooting, quietest bow, so it got the call.  It now has blood, mud, and a couple scratches on it, and I could care less.

[VictoryHunter]

 Congrats!

[Izzy]

Great buck, congrats.

[Hopewell Tom]

Good work, big bodied is right.
Way to hang tough on the shooting.

[kwc]

nice buck,congrats.

[Fattony77]

The expression on your face is priceless! Like "I can't believe that just happened!" Congratulations and way to keep at it!