Something was aligning on Halloween, it was my 10th year hunting, my 10th deer hunt this year and low and behold something was in the works. Sorry the post is windy, but I'm still on the high from the hunt yesterday morning. Feel free to skip to the pictures if you like
I got into the stand about 7:10, and got settled in. Saturday morning out of the same stand I'd seen 18 different deer, including 3 separate young 1.5 y/o bucks chasing/grunting/working does. I hoped Halloween would have something in store. At 7:55, I saw a big bodied, big antlered deer come out of a thicket about 20 yards away. I didn't see much of the antlers, but just off of a glimpse of his right side I knew he was a shooter. I tried to get set up quickly and quietly, and no more than 15 seconds after I first saw him, the arrow was on its way.
I thought I missed him, and called my Dad to tell him. When I shot, the buck didn't high-kick or anything, he ran about 20 yards, slowed to a trot, then a walk, and just kept walking the direction he was going. Great, I just missed the biggest buck I've ever seen with a bow in my hand. I thought I pulled it low. He was only at about 7 yards, and my bow is decently fast, so I really couldn't follow the arrow, and I semi-remember focusing on not dropping my shooting arm early. After 15 minutes, I figured I'd get down and surely find my clean arrow, then get back in my stand and keep on trucking. Low and behold, I found the arrow completely covered in good, bright red blood. This is what I love and hate about hunting, the crazy emotional ride. It was just beginning.
I called my Dad and told him to head over about 8:30 from his stand and we'd start tracking. We went to the arrow and followed really good blood for about 40 yards. This was about 50 minutes after the shot by now, and I hear a crashing up ahead, and sure as anything we pushed him. There the heart sinks about as low as when I missed him. We found the bed, and there was some blood in it, but not what I'd like and no bubbles. Now I'm thinking maybe a liver hit. For whatever reason, I decided to keep on him while the blood was fresh. Long story short, we ended up following a pretty easily-followable blood trail for over a mile and a half, jumping the buck 4 or 5 times. Every time we jumped him, I could tell he was getting a little slower and weaker and the blood trail a little heavier, and we had permission to track the direction he was heading, so we stayed on him. Finally, I got up close. He was pretty close to being gone, but I used another arrow to be as quick and ethical as possible.
Honestly, it was the craziest, emotion-riddled, up and down roller coaster I've been on hunting or otherwise. I can honestly say, tracking an animal that you think may need to use another arrow for for over 3 hours, being ready for him to jump up with your next step was draining. My dad and I just sat beside him for a good 15 minutes looking back on what had gone down and I don't think either of us said more than 5 words the entire time. As for my 10th hunt of my 10th year, it's one I won't forget the rest of my life.
I really had no clue how big he was when I shot, I only knew he was a shooter. The animal would be a trophy without any antlers because I know what we went through with/for him. If there is a lesson from him, next time you're tracking one and get a little discouraged, maybe just go that extra hour. I never thought I'd recover a mortally-wounded deer over 1 1/2 miles from the shot and 3 straight hours of tracking later, but this case certainly was. (Feel free to comment on what you think I hit; you can see the 1st shot entry-wound in the pictures. My only idea is that is was 2 inches too far back? With the second shot, it was impossible to find out which arrow did what upon a post. It exited low on the other side, so I think this was the saving grace in tracking that allowed the blood trail to be followable.)
He dressed out at 200 lbs, best guessed @ 4.5 y/o and the taxidermist roughed him out at 155" and he shouldn't have more than 5" in deductions. He has nearly identical non-counting stickers on both G2's and a dual brow tine on his left side for 11 scorable points. Honestly, he's probably the best buck with the most memories I'll ever be lucky enough to get in my life, and I'm more than perfectly fine with that.
I got into the stand about 7:10, and got settled in. Saturday morning out of the same stand I'd seen 18 different deer, including 3 separate young 1.5 y/o bucks chasing/grunting/working does. I hoped Halloween would have something in store. At 7:55, I saw a big bodied, big antlered deer come out of a thicket about 20 yards away. I didn't see much of the antlers, but just off of a glimpse of his right side I knew he was a shooter. I tried to get set up quickly and quietly, and no more than 15 seconds after I first saw him, the arrow was on its way.
I thought I missed him, and called my Dad to tell him. When I shot, the buck didn't high-kick or anything, he ran about 20 yards, slowed to a trot, then a walk, and just kept walking the direction he was going. Great, I just missed the biggest buck I've ever seen with a bow in my hand. I thought I pulled it low. He was only at about 7 yards, and my bow is decently fast, so I really couldn't follow the arrow, and I semi-remember focusing on not dropping my shooting arm early. After 15 minutes, I figured I'd get down and surely find my clean arrow, then get back in my stand and keep on trucking. Low and behold, I found the arrow completely covered in good, bright red blood. This is what I love and hate about hunting, the crazy emotional ride. It was just beginning.
I called my Dad and told him to head over about 8:30 from his stand and we'd start tracking. We went to the arrow and followed really good blood for about 40 yards. This was about 50 minutes after the shot by now, and I hear a crashing up ahead, and sure as anything we pushed him. There the heart sinks about as low as when I missed him. We found the bed, and there was some blood in it, but not what I'd like and no bubbles. Now I'm thinking maybe a liver hit. For whatever reason, I decided to keep on him while the blood was fresh. Long story short, we ended up following a pretty easily-followable blood trail for over a mile and a half, jumping the buck 4 or 5 times. Every time we jumped him, I could tell he was getting a little slower and weaker and the blood trail a little heavier, and we had permission to track the direction he was heading, so we stayed on him. Finally, I got up close. He was pretty close to being gone, but I used another arrow to be as quick and ethical as possible.
Honestly, it was the craziest, emotion-riddled, up and down roller coaster I've been on hunting or otherwise. I can honestly say, tracking an animal that you think may need to use another arrow for for over 3 hours, being ready for him to jump up with your next step was draining. My dad and I just sat beside him for a good 15 minutes looking back on what had gone down and I don't think either of us said more than 5 words the entire time. As for my 10th hunt of my 10th year, it's one I won't forget the rest of my life.
I really had no clue how big he was when I shot, I only knew he was a shooter. The animal would be a trophy without any antlers because I know what we went through with/for him. If there is a lesson from him, next time you're tracking one and get a little discouraged, maybe just go that extra hour. I never thought I'd recover a mortally-wounded deer over 1 1/2 miles from the shot and 3 straight hours of tracking later, but this case certainly was. (Feel free to comment on what you think I hit; you can see the 1st shot entry-wound in the pictures. My only idea is that is was 2 inches too far back? With the second shot, it was impossible to find out which arrow did what upon a post. It exited low on the other side, so I think this was the saving grace in tracking that allowed the blood trail to be followable.)
He dressed out at 200 lbs, best guessed @ 4.5 y/o and the taxidermist roughed him out at 155" and he shouldn't have more than 5" in deductions. He has nearly identical non-counting stickers on both G2's and a dual brow tine on his left side for 11 scorable points. Honestly, he's probably the best buck with the most memories I'll ever be lucky enough to get in my life, and I'm more than perfectly fine with that.
