First deer out of my saddle....

[muzzyman88]

Finally, after my first season in a saddle and a couple of adjustments on tree selection, it came together. I ran into this buck Saturday morning but he was out of range and had a girlfriend with him. He was a very vocal deer and seemed on the ornery side so I got aggressive trying to get him to take a look.. no dice. I made a tree adjustment and one sticked up what I felt was the perfect tree to intercept any buck in the rut that came through that area based on historical info I had. Problem always was, with a climber, this tree was impossible to climb. The saddle was perfect. Tuesday morning, at 7am, a doe came in behind me with him right in tow. He walked straight to the tree I was in and stood there forever at 15 yards, rubbing a bush and keeping tabs on her. He made a move toward her and I came draw, but then he stopped. I was at full draw for over minute before he took a couple steps and gave me his vitals. But, just as I settled on him and began to pull through the shot, he started to go after the doe and my arrow missed its mark badly, hitting him way back. I left him get out of sight, quietly slipped out of the tree and got out of there.

I returned at 3pm with some friends to find him, hoping that was enough time to let him bed up and expire. We found him, still alive and he crashed off stuff bouncing down through the woods away, but he was in bad shape. We backed out and returned the next morning to find him 50 yards away dead. Not how I wanted this old bruisers life to end, but I sure am proud of this deer. My best PA bow buck to date.

Couple lessons for me as it pertains to saddle hunting. Shooting deer out of one is definitely different and a learning curve. The shot was at my 6 oclock and I was setup good for it, but leaning straight away from the tree, at full draw for a minute and my legs shaking like crazy trying to not move was an experience. lol. The second less is that for me, I need to set my tether length shorter, even though I'm a sitter so I'm not leaning off the tree as much during peak movement hours. I was leaning off the tree way more than I wanted to be because I was in a full seated position with legs 90 degrees. When I stood out away from the tree when he came in, i was leaning pretty good and probably attributed to why my legs were shaking as bad as they were holding that position.

Anyway, the saddle cherry was popped in a big way for me this year!

 

[Tim0712]

Awesome deer man! Congratulations! Glad it all panned out well, I wish we could all make precise shots under all conditions all the time so we didn’t have to make any animal suffer in anyway but unfortunately it doesn’t always happen

 

[muzzyman88]

Awesome deer man! Congratulations! Glad it all panned out well, I wish we could all make precise shots under all conditions all the time so we didn’t have to make any animal suffer in anyway but unfortunately it doesn’t always happen

Thanks man! You got that right. I pride myself in that its been a really long time since I made a bad shot, my fault or not. I've replayed this in my head a bunch of times and I can say I wouldn't have done anything differently. It was just a bad shot and I'm pretty positive he moved while I was committed to executing my shot. It happens. I'm just proud I kept my cool and used patience in not pushing him and was able to make an easy recovery. I know the night before was a sleepless one and it tore me up inside thats for sure.

 

[PEEJAY]

Finally, after my first season in a saddle and a couple of adjustments on tree selection, it came together. I ran into this buck Saturday morning but he was out of range and had a girlfriend with him. He was a very vocal deer and seemed on the ornery side so I got aggressive trying to get him to take a look.. no dice. I made a tree adjustment and one sticked up what I felt was the perfect tree to intercept any buck in the rut that came through that area based on historical info I had. Problem always was, with a climber, this tree was impossible to climb. The saddle was perfect. Tuesday morning, at 7am, a doe came in behind me with him right in tow. He walked straight to the tree I was in and stood there forever at 15 yards, rubbing a bush and keeping tabs on her. He made a move toward her and I came draw, but then he stopped. I was at full draw for over minute before he took a couple steps and gave me his vitals. But, just as I settled on him and began to pull through the shot, he started to go after the doe and my arrow missed its mark badly, hitting him way back. I left him get out of sight, quietly slipped out of the tree and got out of there.

I returned at 3pm with some friends to find him, hoping that was enough time to let him bed up and expire. We found him, still alive and he crashed off stuff bouncing down through the woods away, but he was in bad shape. We backed out and returned the next morning to find him 50 yards away dead. Not how I wanted this old bruisers life to end, but I sure am proud of this deer. My best PA bow buck to date.

Couple lessons for me as it pertains to saddle hunting. Shooting deer out of one is definitely different and a learning curve. The shot was at my 6 oclock and I was setup good for it, but leaning straight away from the tree, at full draw for a minute and my legs shaking like crazy trying to not move was an experience. lol. The second less is that for me, I need to set my tether length shorter, even though I'm a sitter so I'm not leaning off the tree as much during peak movement hours. I was leaning off the tree way more than I wanted to be because I was in a full seated position with legs 90 degrees. When I stood out away from the tree when he came in, i was leaning pretty good and probably attributed to why my legs were shaking as bad as they were holding that position.

Anyway, the saddle cherry was popped in a big way for me this year!

Helllll of a PA buck man!

 

[deerfly]

thats a great deer for the first, congrats fer sure

 

[Tim0712]

Thanks man! You got that right. I pride myself in that its been a really long time since I made a bad shot, my fault or not. I've replayed this in my head a bunch of times and I can say I wouldn't have done anything differently. It was just a bad shot and I'm pretty positive he moved while I was committed to executing my shot. It happens. I'm just proud I kept my cool and used patience in not pushing him and was able to make an easy recovery. I know the night before was a sleepless one and it tore me up inside thats for sure.

In the last 3 years I’ve made 2 bad shots and it sickens me. One was a buck and it was non fatal. Hit the knuckle of the shoulder snapped the chisel tip off the broad head and that’s it. The other was this year I hit a doe high and steep on top of the shoulder ( she jumped the string) and those occurrences costed me the biggest buck I’ve ever seen this past Saturday he was at 34 yards broads side in brush and I couldn’t commit myself to letting go of the arrow. I’m going back in there this weekend praying my good judgment is rewarded by the deer gods haha

 

[98XJRC]

Congrats man that’s a heck of a Pa buck!

 

[muzzyman88]

Thanks everyone. I'm beyond grateful for arrowing this deer. To be honest, its been a helluva trying year for myself and family. To say I needed something good to happen this fall is an understatement.

Its also really nice to have a good buck on the ground before the PA orange army and amateur hour begins! lol.