FrigidArrows
Member
I had an opportunity Sunday morning to harvest my first mature buck from a saddle.
Was overall a great hunting weekend. Lots of deer, several bucks, one shooter.
Saturday morning was soggy after a long rain through the night. My dad and I went out. I saw nothing, but he saw lots of activity. Saw multiple deer including a very large bodied deer with a noticeable rack he could see, but not make out through the brush. Many of them went into a swamp at the same location. He then at about 9am had a button buck decide to feed 10 yards in front of him. Over and over the fawn locked eyes with him and refused to leave. He then heard real light steps of a deer directly behind him, as the ground was wet it was already close. He did not want to turn and look for fear the deer would see him move, he wait until the sound pushed its way passed him and slowly turned. There stood a mature 10 point.........which stared right back. Well of course the buck didn’t stand for it, blew once, and ran about 60 yards and looked back. He then slowly trotted into the swamp to follow.
After the hunt my dad advised me to set up in the area he saw all the deer and the large unknown buck, as he only hunts ladder stands in his age. The evening was supposed to be a heavy rain. So I sacrificed a hunt in the hopes to set up for a great morning. In the cover of rain I went and set up my sticks, platform, and tether to make for a very simple and quite morning entrance.
Come next morning, I slipped into my stand very quietly. Few does and fawns the first hour or so, but overall pretty quiet. Of course with the downpour the evening prior, hearing deer come was damn near impossible. As I watched some deer 60 yards to my south I heard a snap just off in the distance to the north. I slowly turned to see what I think to be the same 10 point that my dad spooked the day prior. He was already only 40 yards out and on a mission. With the tree between me and him, it occurred to me what was about to transpire. He was headed to my only clear shooting lane in that direction at the dreaded 2 o’clock position (I’m a right handed shooter). I have practiced to that position many times, but it takes some maneuvering to do it well. Well, I did not have time to think. Luckily he was moving at such a pace that I was able to shorten my tether, grab my bow, swing over the bridge and draw for a shot in relatively 3 seconds. It’s funny, in the heat of the moment, I can’t remember doing any of that, almost becomes instinct. I let out a “blah” and settled my pin and 25 yards. Let the arrow fly and watched it sail directly into the golden triangle. He bolted instantly, but immediately noticed the tail was not tucked, and transitioned from straight out to up and back again. I didn’t think anything of it.
I waited in the tree for over two hours as I didn’t want to burn the area or mess up my dads hunt. Upon getting down.......no arrow, no blood.
This story is getting awfully lengthy, i am gonna make it short and sweet for the ending. My dad came over and helped me track, we found the arrow 60 yards away, complete pass through, bloody, but also laced with fat. We decided to back off for another couple of hours. Ended up going back and tracking him for 700 yards and 6 hours before blood dried up. Very spotty blood and all dried. He never bedded down, and we never pushed him once. Unfortunately with no more blood, and a million direction he could have ran, and rain on the horizon, there wasn’t much more that could be done.
I racked my brain as to what I could have done wrong. Over and over I went over the impact in my head. It was perfect.........then it clicked. In the heat of the moment and the split second time I had to react.......I did not remember to compensate.............for a quartering away deer. I put the shot in a perfect spot for a broadside animal, which given the angle for a quartering away, is not good. I may have clipped the front of one lung, and likely passed out in front of the opposite leg.
I had a sleepless night, not because of not having a filled tag, but the thought of wounded buck out there. I really hope he pulls through.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Was overall a great hunting weekend. Lots of deer, several bucks, one shooter.
Saturday morning was soggy after a long rain through the night. My dad and I went out. I saw nothing, but he saw lots of activity. Saw multiple deer including a very large bodied deer with a noticeable rack he could see, but not make out through the brush. Many of them went into a swamp at the same location. He then at about 9am had a button buck decide to feed 10 yards in front of him. Over and over the fawn locked eyes with him and refused to leave. He then heard real light steps of a deer directly behind him, as the ground was wet it was already close. He did not want to turn and look for fear the deer would see him move, he wait until the sound pushed its way passed him and slowly turned. There stood a mature 10 point.........which stared right back. Well of course the buck didn’t stand for it, blew once, and ran about 60 yards and looked back. He then slowly trotted into the swamp to follow.
After the hunt my dad advised me to set up in the area he saw all the deer and the large unknown buck, as he only hunts ladder stands in his age. The evening was supposed to be a heavy rain. So I sacrificed a hunt in the hopes to set up for a great morning. In the cover of rain I went and set up my sticks, platform, and tether to make for a very simple and quite morning entrance.
Come next morning, I slipped into my stand very quietly. Few does and fawns the first hour or so, but overall pretty quiet. Of course with the downpour the evening prior, hearing deer come was damn near impossible. As I watched some deer 60 yards to my south I heard a snap just off in the distance to the north. I slowly turned to see what I think to be the same 10 point that my dad spooked the day prior. He was already only 40 yards out and on a mission. With the tree between me and him, it occurred to me what was about to transpire. He was headed to my only clear shooting lane in that direction at the dreaded 2 o’clock position (I’m a right handed shooter). I have practiced to that position many times, but it takes some maneuvering to do it well. Well, I did not have time to think. Luckily he was moving at such a pace that I was able to shorten my tether, grab my bow, swing over the bridge and draw for a shot in relatively 3 seconds. It’s funny, in the heat of the moment, I can’t remember doing any of that, almost becomes instinct. I let out a “blah” and settled my pin and 25 yards. Let the arrow fly and watched it sail directly into the golden triangle. He bolted instantly, but immediately noticed the tail was not tucked, and transitioned from straight out to up and back again. I didn’t think anything of it.
I waited in the tree for over two hours as I didn’t want to burn the area or mess up my dads hunt. Upon getting down.......no arrow, no blood.
This story is getting awfully lengthy, i am gonna make it short and sweet for the ending. My dad came over and helped me track, we found the arrow 60 yards away, complete pass through, bloody, but also laced with fat. We decided to back off for another couple of hours. Ended up going back and tracking him for 700 yards and 6 hours before blood dried up. Very spotty blood and all dried. He never bedded down, and we never pushed him once. Unfortunately with no more blood, and a million direction he could have ran, and rain on the horizon, there wasn’t much more that could be done.
I racked my brain as to what I could have done wrong. Over and over I went over the impact in my head. It was perfect.........then it clicked. In the heat of the moment and the split second time I had to react.......I did not remember to compensate.............for a quartering away deer. I put the shot in a perfect spot for a broadside animal, which given the angle for a quartering away, is not good. I may have clipped the front of one lung, and likely passed out in front of the opposite leg.
I had a sleepless night, not because of not having a filled tag, but the thought of wounded buck out there. I really hope he pulls through.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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