Tom, Here's your story. 1st I want to thank Tree Hopper for making a great saddle. He did a great job. Anyway, the tree in background is the tree I killed him out of. That tree is 4' across at it's base and 30" at hunting height. That's common in my woods. Very challenging to get a strap around especially in dark. It's in an ideal location. A travel corridor and bedding area comes from the north east .The field and more bedding comes from the east. Both leading into a major bedding to the southwest. This trees sits at the tip of that major bedding. They come from all 3 directions during the rut. Over the years, it has so far produced 4 good bucks and numerous other close encounters.If you look close there's a smaller tree growing beside it. For years I've hunted out of the smaller tree but it's not ideal for morning hunts. I took two 4000" lb D rings and bolted them into the tree with grade 8 8" 1/2 lags and run my tether through that. I did that with various other trees as well. Now I can hunt out of the big tree, sit on either side of the tree depending on if its morning hunt or PM hunt. So anyway I was glassing the field, and saw a group of bachalor bucks coming out on a point. Last week, 16 bucks came out an hour before dark. Several were shooters and in velvet. I know from experience that the wind was dead wrong for an afternoon hunt at that field location. However I also knew where they were coming from. That major bedding to the southwest! I knew if I hunted that cottonwood in the AM that most likely I would see them and there would be good chance they would be in range. The season opened last week but I could'nt hunt. I knew I had to hunt ASAP because I wanted a crack at a big velvet buck. I glassed Wed. night and most were out of velvet but was still 1 big shooter in velvet and the big one coming out of that point. I got in the tree and hour 1/2 before daylight so I didn't spook them in the field (it's close 100 yds). I figured they would be coming by at 1st light. However these deer see very little pressure so I didn't see a deer for ther 1st hour. At 7:30 i saw my 1st deer.I knew they were coming. Pretty soon I saw the big one scraping front of me at 70 yds. 6 other bucks hit the same scrape. Then could hear deer coming thru the weeds but I couldn't tell what they were or how big due to the foilage on my tree. I could make out a rack but I wasn't sure which one it was. He stepped out and i could se it was the big one. I drew and he stopped to make a rub. I let down and waited. Finally he came thu the Opening. At 2nd glance, I thought he was the big 8 that we been seeing. I was a little indecisive and almost let him pass. The he turned his head and I saw 5 on both sides. For some reason I thought he was the# 2 buck on our hit list but he was shooter at 20 yds saw I drew and grunted. he stopped and I put the arrow through both shoulders. He plowed 30 yds and went down. Back legs were the only thing working. I started to get down then his head went up. I ranged him at 50 yds and took a followup shot. I missed him but he plowed another 15yds into the brushed and I heard him crash. I got got down and headed to the truck. That's part one of the story. The recovery is part 2. More pics as well. It's an interesting story.
Thanks TreeHopper. This is the exit hole. The entrance was through the joint to other side. Both shoulders were mush and completely shattered. I came up the front leg and aimed for the Vital V. I was little high but not much. If any one doubts the capabilities of a bone breaking heavy arrow setup, here's proof that it works. My arrow weighs 675 gr. 71lb Bowtech Revolt 29" draw. BH is 175 gr Strickland Helix. Not sure where it is though because he broke the arrow off. This is the 1st time I didn't get a pass thru but it's understandable considering how much bone the arrow went thru.
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