Bandit
09-18-2003, 02:41 PM
Friday night Sept 5th, Strathcona County first time on this property, looked around for deer signs on the west side of this acreage, while walking along the west side bush I looked over to the bush on the east side of the property and could see a deer just inside the tree line about 120 yards away. Crouched down and crawled up to and beside a large boulder and start glassing the deer, after five minutes I finally seen that it's a buck. I had no intention in taking any bucks I was looking to fill two doe tags and save my general tag for rifle season. I decided to do some soft grunts just to see how he would react, no reaction. I watched the buck move back and forth through the trees for a few minutes. I then did three hard grunts and started glassing the tree line again, but I lost sight of the buck, couldn’t see him anywhere. As I brought down the binoculars away from my face I saw him in the open 20 yards from where he was originally, and he is staring right at me!! He starts towards me then turns right, down towards the thickets to the north of me where I lost sight of him again. I waited a few minutes and then slowly stood up to see where he was, couldn’t see him anywhere. Thought maybe he's circling around behind me, crouched down beside the boulder again and waited a few more minutes.
Then through the grass, between the hills about 30 yards in front of me I see the rack coming right towards me. It was then after seeing the rack that I decided I was going to take a shot if he offered me one. He walked towards me to about 17 yards and stopped, offering a front quartering shot. I was curled in the fetal position next to this bolder and already had the bow fully drawn, the buck was looking at me bobbing his head up and down. I waited until he stop moving and took the shot, the buck turned to the left as I expected the arrow hit him high and in the center of the chest. He took off down into the thickets, I could see the arrow on both sides of the deer and there was alot of blood on his left side, I knew it was a good hit.
Packed up my stuff and drove into Sherwood Park where I picked up my brother and nephew. Went back to the acreage and drove out to the thickets where the buck ran in. The three of us where originally going to go into the thickets to look for the deer but I decided that I should go alone and told my brother to stay in the truck with his three year old son, I would then slowing go into the thickets to make sure the buck was down, in hindsight this was a very good decision. I started walking through the thickets, the grass was about two feet high, made it about five to ten feet in and let out a scream!! My brother of course heard the scream, came running towards me, I looked down to see that I have drove into the front of my left leg the same arrow I shot the deer with, the entire broad head and about a half inch of the shaft was completely imbedded deep into the calf muscle. I hit the arrow with enough force to break the aluminum shaft in half.
I was gushing with blood, told by brother to get a rope so I could apply a tourniquet to slow down the bleeding. Finally got in the truck but not before hitting the shaft of the arrow into the glove box of the truck two or three times creating more pain and blood loss. Once we got through the hay field and through two stock gates and got on the highway it has been about ten minutes. I’m feeling light headed my vision is starting to go; my body is staring to go into shock. I told my brother Bob to call 911 and have ambulance met us on the highway, I passed out, the next thing I knew my brother was pulled off the highway and applying direct pressure to the wound under the direction of the 911 operator. Bob was also told to keep me awake, he woke me and said you have to stay awake, so I said “ok” grabbed a smoke and passed out again, my hole body was dripping in sweat, Bob touch my forehead and told the 911 operator the it was ice cold. I kept passing out until just before the ambulance came I was more alert and able to talk to Bob. The direct pressure Bob was putting on the wound had stopped the majority of the bleeding for the most part, this I believe was the only reason I regained concessions. The medics got me in the ambulance and started IV’s and got me stable, then rushed me to the Royal Alec hospital, where the arrow was finally removed hours later, no nerve damage just lots of muscle damage.
Met my brother a 7:30am the next morning to recover a beautiful ten-point whitetail. My biggest buck ever!!!! This buck looks just like the one on the hunting regs, almost to a tee, I couldn't be happier.
I would have never thought that I would walk into my own arrow, and I have never heard of anyone else doing this, I guess it's just my own bad luck. I'm just glad it happen close to the city and not somewhere deep in the bush, hours away from any medical assistance. The decision to go after the buck by my self was the proper one, if my brother Bob or nephew Ben had walked into that arrow instead of me, the guilt would have killed me since this was my hunt and we where recovering my deer.
I think this something all bow hunters should think about when recovering their animal in heavy cover. I know the next time I shoot an animal and go to retrieve it, the question is going to pop in my mind is “Where is that arrow?”
Then through the grass, between the hills about 30 yards in front of me I see the rack coming right towards me. It was then after seeing the rack that I decided I was going to take a shot if he offered me one. He walked towards me to about 17 yards and stopped, offering a front quartering shot. I was curled in the fetal position next to this bolder and already had the bow fully drawn, the buck was looking at me bobbing his head up and down. I waited until he stop moving and took the shot, the buck turned to the left as I expected the arrow hit him high and in the center of the chest. He took off down into the thickets, I could see the arrow on both sides of the deer and there was alot of blood on his left side, I knew it was a good hit.
Packed up my stuff and drove into Sherwood Park where I picked up my brother and nephew. Went back to the acreage and drove out to the thickets where the buck ran in. The three of us where originally going to go into the thickets to look for the deer but I decided that I should go alone and told my brother to stay in the truck with his three year old son, I would then slowing go into the thickets to make sure the buck was down, in hindsight this was a very good decision. I started walking through the thickets, the grass was about two feet high, made it about five to ten feet in and let out a scream!! My brother of course heard the scream, came running towards me, I looked down to see that I have drove into the front of my left leg the same arrow I shot the deer with, the entire broad head and about a half inch of the shaft was completely imbedded deep into the calf muscle. I hit the arrow with enough force to break the aluminum shaft in half.
I was gushing with blood, told by brother to get a rope so I could apply a tourniquet to slow down the bleeding. Finally got in the truck but not before hitting the shaft of the arrow into the glove box of the truck two or three times creating more pain and blood loss. Once we got through the hay field and through two stock gates and got on the highway it has been about ten minutes. I’m feeling light headed my vision is starting to go; my body is staring to go into shock. I told my brother Bob to call 911 and have ambulance met us on the highway, I passed out, the next thing I knew my brother was pulled off the highway and applying direct pressure to the wound under the direction of the 911 operator. Bob was also told to keep me awake, he woke me and said you have to stay awake, so I said “ok” grabbed a smoke and passed out again, my hole body was dripping in sweat, Bob touch my forehead and told the 911 operator the it was ice cold. I kept passing out until just before the ambulance came I was more alert and able to talk to Bob. The direct pressure Bob was putting on the wound had stopped the majority of the bleeding for the most part, this I believe was the only reason I regained concessions. The medics got me in the ambulance and started IV’s and got me stable, then rushed me to the Royal Alec hospital, where the arrow was finally removed hours later, no nerve damage just lots of muscle damage.
Met my brother a 7:30am the next morning to recover a beautiful ten-point whitetail. My biggest buck ever!!!! This buck looks just like the one on the hunting regs, almost to a tee, I couldn't be happier.
I would have never thought that I would walk into my own arrow, and I have never heard of anyone else doing this, I guess it's just my own bad luck. I'm just glad it happen close to the city and not somewhere deep in the bush, hours away from any medical assistance. The decision to go after the buck by my self was the proper one, if my brother Bob or nephew Ben had walked into that arrow instead of me, the guilt would have killed me since this was my hunt and we where recovering my deer.
I think this something all bow hunters should think about when recovering their animal in heavy cover. I know the next time I shoot an animal and go to retrieve it, the question is going to pop in my mind is “Where is that arrow?”