WOOKIE
09-07-2008, 01:08 PM
I know I am going to get flamed for this, but I have broad shoulders.
For the first few days of the season I had been seeing some pretty damn nice Whitetail bucks, but always just out of bow range. So last evening, with visions of a big buck for the wall, I headed out to my Honey hole.
Early in the evening, I saw two nice bucks that would have definitely been shooters had they took the trail leading past my natural blind instead of the one to the west.
I was set up in a north/south direction overgrown fence line. The deer always come from the south onto the section I am hunting and head along the east edge of the crop ( about 6 yards west of the fence I was against) to a slough to feed. With a west wind last night, the setup was ideal.
About 7:30 PM I endured a heavy rain storm. After the rain ended, it cooled down rapidly and the fog started to blanket the area. At about 8:20 I thought I heard something moving along the fence line to the south of me. I clipped my release on my loop and readied myself in the hopes that it was a nice buck.
5 minutes later and I could make out antler tips through the fog about 20 yards south of me just along the edge of the crop. I came to full draw and made the decision that the gnarly old Whitetail I was looking at was a shooter. He was very non typical with many stickers and at least one drop tine. He was well outside his ears and tall. After a quick once over, I got to the task at hand.
I couldn't shoot yet though as he was quartering toward me very hard. He quickly closed the distance and as he was walking in front of me at 5 yards, he spotted me and spun around and headed back where he had come from. I voice grunted him to a stop at 35 yards (later verified with a range finder at 36 yards). He looked out into the field and I settled my pin so the arrow would exit though his far side shoulder (now he was quartering away very hard) and released the arrow. My pins were just in front of his close side hip.
The sound of the arrow impacting the deer was not the normal whaaaap. It was a solid crack. The buck jumped up into the air and took of running to the south. He crossed the south fence line into a standing canola crop. Because of the fog, I lost sight of him about 85 yards out.
Because of the crack sound when the arrow hit him, I was unsure of the placement of the shot. Did I hit the far side shoulder like I wanted to, or did I hit him in the hip or did I deflect off a rib?
I decided to wait 15 minutes and then have a look for my arrow and blood where he stood.
When I got up and went to find my arrow, I could not find it, nor was there any blood. I made a decision right then to back out, go home and track him in the morning.
After a sleepless night, I was at my spot before dawn. I looked again for the arrow but could not find it. I picked up heavy blood in a sprayer tire track in the standing canola and it was very easy to follow. I followed the blood trail for almost half a mile south, where it petered out and I had no more blood to follow. I began walking circles around the last blood through the canola and the adjacent field of oats. I searched a slough just to the east of the last blood and a small bush 300 yards to the south. I didn't find him.
I will be back out there tonight listening and watching for coyotes and birds, and yes, I will close my tag if I do find him, whatever may be left.
Here are a few pictures of the blood trail and a neat rubbed fence post that I came across.
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050815.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050816.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050818.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050819.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050817.JPG
For the first few days of the season I had been seeing some pretty damn nice Whitetail bucks, but always just out of bow range. So last evening, with visions of a big buck for the wall, I headed out to my Honey hole.
Early in the evening, I saw two nice bucks that would have definitely been shooters had they took the trail leading past my natural blind instead of the one to the west.
I was set up in a north/south direction overgrown fence line. The deer always come from the south onto the section I am hunting and head along the east edge of the crop ( about 6 yards west of the fence I was against) to a slough to feed. With a west wind last night, the setup was ideal.
About 7:30 PM I endured a heavy rain storm. After the rain ended, it cooled down rapidly and the fog started to blanket the area. At about 8:20 I thought I heard something moving along the fence line to the south of me. I clipped my release on my loop and readied myself in the hopes that it was a nice buck.
5 minutes later and I could make out antler tips through the fog about 20 yards south of me just along the edge of the crop. I came to full draw and made the decision that the gnarly old Whitetail I was looking at was a shooter. He was very non typical with many stickers and at least one drop tine. He was well outside his ears and tall. After a quick once over, I got to the task at hand.
I couldn't shoot yet though as he was quartering toward me very hard. He quickly closed the distance and as he was walking in front of me at 5 yards, he spotted me and spun around and headed back where he had come from. I voice grunted him to a stop at 35 yards (later verified with a range finder at 36 yards). He looked out into the field and I settled my pin so the arrow would exit though his far side shoulder (now he was quartering away very hard) and released the arrow. My pins were just in front of his close side hip.
The sound of the arrow impacting the deer was not the normal whaaaap. It was a solid crack. The buck jumped up into the air and took of running to the south. He crossed the south fence line into a standing canola crop. Because of the fog, I lost sight of him about 85 yards out.
Because of the crack sound when the arrow hit him, I was unsure of the placement of the shot. Did I hit the far side shoulder like I wanted to, or did I hit him in the hip or did I deflect off a rib?
I decided to wait 15 minutes and then have a look for my arrow and blood where he stood.
When I got up and went to find my arrow, I could not find it, nor was there any blood. I made a decision right then to back out, go home and track him in the morning.
After a sleepless night, I was at my spot before dawn. I looked again for the arrow but could not find it. I picked up heavy blood in a sprayer tire track in the standing canola and it was very easy to follow. I followed the blood trail for almost half a mile south, where it petered out and I had no more blood to follow. I began walking circles around the last blood through the canola and the adjacent field of oats. I searched a slough just to the east of the last blood and a small bush 300 yards to the south. I didn't find him.
I will be back out there tonight listening and watching for coyotes and birds, and yes, I will close my tag if I do find him, whatever may be left.
Here are a few pictures of the blood trail and a neat rubbed fence post that I came across.
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050815.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050816.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050818.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050819.JPG
http://buckwood.ca/photogallery/albums/userpics/10001/P1050817.JPG