Stick, String, and Stone do it Again

[Boerrancher]

Friday morning I decided to go out on one last bow hunt before Youth Firearms Season started, because I knew I would be out with Caitlin trying to help her get her first deer. I have been hunting somewhat regularly since the middle of Sept when archery season started with out seeing a deer in the woods period, much less one I could actually get a shot at with my homemade equipment.

Friday morning around 8 A.M. I was just about to call it quits and head home, when in my dejected state I let this buck walk up on me, because I was throwing a pity party for myself. By the time I realized he was there he was 5 yards away at eye level and slightly behind me. (I don't hunt from tree stands, I hunt on the ground.) In one motion I drew my hickory bow, turned and loosed the arrow, but he was faster than me. He dropped down, and bolted forward. The stone tipped arrow shaft struck him high and behind the short ribs, and I watched him run down into, and across the hollow and over the next ridge.

I waited about 20 min and walked to where I last saw him. The spot was easy to find because he stopped by the root wad of a blown down tree. I looked thoroughly and found no blood. With the shaft striking so high, above the half way point on his side, I knew even with the large broad head it would be awhile before he started bleeding. I went back to where the 4 wheeler was parked and headed to the house. I stripped down to one layer of clothes, put the bow up and headed back out to start tracking the hard way.

I went back to where he was when I stuck him and started following the disturbed leaves where he had ran. I tracked him by a "turned over leaf" here and a "freshly broken" twig there. All of the hours Dad spent with me as a lad in the worst possible conditions teaching me how to track a healthy deer we had jumped up for the purpose of tracking lessons paid off. After following this deer for well over a mile this way, I finally found some blood, and not much at that, just a couple drops the size of a pin head. 100 yards further and 5 hours after my initial start of following him, I found my deer.

He is not a trophy by any means, he is a 9 pointer that will score in the 120's most likely. The body is nice size and he is only a couple years old so he will be good eating. The antlers will make nice knife handles and flint knapping tools. Now if I can just get at least 2 and preferably 3 more in the freezer in the next month I will be set. Here is the photo my buddy took just before we loaded it to get it out of the woods. You can see in the photo the leaves and get an idea of the tracking conditions.

Best wishes,

Joe


http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Untitled-1.jpg

[WILCO]

Congrats Joe! Thanks for the report and pic.

[toot]

now that is primiative, i love the past, TOOT.

[toot]

WOW! way to go. i didnt know any one still hunted with stone points? again great, TOOT.

[OnHoPr]

That's a good buck and even better with traditional equipment. I do dread those long tracking jobs, but sometimes its inevitable and has to be done. Have you ever tried ash or osage-orange or is the hickory better? How about a pic of the stick, string and shaft.

[gkainz]

Great story! Thanks for sharing and congrats on your success in doing it the hard way!

[richhodg66]

That's awsome! Congratulations!

[Boerrancher]

That's a good buck and even better with traditional equipment. I do dread those long tracking jobs, but sometimes its inevitable and has to be done. Have you ever tried ash or osage-orange or is the hickory better? How about a pic of the stick, string and shaft.

Here is some photos of my equipment I used. I haven't tried ash but I know Osage makes a great bow, but I just don't have any in the area where I live and I don't want to spend the money to buy a good bow stave.

Here is the Bow. It is made of hickory and backed with copperhead skin. The draw weight is 60 lbs.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Hunting%20and%20Fishing/BowBraced.jpg

The quiver below is made from elm bark, and the arrows are Douglas Fir shafts with turkey feather fletching.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Hunting%20and%20Fishing/Elmbarkquiver.jpg

Here is a pic of a couple of arrows that took deer last year. I couldn't find the arrow that I hit the buck with. It went completely through him and is buried in the leaves on the hill side somewhere.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Hunting%20and%20Fishing/100_1654.jpg

Best wishes,

Joe

[MtGun44]

Nice buck, great story. Thanks for sharing.

Good looking tackle, too.

Bill

[waksupi]

Good job, Joe!

[1Shirt]

Nothing wrong with that buck! Congrats!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[snuffy]

Flint arrowheads, cedar shafts, hickory stick bow? Instinctive aiming? A man after my dads ways. He built his own bows. And arrows, but not flint heads. After he died, my oldest nephew got all his bows. Included was the Osage bow he built. He spent many hours on that bow. he hunted with it, but never got a deer, with ANY of his bows. He even made modern,(at that time), recurve bows.

Awesome job of tracking! Wow! Persistence does pay off. Nice deer too.

Someday, I'm going to hunt with my TC flint lock rifle. I gave up on archery after dad died. Never got one, should have many times. Just unlucky, not lack of practice.

[Thumbcocker]

I am glad you got the deer but for me the best part of the story is the fact you did not give up and found him after a long track. Not all who kill critters deserve to be called hunters. You clearly do.

[**oneshot**]

Great story. great buck

[OnHoPr]

Quite impressed with the stick, string, and shaft. Only in my youthful dreams could I do the primitive archery. But, I have noticed a bit more primitive participation the last decade.

[smoked turkey]

Joe I echo all that has been said about your successful deer hunt with primitive equipment. You are to be commended for your knowlege of your equipment and your quarry. I am truly impressed by your tracking ability. You are a true outdoorsman in the finest sense. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story.

[firefly1957]

[smilie=w: Congratulations :awesome:

[captain-03]

Quite impressed. Only in my youthful dreams.

^^^ This^^^^

[starmac]

If one reads the outdoors mags anymore, and didn't know any better, what you did would be considered impossible with the latest and greatest equipment from your socks to a gps and range finder.
Great job and thanks for keeping at least part of this world educated that most of the required hunting gear, (according to our mag journalist) is not essential to a successful hunt.

[Bob Krack]

Joe,

You know how I feel ( I think).... :awesome:

Bob

[Lefty SRH]

Wow thats great Joe, glad you found your deer. I use to hunt with a stick and string also.

[Boerrancher]

Thanks fellas for all of the kind words. I will tell you like I tell everyone else, any five year old can do the things that I do with nearly 40 years of practice. In all seriousness though I owe the majority of my hunting and tracking skills to my father and grandfather, who from the time I was old enough to walk had me out in the woods. Even if it was out following granddad around walking the fence lines, I was in the woods and being taught about wildlife and how the various animals behave. I only hope I can do as well at teaching my children as they did me.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Wayne Smith]

Congratulations, Joe! Persistence pays off. Next year take the daughter along on the tracking process. She won't learn otherwise.

[19112TAP]

Joe,

That is a nice buck, and with equipment you built makes it even better.

Tom