First Archery Buck

[petroid]

Have killed a few does, but never a buck with a bow. This year, I had seen several and could have killed little ones, but was waiting for something a little better. Friday morning, the last day before gun season, I got in the stand and while still pitch dark heard something moving toward me. Never could see it as it was so dark, but I assume it was a doe because it blew at me from 20 yards and I thought my hunt was over before it had even got started. The sun started to come up and I didn't see anything for over two hours and was getting discouraged and cold. It was 45 degrees and blowing 15 mph from the north right in my face.
Just before 8, I saw a doe walking at about 60 yards. Following not far behind her was a decent buck. Didn't get a good look at him, but I knew if he came close enough, he would be good enough for me. I grunted, and bleated, and snorted at him to try to get his attention but he wasn't having any of it. He was sticking to the doe's trail and couldn't be coerced. Well, at least I saw something, right? Only a few short minutes later, I spied another buck following the trail of the previous two. This one wasn't as big, but there was something peculiar about the antlers. He was either nontypical or had broken some part of one side. He was like a bloodhound on their trail, nose to the ground and working it hard, moving quickly back and forth while he kept his snooter full of their scent.
Since he didn't have them in sight, I thought I might be able to lure him in. I grunted and bleated and his head popped up for a split second and he looked around. Then the nose went right back to the ground and he kept moving, but started to come my way. He angled past me at about 40 yards through an area I couldn't shoot through then zigged and zagged and turned toward me, still sniffing hard and moving pretty quickly. I drew on him when he was at 20 yards and almost to where I could shoot and when he got clear, I tried to stop him with my voice. "Meh!" I said. He didn't stop. Kept coming at me. "MEH!" a little louder. Still moving, but a little slower. I was about 20-25 feet up in the tree and had to lean over hard to angle down for the shot. Loosed the arrow and he jumped and turned and I could see the arrow sticking out the other side but didn't pass through. The sunlight was streaming through the trees at just the right angle and I could see the blood spraying out in the air like a mist. What I wouldn't have given to have it on video.
He took off and was out of sight in a flash, but I was pretty sure I had made a good shot. It was too windy to hear him crash, so I was in the lurch til I found him. Waited a few minutes for my heart rate to drop below 200 and then climbed down. I knew he was close when I shot him, so I paced it off. SEVEN YARDS! He was seven yards from my tree. I was at least that high up so I had a steep 45 degree or more downward angle shot. When I shot, I saw the arrow go in near his spine and was sticking out his lower flank, so I thought maybe it had hit his dorsal aorta, accounting for the blood spray.
When I got to the blood trail, It was amazing! As if someone had taken a bucket of paint thrown it across the ground. To say it was easy to follow was a gross understatement. It had only been 10 or fifteen minutes since the shot, so I took it slow, always looking ahead for movement or a white belly. Ultimately, he had gone about 150 yards and crashed in a deadfall on the edge of a creek. I found the remains of the arrow close to where he lay. The shaft was broken and the broadhead was missing. Not a problem, as I was using Chinese knockoffs of Rage hypodermics. I have lost real Rage heads before and at about $15 a pop, it gets expensive. I decided to try out these knockoffs and they work just fine.
I was more than pleased when I got a good look at him. Pretty big body, and antlers were nontypical. Only 3 points on the right side, with something broken off behind the G1. Left side had 6 points, counting a little one near the base which was a tad over an inch. Odd growth pattern with a "tunnel" as my friend called it. Not huge, but very interesting and probably needed to be culled anyway, which I was happy to do. Now I have more meat for the freezer and an interesting conversation piece to display.

[RU shooter]

Nice deer well done ! And a good story to go with it

[white eagle]

excellent
Fun aint it?

[petroid]

excellent
Fun aint it?

It sure is. I got back into bowhunting 5 years ago after trying it briefly 20 years ago. A decent buck had always eluded me. I wasn't holding out for a giant, but something I wasn't ashamed of. This one fit the bill, nicely.

[koger]

Outstanding job, great story, thanks for taking us along. As big of a gun nut as I am, all my best deer have been with a bow. Nothing else like it!

[petroid]

Outstanding job, great story, thanks for taking us along. As big of a gun nut as I am, all my best deer have been with a bow. Nothing else like it!

Koger, congrats to you. I read your story as well. Fine job. Keep it up as long as you can

[Elroy]

Congratulations. I enjoy bow hunting mainly because I don't like cold weather. Our archery season here in West Virginia starts in late September, and for my personal taste it's too warm ,and a deer is a pain in the neck to deal with in such hot weather.I enjoy starting to hunt them about the begining of November which doesn't leave much time till buck gun season ,but I get burnt out on archery hunting quick anyway. I had been out several times this year,and seen nothing,but the same does ,and when I went Saturday evening I was already getting frustrated at not seeing anything to shoot,and was thinking that I was going to hang the bow up for the year. I watched the same does like I always do,and was within a few minutes of leaving when I seen them all look off to my right,and in walks a long tine,but fairly narrow 8, with a good size body,so I went ahead,and took it at 30 yards. It just went about 20 yards, but I couldn't see it ,and didn't know it at the time,so I waited about 15 minutes,and found my arrow,and knew I got a good hit. He had just barely made it into a little brushy area by the creek. It was nothing to write home about but it was an easy deer.

[petroid]

Elroy that is a fine deer. Great job. I feel that any deer with a bow is a good deer. Some feel they must shame you if it's not a giant. You're ok in my book

[Elroy]

Elroy that is a fine deer. Great job. I feel that any deer with a bow is a good deer. Some feel they must shame you if it's not a giant. You're ok in my book

Thanks Petroid, I don't have the patience to only shoot exceptionally nice deer, but still I am fairly picky, but I would never shame some one for humanly killing any deer that they will eat. What gets my blood up is people (and many are archery hunters) that either won't adequately track a deer, or pull such poor shots on deer that they are impossible to recover. I had to shoot a young forked horn buck a few years back that was walking stiff legged ,and looking thin. I found a small ( about 3/4" ) broadhead in his hip, and it was just sticking out of his hide enough that it was constantly cutting him as he moved. I skinned him,and all the infection was in a small pouch under the skin. I think the deer would have survived,but would always have been in pain.

[marshall623]

Good shooting , and a nice buck

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[richhodg66]

That's a very nice buck, Kentucky seems to have some very good deer. Congratulations, I only ever killed one deer with a "real" bow, working with a cross bow now.

Can you briefly describe how you did the skull to make the European mount/ I've boiled and cleaned a Javelina skull and then made a European mount with a big white tail buck I found rather than shot, both turned out pretty good, just curious how others do it.

[winelover]

Congrats on a fine buck, taken with a bow. My preference is to hunt with a bow. Besides the better weather and less spooky deer, it's up close and personal. Just too easy to harvest them with a firearm. I rarely fill my firearm tag.

Our modern gun season started last Saturday. I haven't gone out yet. Archery season started the last Saturday in September. I've been out almost every morning, since then. I don't hunt in the evenings. Too old to be traipsing off into the woods at night looking for downed deer.

Besides, I already took a big bodied 10 point, on October 7th. Haven't even take the bow out, just a camera. Video taped at least seven other decent 6-8 point bucks, that I could have shot.

Winelover

[petroid]

Richhodg66 thank you. I skin the head and remove the lower jaw and any meat and tissue that I can. Cut out the eyes or cook first and pull them. You need to stick a hose or tube in the back of the skull connected to an air hose and blow the brains out. Literally. Then boil it and use a pressure washer to blast the junk off. There still will be some scraping involved and likely multiple boils and blasts. Some people use dish soap and /or borax in the water. There's a bunch of YouTube videos on it. That's how I learned

[petroid]

The western par5of Kentucky where I live is a mix of rolling hills and flats. The flats are farmland and the hills are wooded. The perfect recipe for lots of deer. All of western Kentucky is Zone 1, which means as long as you buy tags, you can kill as many antlerless deer as you want. We are lousy with them. Bucks are still one per year though
I do like all the things mentioned about bow hunting. Mild weather, fewer hunters, and close range engagements. It's very satisfying to take a door with a bow from so close that you can see the "whites of their eyes"