Boerrancher
11-04-2012, 10:45 AM
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
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