Saturday was my only day to hunt
this past weekend, so decided I would try for one of the two bigger bucks I
have seen on my property this season.
One was a thick tall 6-point, and a slightly smaller 8 point. I opted for the natural ground blind and I
wanted to get in there well before it was light. There was a moderate breeze and I did not
hear anything in the area as I crested the hill. I turned on my flashlight briefly to get
back on the path when I heard something get up.
Turning, there was the 8-point just 15 yards away and standing in the
beam of my LED light. I took off the
light and I heard it slowly walk away as I turned to walk into my blind. Bummer.
It was an uneventful morning after
that, and the wind started shifting.
Around 8:30 AM I got tired of sitting there, besides the wind was now
blowing directly into the little runway I have.
I thought my partner might be at
out mountain property to help me install a few fence posts for the
landowner. It turns out he drank too
much the night before and decided not to go, so I unfastened the gates and went
in.
I knew it was supposed to rain
later that afternoon, so I decided the posts could wait and went back in the
woods, headed for the thick laurel and rocky ridge in the back of the
property. It was a beautiful autumn day,
bright and sunny with lots of yellow and gold leaves. The breeze was still steady, so sneaking
around was feeling effective. After
entering the laurel, I slowly made my way toward the ridge when to my left I
see a doe standing there in the bright sun that wasn’t there before. She was bedded not 20 yards from where I was
and my scent finally roused her from her nap.
She was resting on the other side of downed oak, and we seemed to see
each other at the same time. Then, she
flicked her tail and started to walk behind the root ball… I readied as I thought she would pass the
roots and offer a shot. Moments later I
saw her walking uphill and away instead.
I had a small window to shoot through above the root ball and decided to
try about a 27 yard shot quartering hard away.
I pulled the shot and missed right by about 3 feet and spend about 12
minutes getting my grizzly head out of a small oak stump.
When I started off again I
immediately saw a gigantic fox squirrel about 10 feet away! It wasn’t in a panic about me and bounded off
behind a large chestnut oak trunk to feed.
This squirrel was like a rabbit with a puffy tail, very big. I eased around the trunk and decided to just
try for it with a broadhead arrow. I
released and it lit out in a panic. I
had to have hit it, and it seemed to drag its tail or hind quarters a bit
behind it. It was slowed down and I
tried another blunt arrow on the run crossing about 15 yds and missed high by a
mile. I ran after it pulling another
blunt, trying to get a bead on it as it ran down the fallen tree the deer was
behind. As it reached the root ball I
launched a blunt that seemed to get real close.
He chuckled in agitation and slid down under the roots. I never did find any blood or my broadhead
arrow and verify a hit. I was not happy
to lose a $10 broadhead.
I carefully eased up over the rocky
ridge as I almost always catch deer on the other side in the thick laurels and
rocks. As I crested the ridge I saw two more fox squirrels chasing each other
round a trunk and was tempted to switch to a blunt, but since I just blew it on
the other squirrel I decided to just relax.
Then, I saw him. Maybe 10-12
yards from me feeding behind a laurel bush.
It was a small 5 or 6-point. I
didn’t really want to shoot a smaller buck, but I have had a hard time shooting
lately and this one was so close and had no idea I was there…bird in hand
concept. I turned slightly and waited
for him to feed into the open broadside.
He was downhill about 8 feet and as I started to draw my top limb hit a
4-inch diameter tree to my right. I
leaned back so the bow would clear the tree and concentrated very hard on the
spot. As I released, I watched in horror
as the arrows was down hear his legs on the left side. I do not remember hitting the bow against the
tree but it was possible it happened and I didn’t realize it with the
excitement. I watched the arrows seemed
to hit near the leg/feet and seem to flip up and go with the buck as it blasted
downhill. Stopping about 50 yards away I
had another arrow on the string, but realized it was a blunt as I decided
whether to try the shot. It continued
away.
I found the arrow, and the broadhead
was broken off behind the point about 15 feet down the hill. No blood or hair at the shot site. The grizzly was snapped off at the tip maybe
about ¼ missing. No blood anywhere. I decided I hit a rock under him and he
tripped over my arrow as he ran. I was a
mess. How the heck did I miss that
gimmie shot. Thoughts of giving up the
bow for the season or switching left hand wedged into my brain again.
I may as well sneak back out of
here and work on the fence. Two
misses….how many more will I get today?
The wind was dying down and it was hard to move quietly anyway. I’ll set up the posts and try to make it back
to my private area for evening prime time.
As I got close to the field edge I
saw a grey squirrel feeding on some black walnuts in tall grass. It was close so I decided to try a broadhead
shot again. Arrow went high and I short
drew so bad I hit my face with my glove hand solidly. Really angry now at myself, the squirrel ran
toward me and across downhill on a log.
I had a quick blunt on the string, and as it ran I tried to only hone in
on the eye….short drew again but nailed him on the run just under the eye at
about 10 yards. Hmmm….
I skinned the young squirrel and
watched at the field edge but no deer came by.
Worked on the fence posts for about an hour and ran out of sackcrete
after the 3rd post. Did
enough and was now hot and sweaty in my wool.
Time to head home, drop the squirrel in the fridge, and get out back
again. I felt I needed a close shot….not
very confident.
It was drizzling lightly at about
5:45 PM as I eased back up the hill. The
rain was here. I thought about the
ground blind again, but didn’t want to get all muddy in there when it started
pouring, the wind was stiffer now anyway still blowing through the chute, so I
quietly climbed the ladder stand instead.
The rain tapered off again, and
maybe about 20 minutes later I hear a deer approaching the trail….
It is that 8-point. He was approaching
from my right side and I was sitting down.
He was wired and very cautious.
He didn’t seem to care about me this morning in the flashlight, but now
was visibly edgy.
I sat there calm and he took his
sweet time scanning the woods, sniffing the weeds I brushed against on the way
in, and slowly he was directly under my stand sniffing the rungs of my
ladder. I didn’t move and was quite
comfy sitting. I could see him in the
peripheral look up every now and then, and expected him to get out of there at
any second, but he continued.
Once he entered the left side about
5 yards I got in position to shoot as he looked away. Still he was facing dead away…not a great
angle from the tree. I waited and he
eventually walked out farther, but still facing dead away. Finally, at about 15 yards he quartered
slightly uphill and I gave myself the green light before he got too far for
comfort. I focused hard on a spot and
envisioned where the arrow would pass to get the goodies, even with the leg on
the other side. I told myself not to
hesitate and pause, stiffened the bow arm solidly and kept drawing…. All I
remember is the arrow appear right where I was looking. I could not believe it as he bolted like a
scalded cat about 30 yards out before slowing down. I saw a good half arrow of penetration, but
knew I got at least one lung. I saw him
turn slightly downhill at my property line and stumble…looked like his knees
gave out, or did he just trip crossing that deadfall branch? I dared not move an inch for a few minutes,
but never saw him leave. I eventually
got brave enough to scan with my binos…. Nothing. After about 20 minutes the rain started
again. I texted Mike who was hunting
about 30 minutes away and he said it was pouring there…better get on the
trail.
Just then I head another deer approaching. It is the bigger 6-point. Instead of coming down the trail he circles
around high, uphill of my mock scrape along the property edge and around past
where I had my other treestand. He moved
by and downhill circling back towards the area my buck went. I hear him grunt several times and he wanders
off.
Now I am in a hurry. It is raining and getting dark. I Stood up
and scanned that area with my binos again from the standing poition….no sign of
deer. Did he sneak out somehow? I find no blood or hair at the hit…no
trail. I go directly to where I last saw
him and there he is. He never moved. He crumpled there within 10 seconds after the
shot. Amazing!
My arrow went in past the last rib,
centered the middle of the heart and cut the offside leg bone. I found the grizzly head broken off in the
pericardial sack when I dressed it.
When we skinned it, it had a deep
puncture in the rump that was clotted under the skin. Hole went almost to the bone. So here is the theory: Before I saw him he just got his butt
kicked in a fight with that 6 point.
That is why he was so jumpy and wired.
He was looking to avoid that other buck.
The puncture was an antler tine in the butt. The 6 came by later looking for him, and
walked up on the dead buck and grunted a few times at it before losing interest
and walking away.
It only took about 5-7 seconds for
the deer to get shaky and stumble….it was dead in 10 seconds.
