Normally Laura and I hunt our property and have access to it thru a farmer's logging road or if the river is high, via canoe. It's been a tough season. My main hunting bow limbs broke in August. I had Lyme's disease. I had muscular problems because the anti cholesterol meds I was on (Lipitor) was being rejected by my body and the weather, hunting conditions. lack of natural food, was making this a long season. We weren't even seeing the numbers or quality of deer on our cameras that we had become used to.
I even missed a four pointer from my DB blind about a month ago when my shoulder "popped" when I raised my bow to shoot and it alerted the deer. The result...a rushed shot...in line but high.
Two nights ago I set up a decoy as a nice buck had been working the area and about four days ago he stood about 50 yards from the blind sight checking it for does. He did the same thing the next night so I figured the decoy had to come into play. The evening I set the decoy up four does showed up. The smallest, about a 60 pounder, had no trouble with it but the older does were stomping, snorting and keeping their distance. I could have shot the small doe but I knew much bigger ones were around and didn't want to use my only doe tag on such a small deer. So much for decoys. It's found a permanent home on the ground in back of the blind.
Well....it's Thanksgiving morning, in-laws just woke up and I need to cook breakfast. I'll continue but here is a preview.
-------------------- The best things in life....aren't things!
-------------------- Trying to make a difference Psalm 37:4 Roy L "Mudd" Williams TGMM- Family Of The Bow Archery isn't something I do, it's who I am! The road to "Sherwood" makes for an awesome journey. Posts: 9977 | From: Mid-Missouri | Registered: Mar 2003
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Dadgummit Bill! Why you want to go and get us all worked up like this for?
Look forward to the hearing the story. From the looks and sound of things so far you had a rough season with a great start to Thanksgiving.
Stiks
-------------------- Striker stinger 58" 55# @ 28 any wood bow I pick off the rack. 2 Cor. 10:4 TGMM Family of The Bow MK, LLC Shareholder Proud Member of the Twister Twelve Posts: 3571 | From: Petersburg, Indiana | Registered: Aug 2009
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Come on Bill, they're just in laws. It's not like they're blood relatives or something. You got a story to finish here Posts: 8867 | From: Lake Mills, WI | Registered: Mar 2003
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-------------------- Member of; Comptons Pope and Young PBS Colorado Traditional Archers Society and Life member of Bowhunters Of Wyoming Posts: 2398 | From: Wyoming | Registered: Jan 2008
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Give him break.....he's doing breakfast then dishes.....then he has to start diner for the in-laws, you have to make a good impression you know. Then there's clean up.......
-------------------- In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's there are few...So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind...This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Shunryu Suzuki Posts: 9484 | From: tribes hill , new york | Registered: Jan 2008
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Well, my brother-in-law Mark and I had to go get a Christmas tree (for Laura). Since we get the tree on the farm I hunt we went in and found the arrow and a pair of gloves I dropped last night. I also ran over my headlamp with the truck....sometimes success comes with costs.
Back to the story. A couple of weeks ago we had the infamous Halloween snowstorm. I found other hunter's tracks in the snow (the farm is posted except for Laura and me) so I followed the tracks. What I found was two apple trees I was unaware of and a pinch point or funnel about 50 yards off the path we walk on out to our property. I never caught up to the other hunter but checked out the new funnel. I set up camera and it was getting pictures of all kinds of deer...some before sunset and more, including nice bucks, after sunrise. I sat there one morning with no activity. I kept checking the camera and kept getting good pics. I decided that this week, with the New Moon would be perfect for this spot. They would use it to cross my path and head for another group of apple trees that were very difficult to hunt.
After the goof up with the decoy and the does I decided that I would hunt the stand (it's a ground blind....the farmer let's us hunt only from the ground). On Tuesday the weather looked bad. Big rain coming and the forecast for Weds. was rain and wind but a big cool down over night. If only it wouldn't rain Weds.it could be a perfect night to sit out. I was surprised when I got up on Weds. and the forecast had changed. No rain but cloudy and windy with the wind from the Southwest....couldn't be better. I just wondered what deer would show up.
When I got to the blind I decided to move my stool a bit deeper into the blueberry bushes as I felt very conspicuous where I had originally set the stool. So I did a little trimming and got comfortable.
Four thirty came and I had that sinking feeling that it was going to be another no show kind of hunt when I heard a branch break somewhere off to my right. A nice doe walked out to the apple tree and sniffed at few of the small apples that were there. When she picked her head up she saw me. I had no shot...she was looking at me and I had three 2 inch saplings covering her chest. She was about 10 yards away. She couldn't smell me but was concerned with what she was seeing. She put up her tail about half way and went back the way she had come from. She stopped behind some brush after about 20 yards and looked back my way. The decision to set back into the brush seemed to pay off as she could not see me. She seemed confused and came back but circled out about 20 yards and stopped directly in one of my shooting lanes...perfectly broadside. Because of the difficulty with my health, broken bows, etc. I really was not interested in a shot over 15 yards. But this was too good to pass up. I made a hasty decision to shoot with about 10 minutes left. The arrow appeared to shoot left and low. However, she had started to drop and turn. As the white feathers were swallowed by the decreasing light all I could see was hair flying everywhere. My first thought was that I grazed her. With a little bit of light left I decided to try to find the arrow...which I didn't til this morning....but found hair all over the place. As I inspected the hair there was blood on it. I looked in the direction she had run, thinking that I would be following an non fatally hit deer for most of the night in knee deep water from the previous evening's rain. It looked like there was more blood a few feet away. I went back to my pack and gathered my things and got out my little "Wensel" flashlight. Here is what I saw in the light.
Need to take a potty break...be back shortly.
-------------------- The best things in life....aren't things!
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