Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: swampdrummer on December 06, 2009, 10:56:00 PM

Title: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: swampdrummer on December 06, 2009, 10:56:00 PM: Been a tough season for me. Not for the lack of game. I had plenty of shots. But I just couldn't seem to pull it together and get an arrow where it was supposed to be. I even killed my first trad deer 3 weeks into the season but my shooting was WAY off. That doe was just unlucky enough to stick her neck in the way of the arrow.
I had about given it up several times and came on here and pouted and whined and ya'll kept me at it. LOTS of great advice and encouragement. Even had long email conversations with several people with nothing but good advice.

Tonight I climbed in my stand about 3 pm and saw nothing more than a few squirrels and an armadillo until 5:15. Dark was settling in and I looked out across the pasture to the south of my stand and see two deer headed my way along the woodline. As they get closer I can see horns. Now were in business! :p

A little 4 point jumps the fence and heads my way only to see an arrow stuck in the ground that I'd shot at a squirrel earlier and turn around. He changes his mind and turns around again and keeps on coming. Right behind him is a decent little 6 point. The 4 point walks past me but never presents a shot. The 6 point comes straight to my stand only to have the armadillo that had been feeding around me for the last two hours come busting out of the palmettos and spook him. He runs off and then promtly turns around and heads back.
He walks into a small opening in the brush and stops and looks the other way.
I remember feeling my anchor and knew the shot was good. I know now what it "feels" like to pick that spot.See the arrow hit that spot before it gets there. I KNEW I was going to make the shot! The buck turned 90 degrees away from me and crashed into the palmettos. I saw my arrow fly up in the air and the deer kept on going. Turns out it was only about 6 inches of arrow that broke off as he hit the palmettos.
I watched him run off and saw him again at the fence line, walking with his head down.

I got down and went to the house. Gave him 45 minutes and me and the wife went back. Very little blood. Just a drop here and a drop there. Got to where I last saw him and there was just a little more blood. Still not much.Crossed the fence and kept finding spots of blood going out into the pasture. 50 yards into the pasture my flashlight hits him.
I was so excited I was about in tears. God that feels good to make it happen the way its supposed to!!!
(http://cdn-2-service.phanfare.com/images/external/2655273_4139643_88105418_Web_2/0_0_0d86371fa7dd265762c2b21964f827da_1)
I think the reason for the poor blood trail was I put a couple of great big holes in the heart. Nothing there to pump any blood out!
(http://cdn-2-service.phanfare.com/images/external/2655273_4139643_88094036_Web_3/0_0_643652ca5234a132245e4a646a073de1_1)

Many, many thanks to all you great folks here on tradgang. I couldn't have done without ya'lls great advice and encouragement!
Not a monster buck. But I don't care. I'm prouder of this buck than any I've ever taken.I picked a spot. and I HIT IT!
:D :D :D :D
Super shrew scout
53#@28"
Easton XX75 with an Aboyer wapiti light and a 100 grain insert.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: BowHuntingFool on December 06, 2009, 11:02:00 PM: Thats as good as it gets brother! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!! Nice shootin'!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Ssamac on December 06, 2009, 11:05:00 PM: Great story
Thanks for sharing
Nice little buck too!!

sam
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Irish Archer on December 06, 2009, 11:08:00 PM: Congrats bigtime, nice shot..... :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Kenneth on December 06, 2009, 11:17:00 PM: Good shot! Congrats brother!!! Nice looking bow too :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: el_kirk on December 06, 2009, 11:19:00 PM: Good job!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Fishnhunt on December 06, 2009, 11:32:00 PM: good shooting. way to keep at it! congrats on the fine deer and the recovery.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Bjorn on December 06, 2009, 11:37:00 PM: Hey! Great job-congrats!!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: SlowBowinMO on December 06, 2009, 11:41:00 PM: Great job, way to keep at it! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Whip on December 06, 2009, 11:45:00 PM: Nice shot! Congratulations on a fine deer :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Johnny Reb on December 06, 2009, 11:46:00 PM: Good stuff stranger, way to go. Like you said, pick a spot and drill it.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: trad_bowhunter1965 on December 06, 2009, 11:51:00 PM: AWESOME BUCK BRAD.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Hawkeye on December 07, 2009, 12:02:00 AM: Now that's a GOOD spot to have picked!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: DesertDude on December 07, 2009, 12:08:00 AM: Well Done........
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Benny Nganabbarru on December 07, 2009, 02:21:00 AM: Well-done!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: amar911 on December 07, 2009, 02:38:00 AM: That was a good shot, Brad. Nice bow too. Every deer with a trad bow is a trophy.

Allan
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: easyup on December 07, 2009, 02:44:00 AM: Brilliant job
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Chris Surtees on December 07, 2009, 05:33:00 AM: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Guru on December 07, 2009, 05:41:00 AM: Way to go..congrats!!!! :clapper:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Gil on December 07, 2009, 06:07:00 AM: NIce!!!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: overbo on December 07, 2009, 06:57:00 AM: Looks like that left a MARK!!! congrats
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: pitbull on December 07, 2009, 06:58:00 AM: Congrat's! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Lamey on December 07, 2009, 07:00:00 AM: good story, good job, will definitely help me "keep a spot" in my mind when I do get a shot.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: JV Rooster on December 07, 2009, 07:19:00 AM: :clapper:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: GingivitisKahn on December 07, 2009, 07:57:00 AM: I'll say you hit it - grats!

:thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Mudd on December 07, 2009, 08:06:00 AM: I pray that feeling sticks with you for a very long time. Congratulations! Because you done something worthy of the praise you're receiving, just soak it in!!!!
God bless,Mudd
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: joevan125 on December 07, 2009, 08:10:00 AM: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Big Ed on December 07, 2009, 08:11:00 AM: Very nice,well done!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Doc Nock on December 07, 2009, 08:18:00 AM: You're HOOKED now!!! :)

Ain't it amazing? After all these years, I'm still almost stunned when I see the nock right where I was lookin! Not that it doesn't happen often enough...but on game..it still just seems to amaze me! :)

You didn't say, but did the shaft stay inside the critter? On several deer I've shot, the shaft punched through, the tip got broken off when the off shoulder came back and snapped off the tip, but the shaft stayed inside and really blocked up the drain hole!

Congrats on putting it all together. NOthing quite like that feeling... :clapper:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: azhunter on December 07, 2009, 08:24:00 AM: Nice shot and congratulations on the deer. Well done.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Shaun on December 07, 2009, 08:30:00 AM: "God that feels good to make it happen the way its supposed to!!!"

You said it well right there. Fine shot and great hunting!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: ductape on December 07, 2009, 08:31:00 AM: Nice shot! Great job.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: swampdrummer on December 07, 2009, 09:03:00 AM: Thanks so much folks. I'm still on cloud nine, maybe even cloud 15! :D Just amazing to have it all come together. I'll not doubt my ability again. I know its in me now.

Doc Nock, I went back this morning and found the front 3/4 of the arrow and broadhead. Looks like I got all but about 6 inches of the arrow into the deer. The fletching end broke off and the front half pulled on thru the deer when he crashed into the palmettos. I'm still convinced that the blood trail was so lite because there just wasn't anything to push it out of the chest cavity. Chest cavity was full of blood when I opened him up.
No matter. I'm still bouncing around without a care in the world! :p
Thanks again ya'll. Couldn't have done it without trad gang behind me!
Brad
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: KentuckyTJ on December 07, 2009, 09:03:00 AM: Good stuff nice going.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Buckhorn47 on December 07, 2009, 09:39:00 AM: Congratulations, Swampdrummer. Great story. Thanks for taking us along.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: twitchstick on December 07, 2009, 10:04:00 AM: Great job on picking a spot! and a nice buck to boot. :clapper: :clapper:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: digicon on December 07, 2009, 10:10:00 AM: That's great. Great shot.

Mike
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: bawana bowman on December 07, 2009, 10:14:00 AM: Brad,

Congratulations!!!!! :archer:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: hydrasport205 on December 07, 2009, 10:15:00 AM: congrats man doesn't get any better than that..
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Over&Under on December 07, 2009, 11:35:00 AM: Way to stick with it!!! Great shooting and it looks like you picked the RIGHT spot for sure!!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: tradtusker on December 07, 2009, 11:56:00 AM: very nice congrats
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: waknstak IL on December 07, 2009, 01:21:00 PM: :clapper: congrats
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Mint on December 07, 2009, 01:47:00 PM: Congrats! We all have doubts sometimes.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: bayoubowman on December 07, 2009, 01:56:00 PM: Congrats..Way to hang in there...
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: straitera on December 07, 2009, 03:33:00 PM: Way happy for you. Beautiful bow, hunt, shot, deer, & recovery. Did your arrow pass completely through?
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: 4runr on December 07, 2009, 04:21:00 PM: Congrats!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: 1/4 away on December 07, 2009, 04:35:00 PM: Congrats!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: TNstickn on December 07, 2009, 05:25:00 PM: Way to go!!! :thumbsup: :archer:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: jeanpaul3006 on December 07, 2009, 05:30:00 PM: awesome shot,congrats
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: imhntn on December 07, 2009, 05:47:00 PM: Good Job. I hope you have this feeling many more times.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Buckeye Trad Hunter on December 07, 2009, 06:15:00 PM: Great job! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: blueline on December 07, 2009, 06:17:00 PM: well done Sir. Stay with it, That is how it all come together.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: bentpole on December 07, 2009, 06:21:00 PM: Congrats! Great story .Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: J.Williams on December 07, 2009, 06:44:00 PM: Way to pick a spot,and you got the heart,too. :thumbsup:Looks like you might have it worked out,congrats.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: COOCH on December 07, 2009, 07:17:00 PM: Very well done sir when it all comes together its simple an awsome feeling. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: ChetterB on December 07, 2009, 07:36:00 PM: Congrats hope you have many more.
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Stone Knife on December 07, 2009, 08:51:00 PM: Nice hit :thumbsup: that's two more holes than that heart is supposed to have in it :notworthy:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: 30coupe on December 07, 2009, 10:45:00 PM: Nice job! Now that you know that feeling, the next one will be easier. It doesn't mean you'll never miss again, but you'll be surprised when you do instead of the other way around.
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Basinboy on December 07, 2009, 10:47:00 PM: Congrats! He's a nice one!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Bonebuster on December 08, 2009, 06:53:00 AM: Congrats!!!

Great job! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: ChristopherO on December 08, 2009, 07:44:00 AM: Great job. I am still waiting for my arrow to dissapear where I am looking.
As for the heartshot being the reason for the lack of blood trail, that is doubtful. I've had deer with heart shots with very little blood, such as yours, and I've had deer shot with a 12 gauge slug that cut the heart into 2 pieces making it look like lasangua and the blood trail was incredible for the 60 yards it ran. It sounds like the holes in the chest just didn't open enough to let the blood leak out very well.
Anyway, great shot great recovery!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Smallwood on December 08, 2009, 09:58:00 AM: :wavey: :thumbsup: :notworthy: :archer:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Jerry Wald on December 08, 2009, 03:05:00 PM: perrrrrrrrrrfect
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: hill boy on December 08, 2009, 03:28:00 PM: nice shot. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Onewldcat on December 08, 2009, 10:38:00 PM: Man you did hit it! Nice shot!
Title: Re: Finally! Picked a spot, and HIT IT!
Post by: Tim on December 09, 2009, 10:42:00 AM: Nice job!

The key to success with a traditional style bow is patience and persistence. Only take high percentage shots at angles that will allow for any small errors on your part. It will get easier and your confidence will increase. I've been shooting a trad bow for 22 years and it's been a major roller coaster at times...but well worth the ride! I'm sure other would agree with me.

Tim