So plan is I’m going back in the morning after I take the kids to school. My hunting partner and I went out and looked a little bit. But nothing.
So here’s the story.
I got off work early and made the 90 mile drive south from work to the house. When I got home I hopped in the shower to Deaddown Wind (I know it really probably doesn’t do much but it’s a confidence builder so I do it when I have the time). As soon as I was done I gathered my Ghost Blind, tripod chair, hip quiver, and my Venom, then walked out the gate. Luckily form me my back fence is the lake/WMA & my wife had been telling me all day that my guard dog was having fits chasing deer up and down the fence line all day. So, that’s exactly where I headed: to the boundary line cut where it makes a zigzag.
There’s a large white oak at the corner on the public side. As I’m getting set up the Ghost Blind I guess there was something in amongst the small thicket of sumacs, oaks, & stickers 5yds South. Definitely a deer but not blowing, just disturbed. A minute or 3 later I hear a tussling of leaves up on the small hill in front of me that’s across the WMA fence onto my property. Instantly my wife texts me that she just pulled into the driveway and standing in the road directly in front of my house is a deer!
Now, this boundary line cut is visible from my position all the way out to the county road some 100yds away & I never saw anything cross the trail nor along the road so whatever it is it likely was on my one acre wood lot adjacent the 3 acres my house sits on. So maybe things are looking up?!?! This was at 3:50
Ten minutes later I hear my dog Gideon (half German Shepherd & Anatolian Shepherd, i.e. 110lbs of very large bark) start going crazy and as I look that way catch a glimpse of a big body and antlers 50yds away. Quick as he appeared he hopes over the fence and starts feeding on the hill side on my property. And once again my wife texts me and says there’s another deer, big deer this time, and now it’s on the wood lot! I tell her I watched him hop the fence. I’m pretty sure he bedded down for a bit because I lose sight of him through the cedars and oaks.
He stays out of range and out of sight for the next 30 minutes. This entire time I’m standing behind my Ghost Blind against the large oak tree and I have piece of dead limb under my foot. When I’d arrived I cleaned most of it out where my feet would be if sitting on my stool, but now I’ve moved it out of the way because I really can’t shoot well over the blind. So I look around and don’t see anything so I proceed to move the stick out of the way from under my foot. While doing so it rustles some leaves and with the very light winds it’s moderately louder than I would have liked.
But I guess it seems to have gotten that buck up and moving because a couple moments later I see movement on the hillside and it’s moving my way!!!
He’s still pretty far out and screened by brush and trees. As he hits the fence and hops over, Gideon spies him and gives off a couple woofs startling him for a few yards. Now I’ve got a decent view and he’s definitely not a spike, not massive, but not bad either, and he’s 40yds away and slowly walking away!!! I’ve got to do something.
I’ve got it! I’ll give him a snort wheeze! As soon as he’s not looking up I give it a try and low and behold it works! He stops and looks straight at me for a few moments then executes a perfect left face and starts marching straight for me. Every 10yds he stops and gives a good look. I try my best not to look at him and definitely not in his eyes. There’s two trails he can take, one 3 feet from me or another about 20yds out that would bring him on a parallel course if he takes it.
And that’s what he does. At his closest he’s less than 10yds from me but screened by brush. If he keeps on course there’s two openings and he stops in the better of the two! He’s exactly 16yds and broadside, as I draw he stops and stares straight at me. I’ve been telling myself to pick a spot this entire time but as I hit full draw I go WHOLE DEER! Uggg.
He never moves till the Black Eagle Vintage shaft nails him, it’s definitely high, probably upper third. But I’m hoping it hit at least one lung. As he bounds out into cut I can see it’s about half an arrow sticking out.
Long story short, I found some blood, even a chunk of hide, but over lost it. He just stopped bleeding and doesn’t look like he dropped the arrow either.
Anyway, I’m getting back at it in the morning.
Topic: Lost blood trail! Aahhhh!!!! (Read 1658 times)
