Ok, Steve dropped by today and finally shared the story.
I'll skip the prelims of the 3 days hunting before this Tuesday morning. But needless to say, he was seeing big bucks everyday and on Monday had a monster 10 pt (160 class buck) at 14 yds. He did what we all do down here. Anticipate a squat and look at the white hairline under the heart. Normally this is a heart or doublelung as the deer ducks to go. Only this time the deer didn't move and now has a baldspot on his chest. Going to be hard to explain that one. Well as I've said I'd rather miss low then wound high in the shoulder.
After that, Steve shot the bow all day and said that it was shooting the best he'd ever done. The next morning he decided to hunt a new stand. It was nestled in a stand of chinaberry next to a brand new pipeline right a way. The deer were tearing up the area and one of those huge tracks that we all see now and then was frequenting the area. Before daylight he slipped over the ridge and right to the stand without using a light. Once up, he settled in and waited for daylight. As the first light of day approached he could here deer moving and as soon as he could see. Four does moved into the china berry on the trail that crossed 12 yds in front of the stand. He said that one of the does tempted him for a minute or two but it was too early in the year to be doe hunting.
Then one of the does looked back over her shoulder and Steve looked up the pipeline. The sun coming over the hill shone on a big bodied deer that he described as a "LInebacker" he was big everywhere, even his forarms bristled with muscle. Steve said it took only a couple of seconds to decide that if a shot was offered he'd take it. Not the biggest buck rack wise but a fine mature buck non the less.
The sun sparkled on the frost on the bucks back as he strutted down the trail. As luck would have it, he came on the same line as the does and soon was behind a tree only 15 yds away. Steve started to draw as the buck stepped out and stopped only 12 yds away. The near leg was forward, slight quarter away and his eyes burned a hole in the pit of the shoulder. The arrow struck exactly where he looked and stuck the far shoulder with a huge WACK!!
The buck turned and excellerated back on the line he'd came. At 50 yds he went behind a cedar and didn't come out. Steve knew he was down. The shot was perfect.
He started his stopwatch and kept an eye on the cedar in case the buck moved. After 30 minutes ticked by, he took up the trail. He said the heavy buck tore the ground up on the way out so it was easy to follow. But as he rounded the cedar. . . no deer. And no blood . . .how could there be no blood. He followed the racing deer track another 50 yds and found blood, not much but some. Another 50 . . .no deer. After 200 yds uphill, he is beginning to doubt the shot. But Steve has killed an honest 75 deer with a bow and many big bucks. He knew the shot was perfect and the WW 125 had done the job. But why no blood?
After 250 yds he could see the main road in the ranch ahead. That ment that the boundry fence laid just beyond. That also ment that if he the deer crossed the fence he'd have to get permission to follow.
The runnign deer trail lead to a cross road and the deer took a right turn instead of crossing the main road. Another 10 yds and he was piled up in full stride.
The deer had run a full speed til it died, covered almost 300 yds and probably was down and out in 30 seconds after the shot. The arrow and BH did a great job but the lack of an exit wound because of the shoulder hit, prevented the blood from pumping out. The chest cavity was full.
A lot of things go through your mind on a longer track but the one that doesn't is how fast the deer covered the distace that you just took an hour or more to unravel. Most of the time it's less then a minute.
Steve's buck is in the 130 inch class and is a great mature buck to cull in the area where 160 and bigger roam the woods.
He's very happy with it and will be back in the woods of OK in November to see if he can get the big one he missed earlier.
That's the story as told to me today.
Mike
Topic: Orion Recurve lays big boy down!..story added! (Read 3663 times)
