When the morning downpour ended at 8 this morning I headed right to the woods. After only 15 minutes, I spied a dandy ten slipping behind me about 80yds off. I believe it was a buck I have pics of and was the main reason for my hunting this property. I tried a grunt and a snort wheeze, but he never flinched. He acted as though he had someplace to be, and nothing was gonna slow him down. That was just enough to put me on high alert.
This stand is in a split trunked tree surrounded by thick cover on three sides, so deer are usually not visible til they are within 60-70yds. So decisions and shots can happen quick. About twenty minutes later I spy another deer doing the old dog shake to dry off. A quick look tells me it’s a decent 8 with 8-9” g2s. He heads directly towards the back of the tree and I decide if he gives me a shot I’m gonna take it. And this ends the good part of the story.
Now comes the bad. He crosses behind the tree giving me a twelve yard shot. I have to shoot back behind the stand between the two trunks of the stand tree. I had practiced this ahead of time and thought I was ready for it. What I wasn’t ready for was him being that close. As I drew, I could feel the lower string pull into the tree. I leaned out a little more to clear and turned the arrow loose. I rushed, and dropped the ball. I normally shoot with feather touching nose, but can’t remember doing so. I also KNOW to pick a spot and didn’t. The shot hit high mid body. The buck bolted and dove off the side of the ridge. I saw the bright red arrow flip out of the exit side as he ran away. After about thirty minutes I got down and confirmed what I already knew. Very little blood for the first ten yards then nothing. But could not find the arrow at first. That part of the story will come later.
I backed out and called a buddy. We agreed to give him at least 4 hrs. An hour later, the rain started and continued for the next two. My heart was sinking. Four hours later we did our best to decipher tracks and trails to figure out where he had gone. Amazingly my bud found one bed where he had laid down about 200yds away. There was only the slightest hint of diluted blood in the bed, and no indicator as to which way he had gone. A good tip here.... my bud would have never noticed the blood but had noticed a swelled up tick in the bed that had dropped off the buck. After several hours of searching all nearby hollows, we gave up the search. I hope he survives, but only time will tell.
I’m down, and disappointed in myself. But I will be in stand again in the morning. I know that if you spend enough time in the woods, $#/+ will happen. I had thought hard about even telling this story here. I don’t need sympathy or a butt chewing(already took care of that myself) I simply wanted it to serve as a reminder to all. Take your time and do your best to do as you practice. Adrenaline and bucks can make us all hurry and make mistakes.
Topic: Good, bad, and amazement in one hunt (Read 451 times)
