Thanks again to everyone
...So now the shakes start...and with the cold weather and the adrenaline,they were as bad as ever!!!! I know it's taking a long time to tell,but thatfrom the time I saw the buck to the time he was out of sight,it was less than a minute. I promise myself that I would stay up in my tree for an hour.I prayed,looked for blood,looked for my arrow,and just replayed the whole thing in my head over and over again.I just couldn't get over the lack of blood.So as I'm up there thinking,the dought started to creep in.I make it about a half hour and I decide that I can't take it any more.I need to go check out the spot of the hit at least.Pack up and get down,leave the stand on the tree take the string off my bow and walk the short distance to where he was hit.....NO BLOOD!!! No need to panic,I figure I'll just creep along the side of his tracks to where he went out of sight to check for blood.Cut hair,but no blood after 20yds....40yds I find a pinhead size speck of blood ahd a piece of cut hair with blood on it.So at least now I know I wasn't dreaming.As I'm creeping forward I keep following his tracks ahead of me with my binos. Right about the spot where I thought I saw him slow down(about 50yds into the trail),I see ahead that some blood is starting to hit the ground,not a lot by any means,but I see more ahead.His tracks go up a little rise,heading toward a pine flat up ahead(where I heard the 2 twigs snap).At this point,I figure it's best to be safe than sorry....As hard as it was,I turn around to go get my buddy John who is hunting back the way I walked in from.....
..Back at the spot I show him everything thre is to see at the spot of the hit and we walk up to where I left off at the base of the little rise.We start up the hill,see the blood is getting better.Hadn't gone 10yds from where I left off,I look up ahead and see him laying there.I remember saying,"Oh my god john he's right there!!!!!".Immediatly we could see he was dead and we run up to him.I was STUNNED!!!! By doing the right thing and not paying much attention to the rack before the shot,I had no idea he was as big as he was.No ground shrinkage here.Me and my bud shared a lot of emotions that only 2 friends can share at a time like this.We talked about everything that has happened in the last yr.We just sat there and savored the moment.It was an incredible feeling!!!
I know the shot looks perfect,but it was not where I was trying to hit him.With the shot being so close,and me being high,I would have been far better hitting him 3-4" higher.My shot was a little low,but I did slice the bottom of the near lung and put a nice slice in his heart.Had I hit him a bit higher,the arrow would have taken him solidly through the lung and would have put a hole in his heart.
There was no exit hole,which is why it took a while for the blood to come.The big Snuffer(160) hit bone on the way in and stopped cold in his sturnum(I think that's where it is,I could feel it in there when field dressing).When I skin him out and butcher him,I'll try to get a pic. of where it ended up.
I was using my old reliable 56" 62# Kempf Kwyk Styk,600gr Cedar arrow(I made from a RRA shaft),160gr snuffer combo.
So that's pretty much it boys and girls.I'm sure I'll have some thoughts to share as it all sets in.
Like I mentioned earlier,my digital cam was going haywire with the cold air and low batteries.But I did manage to get the one good pic,but my bud John had his 35mm and we took a bunch of pics with it.I'm having a CD made,and will share more pics when I get them in a couple days.
Topic: A Buck For Guru.........pic.(more pics added,page 7) (Read 14515 times)
