I really wish there were a way to guarantee a shot at a nice deer the last day of season. It would sure be handy for those like myself that have no self control whatsoever.
Regardless, my story goes as follows. I had not hunted much at all this season and since coming back from Colorado with no elk, I was really looking forward to hunting the whitetail rut here in mid November. I thought I would go out last night and try to fill my doe tag by setting in a stand over a cut bean field.
A few does filtered in and out of the field offering no shots throughout the evening. About 6:50 pm I looked across the field about 150 yards away and I saw a buck entering the field from a brushy pasture. At first glance I knew he was pretty good but after looking at him through the binoculars, made up my mind I wasn't going to shoot him this early in the season before the rut.
I then decided to try and coax him over to my side of the field by grunting at him. He would pay some attention to me but when I reached down and lightly tickled my rattle bag, he came on a straight path to my stand. As he got closer and closer I began rethink my decision not to shoot and when he finally stopped 2 yards from the base of my tree, directly under my stand, I sort-of went on autopilot I guess. I drew and released very quickly and sent a Magnus stinger directly from above, down into his chest lodging it in the center of his heart.
He spun and ran flat-out as fast as he could across the bean field, back towards where he had came from, but he didn't make it. I watched him go down after about a 100 yard dash. He lived about 10 seconds after the shot, and that made me feel really good. Everything worked out perfect.
If there is one thing I have learned since making the switch from compounds to trad two years ago it is....You don't necessarily get a shot everytime you get a deer within 25 yards. SOOOO many things can go wrong, it is much harder to pull it off and you need to be smart enough to realize when you have done everything right, and the shot presents itself, to take it. And be darn grateful for it...and I am.
Oh yeah, I shot him with a Kindred Companion....Single Carbon Hybrid... 63lbs @ 29". (Awesome bow by the way, these are one of the best kept secrets in custom bows today. The craftsmanship and performance is outstanding.) Cabelas 60-75 Outfitter shafts and a 125 grain Magnus Stinger.
I'll try the pictures.
Good luck to all,
Mike
Topic: * Over Before it Started. (Read 5673 times)
