My most unique kill ever

[waknstak IL]

Thats a cool little bow with a story to match.

[Brad_Gentry]

Congratulations, Curtis. This is just one of those stories that, as you read through it, your mouth is just hanging open! I mean, what are the odds?

Great story, beautiful deer, and a beautiful bow to boot!

[Littlefeather]

Thanks again for the neat comments. I have the skull on my desk as I type. I've bleached it out now and it really looks great. I also contacted TBM to see if they'd like to run the story. No reply yet. I must say that I have mixed emotions about writing the story. Afterall, the deer suffered by the hand of my mistake. I can see the wolf pack striking out over that. We'll se how things transpire.

C Lamb, remember us talking about this deer awhile back. Something about a goose?    

Dad, That is not your wool shirt I'm wearing in the pic. I just won three of them off of EBAY. I borrowed your shirt a long time ago when you didn't know anything about it. It got inadvertently ruined and I hid it so you'd never find the evidence. So, see, it isn't your shirt! Sheesh, always trying to blame me for stuff you don't even know I had anything to do with. You need to start keeping up with your own stuff.     I have my own gear now! I'm grown-up and everything!     Well, sometime I'm not so grown up but thats a different subject!    CK

[wingnut]

CK,

Your older but not grown up by a long shot.

LOL

Mike

[KenSel]

Curtis, that's a great story with a great ending.  I'm glad that you were able to find her and end her suffering.  I had a similar experience back when I was about 15 and it still saddens me, but I learned a real valuable lesson that day.

Congrats on a true trophy!!!

Ken

[Whip]

Missed this one while out hunting over the weekend, but glad I caught up with it.  That is an incredible story!  
Wow Curtis, when you get old and sit around the campfire telling stories none of the young guys are going to believe the stuff you will be telling. Heck, you've already got more stories than most guys twice your age!  Saving the skull is a good idea - now you'll have proof!

[Mike Yancey]

Curtis, good job on the bow and you are so lucky to know how this turned out.
 Being a butcher I process thousand's of deer every year, there are deer that come in that have one thing or another wrong with them. We can only guess what happened to cause the injury. You are one of the few lucky ones to know how it happened and the end result.

That is a lesson as well as a memory that will be with you for the rest of your life.

That being said, all the deer I see each year with one form of injury or another they seem to do just fine. They are tough animals and seem to show no lasting problems other than the scars. We see broken legs a lot and they heal up, some times in some real deformed ways, bullets and broadheads from one end of the body to the other and again they heal up in one way or another.

Things happen from time to time to cause a bad hit no matter how hard we try and we would all be better if we take this to heart. We owe it to the animal to make it as quick and painless as it can be.
Your heart's in the right place and I'm proud to call you my friend.
Mike

[Charlie Lamb]

Joe... when you get old remember I told you this. "When you get older, young guys think you are either lying or bragging all the time".  :D  

You should hear some of the stories I don't tell!  

Mike... I saw a deer one time with a Ford F-250 lodged in it's body!  

[Tom I.]

It's sometimes amazing the damage an animal can sustain and still live.  This past spring and summer, my wife and I watched a crippled doe struggle thru our yard on several occasions.  He right front leg looked withered and deformed, but the way she walked indicated much further damage. She really had problems making it around. We surmised that she may have survived a car accident or perhaps a gunshot wound.  Then she disappeared for a couple months. About late July or early August she reappeared with a pair of fawns by her side.  The trio hung around our house for a couple more months.  As deformed and damaged as she was, she exhibited no signs of pain and was able to successfully raise her fawns. We watched them lose their spots and mature. About mid October they disappeared and we haven't seen they since.  I have no doubt that they have simply moved to another area.
The point is, in the wild, life is tough at best.  But it's not only the fit that survive.
Tom I.

[Whip]

I'd love to hear them all Charlie - that's why we all keep dogging you about the book!    

I'd love to end up with half of the stories you have to tell.  I'm not that much younger than you, and I keep trying my darndest to catch up, but I feel like I'm running on a treadmill that just keeps going faster and faster.    

[Brian Halbleib]

Thanks for the interesting story CK. None of us want to see any animal suffer and it bothers us when things don't go perfect after releasing that arrow. It's human nature to beat yourself up over the events that occur after an arrow is released if the results are an wounded animal and/or less than desirable shot. I'd be wary of anyone who didn't feel bad about it.

But the fact remains that we cannot control any of the events after we release the arrow. All we can do is put ourselves in the position to minimize undesirable results. Constant shooting practice and sharpening of woodsmanship will bring us to that point but it will never eliminate the chance that an animal could move before our arrow hits where we are looking.

It's good to know that they can survive a traumatic event such as the one described above. I had a mule deer doe do the same thing to me last month. Upon release, she turned 180 and the arrow hit the rear quarter instead of the front quarter that was there when I released. Shaun Webb and I followed the faint blood trail for probably over a mile until we ran out of daylight. She never laid down or stopped from what we could tell. I beat myself up for a few days until Doug S. saw the same doe no worse for wear.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[swampbuck]

Thanks for sharing thats a most interesting story for sure.

This is not a 3 vs 2 blade thought both WILL get the job done but it looked to me like the ear hole was from a 3 blade head.I could be wrong but that was my first impression based on the pic.It could be possible that she survived 2 BH's to the head area.Am I seein things or does the cuts look like the right angles for 3blades goin thru the ear instead of 2 from the grizzly ??

Again thanks for sharing and CONGRADS!!

[jindydiver]

Thanks for sharing your story CK. I think you are right to be a bit hesitant about telling your story widely, a lot of people will be upset about the deer having to endure a year with your broadhead in it, even though it is plain that she wasn’t being held back by it. Perhaps by posting this you will have sown a seed in someone’s mind and next time they go hunting they will be just that bit more careful about the shots they take. That has to be a good thing  

[Roy from Pa]

Curtis that is a great story dude. I am happy you found peace in yourself by taking this doe.

But that is the ugliest pig I ever seen in my life. What the heck ya been feeding him? LOL Roy

 

[Mark Baker]

TBM worthy or not, Curtis, that is a great story.  Such stuff is what makes for tales that transcend time,  and keep campfires warm and friendly.   Thanks for sharing with us.

[T. Downing]

Curtis, I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed this thread immensely. What a cool looking bow and the pictures of your wonderful doe are absolutely awesome. If bowhunting has showed me anything, amazing things happen at the most unexpected moments. Wonderful stuff Curtis. T

[Woodduck]

Enjoyed that so much. That first picture is great and thanks for the story and the facts.
I think that's a MOJO bow, you got there, mister.

[Aussie Stickbow Hunter]

Curtis,

Mate that sure is an interesting story. I can understand how you feel about making a less than perfect shot - it's a feeling any REAL hunter would understand. I'm glad this story is now finished. As has been said, I think you sharing these events will make each one of us think about the great responsibilities we have as hunters.

Jeff

[Littlefeather]

wow, thats again guys for the supportive words.

As funny as it way seem, I find myself picking up the skull over and over again marveling at the how nature will endure. I've decided that the skull will not go on a plaque. I'll leave it as it is so that it can be handled, turned over, and looked at. Thanks again!

Roy, I agree, that's sure an ugly pig. Looks like he supports a great magazine though!    :D   CK

[Tom I.]

I'm not sure whats going on....but yesterday I was able to see the first two pics in this story...which, by the way, is a great story and should be written up for publication, but today I'm unable to see them.  I never saw the pig picture yesterday...and one of the skull pics I couldn't see.  I don't understand????  Now, I can't see any pics except one of the cud pics and
one of the broadhead pics....frustrating.  Wish I understood why???
Tom I.