I settled into my treestand at about 5:00pm this evening and had a wonderful hour and a half to relax and enjoy the beauty of the day and watch lots of tiny birds I couldn't identify. About 6:30 I heard something that didn't sound like a Bird. LOL!!!
I saw one deers head emerge on the old tractor path I walk down to get to my stand. I though she was going to turn and walk down the main deer trail that crosses the road right there and walk right past my stand, but she decided to just keep travelling and browsing down the road. After her came another about the same size, and then another which was OBVIOUSLY bigger. The first doe stoped to browse in the only spot that I had a semblance of a hole to shoot thru to the road. I decided if Momma stopped there, I would take the shot.
WELL.............
She stopped there at a SEVERE quartering away angle. I drew quickly and focused on the last rib about half way up and relaxed my string hand right as she took a tiny step forward with her near rear leg! GRRR!! She took off with just the fletchings sticking out of the forward side of her ham where it attaches to her side. I got a little sick at my stomache thinking it may have been too far back, but I heard that tell tale RUN, CRASH, RUN, CRASH, CRASH, THEN SILENT. I waited 30 minutes before getting down hoping another deer would walk by to test another Razorcap on. I walked back to my truck and unloaded all my gear except a gutting knife, gloves, drag, and wipes. I then went to the owners door to tell her I had shot one of her deer. She is a widow lady that wants ALL the critters that are getting into her orchard DEAD!! I got a big hug and a thank you and then it was off for the tracking job.
NO BLOOD at all! My heart sank again. I decided to get on my hands and knees and look for upturned leaves and hoof marks to follow into the bush for a little ways. I decided to go in about 30-40 yards and if I found no blood or deer, I was going to go back in the morning to look for her. I NEVER found blood. I did however find fresh hoof marks and followed them in the bush for 30 yards. At the end of the tracks, I found my prize. The Broadhead had gone thru the right liver dead center and then proceeded onward thru the diaphram into the goodies, only to stop at a rib on the offside front. The Lungs were JELLO!
I sure was happy to find her. She was beautiful the way she lay there, but I didn't have my camera yet. She is just starting to grow her winter coat, and has lots of what looks like Gaurd hairs on a beaver growing out in patches. Other than those winter hairs, she was as smooth and slick as a freshly brushed pony.
The shot was @25yards and had she not stepped forward at the shot, I would have hit here at the exact hair I was aiming at. The shot felt REALLY good. I am not a great shot, but I felt like it tonight. I field dressed her being careful to keep the heart and then drug her to the tractor path and about 50 yards towards the house. I went and got my truck and camera to get a few pics and load her up to take her home.
There are those that will accuse me of UGLYING her to death, but I really and truly killed her with an arrow. LOL!!!
It has been so long since I put an arrow thru a deer, I almost forgot I knew how to do it. :D