A big part of the reason we moved to Sonora, Tx was because of the amount of free range axis deer in this area. When I moved here, I was sure I was gonna be killing axis deer left and right. Well, that sure didn’t materialize! There are axis around me, and I see them/get pics of them every now and then. When I have gotten pics and tried to hunt them, they have always either not shown at all, or come in from downwind and peg me. I have not been able to take one in the last 5 years of living here………..
Until today!
I’ve actually had a couple of good axis bucks come around over those years. I could have shot 2 different really nice axis bucks with a rifle, but I’d just as soon pass on them as shoot them with a gun.
I am a bowhunter!!!!!!!
I checked my cameras a couple days ago, and there were a few axis hanging around at 2 different stands. I hunted one this morning. I didn’t see any axis, but did see a beautiful young 13pt whitetail buck that had my heart thumping a bit. I actually came to full draw in him at 12yds, but all I could think about was how good he would be if he somehow could make it to next year. I let down and watched him for about an hour.
This afternoon I decided to try the other stand where I had seen axis pics. I had a nice blackbuck ram come in, but he just isn’t big enough to get shoot yet, so I just watched him doing his thing dogging a doe. I also saw a bunch of whitetail. About 4 different does, a couple fawns, a little spike, and nice up and comer 9pt.
As it started getting late, I was telling myself that the axis deer were just too smart for me! It was about 15 minutes after sunset when I noticed the first axis doe coming in……….from straight upwind too! Another doe followed closely behind the first one. I knew I only had a few minutes before it would be too dark to see, but I was ready! After a few minutes, one of the does finally worked her way into a good position at about 12.5yds. I drew back, hit anchor, and the arrow was on its way. The arrow hit her hard, and I did not get a passthru. I could make out the arrow sticking out of her as she bolted out of there. My initial impression was that it was too high, which is really bad on axis deer. Anyway, I decided to get out while all the critters were cleared out of there, and go back to the house and eat supper. After the shot I looked at my phone; it was 6:12pm. Sunset was 5:49. I literally had just minutes before it was gonna be too dark to shoot!
As I was walking back to the house down the main road, I looked to my left and saw something funny about 100yds out in a clearing. I thought “there is no way that is my deer, but I have to look just in case”. As I got closer, I was super pleased to see it was my deer!!!!! I decided to skip all the waiting and get my dog Zeke to let him track her since I had not walked the track at all.
I took Zeke back to the stand where I had shot her. I put him on the first blood which was only a few feet from where she had been standing when I shot her. He took off pulling hard and covered the hundred or so yards to the dead deer in less than a minute! He earned deer meat treats tonight!!!!!
Anyway, sorry for the long drawn out story over a doe, but I’m about as excited over this deer as any I can remember in recent history! Hopefully there will be more in the future, and hopefully a decent buck one of these days!
Here’s the pic of the deer I’ve been waiting for for almost 5 years:
Bisch
Topic: It took me 5 years, but I finally got it done!!!! (Read 2644 times)
