I had actually drawn my bow twice on this rabbit over the last 10 minutes. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to clean a rabbit tonite. Sometimes I just dont feel like messing with it, you know? So, I was already standing, with my focus on the rabbit when the 2 young bucks walked into view.
So I had this problem. How do you take an Ace Bunny Buster tipped arrow off the string, and replace it with the broadhead tipped arrow that you had on the shelf just a few minutes earlier, with 2 bucks less than 12 yards away??
Slowly. Thats how. Being that I was in the "Club 54" blind, I was pretty well concealed among the cedar limbs and the darkness they offer. But deer aint that deaf. Leaning the varmint arrow up against my leg only worked for a second, until it fell off the side of my leg and hit a branch on its way to the ground. The deer looked my way for a second or two, then went back to pilfering around on the trail in front of me.
I can shoot at rabbits and hogs all day and not waiver, but when a deer is just a few feet away, my nerves like to play pranks on me. Fingers tremble on the string. Shoulder gets shakey. Breathing fast. You know, buck fever crap.
I finally got the bow drawn, and picked a spot in the dirt below and beyond the bucks chest, and let the arrow fly. See...if you pick a spot...thats where your arrow will go! I didnt WANT to shoot there, but apparently, thats where I was aiming.
Both bucks jumped foreward and looked around, but they didnt' seem too freaked out. In fact, the little fella I missed, actually went back to where he was, curious about the red and white blur that passed under his chest. But he was actually closer this time. Inside 10 yards.
In the melee, I snatched another Ace tipped arrow out of the quiver and got ready. When the buck was totally broadside to me, I began my draw. With a buck within 10 yards of me, you tend to get paranoid about sound and movement. I finally began to draw...about 1" per second. I swear, I figured that buck would die of old age before I finally got to full draw. When I did, I picked another spot...this time ON the deer, and let the string fall from my fingers.
The arrow struck home and passed thru. The lil buck bounded about 25 yards away across the clearning, turned and faced me, stumbled sideways and fell. Got up, walked about 5 yards, and crashed.
I gave the fella about 20 minutes, send texts to Jim (razorsharptokill) and my old man then headed over to where I heard the deer fall. In my flashlight, I saw eyes reflecting back, low to the ground, so I backed out slowly. Gave another 45 to make sure the buck had expired and started back to where he had fallen.
Eyes still reflecting back in my flashlight. Problem was, I was looking at my dead deer. Apparently, in the 20 minutes that the deer had died, and I went to look for him, a big bobcat had done found my kill and had started to dine on his buttcheek. He hadn't been scared off until the 2nd time I approached the deer, and he had tried to cover up the deer to claim it as his own. Like thats gonna stop me. Pic included of the carnage the bobcat caused.
So..my CSI television training told me that my shot was a double lung, pass thru shot. You'd thing that this would have been a pink, frothy, foamy mess, that would have been a joy to follow. Nope...the only blood outside the body was that which was left on my arrow, and where the deer had lain after it crashed. What a bummer. I'm so happy this deer had dropped within sight.
Thanks for readin, yall. I know this was a long story, but I know I love reading any hunting story!
8 yd shot
54lb Dryad Orion
570gr Beman Classics tipped with Ace heads
Topic: Got me a little buck! (Read 1117 times)
