Today I had a chance to get back out in the CT deer woods. I LOVE hunting January, especially when there is snow on the ground. I decided to sit in a stand I have in a lone hemlock tree at the edge of an open wood lot and surrounded by oaks. I wasn't in the stand 5 minutes when I looked up and had 2 does headed my way. I had to scramble to pull my bow up and never even had a chance to take my back pack off!
The bigger doe walked past me through a small opening and then turned towards my tree. Of course I have no shots to that side of the tree due to the pine branches, even though she was only 10yds away digging for acorns. I looked up to see where the yearling was just as she stopped in the opening her mother had walked through a minute earlier. The green light went off in my head and before I knew it I was at full draw and the arrow was on it's way. She was slightly quartering away and the shot looked good, maybe just a touch back. She ran 30yds or so and stopped and started staggering. If you ever read my posts before, you know my motto is "when in doubt, quiver out". At 45-50yds I sent one just over her back because I hadn't picked a spot. She didn't react to the shot but still hadn't tipped over, so i nocked another arrow settled in and sent another. She was quartering to me and the arrow entered just in front of the near leg, passing through the front of the chest and breaking the offside leg. I could see the spray of crimson on the snow instantly as she jumped over a stone wall and all was silent. I could see blood in the snow at the first shot and even more after the second, I knew she was down.
I sat the rest of the afternoon and saw at least 15 more deer. The wind was swirling and every time one was almost in range they'd know something was up. I had a small buck with a busted rack bed up at about 70yds for over 30 minutes, saw a 13+ inch spike horn and lots of does. It was a great afternoon, but I couldn't wait to get down and go see my doe. At dark I walked over to where she crossed the wall and I she hadn't made it 20yds past it. It turns out the first shot caught the liver and one lung and would have done the job but the second arrow caught the heart which made sure she wasn't going anywhere.
The view from the stand, look at all the trails and dug up areas!
The Busted rack buck
Topic: First Deer of the new year! (Read 557 times)
