10/13/12...AM
What a morning.....so action packed I'll do my best to keep it short, but sweet!
Cold!!! I mean cold...28 degrees, and with the first frost of the fall, the kind of morning you just "know" it's gonna be good!
As mentioned in my last update on Fri., Cade decided to try for a turkey. But the best part about this spot is that it's also a great place to kill a deer out of the blind. Last year, the first 2 times I hunted turks there, I had 3 bucks(including a giant 8pt) and a couple does pass through. But until this year, our season didn't open till mid-October. This year that all changed with out Oct. 1st opener....deer were now fair game...adding to the allure of this spot!
We were set-up right in the same spot I've killed fall birds in the past before daylight...organized, string tracker attached, and ready to go.
The spot is a corner of the orchard where the farmer has pushed up a huge brush line of old trees. It almost forces the deer to enter/exit the woods on a old atv trail that was only 12yds. away from us.It also makes a great backround for the blind the way the deer usually come from....especially in low light.
We were just sitting enjoying each other company then I look up the hill in the orchard and see a deer coming....and I can immediately tell from the big body and how it's walking, it's a buck!
I tell Cade, he sees it and grabs his bow out of the holder while I look through my Leica's and see it's not only a buck...but a real nice buck! From my quick peek I could tell he was at least an 8pt, but I honestly thought he was more!!!!
He's closing fast walking at a brisk pace just like a buck that's late to get back to bed would, coming straight to us down the hill at us....
"This is all happening way to fast", is what I'm thinking....
Just as he's about to make a sharp right turn to go into the atv trail, he takes a step or 2 to the left which gives him enough room when he turn right, to get broadside for us, then in two steps turns right to go into the trail.....I stop him just before he's about to enter the wood line....
.....I notice Cade draw.....everything seemed to just stop......
He releases and like an orange lazer with a white tracer behind it....I see it go right over the heavy bucks shoulders! I immediately excitedly whispered, "just over his back"!!!!!!!
At the shot the buck whirled toward us, turned 180, which put the string around his neck, and took off back up the hill, running like the "boogy man" had a hold of him!!!
My first reaction was to hold the line and break it so it wouldn't pull the whole spool out, but a split second later just as I was about to grab it I thought.....well maybe my eyes deceived me, and the arrow was indeed in the deer....the string was absolutely screaming out of the spool!
With the string going out Cade was thinking maybe he did hit him....but soon the 2500ft of line was coming to an end and with a "pop"...the end of the spool, with label attached came out and danced away........
Strike one!!!
Needless to say there was a lot of whispering going on for the next few minutes.......
With the spool in his tracker done, I took my tracker out of my pack and attached to to Cade's bow and got another arrow ready.....
He was disappointed he missed, but I told him no big deal, it's not over yet....
To be honest, after a bit, his spirits were recovered enough that we shared a good laugh about the shot...we've all been there!
Shorty after he shot at the buck, the turkey's began to tree call....I called back....they answered and we were "in the chips"!!!! They flew down on the other side of the creek, but I was confident with some calling they'd come for a visit....
A half hour later Cade excitedly whispers...."DEER"!!!!!!
Here comes a doe with two big fawns in tow!
When the doe got to about 40yds, and downwind of where the buck had dragged Cade's arrow to, she stiffened up....then noticed the blind!
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In this pic you can see the string in the backround....
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Knowing we only had one tracker spool left for the turkeys that seemed to be getting closer....I reached up and cut the string in his Zwickey Eskilite....no need for any extra noise when shooting at a very "aware" deer!
She really wanted to come down and enter the woods on the atv trail, but between what she saw and smelling the arrow and probably the string that was on the ground...she would come in, then walk back....she repeated this a couple times....
Then her curiosity got the best of her and she closed to 15yds. and went broadside....
I had whispered earlier to Cade.... "aim right at the bottom of her body"...figuring she'd drop.
He drew....shot.....she dropped......and his arrow sailed right over her back!!!! Dang it!!!!!
I would later ask Cade where he'd "picked his spot"??? He said..."the normal spot"....I guess I was whispering so low, he'd never heard me when I said to aim at the bottom of her bodyline.....
Strike 2!!!!
We joked as we readied his last broadhead arrow in his quiver with the tracking string about it being his last bullet....make it count!
He said..."maybe the 3rd time will be the charm"...
Now the whole time this was going on with the doe, we could hear the turkeys and could tell they had flown back to our side of the creek.
I looked to my right and turkey stepped out of the woods, and, we still hear some behind us!
He grabbed his bow out of it's holder again!!!
The bird to our right was 70 or so yards away, but the ones behind us were close. From past experience, when they are behind the blind, they come out right on the atv trail....Cade was ready to make this one count!!
With the help of the rays of sunlight casting shadows...we could see that a turkey was coming out of the trail......seconds later a hen stepped out and stood at 12yds......Cade draws and shoots a beautiful arrow............
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.right over her back!!!!!! Dang it again!!!!!!
He was out of bullets!!!!!!
The only arrow that remained in his quiver had a small game thumper on it....
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Time to collect the arrows and string. Here he is showing me how the turkey stood for the shot...
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And where the buck stood earlier...same spot...
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The set-up....
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more pix to come....