My 1st Trad Buck and Added Pics for Ohio Trad Deer Hunt.

[Bowhunter4life]

Can't wait to hear the rest!  Congrats ahead of time!

[Tom Phillips]

Nice going Buckeye hunter,looking forward to reading about your hunt.

[South MS Bowhunter]

Great buildings start with great foundations, I sense in the beginning of this story that a great foundation was laid with God, Family, and other priority last.  Looking forward to the rest of the building.

[buckeye_hunter]

There are a number of grown over old logging roads back in these ridges. I chose this spot because the deer had clearly been using both roads. Since they converged to a perfect T, I knew I would catch a deer moving on one of the roads and I set up for about an 8-10 yard shot to that intersection. The intersection was slightly to my right. I sat for a while and saw more squirrels and chipmunks than I could count. I was suprised that I hadn't seen a deer to this point, but I wasn't worried and enjoyed the little guys running around the woods keeping me entertained.

Occasionally, I would hit my grunt tube and then scan the woods carefully. I repeated every half hour or so. Eventually, about 20 minutes before last light I see a deer walking toward me to the right. He was headed directly for the intersection and should give me a good shot opportunity.

As he hits the intersection, he keeps walking directly toward me. I had the top of my climber at my feet so I could shoot from behind the tree and hide my draw arm for the shot. This is a new strategy I have been using when hunting from a tree. By standing and not using the top of the climber I can be on the opposite side of the tree and keep the deer from seeing me. It also gives me good quartering away shots. I have been sure to wait until the deer is past me to draw on them. I have shot 3 deer this year using that strategy and none of them had any idea that I was in the tree! Not one of the deer even reacted until after the arrow found its mark. I guess I have finally learned how to draw my bow and not get caught. That has been a frustrating process in and of itself.

More later. I have to get the kids breakfast.

[buckeye_hunter]

So, here I am with a 5 point buck at about four yards directly opposite the tree from me. He isn't the biggest deer in the woods, but my heart was pounding! This was the best chance I had been given in 6 years on our yearly trad deer hunt. The deer had read the script and I was completely ready. I just needed him to take about few more steps and I would be good to shoot. Everything looked PERFECT!

He stood opposite of me for about 5 seconds and then started his slow walk into my shooting lane. When He hit my 1st shooting lane I thought about stopping him, but then decided to shoot while he was walking. I pointed my bow, drew to anchor and the next thing I know my fletching is sticking out the side of his chest. The shot is a little bit back and low, but definitely in his chest cavity. There was no doubt in my mind he was not going far. I watched him run up a little rise and lost him in the brush. Everything went quiet for about 20-30 seconds and then I heard a loud crash. HE WAS DOWN! I couldn't see him in the brush, but I knew it was over. I started shaking and my knees wanted to give out a little bit.

I texted my wife and a few of the guys to let them know. By the time I got down from the stand it was almost dark so I went to get help. I figured that would also give the buck plenty of time to expire if he wasn't already dead.

I headed back to the truck to get help from Matt and I met Larry there as well. I sent them back to camp to grab help and some food since I was starving. Jimmy and Rob showed up before Matt could get back and we slowly started the walk back into my stand area. We walked slowly trying to wait for the other guys. They showed up a few minutes later.

Once everyone was assembled, I led them back into the woods. We were going to find the buck I was sure was laying just up the rise from my stand site. We started following a decent blood trail up the rise and approached the spot where I knew my buck had fallen.

He certainly had fallen there as we found evidence of that, but he wasn't there? I was completely perplexed. Then we saw more blood leaving from that spot. Okay, surely he just went a few more yards and we would find him any second. That isn't what happened though. The blood trail just kept going with no sign of him having bedded down. Now I was worried. I knew the shot was not perfect lungs, but it was undoubtedly into his chest. The blood seemed to indicate a liver hit. I did double check the shot placement pics on here and the pics show a liver hit as well. We followed the blood trail onto a main travel corridor and it began to get more and more sparse. I couldn't believe it. Eventually the blood stopped completely and we called off the search until the next morning.

The next morning Rob and I headed out to trail the buck. We found the arrow and it had worked completely through the buck and fallen out about where I had heard him fall. The arrow indicated a good hit and there was no paunch material on it. The hit was just as I figured. It went into the chest cavity, but slightly low and back. I had seen many bucks fall to that shot on bow hunting shows in the past. Especially with a sharp 4 blade head. I felt we had a decent enough chance to find him. I'm convinced now it was a liver hit.

Then we started seeing fresh coyote scat and tracks on the blood trail. Not good...


**I need to say a huge thank you to Rob for giving up his morning hunt to help me blood trail this deer.

[buckeye_hunter]

I would also like to thank all the guys who helped me blood trail the night before. Some of them had just met me only several hours earlier. They took up the trail like pros and generously gave their time and effort.

Finally, Rob and I get to the point of last blood from the night before. We looked up the trail he had been walking. We  checked all the trails that went into the bottoms and other bedding areas, but no more blood anywhere. Plenty of fresh coyote sign, but no more blood. We started a back and forth search(grid search more or less) and still found not one drop of blood.

This is what makes zero sense to me. According to what I saw, and checking against the shot placement diagrams, that deer had been shot in the liver. The arrow as much as confirmed it. I even posted the picture of the arrow for you all to look at. This deer should not have traveled so far with this shot placement. I was standing there thinking, "What the heck happened?" We continued to search for an entire morning and looked everywhere we could think he might be laid up. We never found him. To say I was heart broken would be an understatement.

I was starting to wonder if it was even possible to kill a deer in these woods. The curse of the Ohio Trad Deer Hunt had reared its ugly head yet again.

Fortunately, just 2 days later the curse would end with a decent buck falling to a perfectly placed arrow....

[VTer]

I know that powerline!

[Joshua Long]

[bghunter76]

It was a great time was down there for 8 days didn't see a bunch but pass on 2 yearlings. and 2 other little buck not close enough for a shot.  Met up with some friends and met bunch new one this year.

[BEN]

   

[buckeye_hunter]

I'm not entirely sure how the next 24-48 hours passed, but I know I didn't sleep much. I was sick over the buck I couldn't find and more frustrated with the hunting. I was busted walking into the stand the following night and didn't see a deer during that period.

[buckeye_hunter]

The next day, with temperatures still cold I knew the deer would be on the move. I decided to head back to the power line. Rob came with me and hunted the opposite side of the hill from me. I made the mistake of getting comfortable in my stand because there was cutting being done on the line. I figured any local deer would have vacated the area. I was wrong...

 

[buckeye_hunter]

After only 20 minutes in the stand I heard deer running toward me on the trail. There I was with all my arrows in the quiver and the bow in my lap. By the time I was ready, a big old doe had run through and a grunting button buck was not too far behind her. I was still in the process of getting the arrow on the string and drawn on him when he bolted.        

My first thought was that the curse had struck again and I had to go back to camp with my tail between my legs. I hated the thought of explaining to the guys that I had blown it AGAIN!

Then a thought occurred to me. what if more deer come down the trail. If there were two, then there may be more. If that doe was in estrous, who knows what else might be following? I brought my bow up to face my shooting lanes and waited.

[buckeye_hunter]

The wait wasn't very long at all. 30 seconds to several minutes later, I heard crunching coming down the trail toward the power line! I didn't know what it would be, but I was ready. Then I saw antlers and decent ones at that. Immediately my heart start jumping out of my chest. He followed the exact trail of the other two deer stopping head on at 5 yards to pee down his hocks. I thought he would bust me coming head on, but I had set up well and he didn't see me.

He slowly turned the corner onto the logging road and entered my last shooting lane. As he did, I drew and let the arrow go. It entered just behing the shoulder and broke his off side shoulder. I knew he was down and the disaster of two days prior would not be repeated. I started shaking and couldn't believe what just happened. I texted my wife and a few others to tell them. I went to get Rob to help with my deer. I didn't try to trail him, but I knew he was down in the ravine.

I had just shot my biggest buck with any type of gear. I don't hunt for trophies, but I won't pretend I wasn't excited! After I brought Rob back, the buck was exactly where I knew he would be laying. He was beautiful! It took us 2 1/2 hours roughly to get him back to the truck!

 

 

[Dirtybird]

Charlie good for you on a fine trophy.

[magnus]

Congratulations Charlie! That's a dandy. On your first deer my money is on the coyotes jumped him from his bed before he expired and ran him out of the county. I'm quite certain they ate good that night. Nothing goes to waste in nature.

[VTer]

Nice deer Charle! Way to hang in there! Is that a 2 1/2 year old?

[bghunter76]

congrats againg Charlie.

[buckeye_hunter]

Not sure on the age, but I got about 85 pounds of meat off of him!

[owlbait]

Nice shot Charlie. Looking forwardto returning to hunt Ohio again some day. You shot one of those nice Ohio bucks that I can only dream about in my hunting area!