Blood tracking for Roger Rothaar

[Shaun]

Yesterday I got a surprise call from Mr. Rothaar asking if I could come track for him. Saturday afternoon he had center shot a nice 8 point with his signature Snuffer and could not find it. I had commitments for the rest of the day but agreed to come over Monday. His son Ryan has a cousin to my dog and hunts Iowa when he can, but was back home 7 hours away in Indiana.

Grätsche and I drove 100 miles to the Rathaar farm early this morning. Roger is a wealth of archery stories and information and the telling got started in the pre sunrise grey as we waited for more light and warmth to start the track. He has a shop/man cave building with a trophy room full of giant whitetails. Can you imagine 50 years of big deer? No, REALLY BIG deer!

At full light we headed out and about an hour later found this nice 150 class buck. I was really proud of my 2 year old teckel and her work on this 40 hour track.

 

Back to the house for lunch (thanks Jane) and a full plate of more stories. I had met Roger at several archery gatherings with the usual "Hi, my name is ....." and on to the next table. This was a gift, to be of help and to spend time with one of the elder statesmen of our sport.

Ah, what a day

 

[ron w]

Not a bad way to spend some time....and you got lunch to!!        Nice deer!!

[Bob Abeln]

Way to go guys, that is awesome. Roger, you are my idol to kill big deer with the stickbow. Your son is following your footsteps quite well. Hope you have many more hunts. God Bless!!!!

[maxwell]

Very cool,  did the dog pull out all the hair??

[azhunter]

What a great experience that had to be. I will bet that was a day you will never forget. Good memories.

[Steve O]

Shaun, that is awesome!

Roger is looking pretty trim and dapper, I am surprised to see him in camo!

He and Jane are two of the nicest people around.  Next time work it so it is a LATE tracking job...Roger's stories get better after midnight and Jane make the BEST flapjacks ever in the cast iron pan.

   

[Cyclic-Rivers]

What a great way to spend the day.  Did the coyotes get to the deer a bit?

Nice deer Roger!

[Robertfishes]

Your dog is awesome, Nice trailing job. Congrats to Roger R. That is a super nice buck.

[Shaun]

Bobcat! Worked on it some and then tried to hide it by scratching leaves up over it - no white belly showing but Roger spotted it ahead soon after we sorted out the new direction from the final wound bed. Grätsche pulled a few hairs too and gave it a good chewing to make sure it was dead. Her deer! I have to tie her to a sapling out of reach before anyone but me can do knife work on one she finds.

[frassettor]

Nice buck, he is one fellow I sure would like to meet!

[NoCams]

Great story Shaun and congrats on finding that dandy buck. No post mortem details..... pass thru, too far back, ??? How far total did this buck go ?

So others can learn......  

[Whip]

That is about as cool as it gets for a fella with a tracking dog!  Congratulations to all the of you!

[Bud B.]

[S.C. Hunter]

Now that is cool.

[Shaun]

Shot from a ground blind at 20 yards. Roger thought he hit it center up and down and 4 inches forward of center - maybe liver. Roger has come down a little in draw weight with shoulder issues and maybe some age factor - now shooting low 50's @ 30" draw recurve and sharp 160 Snuffer w/ carbon arrow. Hit a rib going in with a loud crack sound.

Turned out the deer was hit dead center up/down and front to back (here in Iowa we call that hitting them in the corn) slight angle towards the back. He rolled away from the arrow making the exit higher than the entry, exit wound but not a pass through. Good blood for the first 50 yards then the arrow broke off against a tree allowing the entry wound to partially close and greatly reducing blood trail. Approximately 600 yard tracking before the wound bed and a few more yards past that to the deer. Most blood along the trail was pink (thinned with clear fluid) with some deep red spots of vein blood. Deer followed major game trials part of the way then turned off and returned to his home bedding ridge top to lay down.

[ISP 5353]

Very cool story and a great deer too!

[Quickblood]

Wow, congratulations all the way around, what a great way to spend time with a legend!

[joe ashton]

great deer and great out coming too.

[kennyb]

Shaun-way to help out a great hunter, legendary in my mind! I remember talking buck hunting here in Michigan at the 'Outdoorama' with Roger in the 1980's! I always respected what he had to say and still read his book, 'Hunting Trophy Whitetails'! Great job and thanks!

Kenny    

[Mike Bolin]

Had the pleasure of spending some time with Roger several years ago after he spoke at a local Deer hunting seminar in Terre Haute, IN. A local archery shop sponsored the event and the shop owner invited me and a couple of my friends to his house to have dinner with Roger after the show was over. Memorable evening for sure. They don't come any better!