Finally got a chance to put in some serious time in the tree stand this fall. My boys(7 and 10) are active in sports and they have a little break right now.
Hunted my father’s farm in the thumb of Michigan for a few sits Saturday and Sunday. Sunday morning, it was time to make my way home. Luckily, I’ve got some good hunting within a mile of my house.
Sunday night found me in one of my favorite local trees. My stand was located a short distance inside a woodlot, bordering a cut bean field.
No activity other than pesky squirrels until about 6:30 when a nice doe began feeding in the bean stubble. She was certainly of “shooter” size and the wind was perfect but she was headed to a trail that wouldn’t lead past my stand.
As I willed the doe to come my way for a shot, I heard the distinct rustling of leaves that sounded much larger than a fox squirrel. I slowly turned to see a six point buck quickly approaching my shooting lane about 12 yards away. The wind was just barely in my favor to avoid him getting a nose full of smelly bowhunter. Just as he entered the opening he stared directly at my form in the tree. I would have been somewhat sky lined against the open field behind me. Between that and the wind I was sure he was going to blow out of there.
Thankfully, I was able to hold still enough to avoid detection. The buck took another step and I came to full draw. He was about to pass the shooting lane so I gave a soft bleat and he stopped in a spot offering me a clear shot. I focused on the pocket behind his front leg and took my time expanding through the shot. I’ve been using more of a dedicated gap lately and the shot felt great. Unfortunately, I pulled the shot about 2” to the right of my aiming point. Looked like a liver hit initially as I didn’t think the shot was so far back to be in the stomach.
After the shot, I watch the buck cross the creek out of sight. I instinctively flipped my light stocking hat up so I could listen for the crash but none came. Keeping my eyes on the last place I saw him, I noticed movement in the faint light. By using my binoculars, I was able to see a deer with it’s tail up. I noticed it’s legs widening and it looked like it was laying down. At that point, if I were a betting man, I’d say I got liver and the buck would be laying right there, 60 yards from the shot.
I always like to give them some time before getting down from the stand so I quietly gathered my gear and took about a half hour to pack up and climb down. I was able to find the location of the hit without much trouble but couldn’t find my arrow. There was a patch of hair and a few drops of blood at the site. I was able to carefully follow the trail about 20 yards to the point where he exited the other side of the creek but was not encourage by the amount of blood. The blood trail reminded me a lot of liver hits I’d followed up on in the past. I decided to back out and give it a few hours.
Topic: Backyard Buck (Read 789 times)
