This is a little late, but last Saturday I was able to take my first whitetail with trad gear.
By my count, it was my 52nd deer, but, none was sweeter than this one.
Specifics are: whitetail spike at about 17 yards on the ground. Hit was very far back. He ran 20 yards and dropped. Got up, and went another 20 yards and laid down. Got up moved about 3 yards, then got up andoved about 7 yards. GrizzlyStik QN2 48#@28" with AD Trad Lites and 200 gr Grizzly.
Complete pass through.
He's the 5th deer I've shot at in the past 5 yrs of hunting with trad gear.
Special thanks to all you guys and gals who have helped me grow to this point as a traditional bowhunter. It has been am absolute blast and the amount of knowledge on this site is unbelievable.
Here's the story...
I hit the woods about 2:30. Was a steady west wind and just a heavily overcast day. We had had rain pretty solid for 4 days.
I hunt from the ground and hung my Millennium trees seat on a small tree near our family cemetary. Less than 50 yards from my father's grave.
I was watching a skidder road that wound under the hill to a saddle where I have a popup blind. I'm hunting with a longbow this year and this blind can't handle the length of the bow, so I set up to where as the deer came around the curve in the skidder road they would be focused on danger in the saddle area (which is also right next to a field). Their attention is focused on watching that open area, but they are already directly under me and in range at that point (15yd-20yd).
Here was my view looking down onto the road.
And my view looking left toward the field and the blind...
At about 4:45 I catch a flicker and turn my head. Looks like a squirrel's tail...I watch a bit longer and make out part of a deer. It is feeding on the underside of the skidder road...working its way toward the saddle.
Eventually, I realize it is a small buck. He feeds along and steps up into the skidder road right dead center of one of my shooting lanes and stops.
Tell myself to pick a spot. I pick a spot right behind his leg and at the bottom of his body. Draw, anchor...and release. I watched the arrow pass through and go into the ground. The hit was back.
The little buck took off. Ran about 20 yards and was within 10 yards of my pop up blind. I saw him go down and I was a wreck. Was completely pumped and sent the text to my buddies.
Then I see another buck come up from the bottom and walk toward where I had seen my buck go belly up.
That buck then crossed road and walked to within 20 yards of me on the hillside. And then, here came another buck...my buck.
It bedded about 25 yards away. Its head would go down and then it would pick up. I decided to let it die and not push it with another shot.
It got up and moved about 3 yards...then moved off into the field about 7 yards further and died there.
Here is where I found him.
He wasn't big, but never been more proud of a deer I've taken.
Thanks again to everyone!
Ken
Topic: Well count me in. Got #1! (Pics and story added to first post) (Read 966 times)
