Bow stand log

[Shu]

Only 1 deer tonight in WI, a spike that my son missed - shot over the back at 17 yards. I did hear some bucks fighting but did not see them. Strange I have not seen a doe in 2 days straight.

[sticknstring]

Sorry to hear about the lost deer guys. Both circumstances sound like there's a good shot at both deer recovering. Lets hope so anyway. We all learn from our mistakes. If you haven't made any, you haven't hunted very long.

I took my wife out for her 3rd sit of the year Sun night. We finally saw some deer. About 10 after 5, a fawn came out followed by a doe. I could tell a third a deer was back in the brush and would've bet the farm is was a buck. I turned on the camera and had her get in position to draw. Racing through my mind which buck it would be and out pops another doe...DOH.

[Shu]

Seeing some new and big bucks on the camera from last night. Saw a nice 10 chasing a doe around tonight, just not close enough for my son. This week and weekend s/b interesting.

[Sproguy]

Well hopefully I was able to put Fridays deal behind me and regroup. My wife and I sat together in a double on Sat morning hoping that she would bag her first deer with a bow. Well the wind was terrible and she was a real sport, she toughed it out until 10 and was shivering so I pulled the plug. One, maybe two deer but it was through some thick stuff and it never got close, didn't hear much in our area for shooting either!

Sat Sunday in the am in the same stand I screwed up Friday. Saw 6 does/fawns at various points but as the wind picked up it was getting to be a bad wind direction for me. Sunday afternoon I put up a new set and saw 3 fawns, 1 being a button buck. Slow! Wasn't sure if it was the crazy wind on Sat and the SE warm wind on Sunday but the weekend was really slow for me.

Sat again this morning but only saw a small deer at very low light and another deer off in the distance through the trees, no idea what it was. I think the warm weather is really screwing things up for me!

When I need some mojo the most I can't seem to see deer!

It is my belief that the warm weather is pushing the rut to the darkness! The weekend is suppose to cool off so I can hope for the best.

[Jack Stasney]

Hunted down south for gun opener with family and friends and didn't see a darn thing. The heat kept'em sitting tight. Sat tonight from 2:30pm till dark. Back Saw a 5ptr in close and also heard other deer in the woods. Hopefully more for this weekend as well.

[engfish]

I hunted tonight in the Cannon Falls area, and I saw more deer moving tonight than I have any other day this season--even with the wind. All of the deer came through the middle of the bean field--well out of range. I had a 6 pt. buck move across the field to the north at about 4:15 and then nothing until about 5:15. I had my first group of three does with another small buck in hot pursuit heading south. Right at dark, the field was full of does and two other bucks. It was getting fairly dark, but the bucks were definitely chasing. As I walked back in from my stand, I had a doe walk within 15 feet of me and go uphill into the wood lot. The wind was blowing hard the entire night, and it was 65 degrees when I drove past the bank in downtown Cannon Falls at 6:15 PM.

Crazy weather, but those deer are moving. It does seem like they are getting more noctural.

[delmuts]

This post is due to anger; but with myself!

Please! No bashing as i'm already down on myself!

Every time i go hunting, i thank God for the chance to hunt his great creatures, to allow me a safe hunt, and if i get a shot for my arrow to fly true, or miss completely. I feel as i have let God down!

Understand; here in Iowa we can get bonus tags for anterless deer, so i have three extra tags. I'm more of a meat hunter, but if given the chance i would gladly harvest a big buck!

The one night i had a small doe come in and i made a good shot on her. Later a bigger doe came in and i thought i had made a good shot on her also.( quartering away and tight behind the front shoulder) Apparently with the angle i missed the vitals. The trail was iffy and we lost it after a long ways. Never found her! The other morning, and had a doe come in, and again made a good shot ! Watched it go down. Shortly after that i had a nice little 8pt. come in. I picked my spot and hit exactly where i wanted; which was apparently a little back and hit the liver instead of lungs. I watch him go a short ways, tail twitching, and down he goes! Awesome! I pack up, go back to the truck and into town to get the deer cart. Come back and go to the first deer.Clean it and load it in the truck. Go to the spot where i saw the buck go down. Nothing!! It's brushy, and could be off alittle. Go back to my ground stand and follow the trail to about where i thought he should be. The trail is indicating a liver hit. small pools from both his sides, then nothing!I mark it and start working in circles trying to pick it back up. Nothing! Follow fresh tracks, but still no blood. Loose those too.I go to the end of the timber and start work back and forth checking for blood, or under and around any brush for the deer. Four hours later and it's getting warm i give up. Need to take care of the one i do have! With the heat i'm certain he is spoiled by this morning. I'm hanging the bow up for the season!

It's not a deal of making a bad release, a twig, or anything else other than poor shot placement( hit exactly where i had aimed). I'm only writing this to ask others to take that extra second or two to make the good shot. Del

[sticknstring]

No comment

[BuckmasterG]

Sproguy:

Believe me I know the exact turmoil you went through! Last year did the exact same thing on the buck of a lifetime! Come to find my sites must've knocked sometime before that because my arrow was shoot 3 inches left. Anways... I hit the front left shoulder arrow broke off about 5" from the broadhead, spent 4 hours that night looking for him, took the next day off and had a crew of 4 people spending the day looking NOTHING.

I can offer you this, shoulder shots more than likely will not kill them, only injure for a maybe a couple of weeks. BECAUSE was I found out, is a neighbor ended up shoot this bruiser the last day of muzzle loader, broadhead in should, 12" G2s and I hit him on October 10th.

[archerystud]

Yeah that is one thing "nicer" about a deer hit with a bow in the leg. The nice 8 I hit this year (130-140 class) didn't even penetrate his leg bone, although I hit the back leg as it was quartering away shot. I found the entire arrow after 30 yards.

Still spent almost the entire next day looking for him (until 5:30PM) but I do think he'll make it. Hopefully I just made him a little wiser for gun season. Still sucks though!

[walleyeking19]

Sproguy:

Believe me I know the exact turmoil you went through! Last year did the exact same thing on the buck of a lifetime! Come to find my sites must've knocked sometime before that because my arrow was shoot 3 inches left. Anways... I hit the front left shoulder arrow broke off about 5" from the broadhead, spent 4 hours that night looking for him, took the next day off and had a crew of 4 people spending the day looking NOTHING.

I did the exact same thing last year. except when i shot my arrow literally exploded. I picked up 3 or 4 pieces not counting the piece still stuck in the deer. I'm very confident that deer is still alive today. unfortunately, it happens to just about everybody at one point in their bowhunting career.

[archerystud]

Was management doe hunting last night. Had what I believe was a fawn and another one coming out to me right around quitting time. Unfortunately they winded me before they stepped out into the open. I was waiting verify that they were does.

[CO1978]

I bow hunted last week Wednesday-Friday. Friday night just before dark a saw what I thought was coyote cross the road and enter the 40 acres I was in. I watched it come closer and closer. I was planning on sticking an arrow through it. As it approached closer it jumped up on a log...this is where I noticed it wasn't a coyote but a bobcat. We had a bobcat on trail cam in August on a different property 5 miles away. This is in central Minnesota (Douglas County). Do you think this is the same cat on the camera or do you think there is a population forming?

[Sproguy]

Well guys I have to add to my story, now before doing so please understand, I am not upset and I am not angry with the people involved! Also I don't have 100% of the story so there is some gaps I hope to fill in at some point.

I have gotten to know the grandson of the land owner close by the land I have access to, in fact he came and helped me look for my deer. Well he called last night and it sounds like a land owner about a mile away from the shot had an interesting story to tell. It appears they have a large area and had a lot of orange coats in deer camp. On Sunday night one of their younger members (perhaps mid teens from what we understand) came back to camp and explained that a big buck came into view just before sunset and laid down about 75 yards away through some brush so he couldn't get a shot. The adults encouraged him to sit in the same stand in the morning and hope to get a shot at the buck. Well after it got fully light he realized that the buck was still laying there. Upon investigation he found the deer dead on Monday morning. It was an 11pt buck that scored 147. The arrow was still in the deer but they had no idea who shot it. The youngster was leaving to go home (sounds like he lives in Florida?) so they went ahead and tagged the deer and processed it and sent it home either with him or at any rate it appears the deer is in Florida at this point.

I stopped by this morning after my a sit to try to find the land owner to see if I could get pictures and perhaps get the rack but no one was around.

The story was relayed to me and it was stressed that no one at that deer camp was bragging they killed it or even that they were trying to claim it was theirs. They just decided as a group they didn't want to see a wonderful animal go to waste, so I guess they did the right thing.

I am very disappointed about the whole deal but can't blame anyone but MYSELF! I hope to recover the rack or at least get solid pictures of it but understand that they had no way of knowing who I was or that I had a deer down. I contacted the landowners next to mine and they said they would keep a look out. It looks like in this case it crossed several property owners and a pretty large distance before laying down to die on Sunday night.

After this whole deal it appears I did hit the shoulder but the broadhead went through just enough to tear him up, but slowly! The cavity was filled with blood but there was no blood on the outside of the animal where it had penetrated. The arrow prevented the blood from coming out.

Terrible way to end the story but at least the animal didn't go to waste and I do say the guys did the right thing. Again, I haven't spoken to them to know whether they will give me the rack back but my friend said they would send pictures so I will at least have that. If the youngster really wants to keep the rack I'm not going to fight him for it.

The only good thing I can say is there wasn't any blood on the outside of the animal and thus there would have been no way for me to track it that far. I did everything I could do, everything!

By the way, haven't seen a buck of any size since I let that arrow go, bad mojo!!!!!!

[DonBo]

Glad you got some closure on that deer. Too bad the ending wasn't better for you, but at least you know the animal didn't go to waste. I'd be happy with that.

I'm not so sure I'd even want the rack myself. Not one I'd be too proud of. If the young hunter is happy to have it, I'd probably let it go. But that's just me.

[archerystud]

Sproguy,

Did you see the arrow and confirm it was yours? If it is at least you have some closure.

I would say I'm about 80% sure the buck I hit is still alive if no one got him yet. I actually bought some attractants and will be putting them by a camera on my land on Sunday night since hunting will be done on my land as of that time. I'm hoping that he may come back and I can get a picture of him. I figure if I can catch him on camera it may give me a little closure. However, he may also have completely vacated the area based on what happened.

I have recovered deer with the arrow still in them and it can be a very tough track.

[Sproguy]

Donbo,

That is my thinking on the whole deal. If he wants it fine, just don't want it hanging in a garage or shed somewhere. Would rather have it to at least remind myself to take the right shot!

[sticknstring]

That's a tough one. I'd definitely get on the phone with the young man and explain the situation and perhaps offer to pay to have the rack shipped back if he's willing. I know I would want it. Otherwise, a picture might have to suffice. At least you're not wondering what happened to him.

[slayer212]

Been seeing alot of deer on the cam since halloween..no gun hunters on the property we hunt. So the gf decided she wanted to go bowhunting tonight by herself since i worked..she has never hunted before this year. we had her sighted in at 30 yds. we have had a tough time getting a deer within range..well tonight she threw the hammer down on a doe. she called me all excited and said she shot a doe and that it was a little high behind the shoulder at 30 yds. well i told her that we would eat give it 2 hrs since she wasnt really sure on shot placement..well we get out there and no blood or arrow.. so i start thinking if she missed or where she hit it..decided to head down some common trails looking for blood..all of a sudden i come upon a cirlce of 3 ft of red bubley blood arrow broke off about half ways..so then try to decide where it went from there..no blood after that so i take off on another common trail and find a ton of blood and doe pilled up 20 ydsshe made a great shot..so proud of her. i think she is hooked now..

[archerystud]

Congrats Slayer,

Nothing like getting someone hooked onto the sport.

[sticknstring]

Way to go. It's rewarding getting someone instilled with the archery bug. Congrats to the both of you!

[archerystud]

Definitely was a good night to be out. My dad just called and he had seen 6 deer (3 bucks) by 4:45 tonight. He ended up shooting an 8 pointer with an 18 inch inside spread. With the gun though as his shoulder is too bad for the bow now.

I'll be interested to see reports in the log forum here tonight with the cold front moving in.

[DonBo]

I was out last night and never saw a deer. I was pretty excited to get out with the weather moving in, and I saw several the night before, but it just didn't happen for me.

Was planning on heading up north today, but with 8" of snow already on my truck I guess that's not gonna happen. Should be good tomorrow though, after the storm's over.

[Sproguy]

Was out all day yesterday in the rain! YUCK! Every piece of "waterproof" gear that I own isn't "waterproof" it did a nice job in light rain and snow in the past but in a downpour NO good!

I'm in SE MN (Wabasha Cty) and it rained all day, at 3pm (after several jacket changes and untold amounts of glove changes) it started to snow. At 3:30 the woods went nuts. Does were everywhere! I waited and watched several of the bigger does expecting a buck to come and chase them around. Finally at 4:50 the buck hadn't arrived and I had a nice doe at 10 yards eating acorns. Well she didn't make it. On the buck front, I did see a fork right away in the am and a basket 8 showed up at around 10am. I think they were moving yesterday but a big boy never showed so I killed his girlfriend instead.

I am excited to get out in the snow today but it is still raining in my hunting area and I live 80 miles away, not sure about roads. So going to wait until the am and hunt all day tomorrow.

[bmc]

My brother sat our east food plot yesterday morning till about 10am. He saw a lone doe and later 2 fawns that have been frequenting the plot for the last week or so.

I got out to the same stand at noon and sat till 4 and never saw a deer. We went and checked trail cams to find at 9:20am a basket racked 6 or 7 ptr was standing 20 yds from his blind on the west food plot. LOL

We had alot of pics and most were after dark, which is to be expected as there is a lot of hunting pressure around us.

Small bucks were still working scrapes.

The wind is picking up and the snow is just starting to fall. Planning on getting out tomorrow afternoon.

Brian