play by play on management doe

[bigbucks]

This will be long, if you like detail like I do, you may enjoy it, if not just don't read it.

My cousin Greg & I went to Mom & Dad's for the Sunday evening bowhunt. We were going to hunt the neighbor's pasture across the road, because Dad said the cattle were out of there 10 days ago, but when we got there he said he'd just found out he was wrong they're still there. (The deer don't mind cattle, but I've had it happen too many times where the cattle just decide to clog the area around your stand at primetime, hate wasting hunts.) We went back to the same stands I'd hunted with another buddy Friday night, except I went to redneck where Dave had been & Greg went to the salt lick. (The stands are on field to pasture fencelines 119 yards apart according to the rangefinder.) With two hunters out it's almost like you're getting to hunt two spots at the same time although one is vicariously.

Some time after 6:30pm a nice average doe appeared angling towards me along the edge of the willows & grass from the NW, wind was ESE, never had deer come from there before on that stand, although I've always thought they should. Pretty soon a second one a bit smaller, but didn't really look like a fawn either came, then a HUGE doe, sagging gut, sway backed, really long head & ears. The first one catches a whiff of something, I think Greg in his stand based on where she was looking. They mill around, she's now shootable at about 30 yards, but the others are pointed right at the stand & all of them are off my right shoulder & I'm seated. I've never been able to stand up & turn, sun's hitting me from that direction, plus the whole on alert thing with the scent. The first one eventually is basically out of view immediately under the stand while I'm seated, 2-3 yards. The huge one passes the second one & get's shootable at about 30 yards. I want her BAD! Now she turns her head the other way (looking West) the first one comes out from under the stand pointed South, away from me, but the second one is pointed straight at me & goes on alert! [PoorWordUsage], she made me!

I freeze, I think I'm standing & turned West by now, don't remember for sure. 3 sets of eyes are hard to get past. I'm in position to shoot, but this deer is looking right at me & walking towards the stand, she stops, does the head bob thing, trying to get me to move, then gets under the stand too far, so she can't see me. As this is happening the monster doe turns ends & remaining broadside does a fast walk & stops at about 50 yards NNW of me, still clear, but too far for me & the wind's blowing pretty good at this point. I think well they're about to be out of here. I was totally planning to shoot the first one before I saw the third one, so I turned on her. She's looking at me too with her head turned back over the shoulder, but she's not really on alert, just think something maybe looks different in that tree. She's at a pretty steep quarter away, but I can see several ribs plainly & she's at 8-9 yards, it's a slamdunk. I settle the pin as I draw & drop the hammer. Crack, she takes off straight South tight to the trees in the fenceline I'm in & I hear her hit the fence which is 30 yards from the stand. She then angles SE going hard. I can't see her after about two jumps, but I can hear her cracking stuff, sounds like a crash after 75-100 yards & quiet. Maybe a minute & my phone buzzes with a text from Greg that says "Nice shot". I felt I crunched her good, but that made me feel even better. He heard the shot, then the crashing, then saw her & she disappeared, he thought about 80 yards SW of him. Later he told me he heard a beller & some gurgling.

Waited a half hour, by then I'd been able to spot the arrow laying on top of the grass pointed back at the stand & a beautiful crimson red. Got down, trailed a heavy, spraying blood trail to the fence, looked over the fence into the neighbor's pasture, which is pretty open, but couldn't see her. Didn't want to mess up Greg's hunt, figuring it won't be hard to trail & he thought he knew where it was anyway. Told him to just come over when he was ready to get down & crawled back in the stand. About the time I hear him getting down I see two more deer coming from the NW along the same edge as the others. This time obviously a doe & a fawn. Doe looks about the same size as the one I shot, the fawn looks normal to small. They start getting a hint of scent, but she's soon standing broadside at 25 yards. We're in a managed zone, not intensive, & it's September, so I'm not about to burn my buck tag or Greg's management tag. They finally hear him coming, after I do, & run off. It was hilarious. I'm watching him & watching the deer knowing neither one knows the other is there. Eventually when he's about 40 yards from me their heads come up & they bolt. 20 seconds later he's at the stand. He never saw or heard them. Amazing how close you can be to deer & have no idea.

We spent about 10 minutes trailing a heavy blood trail to where she was piled up. One lung & the aorta I think. Went in well back in the ribs & came out the brisket closer to the close shoulder. She either turned as I shot, or as I was hitting her, or the quarter was much steeper then it looked like. We looked at her & said is this a fawn? It's HUGE for a fawn, but it doesn't really look big enough to be a yearling. Pretty long head, legs & ears. I debated on the two being fawns, but they looked too big, the old doe was huge, but they weren't that much shorter then her. Plus I was sure she hadn't nursed anything for a LONG time. She was WAY to fat to have been nursing any fawns anytime in the last couple of months. I showed another buddy the cell phone pic of it hanging in my garage, without saying anything & he said that looks like a pretty nice doe. So I don't know. My scale that generally weighs light had her at 85 pounds, that's an awfully big fawn for September, but a pretty light yearling. The more we think about it I think they were really late fawns from last year & the doe just didn't get rebred, so they're small yearlings & are just still with her. She looked so old, she maybe can't have any more who knows. This one will be good eating either way.

I posted this in the got your doe yet thread too, but thought I'd get grief if I left it out of this post.

[NWBuck]

Neat story...thanks! Long nose, decent body size, etc...not a spring 2011 fawn to be sure. Nice job.

[sticknstring]

One thing is certain - she'll make some darn good tablefare! Congrats!

[Finlander]

Good job man and good story!!!

[1eyeReD]

Feels like I just watched a hunting show after reading that. Great details! Great doe! Thanks!

[bigbucks]

Thanks guys, you wouldn't think I'd get that big of a rush shooting a deer that size, after a lot of bow kills, but it's still a major rush for me.

[paceman]

Great story Rodd!

[Stratosman]

Great story!

I still get doe fever too buddy! I got a couple doe tags and some arrows to go with them myself!

[mabr]

Enjoyed the read. Its amaxing 25 years and I still get that jump in the ole heart beat no matter the size or sex of the deer

[Archerysniper]

Great read and congrats on the nice doe. If I'd have to guess it's last years fawn that wasn't bread I have 2 "pet" doe's at home and she is about the size of mine which is last years fawn.

[bigbucks]

I think so too, surprised she only dressed at 85 lbs & she had a lot of fat on her. Of course fat supposedly ways less than muscle, at least until I step on the scale...