Any reports?

[bigbucks]

Congrats Captain on the first bow deer. I still remember mine like it was yesterday & that was 10 years ago.

Congrats to doser on the buck too. How big was he?

The stand I hunted Saturday night, which has a scrape or two under it by the first of November every year, already had two. I couldn't believe my eyes, it's September, I never see scrapes then. There were some dandy tracks in the salt lick, which is turning into a pit.

[doser]

I haven't weighed it yet . I'll do that tonight before I cut it up. It looks like he's probably a 2 1/2 yr. old probably about 160-170 dressed out. Nothing spectacular , but average. A little bigger than a basket rack.

[panolo]

Congrats guys on the deer!

[TomBow]

Metro hunt--started Thursday, no deer seen Thu., Friday--myself and a large mature deer did the "stand-off" as I exited the woods after shooting hours. Saturday--no deer seen, except for the big doe and a fawn 70 yards from the truck, tried to stalk but "who spilled the durn corn flakes??!!"
Saturday afternoon, I get to my stand and discover my camo coveralls are still in the truck oh-so-far away! Decide to just climb up and hope for the best but don't expect much. Not 5 minutes later, Ms. mature Doe, totally alone, comes in and spends 45 minutes feeding around, sniffing the trail, including 15 minutes within 10 ft. of my tree sniffing and looking at me in my blue jeans and camo shirt and gloves and no face mask (yup! in da truck!). I have the bow at the ready for all of the 45 minutes, including the time when I thought she was just gonna climb up and join me! Finally, she moves off into one of the two larger shooting holes I can shoot through, I draw, she enters the hole, I place pin and say "mmeh!" she steps and hesitates, boo-yah! The arrow passes through her 3rd and 4th ribs on her right and exits in front of her left elbow, right t'rough da heart (I checked like I always do, during field dressing). Awesome barren doe (no milk in the udder) and fresh venison on the table. Man, should have been there last night for the t-loins! If I'd a put 'em on my head, my tongue would a beat my brains out trying to get to 'em! Pictures soon! Congrats to all how have bagged and all who will bag and to all how get to go bowhunting period!! Best of Luck!!

[Captain B.R.K]

Thanks Everyone!

Congrats TomBow. That just shows that you don't have to have the best outer ware to bag a deer!

[bigbucks]

We want pics gentlemen, anybody else that's shot one & hasn't posted one, let's get with the program...

[BLACKJACK]

Congrats on the deer guys! Hearing your stories I'm really getting anxious to get back out, kicking myself for having too many obligations lined up so I haven't been able to get out! Maybe Friday, Sat for sure!!!

[bigbucks]

Last night I went back to the stand where I sat Friday night & had seen 6 deer. I did a bunch more trimming before getting in, so I had some more options to shoot, mosquitos were still terrible.

I had a little spike, like the horns were about the size of my pinky finger, but they were polished, come through just after 6. I could have shot him at about 20 yards, he saw me move when he was still above me up in the woods. I kind of spazzed a little when I heard him behind me & I whipped around too quick. He still came in, but was nervous & left again after a couple minutes. I had two fawns & a 6 pointer also come out on different trails. The 6 pointer I maybe could have gotten a shot at 30-35 yards, the fawns no. I think all of these deer I've seen before. My guess is the spike was the 5th deer I saw Friday night, that I thought might be a little buck with a big buck, when it was too dark to tell, & too dark to shoot. He was the right size & came on the same exact trail.

I also had a fisher come up 5 yards behind the stand. I was afraid I was going to have to shoot him to keep him out of the stand, so I moved a little too much on purpose & he skedaddled rather quickly. He was about two feet long or so, including the tail, which was very bushy, his head was similar to a badgers & he had long shaggy hair that was mostly black, but there was some brown on his back hair. It was about the same size as an otter & wirey like that, but the wrong kind of tail & the wrong coloring. I would guess it would have weighed 10-12 pounds, when I researched it this morning I discovered it had to be a male based on the size.

[stockchopper]

I shot a 7 point buck last night at 25 yards. I shot him from the ground. Shot looked good and I found blood right away, but no arrow. Let it rest and went home to get light and fried to help. We tracked it a mile and the blood trail started to dry up. Spent 3 hours looking but couldn't find it, and I looked 2 hours today but no luck. My shot must have been a little low and just hit the bottom of his chest, I think he'll live since it clotted up.

[bigbucks]

stockchopper,

Did the arrow go through & you can't find it or is it still in the deer? or don't you know for sure? It's really frustrating when you make a bad hit on a deer, most of us have probably been there. I certainly have.

[stockchopper]

I'm, sure the arrow went through most of the way or all the way, I didn't see it hanging out when it ran off. It stopped and walked off after it ran 50 yards in the open grass. Think I hit a corn leaf and that slowed the arrow down enough for it to hit low. I had the yardage right and i'm a pretty decenct shot so thats the only explanation I got for the arrow hitting 6 inches lower than I aimed. Arrow headed right for the heart, and since it didn't die right away and the blood was dark red I'm sure I didn't hit the heart or lungs. So I hope he lives and I'll just shoot him again next week. I had him walk by me the last 3 times out, so I should see him again if he lives.

[mudman]

I hate to say it stockchopper but he's dead somewhere. sounds like a gut shot. Look for water or a swamp where the blood trail ended and search it. or he might have laid down in some thick down fall or sumac. with all the green up still you have to keep looking.
If by some chance miracle his alive you won't see him again.
Where are you at?
If you want I would be more than willing to help you find it.

[stockchopper]

No way it could have been gut shot, it was way to forward. I saw the fleching before it hit. The grass was over knee high so I couldn't see exactly where it hit, but if anything it could have hit him in the armpit and hit bone, I can't find the arrow and I couldn't see the side I shot him on since he ran with other side facing me. What I meant by dark blood was that it wasn't pink like a lung hit and it was a dripping wound not spraying. It's a lost cause now since it's warm out and when I was out today the blood was really hard to see. Last night we crawled on are hands and knees to find blood. At the end of the trail all we could find were specks the size of this period. He never laid down either in the 1 mile that we trailed him. He also ran into a state park that you can't walk on. I'll make a mission to finish him off since he isn't that bright and I'll let you know when I do.

[Stratosman]

Here is a pic of a 10 pointer I arrowed tonight, saw one even bigger but never came closer than 40 yards, hunting on a edge of 10 acre patch of corn on the tip of a thick steep ravine, second time in that stand. I passed this buck up originally as it walked right by me at 10 yards, but when it entered the cornfield it turned and walked broadside to me at about 17 yards and stood right in my shooting lane, I guess I second guessed myself and decided it was worth taking, I was contemplating holding out for that big one but thought to myself, I know what's gonna happen, I let this one pass and never see either one of them again. Saw a total of 4 bucks tonight. So the rest is history as they say. Oh yeah, double lung, full passthrough, ran 80 yards...down the ravine!

[panolo]

Nice buck! He wouldn't have made it pat me the first time Congrats!

[TomBow]

That's purdy Stratosman! Ain't it funny how they just never seem to run TOWARD the truck?? Congrats, man!

[mudman]

nice deer!!!
now you have more time for catching a 30+" wallaby!

[bigbucks]

Nice job statosman that's a dandy buck.

I wouldn't have passed on him, other than that I already shot my 8 pointer, who wasn't that nice, but that's fine.

[bigbucks]

stockchopper, I agree with you on it not being gut shot. From what I've read & observed a gut shot deer will bed much sooner than that. If he didn't bed in a mile you may have just clipped his underside enough to make him bleed or put the arrow in or behind his shoulder blade. I'm not saying he will feel very good & won't have a limp, but I bet he'll survive. The only thing would be if the arrow's still in him & it gets bumped just right or he falls on it & then it cuts him up to much.

I made a horrible shot on a small deer many years ago & messed up a leg. We saw that deer many times after that throughout that fall. It finally got shot during gun season.

If anybody hasn't seen the article on blood trailing that's in the November issue of D & DH, it's very good. I've trailed a lot of deer over the years & I still learned plenty.

[Captain B.R.K]

Nice shoot- NICE BUCK. Thanks for posting the pic. and making us all just sit and drool over your picture

[Stratosman]

Thanks guys,

Mudman, you're close, now I can focus on getting that 50" plus muskie yet this year, usually hunting is my passion come fall, but nothing but a couple of doe tags left and 3 months of time, I can focus on fish.

[mudman]

Strato-
I am actually going up to hayward area the next 2 weekend chasing that 50+ and probably doing some duck hunting as well.
how am I going to both I'm sure your thinking.
well with the clear lake that we are fishing and the turn over on the way, late night fishing is best dark to dawn baby!

then sleep from 9-5
man is monday going to suck!!

[BLACKJACK]

Had luck over the weekend, shot a doe Sat night! Couldn't believe it, I've shot 10-15 deer with a bow, but I was practically shaking when I took the shot, consequently it was a poor shot, too high, the arrow didn't pass thru, the deer ran into the woods. Went and got my wife, flashlites, a lantern, trail marking tape. By then an hour had passed. It was a TOUGH blood trail, just a speck here and there, then all of a sudden we'd find a spot the size of your hand, then it would be back to a spot here and there. Severalk times we lost it, had go back to on our knees by the last red tape mark. After about 40 yards, we found the arrow, bright red all the way thru the fletchings. Trailed another 40 yards, speck by speck, had been at it about two hours when we really did lose the trail. My wife went to the edge of the woods which was about 30 yards away, found the blood trail again, better now, a couple spots where she'd laid down, red spots the size of your hand - then we lost it in the grass!! I was bummed and tired, called off the search, went back the next morning, found her 10 yards from where we had stopped looking!!! Yes!!

Autopsy showed that I was very high, clipped the top of the spine and continued downward into the body cavity, didn't hit much but their was a little intestine out the hole. It was a high stand, so it was really a steep downward angle. I think hitting the spine slowed the arrow so I didn't get the passthru. Two inches higher and I'd have missed, two inches lower and I'd have gotten some lung.

Lessons learned, calm down before the shot, a tracking partner is invaluable, don't give up. Tried the lantern for the first time, it did seem to help.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Congrats on the animal Blackjack..
glad you found her... way to stay at it...and bravo to the wife for helping out!

[Mark Christianson]

Awesome Blackjack!!!!
I wish I had the same ending to my foray.