Howdy everyone, good to be back.
Was finally able to bag my buck last Thursday.
Woke up Last Thursday to a nice cool front and a perfect wind. Had to head out to the woods.
I bundled up like I was in Alaska, four heavy shirts and the warm boots first excuse I've had to break them out all year.
My stand was set up on a wooded creek bank that separated two open food plots. I knew bucks habitually work that route to scent check the does and yearlings in the food plots.
Started seeing deer about 30 minutes after shooting light. Had a buck come out of the woods to my right and work slowly behind me, never had a good shot as he walked straight into the only bush in the field and stopped. I just happened to look out into the other field and saw a nice buck crossing the field in front of me about 100 yards out. I grunted at the buck twice to try to get him to head my direction but lost him as it appeared he entered the woods next to the field. The buck behind me moved out of range. A couple of minutes passed and the buck I had grunted at was moving my way! He was heading RIGHT in my direction. The buck is staring in my direction, and my bow is on the tree limb to my left a good arms length away. The buck is at 45 yards and closing distance fast. He finally steps behind some brush for a second and I feel comfortable to reach for my bow. I stand up and grab it as he clears the brush pile - 20 yards and closing -. I am afraid he's gonna walk past me and never stop long enough for a comfortable shot, he drops down into the creek still heading right in my direction. I can see that the buck is mature and has 9 points but he's still walking. 10 yards and closing. The buck continues towards me and stops to suck up some acorns at 7 yards right under me. I am about 20 feet up and don't have a shot except between the shoulder blades. All of a sudden a doe enters the clearing above him and he turns to look at her giving me a much nicer quartering shot. I draw, aim and release. THWACK! The buck spins and darts into the woods I can see an arrow sticking up out of his ribs angling hard down into the center of his chest. I can see him standing 30 yards away along a creek. He is staring back at me and I see him stumble and fall into the creek. He died in less than a minute in my sight.
I wait as long as I can (10 minutes) and climb down the tree. There he is, stone dead with only his horns sticking out of the water. Fletchings are sticking out of his ribs and the Zwickey 2-blade is sticking out of his opposite armpit. I had laken out liver,lungs and heart with the shot.
I cleaned the buck and drug him underneath a tree. It was about 8:00 in the morning and it was still 45 degrees. I walked back to the truck with quite a bit of bounce to my step and went to get a buddy to help me drag the buck out of the bottom and get some pictures. We came back about an hour and a half later and my buddy says "is that your buck with the buzzards on it?"
I looked over to see two fat buzzards sitting on my buck pecking away. We scared them away and found that they had only done a little damage, they had pecked out one eye and a little meat from the entry wound. I was pretty hacked off at the birds, didn't know they could find one that fast.
Please notice in the picture that I only show his "Good" side, the side with an eyeball.
Was finally able to bag my buck last Thursday.
Woke up Last Thursday to a nice cool front and a perfect wind. Had to head out to the woods.
I bundled up like I was in Alaska, four heavy shirts and the warm boots first excuse I've had to break them out all year.
My stand was set up on a wooded creek bank that separated two open food plots. I knew bucks habitually work that route to scent check the does and yearlings in the food plots.
Started seeing deer about 30 minutes after shooting light. Had a buck come out of the woods to my right and work slowly behind me, never had a good shot as he walked straight into the only bush in the field and stopped. I just happened to look out into the other field and saw a nice buck crossing the field in front of me about 100 yards out. I grunted at the buck twice to try to get him to head my direction but lost him as it appeared he entered the woods next to the field. The buck behind me moved out of range. A couple of minutes passed and the buck I had grunted at was moving my way! He was heading RIGHT in my direction. The buck is staring in my direction, and my bow is on the tree limb to my left a good arms length away. The buck is at 45 yards and closing distance fast. He finally steps behind some brush for a second and I feel comfortable to reach for my bow. I stand up and grab it as he clears the brush pile - 20 yards and closing -. I am afraid he's gonna walk past me and never stop long enough for a comfortable shot, he drops down into the creek still heading right in my direction. I can see that the buck is mature and has 9 points but he's still walking. 10 yards and closing. The buck continues towards me and stops to suck up some acorns at 7 yards right under me. I am about 20 feet up and don't have a shot except between the shoulder blades. All of a sudden a doe enters the clearing above him and he turns to look at her giving me a much nicer quartering shot. I draw, aim and release. THWACK! The buck spins and darts into the woods I can see an arrow sticking up out of his ribs angling hard down into the center of his chest. I can see him standing 30 yards away along a creek. He is staring back at me and I see him stumble and fall into the creek. He died in less than a minute in my sight.
I wait as long as I can (10 minutes) and climb down the tree. There he is, stone dead with only his horns sticking out of the water. Fletchings are sticking out of his ribs and the Zwickey 2-blade is sticking out of his opposite armpit. I had laken out liver,lungs and heart with the shot.
I cleaned the buck and drug him underneath a tree. It was about 8:00 in the morning and it was still 45 degrees. I walked back to the truck with quite a bit of bounce to my step and went to get a buddy to help me drag the buck out of the bottom and get some pictures. We came back about an hour and a half later and my buddy says "is that your buck with the buzzards on it?"
I looked over to see two fat buzzards sitting on my buck pecking away. We scared them away and found that they had only done a little damage, they had pecked out one eye and a little meat from the entry wound. I was pretty hacked off at the birds, didn't know they could find one that fast.
Please notice in the picture that I only show his "Good" side, the side with an eyeball.
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