OK, I had to grab your attention somehow, but I am still proud of my harvest. Honestly, I hunted very hard last week and saw some nice bucks. Actually more than I have ever seen in a season. The land I have been hunting the last 6 years does not have any real "habitat". "The only deer we see on this property are passing through not "residing" there. Thanks to my wife's uncle allowing me to hunt on his 50 acres, not much land, but it is the best whitetail habitat I have ever seen here in Western New York, I had a great week. We saw bucks every time we hunted there and some of them very nice shooters. Well, yesterday morning I climbed the Summit up a thin tree and after going through my "setting up ritual", I heard movement coming my way in the predawn light. After a few seconds of it getting closer, I am thinking here comes the big 8 only to see 6 raccoons making their way through the creek bottom. If they continue on their path, they will come about 10 yards to my right side. So I say what the heck, I have never killed a raccoon with the bow. So I grab my bow off of the hanger and shimmy my feet in a circle to shoot on the other side of the stand. What happened next I will never forget as long as I live and neither will my nephew who was in a tree about 30 yards from me. Let me say that he was unable to see what was happening due to hemlock tree boughs that were blocking his view. He could only hear what was happening. After settling my pin on the closest masked bandit, I release an arrow into this robust critter. After he growled and hit the dirt, he screeched louder and higher than I have ever heard anything do before. He gave up ghost after letting about 5 of these sirens go. After the first one, the other coons ran in every direction like a bullet from a gun. My poor nephew heard the footsteps, heard the bow string twang and the solid hit. Dude thought I arrowed a booner only to hear a few seconds later this vermin siren sound off. he didn't know what the heck was going on!!! I simply texted him, "Sorry about the noise!" He promptly called me (this coming from a kid that "forgets" his cell phone in the car so he will not be bothered) and said, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SHOOT!??!?!" Anyway, thank you for humoring me by reading this, here are the photos: http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/ssorrento/Hunting/?action=view¤t=08132010095.jpg] http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/ssorrento/Hunting/?action=view¤t=08132010098.jpg]
Thanks guys! That muzzy tore it up pretty bad. It must have been quartering toward me because it went in the lung and angled down through the guts. Got a pass through! Now I can say I have harvested deer, frogs, a boar and a raccoon with my bow. I thought I was going to get a turkey last night, but my nephew tried calling them in. He must have said, "RUN FIR YOUR LIVES" in turkey talk because the first yelp he made, they ran like all to be damned in the direction they came from! Shoot straight my friends. Sal
I've shot a few of those critters myself, worst one took a NAP Shockwave directly to the face as he came out of the corn and HISSED at me like he was ready to attack!!! That turned UGLY real quick, I'm not sure a .30-06 would've made him look any worse!!! Their good targets to practice on, but man they make HORRIBLE table fare!!!
thanks guys for the feedback. I would love to have some more stories to document this year, we will see this weekend.... Sal
True! However, I work with an older black gentleman that said that he had them barbecued one time and said it was the best thing he ever ate! He said that he ate a plate of them and the women that prepared them told him that it was BBQ raccoon. He said I don't care what it is because this is amazing! LOL! I still don't have the ravioli's to prepare it!! Sal
