The Orion Syndicate (#12) - 2020 & 2021 Champions

Well guys, it’s late and you won’t see this until tomorrow. That’s probably good because this is gonna be long.

This afternoon was my 15th straight sit this trip. I’ve been playing cat and mouse with bucks in two different locations. When the wind is bad for one spot, it’s good for the other.

This afternoon I had a NW wind at 15-25 mph. That direction was good for my first spot. It’s a mile ride on my bike and then almost a half mile walk through the woods.

I got set up at 3:30. At 4:33 I saw the big buck I’d been after, but he had crossed the creek 60 yards west and was headed south.

I watched him get to the cedar thicket 95 yards SW of me and then I saw does coming my way.

The does were taking a path that would make them about 60 yards south of me but one little doe was veering my way. I decided I’d shoot her if she got close enough.

She was slowly getting closer. I had my bow in my hand and my release was already hooked on. When she got to 45 yards I got ready. That’s when I caught movement to my right.

It was a good (for me) 8 point. If I had to guess I’d say 100-115”. He was feeding straight to me.

I shifted my focus to him and kept adjusting my sight as I ranged him. When he got closer than 25 yards I dialed in 20 yards and got ready.

At 20 he angled behind a good sized tree and I drew. He came out from behind the tree at 17 yards quartering to me. I had the pin on him immediately. I aimed just in front of the shoulder a bit high.

Just before I touched the release his head snapped up to look at me but the arrow was on its way already. It hit exactly where I was aiming.

He spun right and contorted strangely and then tore out of there with about a quarter of my arrow sticking out of him at about a 20 degree angle.

I watched him disappear about 90 yards away bearing 132 degrees.

A couple of friends and I went in a couple hours later, but there was no blood trail.

I did do some scanning with the thermal imager, but in the dark and no blood trail we couldn’t even guess where he went.

We are going to go to go back in the morning in the daylight and try again.

It’s a dead buck guys. It’s just a matter of if we can find him. .

 

We don’t have a dog here. I’m at Wattensaw WMA in Arkansas.

One of our club members has a blood trailing dog but it can only track blood and it wouldn’t matter because he’s in Texas hog hunting now.

Elly May can track deer by scent but she’s 3 1/2 hours away. Also, there are so many deer tracks there I’m not sure she’d get in the right one.

My best chance is Bubba Wilkins. He’s a good tracker. All we need to do is find a little blood.

 

What a week this has been. I am so stiff and tired. I don’t think I could hunt that spot without the bike. It certainly made the “drag” out easier.

All of that biking and walking to get to the stand and we only had to cart it 90 yards to get it to the bike. That’s a good thing because it was about a mile and a half to the truck.

Ive never hunted so hard in my life, but I feel that I did it the correct way.

One of the older members told me where to go but I thought it unwise to just stomp in there.

I took it in increments over the week making semi-observation sits and moving based on what I saw.

It ended with that buck. It’s a shame I didn’t go 70 yards farther west. Thirty minutes before I shot him the big boy walked north to south at 70 yards.

I got really lucky on that shot. The reason I didn’t get a complete pass through is because the four blade Grim Reaper actually caught the edge of the scapula. I’m very lucky because as it turned out I did have a partial exit wound. It gave my friend Bubba just enough blood to follow. He is really good.

I really thought the buck was bigger. He was just a small bodied deer and there was nothing around him for a size comparison.

Still, I can’t even begin to tell you how ecstatic I am to be able to put a buck on the board for us.

Two days to spare, huh?

I’ll post more later. Oh and if there typos just ignore them. I only have my phone and I’ve been celebrating.

 

Thanks Ty. Even though he’s no bruiser I feel really good about this kill.