As with most of my previous hunts, today started off no different. A lot colder but still the same lack of movement with little to show for it. I was able to take a small doe on Friday which marked the start to my 10 days of vacation. Took Saturday off to quarter her up and store in the fridge, and ht the woods again Sunday. Sunday started out with a bang, absolutely one of the funnest openings to a sit I've had. Shortly before light I could hear a couple bucks sparring/fighting. Wasn't a lot of flashing but could hear them pushing and snapping limbs and branches. This went on for several minutes and then all went silent as the woods opened up. Shortly after I heard all kinds of commotion inside the bedding area to my NE and could see faint flashes of brown as deer bounced around, then it went silent again. Somewhere around 10 minutes later I heard another big ruckus and this time all kinds of grunting. I turned to see weeds parting and moving as he ran around, I grunted and he took off again grunting and trashing things. I did a snort wheeze and he stopped directly behind me hidden in the overgrowth. I never did lay eyes on him and still have no clue what his size was, just seen glimpses of antler and hide as he ran amok. As I was trying to find him I seen 3 does sneaking off to the other side and later assumed that he was chasing one or all of them and not just reacting to my grunting. I thought the switch had been flipped and bucks would be everywhere the remainder of my vacation. I seen nothing else that day. Monday brought little else to the table, had a deer blow at me from the same bedding area as before as the wind was swirling. Heard her leave followed by a clumsy grunting buck. I had a lone spike feed in on the acorns and as the from neared the rain, wind and cold started to sink in. About 2-2:30 I'd had enough, climbed down and was headed for home. About 15yds up the trail I came around the bend to see a doe or button buck staring at me, it turned tail and ran without blowing. Back up in the stand I went, should have kept going as I didn't see anything else from stand, but it did offer me the opportunity to see the bigger buck I've ever laid eyes on the neighboring property as I was driving home. Today started out much the same way except way colder and a fresh dusting of snow, had this lone spike come in Had about 6 turkey off to the right of me but nothing else made an appearance. I was bored, frustrated and my back hurt from the third all day sit in a row. I switched to the ladder stand 40yds away and tried to give my back a rest. About 1:30 I'd decided I was done with rut hunting and want to fill my tags and freezer this year. Whined I was changing stands and switching gears, any deer that offered the shot was good enough. Plus I don't have good reception at the other two stands so it would keep me off the phone. There's an oak stand and a all it stand in the bottoms I was headed to. The oak stand is a good morning spot while the walnut stand is set up more for gun hunting but sees decent evening movement and provides a lot of sightings during the rut. I was going to hunt it, the two stand are about. 60-70yds apart. Between the stands there is a mown path through the thin strip of woods, it leads to the high lines which was freshly mown, I whined a it the brush hogging last weekend. As I was approaching the stand I looked down the path and seen the rear of a feeding deer. I stopped unnoticed and backed up to a lone tree while tryi g to figure out what to do. I kept stepping out trying to see where it was, that's when I noticed a bedded doe. That's also when she noticed me and stood up. Classic head bob, stare down turn tail and flee. Decided to go back to the oak as I felt she might start blowing if she had stopped and seen me climbing the ladder to the walnut stand. Sat in the oak stand playing body origami trying to get a weak signal so I could whine in he live from the stand these but no such luck. About 30 minutes later I caught movement to my left, near where the 2 deer were feeding/bedded. Thought they had come back and then I caught glimpse of white from antler. He hits an opening and I see a dagger of a G2, headed straight between me and the walnut stand. Do I grunt, can call or just wait and see? First real buck I have had a visual on from the stand this year and he's covering ground fast. He steps into the field, behind a small island of trees and brush and he's still headed towards the woods and ridge bottom across the field. He steps out in the clear and I meh him twice. He stopped in the first but I was panicking. Already at full draw I had the 30 pin on him and quickly switched to the 40 and let it rip. he's looking straight at me but he froze, no drop, no flinch back or lunge forward. I watch the arrow as it sails midway back and high. I see the impact and his reaction and thought "guts you dumbass", didn't think the arrow passed through so I watched him as he ran a big loop back to where I first glimpsed him. He ran past that point and then I thought I seen him come back around and go down. I wasn't sure. Not wanting to push him or my luck I climbed down and headed up to the truck. I talked myself into it beig a fatal liver hit, maybe high and artery along the spine. I knew he was down but was confident enough to charge in right away. I did text myself and post it in the live thread. I was gaining confidence the whole way up to grab my field dressing gear. Brought the Polaris down and parked about 75 yard away just in case. Went to where I thought I shot him and couldn't find blood, figured the arrow was still in him and was about to skip tracking and go to last sighting. That's when I seen the first sign. Bone shard Knowing where I hit and he didn't drop I figured ribs and definitely got back of lungs. Then I found my arrow Followed decent, but not great, blood until about halfway and hats when the blood started getting better. He was filling up Looked through two trees and seen white, step around and there he laid As he laid, this is the entry(entry side up Christine) and you can see how high it was. Contest hero shots Dressed him out and drug him down to where I shot him. Paced it off and it was 31 paces, I'm 6'2" so pretty confident I was closer to 30yd than the 40 I panic changed. Doesn't explain being back a bit, but does the height. Good thing is I got both lungs and he dropped within 40yds, 50 if you count the extra loop back. I'll be back out Thursday, still a rut happening out there. This time I won't be as disheartened but I may whine a bit still.
Great job! That's a really nice buck, congrats! Can't complain about a shot that puts them down..it was "Fatal Trajectory"! lol
Glad things turned around for you. Just shows that no matter how frustrating bowhunting can be it can all change in a second.
On second look after getting him up, height I was fine. 3-3 1/2" below the spine. As for being back, I don't know if it was me, wind or both. Had room to spare but plenty of room towards the shoulder. Wind was definitely blowing today, just don't remember at the time. Hit 4th rib forward on both sides and still a pass through even with the rage parallel with the ribs
Awesome job man. Being cold and everything ended up paying off. Maybe I shouldn't of stayed in this morning when I woke up and looked at temp ha. Congrats on the great buck.
