Greeting all, ok here it goes. My usual hunting land is closed for hunting until gun season starts. Can't miss out on bow season so I went to MCB Quantico and got a base hunting license. The base uses an automated reservation system for the different training/hunting areas. That was a headache on Friday, I wanted area 5A (not that you know where that is) I hit the wrong numbers and ended up in 5B. I looked at the map and said well what the heck, let's try it out. Ok, lets back up to Thursday. I told the Mrs that I was hunting after the kiddos soccer and football games on opening day. Her response, all my family is coming into town to watch the boys play. Ok, I can go out in the morning and be outta my stand by 0800 to get to the soccer game. No response, that means ok right? Back to the hunt. Saturday morning, I check in and park the truck along the tree line. Walk into the woods, crap, this is thicker than I'm used to. ok this tree looks good, set down the bow hook up the pull up cord and put the climber on the tree. I get up and pull the bow up by 0600, legal shooting light is at 0638, time to relax. it rained late Friday early Saturday so the cloud cover kept it to dark until about 0645. I get on my feet and start looking around, man I shoulda gone 20-30 more yards and I would have clean shots all the way around me. I turn north than south head to the west. 0711: I'm facing west and see movement to the south. A DOE!!!! A little doe. Is mama or another doe around? Nope, it's opening day, there is a doe with in 10 yards, she's mine! 0712: She is behind a holly tree, head down and turned away. Time to draw. Ok, three more steps... A stick falls, heads up seven up. I'm ready, take a few steps... nope head back down to those acorns. If let down on my draw she will walk and/or see me, hold it, hold it. 0715: She takes the last fatal step, I'm ready. CRAP!!!! that dead branch I broke most of off earlier is in the way, I know, where is that invisible chair from bootcamp, ah, there it is, perfect, release. Arrow flies, she drops screaming bloody murder, kicks, squirms, screams some more. it sucks when they drop right there and take their time dying.Ok last time I dropped a deer with an arrow in front of me, she got up and walked away. I don't have time for that, I have a soccer game to get to and a football game after that. She picks her head up. NO WAY. Nock another arrow, perfect right behind the shoulder. She screamed and kicked some more. 0730: She is not breathing, time to go. Climb down, go look, first shot was high, cut her vertebrae and caught a little bit of lung but missed the spinal cord. Second shot was perfect. Went and put the stand and bow in the truck and grabbed the game cart. 0815: She is in the truck and on the way to the check station. 0840: I have her checked in and hanging in the Refer in time to make it to the game. WIN, WIN, I got to go hunting and got a deer, and the wife had me at the game 3 minutes into the first quarter. This is the first time I have gotten a deer on opening day, she was little but it's still meet. The wife and I put her through the meat grinder and ended up with 16 meals worth of ground venison, 16.5 lbs. Alex
Congrats on the opening day success. I try and shoot a doe on the opener every year to get things started. Also nice job on making it to the game, I'm sure the family appreciated it.
Any spine shot... I am shooting again, especially if they bawl... For some reason, I usually manage to spine shoot younglings too.
I almost put a third one in her out of sympathy, then I couldn't see her breath anymore so I let down.
Pretty stoked to get this VA buck on the morning of my first ever Sunday hunt. Thats something cool I can say I did. (In the second picture you can see the fence that was originally chest high that he decided he was gunna jump clear over after running 40 yards- post shot. It was pretty cool to see blood at head height on a tree while tracking. )
