tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
I haven't been able to hunt since the debacle last weekend with the big 7pt that I hit and never recovered. (Short version- didn't verify my Rage Hypodermic broadheads were hitting with my field points, and made a clean shot but hit super low on 120" class buck. Never found the deer, and can only hope the wound wasn't fatal.)
I don't think it's impossible that he recovered, but I hadn't been able to hunt with the time change. It gets dark too early for me to get out after work anymore, and to be honest, I wasn't feeling into it much.
I got up at 4am this morning, and took a while to convince myself to go. I felt kinda "blah" about it, like I'd had my shot...blew it...and that was that. But, I reasoned that the rut was still going, that stand I'd been at is a cross-roads/funnel that always seems to produce buck sighting after buck sighting in the rut, and it was a somewhat chilly 30*F that should move deer around.
So, I dragged my butt out of bed to get dressed and out the door, somewhat late, but not terrible.
I rolled in little past 5 to the property, parked, and started gathering my gear. I park right near an occupied house on the property, mostly because the deer are used to activity there. As soon as I opened my rear door, I heard deer take off from the brush behind me. Wow, ok.
I got myself sorted out and headed down the dirt road to walk past the home I was near, and then on to where I'd peel off the narrow old dirt road, head uphill 50-ish yards, and slip into my stand. Or so I planned.
The walk went ok, but when I was just barely off the road, I heard engines and crunching gravel, and lights flickered in the distance. The dirt road dead-ends at public land, so it's a municipal road open to anyone, and cuts right smack through the center of the property I hunt. I was on the north side of the road, and I actually jogged a few steps so I was out of the path of the headlights before the vehicle roared past. These same jerk-wads had come by last weekend, too. This is a step above a 2-track road, barely wide enough for two vehicles to carefully ease by one another if necessary. After the tenant's house, there's another house about 300 yards down the road that is also occupied now, too. These morons tore down the road at probably 35-40mph, last weekend and this one. Sigh. I just made sure I wasn't visible when they blew by so they wouldn't know where I was headed. They'd passed my truck and knew I was there, but not where. I head to one of over a half-dozen stands from the same parking area.
So, that issue avoided, I continued up the hill carefully, trying to walk like a deer, make noise somewhat like a deer, etc. I got impatient and a bit sloppy, and I heard deer running up ahead of me. Ugh.
I got up in the stand, managing to make my bow clang a couple times on the way up, plus the ladder "seated" the joints between sections and clunked a few times, too. Eventually got my bow holder set up, seat on the stand, and everything about right. Even had an arrow on the string.
Then as I was putting on my face covering, I dropped my gloves. Seriously....?
Clanged my arrow shaft on the stand as I prepped to go down to get my gloves. For crying out loud.
Got back up, settled, and checked my watch. 5:30AM. OK, not horrible. My target had been 5AM, shooting time legally was 6:13AM. 43 minutes isn't horrible.
I settled in, warm in my layers, bow in its holder with a nocked arrow, single-pin sight set to 26/27/28 yards, as that works reasonably well from 0-33/34/35 yards. I leave the rheostat wide open for maximum brightness.
I closed my eyes. I don't think I was asleep, but the 45 min seemed to go VERY quickly, lol.
About 6:10, I heard a deer coming, and just the way the buck had last weekend (I was in the same stand). It turned and walked like that deer had, and I never got to see it in the dim light. I tried with the binos, but I just couldn't find it. It was well within 40 yards probably 35, but I would never have been able to shoot.
I put the bow back in the holder, made sure my sight was right, I could work my release with my thicker wool gloves, etc.
6:15--- chk, chk....chk, chk, chk, snap.....chk, chk....chk.....
Deer. Has to be.
Kept coming right at me, but it was just too dark to see. Legal time was 6:13, so I was cleared to shoot if I could.
Finally, right where my heartbreak occurred last weekend, there was a deer, closing on me. I couldn't go to my bino's because he was facing me and at about my same elevation due to the slope I was on.
As he closed the gap to 10-12 yards, I saw sufficient size for my purposes to want to shoot him, and sufficient points to make him legal. I drew when he was as obscured as possible. And he spooked. Crap.
Went 2 yards at most, and me at full draw, he stared, stock still. It was SUPER dark, and I think that saved me from watching him blowing out of the county. He stiff-legged a few steps to my right, now broadside but behind a tree.
One more step...he's clear....settled the pin, and Fwaaaaap! The arrow was gone. The Nockturnal nock lit and streaked through the dark morning light like a meteor. "Thwump!" as the nock vanished, then nearly instantly reappeared. Yes!
The deer bolted, doing the high leaping run they usually don't do when hurt badly. He ran to the very spot I last saw my buck I lost last weekend, and he also stopped in the same place and stood there. Swayed, the dropped, while I watched through my binos.
If you look REALLY close, you can see my stand's ladder over top of my top cam.
Hero shots when hunting solo are tough...
Shot was 16 yards, the deer ran 45 yards.
Rifle season starts in a couple weeks. I'll be playing guide to my daughter and to a friend from out of state, but when I can, I'll be toting my flintlock for does.
I don't think it's impossible that he recovered, but I hadn't been able to hunt with the time change. It gets dark too early for me to get out after work anymore, and to be honest, I wasn't feeling into it much.
I got up at 4am this morning, and took a while to convince myself to go. I felt kinda "blah" about it, like I'd had my shot...blew it...and that was that. But, I reasoned that the rut was still going, that stand I'd been at is a cross-roads/funnel that always seems to produce buck sighting after buck sighting in the rut, and it was a somewhat chilly 30*F that should move deer around.
So, I dragged my butt out of bed to get dressed and out the door, somewhat late, but not terrible.
I rolled in little past 5 to the property, parked, and started gathering my gear. I park right near an occupied house on the property, mostly because the deer are used to activity there. As soon as I opened my rear door, I heard deer take off from the brush behind me. Wow, ok.
I got myself sorted out and headed down the dirt road to walk past the home I was near, and then on to where I'd peel off the narrow old dirt road, head uphill 50-ish yards, and slip into my stand. Or so I planned.
The walk went ok, but when I was just barely off the road, I heard engines and crunching gravel, and lights flickered in the distance. The dirt road dead-ends at public land, so it's a municipal road open to anyone, and cuts right smack through the center of the property I hunt. I was on the north side of the road, and I actually jogged a few steps so I was out of the path of the headlights before the vehicle roared past. These same jerk-wads had come by last weekend, too. This is a step above a 2-track road, barely wide enough for two vehicles to carefully ease by one another if necessary. After the tenant's house, there's another house about 300 yards down the road that is also occupied now, too. These morons tore down the road at probably 35-40mph, last weekend and this one. Sigh. I just made sure I wasn't visible when they blew by so they wouldn't know where I was headed. They'd passed my truck and knew I was there, but not where. I head to one of over a half-dozen stands from the same parking area.
So, that issue avoided, I continued up the hill carefully, trying to walk like a deer, make noise somewhat like a deer, etc. I got impatient and a bit sloppy, and I heard deer running up ahead of me. Ugh.
I got up in the stand, managing to make my bow clang a couple times on the way up, plus the ladder "seated" the joints between sections and clunked a few times, too. Eventually got my bow holder set up, seat on the stand, and everything about right. Even had an arrow on the string.
Then as I was putting on my face covering, I dropped my gloves. Seriously....?
Clanged my arrow shaft on the stand as I prepped to go down to get my gloves. For crying out loud.
Got back up, settled, and checked my watch. 5:30AM. OK, not horrible. My target had been 5AM, shooting time legally was 6:13AM. 43 minutes isn't horrible.
I settled in, warm in my layers, bow in its holder with a nocked arrow, single-pin sight set to 26/27/28 yards, as that works reasonably well from 0-33/34/35 yards. I leave the rheostat wide open for maximum brightness.
I closed my eyes. I don't think I was asleep, but the 45 min seemed to go VERY quickly, lol.
About 6:10, I heard a deer coming, and just the way the buck had last weekend (I was in the same stand). It turned and walked like that deer had, and I never got to see it in the dim light. I tried with the binos, but I just couldn't find it. It was well within 40 yards probably 35, but I would never have been able to shoot.
I put the bow back in the holder, made sure my sight was right, I could work my release with my thicker wool gloves, etc.
6:15--- chk, chk....chk, chk, chk, snap.....chk, chk....chk.....
Deer. Has to be.
Kept coming right at me, but it was just too dark to see. Legal time was 6:13, so I was cleared to shoot if I could.
Finally, right where my heartbreak occurred last weekend, there was a deer, closing on me. I couldn't go to my bino's because he was facing me and at about my same elevation due to the slope I was on.
As he closed the gap to 10-12 yards, I saw sufficient size for my purposes to want to shoot him, and sufficient points to make him legal. I drew when he was as obscured as possible. And he spooked. Crap.
Went 2 yards at most, and me at full draw, he stared, stock still. It was SUPER dark, and I think that saved me from watching him blowing out of the county. He stiff-legged a few steps to my right, now broadside but behind a tree.
One more step...he's clear....settled the pin, and Fwaaaaap! The arrow was gone. The Nockturnal nock lit and streaked through the dark morning light like a meteor. "Thwump!" as the nock vanished, then nearly instantly reappeared. Yes!
The deer bolted, doing the high leaping run they usually don't do when hurt badly. He ran to the very spot I last saw my buck I lost last weekend, and he also stopped in the same place and stood there. Swayed, the dropped, while I watched through my binos.
If you look REALLY close, you can see my stand's ladder over top of my top cam.
Hero shots when hunting solo are tough...
Shot was 16 yards, the deer ran 45 yards.
Rifle season starts in a couple weeks. I'll be playing guide to my daughter and to a friend from out of state, but when I can, I'll be toting my flintlock for does.
