This is my first year to be on a deer lease (and first year bow hunting)I am hunting a small 130 acre lease with my brother and a friend.
my buddy has been on this lease for many years, and has always had good luck..
After a month or so of watching a little mangled up 8 point eat all of my corn at the first location I picked I ended up leaving my feeder and one camera at that location and moving back and setting another up on a spot hat is much harder to get to...
The first night the camera was out I got pics of a nice 10 point and a few does.. after that I only got the does pics.. Last Saturday Morning I got up in my tree about 5:30 and went ahead and let out a little grunt call. Within seconds I had sevaral deer under my stand. It was too dark to make out what htey were but right about the time I could make out two bucks something spooked them and both scattered. A few hours later two does and a fawn. I was trying to make out what does the fawn was with but couldnt decide so I didnt shoot either.
Saturday evening was pretty boring until right after sunset the two bucks showed back up right under my feet. again it was too dark to see what they were or to make a clean shot so I wanted in my climber for about 30 minutes and after I realized they were not leaving any time soon I flipped on my streamlight so I could get a good look at them. they scattered pretty quick but it was the same 10 point and what looked to be a 8 point.
Sunday morning I was running late and didnt get in my stand until right at sunrise. I didnt expect to see anything but I went ahead and turned my stand 90° on the tree just so I could see in more of the direction they came from the previous morning and what way they ran the night before...
about 8:20 i was about to come down so I could get to church on time nad I started hearing something come up from a distance. there was small gap in the tree cover and it was the same 2 bucks. I frantically started trying to pick my shooting path because htye were going to be coming directly under my stand.
After deciding what path I was going to shoot through I drew back my bow (which at this point somehow weighed about 7000 lbs instead of 70 and waiting. I coudlnt tell what buck stepped into my path first but I just held as steady as I could and waited for the vital area to appear in my sights..
I was shooting between two trees that were about 18" apart but I let that arrow fly... He jumped up in the air and then fell to the ground, jumped up and ran about 30 yards away, turned and looked back and let out a blow, when he did I saw a red shower of blood spray out both sides of his body then he hauled butt.. after doing the motionless happy dance and shaking like a leaf for a few seconds I realized I didnt know which deer I had shot.. I really didnt care at this point because I would be proud for either to be my first deer, first archery kill, and first buck all in one...
I waited about 30 minutes and went and got my brother from the other side of the lease, after getting back we started tracking him. there were very large pools of blood about every 50' with almost a steady stream of blood between them. We tracked him about 75 yards through the woods then out into a clear cut for about another 125 yards. For what ever reason the blood trail stopped. Not another drop. I "phoned a friend" that has been hunting his whole life and he showed up and started helping us. we all searched for about three hours and never found another sign.. The rain started and washed everything away so we went home to change clothes and myself and another fried went back and started searching again, this time we were more looking for the deer vs. blood.. I searched until dark then went back Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening looking for buzzards, and riding the clear cut trying to sniff him out... after more than 25 hours of searching I havent seen a trace of him.
I really wish it was legal to use tracking dogs in this county...
I am not sure why i just typed all of that but I guess I am just preparing myself for the hunt in the am... I really hope it was the 8 point and the 10 point below is still out there..
