This year after I was told by a friend that I would not be able to shoot a deer with a bow, I decided to purchase one and prove him wrong. I researched and researched for almost 2 weeks and finally purchased a bow. I researched all brands of bows, from Hoyt to Mathews to Bear. I opted for a 2011 Bear Strike, Bemen Bowhunter Carbon shafts and Rage 2 mechanical broadheads. My purchase was made about 2 weeks AFTER bow season started, and with ZERO prior experience, I was in for a challenge. I got my bow sighted in at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards. I'm no Robin Hood, but I can keep my groups in a 3-4" group all the way out to 50 yards.
In September I received an 88' Toyota Pickup SR5 as a gift from my brother in law. It is a California truck so it is packed full of emissions crap, TINY exhaust and ZERO power. This thing was built for reliability rather then power. I had to get that fixed, so I purchased a cam, header, intake, exhaust and got rid of every single emissions related sensor, valve, etc. etc. Problems after problems and I FINALLY got it running October 31. You guys do not realize how damn happy I was because this truck is my winter beater, hunting/fishing truck and I wanted to use it BAAAAAAAAAAD!
So after complications on Nov 1 and 2, I FINALLY got to go out this Monday and Tuesday, Nov 7-8. The 7th, I went out a tad late and hopped in a deer stand in a location where we saw a lot of action last year. I was out there for 4-5 hours and I did not see or hear a thing and left pretty disapointed. I decided that night that I would return early the next day, use a climbing stand and hop into a tree closer to the pond where it's usually hoppin. Hoppin... LOL! I get out there and set up and sit from 0630-0830. Not a single thing, no noise, movement, NOTHING. I prayed hard the night before and that morning for a deer and had a good feeling to pack up and leave and find the other hunters stand located a few miles away. After a little four wheeling, I found the stand and hopped into it at about 0915 or so. The stand is located facing west, and has a great view south, west, and north, with little visability to the east. Facing straight ahead there is a small, what I would call a tree/brush line where a dried up creek runs through. Facing to the south, there is a clearing and to the north a decent clearing, all with great visibility. This is where the fun begins!
At approximately 0945 I hear movement in the brush directly in front of me and low and behold, there was a group of 4-6 feral hogs, about 30 or so yards in front of me. They are directly in the brush and it would've been a VERY VERY hard shot with a bow, with lots of branches and bushes to deflect my arrow. I watched them for 2-3 minutes and I kept asking myself, do I shoot them with my Glock and have a chance to kill 2-3 or go with my bow. I finally decided to climb down to get a good shot at them with my bow as I wanted to scare the deer less with a gun shot. I climbed down to try to cut them off and kill a few. They freaking disappeared..... Pissed and disappointed, I decide to climb back up the stand and continue my hunt. This particular stand did not have a bow elevator tied on, so I tied one onto myself. As my head was bent down tying this string to my overall, something comes into my peripheral view towards my left. I look over and it's a freaking coyote and it scares the crap out of me! This thing did not see or smell me and was WALKING less then 10 ft from me. "Fearing" for my life, my training kicks in and I present my Glock 23 towards the threat. I immediately focus on that front sight, slack out, BANG, slack out, BANG, slack out, and access the threat. By this time it was laying on it's side dead. I walk over to it, OSU (get it, POKE! HA) it with a stick and confirm it's dead. I decide to take a few pictures because it's my first coyote! Here is a picture
After the quick excitement, I climb back up the stand and am thinking to myself, "I am not going to see a deer with all the noise I made!" After about 20 minutes in the stand, I look to the north and see movement about 200 yards away along the treeline. I can make out instantly that it's a deer, but how big? It slowly trots my way and eventually makes it into sight. It's an 8 pointer!! Oh SNAP! My heart immediately starts to race 100 mph, my breathing starts to become heavy, I can feel my knees shake and this damn thing hasn't even gotten into my shooting range yet!!! It continues to trot slowly my direction and stops right before the other side of the dried out creek. It's probably a good 40 yards away, but there is a tree partially blocking me and brush in front of him, so I decide to wait. It starts west into the brush and walks south, closer to me through the brush. It's eating and looking around, minding its own business. It has not spotted, heard, and smelled me as the wind is coming from the north, blowing my scent south. My heart continues to pound through my chest and I start praying, "Oh dear God, PLEASE, PLEASE allow this deer to walk in my view so I can provide some deer meat for my family!" It walks into the dried up creek and follows it east, DIRECTLY into my view BROADSIDE! I stand and OH EMMM GEE, my legs are shaking and I am so damn excited. I draw my bow and take a sight picture. I hold for 10 or so seconds until it gets about 25 yards in front of me. I put it between my two top pins and wait. I'm shaking my butt off, fearing I'm going to fall out of this stand. The stands base is probably 12x12, so it's TINY! My legs shaking is causing my whole body to shake. It comes into view broadside and stops for a moment. THUD! I pull the freaking shot.................. It was slow motion, literally.. I watched that arrow fly just left, at a wonderful angle, but definitely left. It sticks the deer in its right side pelvis and looks like a freaking antenna sticking out of its ass. I instantly see that leg go limp and it runs off on three and falls over on it's left side about 20 yards from the shot. Now this is where I made the biggest mistake...... Out of excitement, after seeing it fall over, I INSTANTLY climbed down the stand to give it a final shot. I couldn't do it from the stand due to the location of the deer and lots of brush in the way. I rush to the location where I last saw it, it's gone............
I follow it in the only direction it could've gone and about 25 yards from where it fell over I begin to see blood. It's not a ton of blood, but it's definitely visible. Blood every 6-8 ft in a good straight direction, I begin to follow. I continually find blood and follow it for another 50 or so yards. The blood trail begins to lighten and it becomes harder and harder to find. I'm a certified State of Oklahoma Criminal Investigator and was taught about blood, how to read the blood, direction the blood was traveling, etc. etc. I put it to use and easily start picking up more blood. It's now in a zig zag pattern, going from left to right, through thicker brush, almost like it's running erratically through whatever, not knowing what it's doing. Good sign right... WRONG! The blood begins to thin again and after about 30 yards of zig zagging, I find the last drop. Reading the blood, it was definitely a straight vertical drop with no direction of travel indicated from the blood. That's where the blood trail ended. I mark the spot and begin circling the spot looking for any signs of travel. Come to find out, I walked directly into what looked like a bedding area for deer. Lots of acorn shells, deer crap, laid down grass, prints, etc. It ruins my search for broken limbs, tossed up dirt, prints, etc. I continue to look for about 2 hours and nothing. I was so disappointed, angry at myself, and a little happy to have experienced that.
What did I learn? To FREAKING WAIT! Let that damn deer expire, watch the direction of travel, listen for movement. If I would've done that rather then scare the deer into running off like a race horse, I would've definitely had a higher chance of finding him. I hope that feeling that you get right before you make a shot NEVER goes away. That rush was something I have never felt before. Not even sex made me that weak in the knees! LOL! I'm angry at myself for making a bad shot, for not waiting, for letting the deer suffer and for wasting the meat. I don't think a deer can live too long with only 3 legs. Next time I hope to make a better shot and to have the patience to wait...
Hopefully next week will be a story of deer that I actually bagged It was a great, but HORRIBLE day and I learned a lot! Until next time!
In September I received an 88' Toyota Pickup SR5 as a gift from my brother in law. It is a California truck so it is packed full of emissions crap, TINY exhaust and ZERO power. This thing was built for reliability rather then power. I had to get that fixed, so I purchased a cam, header, intake, exhaust and got rid of every single emissions related sensor, valve, etc. etc. Problems after problems and I FINALLY got it running October 31. You guys do not realize how damn happy I was because this truck is my winter beater, hunting/fishing truck and I wanted to use it BAAAAAAAAAAD!
So after complications on Nov 1 and 2, I FINALLY got to go out this Monday and Tuesday, Nov 7-8. The 7th, I went out a tad late and hopped in a deer stand in a location where we saw a lot of action last year. I was out there for 4-5 hours and I did not see or hear a thing and left pretty disapointed. I decided that night that I would return early the next day, use a climbing stand and hop into a tree closer to the pond where it's usually hoppin. Hoppin... LOL! I get out there and set up and sit from 0630-0830. Not a single thing, no noise, movement, NOTHING. I prayed hard the night before and that morning for a deer and had a good feeling to pack up and leave and find the other hunters stand located a few miles away. After a little four wheeling, I found the stand and hopped into it at about 0915 or so. The stand is located facing west, and has a great view south, west, and north, with little visability to the east. Facing straight ahead there is a small, what I would call a tree/brush line where a dried up creek runs through. Facing to the south, there is a clearing and to the north a decent clearing, all with great visibility. This is where the fun begins!
At approximately 0945 I hear movement in the brush directly in front of me and low and behold, there was a group of 4-6 feral hogs, about 30 or so yards in front of me. They are directly in the brush and it would've been a VERY VERY hard shot with a bow, with lots of branches and bushes to deflect my arrow. I watched them for 2-3 minutes and I kept asking myself, do I shoot them with my Glock and have a chance to kill 2-3 or go with my bow. I finally decided to climb down to get a good shot at them with my bow as I wanted to scare the deer less with a gun shot. I climbed down to try to cut them off and kill a few. They freaking disappeared..... Pissed and disappointed, I decide to climb back up the stand and continue my hunt. This particular stand did not have a bow elevator tied on, so I tied one onto myself. As my head was bent down tying this string to my overall, something comes into my peripheral view towards my left. I look over and it's a freaking coyote and it scares the crap out of me! This thing did not see or smell me and was WALKING less then 10 ft from me. "Fearing" for my life, my training kicks in and I present my Glock 23 towards the threat. I immediately focus on that front sight, slack out, BANG, slack out, BANG, slack out, and access the threat. By this time it was laying on it's side dead. I walk over to it, OSU (get it, POKE! HA) it with a stick and confirm it's dead. I decide to take a few pictures because it's my first coyote! Here is a picture
After the quick excitement, I climb back up the stand and am thinking to myself, "I am not going to see a deer with all the noise I made!" After about 20 minutes in the stand, I look to the north and see movement about 200 yards away along the treeline. I can make out instantly that it's a deer, but how big? It slowly trots my way and eventually makes it into sight. It's an 8 pointer!! Oh SNAP! My heart immediately starts to race 100 mph, my breathing starts to become heavy, I can feel my knees shake and this damn thing hasn't even gotten into my shooting range yet!!! It continues to trot slowly my direction and stops right before the other side of the dried out creek. It's probably a good 40 yards away, but there is a tree partially blocking me and brush in front of him, so I decide to wait. It starts west into the brush and walks south, closer to me through the brush. It's eating and looking around, minding its own business. It has not spotted, heard, and smelled me as the wind is coming from the north, blowing my scent south. My heart continues to pound through my chest and I start praying, "Oh dear God, PLEASE, PLEASE allow this deer to walk in my view so I can provide some deer meat for my family!" It walks into the dried up creek and follows it east, DIRECTLY into my view BROADSIDE! I stand and OH EMMM GEE, my legs are shaking and I am so damn excited. I draw my bow and take a sight picture. I hold for 10 or so seconds until it gets about 25 yards in front of me. I put it between my two top pins and wait. I'm shaking my butt off, fearing I'm going to fall out of this stand. The stands base is probably 12x12, so it's TINY! My legs shaking is causing my whole body to shake. It comes into view broadside and stops for a moment. THUD! I pull the freaking shot.................. It was slow motion, literally.. I watched that arrow fly just left, at a wonderful angle, but definitely left. It sticks the deer in its right side pelvis and looks like a freaking antenna sticking out of its ass. I instantly see that leg go limp and it runs off on three and falls over on it's left side about 20 yards from the shot. Now this is where I made the biggest mistake...... Out of excitement, after seeing it fall over, I INSTANTLY climbed down the stand to give it a final shot. I couldn't do it from the stand due to the location of the deer and lots of brush in the way. I rush to the location where I last saw it, it's gone............
I follow it in the only direction it could've gone and about 25 yards from where it fell over I begin to see blood. It's not a ton of blood, but it's definitely visible. Blood every 6-8 ft in a good straight direction, I begin to follow. I continually find blood and follow it for another 50 or so yards. The blood trail begins to lighten and it becomes harder and harder to find. I'm a certified State of Oklahoma Criminal Investigator and was taught about blood, how to read the blood, direction the blood was traveling, etc. etc. I put it to use and easily start picking up more blood. It's now in a zig zag pattern, going from left to right, through thicker brush, almost like it's running erratically through whatever, not knowing what it's doing. Good sign right... WRONG! The blood begins to thin again and after about 30 yards of zig zagging, I find the last drop. Reading the blood, it was definitely a straight vertical drop with no direction of travel indicated from the blood. That's where the blood trail ended. I mark the spot and begin circling the spot looking for any signs of travel. Come to find out, I walked directly into what looked like a bedding area for deer. Lots of acorn shells, deer crap, laid down grass, prints, etc. It ruins my search for broken limbs, tossed up dirt, prints, etc. I continue to look for about 2 hours and nothing. I was so disappointed, angry at myself, and a little happy to have experienced that.
What did I learn? To FREAKING WAIT! Let that damn deer expire, watch the direction of travel, listen for movement. If I would've done that rather then scare the deer into running off like a race horse, I would've definitely had a higher chance of finding him. I hope that feeling that you get right before you make a shot NEVER goes away. That rush was something I have never felt before. Not even sex made me that weak in the knees! LOL! I'm angry at myself for making a bad shot, for not waiting, for letting the deer suffer and for wasting the meat. I don't think a deer can live too long with only 3 legs. Next time I hope to make a better shot and to have the patience to wait...
Hopefully next week will be a story of deer that I actually bagged
It was a great, but HORRIBLE day and I learned a lot! Until next time!
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