Tmayer13
Well-Known Member
Well this season for me has been quite the wild ride. I spent more time in a tree this fall than the past few years. I hunted hard and just didnt see much. My cams were not exactly showing much for mature deer either. On Nov 8th I shot the most mature deer that I was hunting. Pretty awesome deer actually...Well what appeared to be a perfect 10 ring shot, led us on a trail that never ended with a deer. It had everything to do with the broadhead but that will be a discussion for a future thread. Well I kept hunting and just wasnt having very much success.
As some of you know I am from the state of Michigan(Go Blue). I have not been back there for several years for a holiday so this year we decided we would go back and surprise my side of the family for Thanksgiving. Well that meant I was also cutting my archery season short. I knew I could hunt the 18th-21st and we were going to leave after my wife got off work at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. So I hunted all weekend with no luck. Hunted Monday with the same thing. Well in comes Tuesday the 21st. I set out for last sit of the year. It was a bit surreal riding my bike in knowing that at about 11 I was going to head home.
To hunt this spot I have to cross a large bean field so i typically wait for grey light, then boogie across the field at 20 mph looking like Ace Ventura in When Nature Calls. Well this time as I was riding I came across a spine. I have ridden this spot several times but had yet to see this. So instantly I knew it had to be from the buck I lost. I made my way to the stand. Got up and got ready. I could see several deer out in a large secluded standing bean plot. There appeared to be lots of chasing going on and I could make out what I believed to be a mature deer. Well the morning cruised on and several does made there way past me in the green plot. Had a couple 3 yr olds come check them out but nothing special. I told myself that I had to be home by noon to get my wife's SUV packed up and ready because we were leaving AT 4:30! All the time in the back of my head I kept thinking about this spine. So then I decided at 10 I would get down and go look to see if I could find it. So I sat and watched several does file through plot. Then after a short dry spell a doe comes trotting past, mouth wide open panting. I got up and ready but not deer was hot on her trail. I figured whatever had been chasing her must have lost interest and moved on. After exactly 2 minutes out pops a 2.5yr old 8 pt with his mouth wide open. So at this point I figured it was him who was doing the chasing. So I followed him with my head as he stayed on her trail and went about to find her. I looked back to the way he came and right on his tail was this deer. I immediately knew who he was. Grabbed my bow, reached into my bino harness to grab my release out, drew my bow, "Meh" stopped the deer and released the arrow. I saw the arrow hit the 10 ring mark and just knew I smoked him. I called my wife and told her. Let her know it would be all good and I would have plenty of time to take care of the deer and still make it home in time to leave. Called my buddy as I always do to let him know Id need help. Sat for a few minutes to gather my thoughts. Packed up and headed down the tree. Retrieved my blood soaked arrow and started on the blood trail immediately. There was blood everywhere(I switched heads from the previous animal, also a debate for another time). At this point it had been close to 40 mins. I knew he was toast. I followed to trail for a while, only to bump the deer at about 80 yards. WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!!!!!!!
Well I went straight to his bed that was covered in blood, I followed the trail a bit to figure out the direction and then backed out. Called my buddy and let him know what was going on. He finally made it to the farm about 2 hours after the initial shot. In the mean time I checked 2 trail cams; one that the deer was in front of, which shows the arrow going through the animal(such a cool pic) and the other after I jumped him that showed blood in the perfect location on the deer. We figured we would pick up the trail and it would lead us straight to a dead deer. Well we kept following and following all the while thinking that I had to leave for Michigan in just a few short hours. So we end up getting to two more beds that were once again full of blood and then he jumped a fence into a cattle pasture where we only found 5 small and I mean small drops of blood. I knew I made a great show I watched the fletchings bury just behind the shoulder. I was at a loss of words. I thought "Well Im going to lose another one"... So I said to him lets head back to the trucks and Ill call a dog tracker and talk with him and see what he recommends. Because my buddy has a bad foot at the moment we decided to head to the gravel road(which wasnt far) and take the easy way back. We get to the road and start walking back. This farm has large cedars that line the edge of this farm and there is only one tiny opening that you can see into the farm. I am not joking when I say we got to the opening I happen to look and "Shit!! There he is". He was bedded roughly 80 yards off the road. He watched him for a while. No shot opportunities as it was too think. The wind was right and sun directly behind us so he could see us at all. We decide to leave and come back later on. We left the farm at 1230. Got back at 430(yup Im late). Get to the opening on the road and my buddy spots him laying there(it was very difficult to see).
The deer must have died within an hour of us leaving because he was stiff as a bone.
So after the high fives and getting the animal taken care of. I made it home by 8 and we were on the road by 830. My wife was less than impressed but she was also very happy for me. I have great family and friends that really made this hunting a good one. It was a pretty wild ride this year!!! Good luck to all!!
The last 2 photos are the arrow passing through and the deer with blood on the side
As some of you know I am from the state of Michigan(Go Blue). I have not been back there for several years for a holiday so this year we decided we would go back and surprise my side of the family for Thanksgiving. Well that meant I was also cutting my archery season short. I knew I could hunt the 18th-21st and we were going to leave after my wife got off work at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. So I hunted all weekend with no luck. Hunted Monday with the same thing. Well in comes Tuesday the 21st. I set out for last sit of the year. It was a bit surreal riding my bike in knowing that at about 11 I was going to head home.
To hunt this spot I have to cross a large bean field so i typically wait for grey light, then boogie across the field at 20 mph looking like Ace Ventura in When Nature Calls. Well this time as I was riding I came across a spine. I have ridden this spot several times but had yet to see this. So instantly I knew it had to be from the buck I lost. I made my way to the stand. Got up and got ready. I could see several deer out in a large secluded standing bean plot. There appeared to be lots of chasing going on and I could make out what I believed to be a mature deer. Well the morning cruised on and several does made there way past me in the green plot. Had a couple 3 yr olds come check them out but nothing special. I told myself that I had to be home by noon to get my wife's SUV packed up and ready because we were leaving AT 4:30! All the time in the back of my head I kept thinking about this spine. So then I decided at 10 I would get down and go look to see if I could find it. So I sat and watched several does file through plot. Then after a short dry spell a doe comes trotting past, mouth wide open panting. I got up and ready but not deer was hot on her trail. I figured whatever had been chasing her must have lost interest and moved on. After exactly 2 minutes out pops a 2.5yr old 8 pt with his mouth wide open. So at this point I figured it was him who was doing the chasing. So I followed him with my head as he stayed on her trail and went about to find her. I looked back to the way he came and right on his tail was this deer. I immediately knew who he was. Grabbed my bow, reached into my bino harness to grab my release out, drew my bow, "Meh" stopped the deer and released the arrow. I saw the arrow hit the 10 ring mark and just knew I smoked him. I called my wife and told her. Let her know it would be all good and I would have plenty of time to take care of the deer and still make it home in time to leave. Called my buddy as I always do to let him know Id need help. Sat for a few minutes to gather my thoughts. Packed up and headed down the tree. Retrieved my blood soaked arrow and started on the blood trail immediately. There was blood everywhere(I switched heads from the previous animal, also a debate for another time). At this point it had been close to 40 mins. I knew he was toast. I followed to trail for a while, only to bump the deer at about 80 yards. WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!!!!!!!
Well I went straight to his bed that was covered in blood, I followed the trail a bit to figure out the direction and then backed out. Called my buddy and let him know what was going on. He finally made it to the farm about 2 hours after the initial shot. In the mean time I checked 2 trail cams; one that the deer was in front of, which shows the arrow going through the animal(such a cool pic) and the other after I jumped him that showed blood in the perfect location on the deer. We figured we would pick up the trail and it would lead us straight to a dead deer. Well we kept following and following all the while thinking that I had to leave for Michigan in just a few short hours. So we end up getting to two more beds that were once again full of blood and then he jumped a fence into a cattle pasture where we only found 5 small and I mean small drops of blood. I knew I made a great show I watched the fletchings bury just behind the shoulder. I was at a loss of words. I thought "Well Im going to lose another one"... So I said to him lets head back to the trucks and Ill call a dog tracker and talk with him and see what he recommends. Because my buddy has a bad foot at the moment we decided to head to the gravel road(which wasnt far) and take the easy way back. We get to the road and start walking back. This farm has large cedars that line the edge of this farm and there is only one tiny opening that you can see into the farm. I am not joking when I say we got to the opening I happen to look and "Shit!! There he is". He was bedded roughly 80 yards off the road. He watched him for a while. No shot opportunities as it was too think. The wind was right and sun directly behind us so he could see us at all. We decide to leave and come back later on. We left the farm at 1230. Got back at 430(yup Im late). Get to the opening on the road and my buddy spots him laying there(it was very difficult to see).
The deer must have died within an hour of us leaving because he was stiff as a bone.
So after the high fives and getting the animal taken care of. I made it home by 8 and we were on the road by 830. My wife was less than impressed but she was also very happy for me. I have great family and friends that really made this hunting a good one. It was a pretty wild ride this year!!! Good luck to all!!
The last 2 photos are the arrow passing through and the deer with blood on the side
