mudingbuck
PMA Member
Every year I take the first full week of November off to hunt. I usually get out every weekend before that as well. On average I spend 135 hours a year in the stand. This year I was so busy with work I wasn't able to get out but twice before that. Saturday came and so did the south winds. I saw deer but not a lot of rut activity. I sat until 1, got down and eat lunch and then went back out to a different set. Sat the rest of the day out and only saw a few more deer. Sunday morning came and the wind was still from the south and blowing about 30 mphs. I even thought about going back to bed. I made it to my stand a little after 5:30 because I have always gotten to my stand early. Well since legal shooting light wasn't for about an hour I took a nice little nap. I woke up with the sun right about 6:30. At 6:40 I had a shooter buck working across me at 80 plus yards. I grunted, rattle, snort wheezed, and anything else I thought I could get him to react to. He didn't even stop. So I quick like grabbed my camera and was at least going to take a picture of him. I turned back around and he was gone. Then I saw him at 50 yards in the brush in front of me and closing fast. I grabbed my bow and prepared for him to go through my one only shooting lane. At 43 yards he hit my lane and stopped because I dropped my gps out of the stand. I had one shot it was now or never. He was quartered towards me. So I put my pin where it had to be and let it fly hitting him right where I was aiming. He bounded off with what looked like my arrow buried in his near side shoulder and with his tail up. No not so excited about the shot I waited 2 hours before getting down. When I finally got down I walked over to where I had shot him and since I am very color blind I couldn't find any blood. So I walked back to the truck and called in my blood trackers.
When we got back down to where I had shot him we found blood right away. Although not much blood enough to fallow for about 100 yards. Then we found my arrow and it was broke off with over half the arrow still in him. Felling better about the shot we then ran out of blood. We decided to walk the draw up and grid the area. After about two hours of looking we gave up. My blood hounds went home and I ate lunch. When I got back from lunch I just couldn't accept defeat so I decided to park my truck at the end of the property and walk every bit of it until I found him or had no where else to look. After a little more then 2 hours of looking in every patch of brush and every ravine I found my buck. He was still alive and 30 yards from me. I like a rookie didn't have my bow because of the shot placement and the fact it was 7 hours later I thought for sure he would be dead. So I slipped back out without spooking him. I went to the top of the hill and called for advice. Should I wait him out or go back in and put another arrow in him. Well since I just couldn't wait I decided to go back in and try to stick him again. I grabbed my bow and headed back in. Before I got to far I realized I had lost my release. I went back to where I thought I had lost it and still couldn't find it. So I had to call my buddy back out so I could use his.
Now 2 hours later from when I found him I was heading back in. I got to where I saw him and he wasn't there. My buddy decided to stick around to help so I called him down and he pointed out the blood bed and the way he was heading. I walked about 25 yards and I saw him again. He was still a live and at 50 yards. I had to back out a ways and put the wind in my favor. I was again at 50 yards and he jumps up and runs but only made it about 30 yards and fell over. His legs were out and his head was down. Look like he was done for. I got to about 20 yards and could see he was still breathing. So I decided I would not risk it and put another arrow in him. At 20 yards I hit him right in front of the back leg and the arrow went up into the vitals. He jumped up and ran 15 yards with a roar he fell to the ground.
Finally I was able to put my hands on him about 9 hours after I shot him in the first place. Still not knowing just how big he was I was thinking he would go 160s but after we put a tape on him he scored 182 5/8 net and since nets are for fishing he grossed 189 7/8. Making him my biggest net buck to date!!!
When we got back down to where I had shot him we found blood right away. Although not much blood enough to fallow for about 100 yards. Then we found my arrow and it was broke off with over half the arrow still in him. Felling better about the shot we then ran out of blood. We decided to walk the draw up and grid the area. After about two hours of looking we gave up. My blood hounds went home and I ate lunch. When I got back from lunch I just couldn't accept defeat so I decided to park my truck at the end of the property and walk every bit of it until I found him or had no where else to look. After a little more then 2 hours of looking in every patch of brush and every ravine I found my buck. He was still alive and 30 yards from me. I like a rookie didn't have my bow because of the shot placement and the fact it was 7 hours later I thought for sure he would be dead. So I slipped back out without spooking him. I went to the top of the hill and called for advice. Should I wait him out or go back in and put another arrow in him. Well since I just couldn't wait I decided to go back in and try to stick him again. I grabbed my bow and headed back in. Before I got to far I realized I had lost my release. I went back to where I thought I had lost it and still couldn't find it. So I had to call my buddy back out so I could use his.
Now 2 hours later from when I found him I was heading back in. I got to where I saw him and he wasn't there. My buddy decided to stick around to help so I called him down and he pointed out the blood bed and the way he was heading. I walked about 25 yards and I saw him again. He was still a live and at 50 yards. I had to back out a ways and put the wind in my favor. I was again at 50 yards and he jumps up and runs but only made it about 30 yards and fell over. His legs were out and his head was down. Look like he was done for. I got to about 20 yards and could see he was still breathing. So I decided I would not risk it and put another arrow in him. At 20 yards I hit him right in front of the back leg and the arrow went up into the vitals. He jumped up and ran 15 yards with a roar he fell to the ground.
Finally I was able to put my hands on him about 9 hours after I shot him in the first place. Still not knowing just how big he was I was thinking he would go 160s but after we put a tape on him he scored 182 5/8 net and since nets are for fishing he grossed 189 7/8. Making him my biggest net buck to date!!!
