Post by coyote6974 on Nov 11, 2012 20:23:24 GMT -5
Back in mid September I came upon an early scrape along the edge of a hay field I hunt around. I put a trail cam on the scrape and had over 100 pics in just three nights. Among the pics were two shooter bucks, one a tall tined 9 pointer and the other what looked like a tall 10 pointer.
After seeing what was up, I put a hang on stand in a tree about 40 yards from the scrape near an equipment path that runs through a creek bottom then up into the hay field.
As the season came around, I was seeing fewer and fewer deer in the area after the adjacent bean fields matured and were harvested. I hadn't seen either of the shooter bucks I had on camera, and was only seeing a small eight point, and a spike buck during shooting hours. I was afraid the deer had crossed the highway to the cornfields to the west.
I set the stand to hunt with a south wind, so hadn't hunted this stand until yesterday morning. I only saw a yearling doe and a small eight point that moved through the creek bottom yesterday.
This morning I thought I'd give the stand another try, and was in my stand at about 6:50 AM. Not seeing anything at first light, I'd sat down and was enjoying the morning breeze coming from the creek bottom. At around 7:30, I saw movement in a small creek that forks off the main creek south of my stand. I then saw white antlers floating along, then saw a buck coming up out of the ditch. He was about 40 yards to my front left. I stood up, picked up my bow and hooked my release as I watched him moving closer. As he went behind a large tree surrounded by brush, I drew my bow and waited as he exited the brush and stepped onto the equipment path now 20 yards in front of me. He turned broadside and when he did, I gave a little grunt to stop him. When he stopped I placed my 20 yard pin behind his shoulder and tirggered my release. When my bow fired the buck tried to run forward but the arrow smacked him through his ribcage. I watched him run to the southwest crossing the two creeks then dissappearing up a wooded hillside.
I climbed down and found blood right where I'd shot the buck. Looked for my arrow, which I stil haven't found, then returned to my stand and resumed enjoying the morning breeze. After about 45 minutes, I climbed back down and followed a good blood trail for about 200 yards to where I found the deer. I'd hit him back a bit on his right side, taking his lung, then the arrow had angeled back directly through his liver, and exited on his left side. He ended up having 12 scorable points, maybe a mid 130's buck.
Still have a doe tag so the season's not entirely over just yet.
After seeing what was up, I put a hang on stand in a tree about 40 yards from the scrape near an equipment path that runs through a creek bottom then up into the hay field.
As the season came around, I was seeing fewer and fewer deer in the area after the adjacent bean fields matured and were harvested. I hadn't seen either of the shooter bucks I had on camera, and was only seeing a small eight point, and a spike buck during shooting hours. I was afraid the deer had crossed the highway to the cornfields to the west.
I set the stand to hunt with a south wind, so hadn't hunted this stand until yesterday morning. I only saw a yearling doe and a small eight point that moved through the creek bottom yesterday.
This morning I thought I'd give the stand another try, and was in my stand at about 6:50 AM. Not seeing anything at first light, I'd sat down and was enjoying the morning breeze coming from the creek bottom. At around 7:30, I saw movement in a small creek that forks off the main creek south of my stand. I then saw white antlers floating along, then saw a buck coming up out of the ditch. He was about 40 yards to my front left. I stood up, picked up my bow and hooked my release as I watched him moving closer. As he went behind a large tree surrounded by brush, I drew my bow and waited as he exited the brush and stepped onto the equipment path now 20 yards in front of me. He turned broadside and when he did, I gave a little grunt to stop him. When he stopped I placed my 20 yard pin behind his shoulder and tirggered my release. When my bow fired the buck tried to run forward but the arrow smacked him through his ribcage. I watched him run to the southwest crossing the two creeks then dissappearing up a wooded hillside.
I climbed down and found blood right where I'd shot the buck. Looked for my arrow, which I stil haven't found, then returned to my stand and resumed enjoying the morning breeze. After about 45 minutes, I climbed back down and followed a good blood trail for about 200 yards to where I found the deer. I'd hit him back a bit on his right side, taking his lung, then the arrow had angeled back directly through his liver, and exited on his left side. He ended up having 12 scorable points, maybe a mid 130's buck.
Still have a doe tag so the season's not entirely over just yet.
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