Jon Snow draws first blood

Good luck on the recovery ...keep us posted!

Anyone have a tracking dog near Greenwood?

Oh man, I'm thankful for everything everyone has taught me.  I was thinking about this tonight when I was frozen in shooting position. I just knew that I was going to get a shot tonight.  

I've learned so much and the encouragement has been wonderful.  

I moved back to the bottom, because of something someone posted.   I decided to leave my blind and lay in wait for him, because of the way some of you hunt.  Everything that I did I did as a result of something that someone said.  Even if they weren't talking to me, I read it. 

Thanks Met!

Gosh I am on pins and needles with you. I know your feelings oh so well. I really hope that you find him Mr. Snow. This will be a good testimony for why this site is what it is. Someone please help him. You all remember what it was like tracking your first deer. He needs a tracking partner.

Good luck with the tracking
Guess that little parcel got better qwik from 5 days ago ??!!

Lol

Thanks fellas!

I don't see how I'll get any sleep at all. I've thought about taking my dog back tonight, but he'll just bark and wake up the landowner.

I posted in "In the stand" about this buck. I saw him two evenings and think that it was him behind my blind before daylight Saturday morning. I was thinking that he was bedding on the other side of the bottom. I didn't go out Sunday morning. I didn't want to spook him into changing his pattern, and figured that he'd be coming back before legal shooting time, and wouldn't get a shot.

I waited until 5pm to go into the woods. I went slowly and tried to avoid every little dead twig. The leaves were everywhere and deep in places. I knew where I wanted to go, but it seemed like it was taking so long to get there. I could see my spot and wanted to just run there to get it over with, but couldn't risk spooking him if were sleeping on the other side.

As I slowly moved stopping to listen for anything, I thought about watching the does that one evening before hunting season. They moved slowly and deliberately stopping to listen. I was moving just like they were. It took them about 30 minutes to get across that bottom, and it took me about 30 minutes to get to the middle of it.

About 20yds from my spot, I thought that I'd made a mistake taking the shortest path, because the leaves were so deep and noisy. I saw green around me, and thought that it would have made a better path that the short one. I was at a point of no return and continued on.

Standing looking around, the edge of the creek had fewer leaves, so I treadrd lightly along it. Finally, I was at my spot and big boy hadn't jumped up yet. I was feeling pretty good. I sat up against the creek bed wall; it provided a nice rest for my crossbow. However, I hadn't anticipated growth being in my shooting lane. I had to move, but where to???

I looked around and studied my options. I thought about just knelling to have a shot over the growth, but then he could spot me better. I thought about moving back, but it was just lower, so I'd have to stand for my shot. A big tree was on the other side of the creek and would provide good cover, but standing for 1.5 hours was just something that I knew I couldn't do.

I decided to move 10ft to my right and it was a good move. I could lie on my belly and rest my crossbow on the creek bank. The growth was low and I had a shooting lane, so I waited, and waited and waited. All the while I had the crossbow in shooting position, safety off and red dot on. Frozen in position, I could see the sun setting against the trees outside the bottom. I continued to count down the time in my head. I had a leafy cover over my head and my camo hat. Blinking made my hat fall lower on my face. Every 10 minutes or so, I had to readjust. I new that each move was risking being spotted.

I started think that this is what hunting was about. I like the stalking. When I started shooting the squirrels, I was in my blind. It became more fun when I was sneaking up on them. Walking through the bottom, they couldn't spot me as easily as walking on level ground with them. That was hunting to me.

Seeing the buck move two nights in a row was enough of a pattern for me to make a plan. Once I got the plan, I was afraid that someone would shoot him that night. The dogs were barking shortly after the big buck went in their direction. I worried that someone got him, but I thought that if so, he wasn't meant for me.

lying in the creek I thought that I must look pretty funny from behind. I thought about a lot of things in that 90 minute period. I thought a lot about all you guys teaching me and encouraging me. I appreciated it.

Coyotes started barking up a storm in the direction that I expected him to go in. I worried that he might get up and go the other way. Then I started thinking that there were a lot of directions that he could go to avoid me. I was wrong; he wasn't bedding down where I thought, and he actually came from the other direction.

I heard movement to my right, but behind me. Of course, I worried that he was bugging out the other way, but I maintained position. The sun was setting and I knew that it had to be close to 7pm. I started thinking that my plan might not work, but I still thought it was a good plan.

Most of you know that I'm a Jesus freak. I'm lying there as the darkness increases, and I prayed. I made a good effort Lord; will you bring the harvest? I bet 15 seconds passed and I heard him coming. He seemed a beast of buck as he approached the fence. Jumping it was effortless. It is amazing how fast we think.

When he approached the fence; I thought, "You're coming the other way." He was just on the other side of some growth. I fully expected to see him coming from the other direction and on my side of this growth. I quickly got a shooting lane picked out and stopped him with a funny noise. He looked directly at me, but his eyes were not my concern. I saw nothing but the kill zone. He was turned slightly towards me, which wasn't the best angle. I aimed just to the left of his front leg in the middle of the kill zone and pulled the trigger.

It was the best shot that I had, but I think that I may have hit a leaf. My bow shoots hard and he was close to the leaf, but for a second I didn't know if I even hit him. Then he raises like a horse bucking off a rider as he turns on his back legs. One quick leap and he was over the fence back where he came from. I heard crashing and then nothing, but it didn't sound like he laid down.

I just waited. I actually thought about taking a nap while I waited. I really wanted to be breathless in excitement, but I was calm. I'm excited now, but a little worried.

I really don't know if he was crabclaw or not, but he was a shooter. There wasn't much time from the moment I saw him until pulling the trigger. Had I not been lying in wait, there no way that I could have gotten off a shot.

Sleep will evade me.

Hi Jay,

Thank you!  Yes, it all happened quickly, but I know that I saw the bolt sticking out the other side.  I thought, "Wow, it didn't go through."   I was really happy to find it.  I stuck it in the ground and left it in the same spot.   I also put toilet paper where I shot him, and as I saw blood.    I'll go back in the morning.  I'm so glad that it's a cool one tonight.  

When I saw the bolt sticking out the other side, I could see that the bolt was moving in an upward path.   I hadn't thought about that.  I probably would have aimed a little lower, but I remember not having much of a path through the little patch of leaves on this low bush.   It happened quickly and I had to readjust, but draw blood it did.    I was so happy to see the fletchings with blood on them.  There seemed to be more than what I see in the photo.  Also some flesh was stuck to the shaft and hair on the blades.  

Six more hours until daylight.   I need to sleep, but...

I'll be checking this thread later this morning to see pic's of that buck. So how much sleep did you get last night!

Take a backpack with some water food and some toilet paper.

Take your time,go very slow looking carefully and marking every spot of blood (with toilet paper)as you go.

Leave the dog at home using it as a last resort because you want to stay focused on a blood trail.

TAKE YOUR TIME AND GO SLOWLY.

GOOD LUCK.