So Fridays evening hunt was a bust for me. I really expected the big buck I was after to come out to the field and eat. I didn't see any deer. When I got home the kids were all going nuts. Twins crying, Corbin was all wound up, and Momma was quite unhappy to say the least. I got the girls bathed, corbin bathed, put one baby to sleep, then took Corb up to bed. It was 9:30 before I got to settle.
I went and took a quick ride down town to pick up an ice tea for Saturday morning and something to eat. WHen I pulled in the drive way the big buck I was after was about 30 yards from the drive way eating apples. GO FIGURE!
I ate, and sat down to watch a movie with my wife. The movie was over around 11:30 so I wanted to do a last double check of my gear for tomorrow. I was looking and found everything but my safety harness. REALLY?
I looked in my tote, in my car, in my garage, and in my shed but she wasn't there. I think she is laying somewhere on SGL26.
SO I told my wife I was running to Walmart real fast to pick one up. Well they were sold out. I stopped at my dads house and picked one up out of his shed that he got with his 2 man ladder stand.
It was 1:30 as I pulled back in the driveway.
I hit the hay. I woke up and jumped in the shower and hit the mountain behind the house. I hunted the same stand as the first day and was expecting deer between 8:30 and 9. I climbed the mountain and got settled in. As the sun peeked offer the mountain across the way I began to hear some tree calling. I couldn't see them but there were about 15-20 turkeys all around me. IF you think a squirrel can mess with your head imagine all these birds hitting the ground and messing around.
It was chilly but an absolute beautiful morning. DEAD calm. Little wind. I could hear the people in the village below closing car doors and the like. 2 grey squirrels kept me entertained all morning.
I was sitting there and just got that voice that said stand up and grab your bow. I was warm and comfy in my summit but decided that the voice knows more than I do.
I stood up and listened intently. I then heard some leaves rustling and branches breaking behind me. I spun around and got the bow ready. I could see a BIG doe coming right at me. How she was moving was like a buck was chasing her, but I ruled it out and decided I would take this doe.
She came right in and I was at full draw. At about 3 yards my limb hit my cover tree and she just flat out bolted in a big J hook beside me.
I had a nice window and she was just about 30 yards. She was looking in my direction but couldn't figure our where I was. Her body language relaxed a bit. I drew back and settled the pin for a double lung shot. I felt confident and touched off.
As soon as i touched i saw the deer lung forward to load up to take off and heard SMACK!!!! I thought she ducked my arrow and I hit the cherry tree behind her.
I was listening intently as I heard rustling for about 40 yards, then a pause. Then a ton of rustling then nothing. I saw 2 fawns take off in her direction. I kept trying to replay the shot in my head and kept coming up with the same thing that she lunged forward, then ducked down, then I heard the smack.
I put a post up on here saying I either smoked her or she ducked.
I decided that since I saw her go forward I would give her at least an hour before getting down to look at the impact sight. I waited 5 minutes and the fawns cam walking right back to me, without momma.
"She must be dead" but I am still going to wait it out.
I gave it about an hour and climbed down. I walked over to the impact sight and my jaw just dropped.
What a hit. There was blood sprayed everywhere. It looked a little high up so I thought I made a good double lung hit. I didn't see bubbles so I then thought it must be a heart shot. Given that the deer lunged forward that didn't make sense. I followed the blood trail and snagged some more shots.
I had never seen a blood trail like this before. I have shot deer with a 30-06 that didn't put down that much blood. It looked like someone carrying an open bucked of blood just took of through the woods.
I took a video of me trailing the blood to the deer. The photos I took were after I found the deer and went back for my climber and gear.
https://youtu.be/LHx2wlj_uAQ
At the time I had thought that it had to be a heart shot. As you can see in the video, when the deer lunged it put the shot way back, and I had hit the femoral artery. All of the blood that was going to the back legs was now just pumping out of both sides of this doe. I felt terrible about the shot. I have never hit a deer that far back. I will be shooting all this week and be sure everything is where it should be.
I found her and took care of business. I updated you guys on here.
I decided that I need to get Corbin up here and track with me. He was just so excited when I walked down off the mountain and knocked on the back door.
"You get a deeer DAADD?"
"Yep buddy I got a big doe"
"Let me see it!!" as he jumps over the babies and gives me a heart attatck. He is all wound up giving me fist pounds.
I told him, "GO get you cammo on buddy I need you to come help me find it"
"MMMOOOMMMMMAAA! GET MY CAMO CLOTHES, I HAFTA HELP DADDY GET HIS DOE!"
I went out and got the jeep ready to hit the offroad trails to go get the deer.
WE are making our way up and he says, "Dad, I hope she is ok"
"Corbin, Daddy shot her and she is dead"
"I know Dad, I don't want the coyotes to get her.... IF they are eating her Ill stab them in the eyes"
He kept talking about Coyotes for about 3-4 minutes. With me smiling from ear to ear.
We made it up the rough part of the trail pretty easily. We were heading up to a switch back when a large stick blew out the side wall on my jeep. I got it off of the trail and parked. THe pop, scaring Corbin.
I am used to this kind of luck. Something awesome happens, then it is always followed by bad luck. Not sure if it is because I shot an albino doe when I was 12 but I just seem to have some of the craziest things happen to me... ALL THE TIME.
Well the jack was sinking in the mud. I knew that the temps were going to start climbing. My dad was unable to come help for about 2-3 hours so I decided that Corbin was going to get the full experience today. What really stinks is that the doe died, 2 yards away from a tram road, and I could have easily put here in the jeep.
Thank god that I brought my rack packer. I mainly took it to make loading the deer in the back easier but now it was going to save the day.
Corbin and I made our way up through the switch back and to where the deer was. I didn't let him see the deer and just stashed the cart off of the old tram road. I got to the impact site and took a video of Corbin tracking. This teared me up to see my boy tracking for the first time. He did really good but then a gain Ray Charles could have tracked this one.
https://youtu.be/SmPvEAZLeRU
I started filming and as bad luck would go again my phone was out of storage. Deleted a bunch of pics and restarted the phone and took the final tracking video.
https://youtu.be/EXKUThE2PuU
We got the deer loaded up on the rack packer and Corbin was trying his best to drag.
LOL I told him to let me pick it up then he could help and we hit the road. We were dragging when all of a sudden a grouse blew out. He jumped over and grabbed me and said:
"Something scared me daddy, I think it was a coyote!"
I laughed and asked "I thought you were going to fight them, Corb"
"Only if they were eating the doe dad!"
We kept on dragging. Corbin got to feel jagger bushes for the first time, and learned that you have to look where you are going in the woods. If you think draggin a deer is fun, wait til you are dragging it down hill with a 3 year old holding on to the cart.
We made it off the mountain and into the yard. I took a few pics of Corbin with the doe.
I got Corb to go in and get momma to take a few hero shots in front of my favorite pine tree pose.
I was on cloud nine so to speak. I took the deer in and hung it up. My dad called as I was skinning and we went up and changed the tire with a bottle jack, had to use a rock for a base plate.
I got home from changing the tire only to realize I left my original tire up in the woods so back up I went.
What a day. All the typical things you would expect to happen in one of my posts. You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. I am still smiling over the events of that day. Doesn't get much better than that on a cold October morning. I can not thank God enough for this deer. I am still not happy with where the shot ended up but you have those.
To be able to share this beautiful doe with my son is the greatest blessing. Even though I have bad luck here and there the man up stairs usually gives me more good than bad. I was devastated that my rut hunt vacation will not happen. I am not a trophy hunter but was worried that I wouldn't get enough meat for the year.
I got the doe all done up last night and ended up with 48.4# of meat. I trimmed a lot of fat off so all the burger and such is perfect. I put it in the freezer and checked how much I had left from last year. We have 18 packs of burger left from last year that should last us until December and this doe should cover us for the rest of 2016.
This should let me be able to pass the smaller bucks. I wont be shooting another doe in archery unless it is wounded or something. I am going to try and wait for a buck that is as big or bigger than my biggest.
What a wild ride my season has been this year so far. I cant wait to get Corbin on another blood trail. I am taking this upcoming weekend off so I can do some grouse hunting, and spend a little more time with my family before the rut picks up and I am pulling all day sits.
GOD IS GOOD!
