This was actually a piece of property that I posted in the land management section and Dan (Thanks Dan!) suggested some places to look for bedding. Well I found one of his beds, (in cattails of all places; not alot where I hunt in Virginia) but was too apprehensive to try and get in there close for a beast style, and I also found what I thought was his core area last Winter while scouting. I scouted this area pretty hard and long after the season last year. I shot this 180lbs, 10pt bruiser on the last day of archery season at 9am in a stand that I hung the day before Sandy hit Virginia. I was hunting a thick pinch point that connects two bigger pieces of timber. One piece being 400 acres of 30 year old loblolly pines and the other being 200 acres of very old hardwood timber. I got set in the stand about 45 minutes before first light. A group of does came through from behind me early in the morning. At around 9am this big guy just came out of the thicket 15 yards in front of me. He walked down an old logging road and crossed it 20yds to the right of my stand. I drew my bow while he was behind a tree and I stopped him broadside at 15yds. It was a chip shot but I managed to hit the only branch between him and I and as a result, I hit him a little far back. I watched him walk behind me about 10 yds behind my stand and bed down. 30 minutes later he got back up and limped out of sight to a creek bottom behind my stand dragging his hind legs. I waited until he was bedded back down and then carefully backed out and decided to come back at dark to take up the trail with some help of course. We tracked him another 50 yds from the creek up the bank and to the edge of a pond which I feared would be the case. We decided to come back the next morning hoping to find him floating in the pond. The next morning we came back and he was not in the pond. So we decided to walk the edge of the pond and wouldn't you know it we found him on the edge of the pond directly across from where we lost the trail the night before. I was ecstatic. From the looks of him, it was apparent he had died later in the day that I shot him. Probably before last light. He is currently at the taxidermist.
Lesson learned: When in doubt, BACK OUT and give him time......ALOT OF TIME. When I was younger I learned a valuable lesson, when I took up the trail on a great buck way too early. Since then, I know if the shot is even remotely marginal, I'm backing out and giving him over 8 hours to expire. If you learn anything from this, learn how to grit your teeth and back out. and give him time....a long time. This is my second successful recovery (2 out of 2) on bad shots since I lost a good one years ago. I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened again. If you spend any amount of time in the woods, law of averages say it will happen to you.
I shot this Big 8pt with about 15 minutes of shooting light left to spare. At around 430pm I see a doe pop out in another partitioned food plot about 200yds away from my stand which I was looking over a separate secluded clover plot. Shortly thereafter the big guy comes out directly across from her. I actually watched him breed the doe at that same location. He and the doe disappeared into the cut over and I could only listen as he fought another buck for breeding rights inside of the 7 year old cutover. With about 20 minutes of shooting light to spare, the hot doe popped out direct across the clover plot from me and he was in tow and came out about another 5 minutes behind her, looking exhausted from the fight he had just been in. He turned broadside and I squeezed the trigger and he dropped in his tracks.
I shot this Big heavy 7pt (would've been an 8pt had he not broke off a brow tine) at 10am just before I was going to get out of my stand. I was hunting a hub where I have seen does going back and forth in past years. No surprise the does came through shortly after first light with a basket 6 hot on their trail. I decided to pass on the hoping for a big buck to be lagging behind. Well 2.5 hrs passed and nothing. Finally, I decided at 10 am my hunt was over and had already convinced myself that I had some work to do on another stand location. Right as I was getting ready to unhook my harness from the tree, I heard leaves rustling from behind me. I decided to sit tight to see what it was. I could see glimpses of a deer but could not tell what it was. I assumed it was a doe and planned on climbing down after the she passed through the area. As the deer came to a clearing it stopped and he poked his head out to ensure the coast was clear before he crossed. Once he poke his head out I saw his antlers and quickly sized him up and knew it was a big buck. He jumped across the clearing and began his slow cruise only to stop perfectly broadside to my stand at approximately 50yds. I was ready for him and squeezed the trigger he only ran about 15 yards and piled up right by the downed tree where the picture you're looking at was taken.
It was definitely a great two weeks off for me.
VA
congrats
Congrats!
