Would you take the shot?
By Chris Vetter Chippewa Falls News Bureau
CHIPPEWA FALLS - Doug Craker is an experienced hunter, having shot 17 deer in 2007 and 2008 during various state seasons.
Craker, 53, who lives on Lake Wissota, has been hunting for 40 years, but he did something Sunday he's never done - kill two deer with one arrow.
The memorable shot happened at 6 a.m. on Craker's hunting property near Holcombe in Herd Control Unit 23 with hunting partner Emmett Walker.
Two does, each about a year old, emerged through the woods, side by side.
"I'd seen the opportunity," Craker said. "Being in a tree stand, I was angled straight down. It just happened to come together. I would have let them go if this opportunity hadn't presented itself."
Craker estimates he was 15 feet off the ground, and the deer were about 18 yards away when he took the shot. He used a PSE Nova 4 bow with a 72-pound draw and a Terminator arrow.
"It took the heart out of the second one, and (the arrow) got stuck in the ground," Craker said. "It had to break ribs four times in the travel."
The deer ran in opposite directions after the shot. Craker dressed the first deer, then had to follow the blood trail to locate the other one.
"I think that second one virtually ran herself out of blood," he said.
Terry Moulton, owner of Mouldy's Archery & Tackle in Lake Hallie, said Craker had been in his store a few days before the two-deer shot to get his bow tuned up and new strings.
"I've heard of this happening just one time before," Moulton said. "It doesn't surprise me, with today's modern archery equipment. That is pretty amazing."
Moulton said Terminator arrows are made of carbon, and they have a lot of energy as they leave a bow.
Craker said he had already shot an eight-point buck in September and was looking for a big doe when the two yearlings came by.
With the number of deer that Craker shoots annually, he makes sure none of the meat goes to waste.
"I take care of a lot of older people who appreciate the quarters of venison," Craker said.
Craker had tags for both animals.
Vetter can be reached at 723-0303 or chris.vetter@ecpc.com.