Nice whitetail on cam and almost, just almost: Recap

[h20hunter]

So, brother in law and I are at camp. Hunting out and around Tonasket. We've got a little bait laid out. Come cob, some apples, bit of 'falfa. Have had three chances so far. Last night doing a little exploring and road hunting we could have arrowed a fat old doe at 30 or 40 depending on where she was. This morning we bumped a doe driving out of our spot. She was at 15 yards and just standing there. We passed. Got into the blind this morning and had deer feeding in the dark. The buck shown below I'm 95% sure was there this morning.

[jason stevens]

Can't wait to see that buck on the ground good luck bud.

[rover758]

Whack him!  Do it!  DO IT NOW!!!

((Sent from my keyboard AT WORK and hating you because you're hunting and I'm working))

Good luck!!!!!!

[Buckmark]

I like him, so why is he still standing??? 

[Netminder01]

Good luck H20!  Can't wait to see updates with some great news.

[grundy53]

Hope you let thr air out of his lungs. Good luck.

sent from my typewriter

[h20hunter]

Had a nice evening hunt. We had a big white tail doe and her yearling at 15 yards for ten plus minutes. We were antsy, but we passed. Back at it before sun up in the am. Pics of the lucky girl tomorrow. However, she comes back we may not let her walk.

[h20hunter]

Not a bad morning. Bh45, this is for you buddy.

[D-Rock425]

Good work now show the rest of the pics

[Ripper]

Nice buck, I hope he comes back during shooting hours. Good luck to both of you.

[h20hunter]

Patience....playing cribbage then gotta run to town.

[Jonathan_S]

You killed a coyote?  Congrats man 

[Ccortez]

All I see is a bloody arrow and a foot. What did you do shoot yourself in the foot ? Lol

[h20hunter]

Connection is super slow here. If Drock wouldn't mind...please post up the pics for me. Also, if anyone can give me the basics on how to change a blade on a havalon I'd appreciate it. Don't want to injure myself.

[Jonathan_S]

Changing a Havalon blade: 

1) hold the handle firmly in your right hand as if to make an incision. 

2) walk to a garbage can and drop the apparatus into the can

3) get a blade that doesn't snap like a toothpick - blade successfully changed


H2O, congrats man.  I can't wait for pictures.

[h20hunter]

I like it....worked out well. A few members have some pics from texting while in Tonasket dropping the deer off. Basics is big fat doe at 15 yards for 10 minutes. Decided it was her time. She spooked on the draw, stopped at 20 or so, gave her the 'ol Hoyt special. Liver, lung shot qtr away. Gave her just under an hour, found her about 100 yards away. Got her dressed out and she was a big girl. Weighed an even 100 lbs hanging.

[Jonathan_S]

Tastiest and most available meat in the woods.  Whitetail doe   

I bet it felt good making a controlled shot too.  Someday I'll know the feeling.

[h20hunter]

Muley doe....

We are now looking for the buck pictured. One tag filled, one to go. I've till got a bear tag so I have a date with a gut pile later.

[C-Money]

Nice!

[rover758]

WTG H20!!!  Pics, man ... gotta have pics. 

[Turner89]

Nice job guys, it sounds like a good time.

[hntrspud]

Good job h20!  Glad you got your tag notched on some good meat.
 

[kckrawler]

Right on brother

[h20hunter]

2nd tag punched yesterday at 5 pm. Bro in law smacked a nice white tail doe. She has come in twice a day now. Buck never on cam during shooting hours so he took her. Perfect double lung. We laid hands on her 10 minutes after the shot.

[D-Rock425]

I have pictures 

[h20hunter]

Well, all home and settled in. Got a nice long shower under my belt and am feeling good.

For a recap I'll start with what I was trying to get done this year. This year we were looking to have a bit of a hunting vacation. We rented a cabin that had wood heat, running water, a so-so shower, kitchenette, bunk beds, and power. Pretty cushy. We planned to eat well and sleep well and that we did. We had access to some private land that held deer but had never set foot on it. The plan was to get there, check it out, set up a blind with some feed, do some road hunting, get out and explore and try to get a few stalks in. We were looking to locate some bucks but really, the area isn't that great for bucks unless you have your own fields. So, we would be content with does since they are legal with bows.

The private property turned out better than I expected. It was 20 acres with a sweet little draw that had a ton of sign. It was surrounding by 3 other parcels that were free to be accessed as we had permission as well as they were roaded but not developed other than the clearing that had been done. We got there, set up the blind, laid in the feed, and took off to explore and hunt. Overnight we had a couple hundred pics of deer including the nocturnal buck shown above. Sadly, he was the only buck we had on cam. Lots of does and young ones, just not many bucks. Luckily, being free range area, the cows stayed out until later. I'll get to that.

We began hunting the next day from the blind, after having two shot opps that first evening while exploring, and had deer right away before sun up. As the morning went we had two chances at does but passed. Again, in the evening, plenty of action but we were holding out as the week was young.

Tuesday was supposedly the last nice dry day and I was getting an itchy trigger finger already. We got set up about an hour before dark and just waited. Shortly after sun up from our left comes a nice muley doe. She is by herself and is a little antsy. We watched her for 10 or 15 minutes and I decided that I was going to take the shot. I got clipped in, the bow ready, and just waited. Minute or two later she turns and I draw. Well, I wasn't positioned that great looking back and had to work a bit to draw and stay quiet. As I came to full draw and found my anchor she took a few steps and was at about 22 yards quartering away. I put the pin where it needed to go and let fly. Derek shoved his head out as she ran off and watched her go. I felt good about the shot. We waited a few minutes then went and looked for the arrow. It was only a few feet from where she stood and had good blood. Not bubbly lung blood, but very dark blood which turned out was liver with a touch of lung. We had talked about not rushing the tracking but made a small mistake. We looked for blood and found it but in doing so bumper her. She had taken the hit, ran about 40 yards, and bedded down. I wasn't sure if she got up and ran or just flopped a bit so we backed off and out and gave it a full hour before getting back on the track. We found where she had bedded and there was a nice soaked patch of dark blood. No gut material, just very very dark blood. We followed the trail another 20 yards or so and then spotted her. She was down for good and didn't make it very far at all before bedding back down and expiring. The shot was about 3 inches back from where I wanted it. I got her liver and far side lung. I was shooting a 100 grain Montec and it did a lot of damage. It was a short drag and then I simply drove the FJ as far as I could towards her and got her all loaded up. Back to the cabin and off to town to drop her off at the butcher.

My deer dressed out at 100 pounds even hanging. His whitetail dressed out at an even 75. Interestingly, my deer had a recent arrow wound to her rear hind quarter. There was a clear triangle entry wound right through her haunch. No bone was impacted and no damage other than muscular. Had to have hurt like crazy.

Having them right in front of us, feeding, interacting, just being deer, and waiting for the right shot was great. We did some tests with the blind, moving and such, making noise, that kind of thing. If you were not backlit in your upper body or putting your face right up to the opening you were invisible. Camo or dark colored clothes allowed us to blend right in.

Now...how about some pics and stuff.

[h20hunter]

Here is a little clip from my phone while in the blind. This was Wednesday morning. It was sprinkling a bit. The deer are 15 yards from the blind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW2U_t7hP_A

[h20hunter]

Here is my arrow and how we spotted her down lower in the draw.

[h20hunter]

Here is as she lay and me getting ready to do the knife work.

[jason stevens]

Great job bud way to get it done

[Buckmark]

Good job, i am sure that blood trail was super easy to follow...

Looks like an all you can eat smorgasbord you layed out for them, i bet your deer was only 80lbs on day one, by day three she added 20lbs from the feed 

[h20hunter]

Yep. Had our first dinner last night and the steaks and chops cooked up nice. Kids couldn't get enough.

[kckrawler]

His, yours, or both? Curious to hear how much the 2 does differ in taste.

I shot a muley buck a couple years ago (you saw the pic), my dad shot a whitetail doe that same weekend, and the difference in taste was huge! Wondering if it was a buck vs doe thing or if it's a muley vs whitetail....

[h20hunter]

I'll let you know. Next weekend we are cooking side by side, same steaks, same salt/pepper/olive oil....side by side comparison. Like I said, mine is tasty tasty.

[Netminder01]

Congrats H20!!

[h20hunter]

We have done the side by side taste test. Hands down the whitetail doe the bro in law shot is the tastiest deer I've had the pleasure of eating. My muley is very good, but I've got to give it to him......his is the best.

[Jonathan_S]

We have done the side by side taste test. Hands down the whitetail doe the bro in law shot is the tastiest deer I've had the pleasure of eating. My muley is very good, but I've got to give it to him......his is the best.

Yeah I have never had a mule deer that even came close to a whitetail.  Last year I tasted grain-fed muley doe next to mountain whitetail buck and the buck tasted much better.

Mule deer definitely have more meat on them though.