Finally shot an arrow

[Dr. Death]

Well it's been a tough year for me. Sounds like the same for many others as well. 20+ days elk hunting in Wash and no elk, had many chances at cows in the early hunt, but can't see shooting one then, and just couldn't close the deal on one in the late hunt. I've shot 11 bulls in the last 13 years now in State, so I guess I was due for a year like this. Deer hunting beens the same. Usually mule deer hunt late season, but due to no elk I opted to stay on the westside and elk hunt. I put in lot's of hours deer hunting for that big BT, but just couldn't get the right shot. I ended up taking this 2x2 the other day, to close out me season on a good note.

Here's the hunt in a nut shell. Sitting at home day after Xmas, watching TV, cleaning up the Christmas carnage from the kids, tree down etc, my wonderful wife says to me, "why don't you go hunting"....Thats all I needed to hear, I asked my 3 boys if any of them wanted to go and all said "NO" so I was out the door. I told my wife I'd wear my new Sitka hat for good luck! I ended up going to one of my best spot's, there was alot of snow and snowing lightly. I started looking for tracks and couldn't find any, which is very weird for this area. I decided to go up on the ridge top and look in the bedding areas, nothing! So I decided to head right into the sticker bushes, huckleberry and salal bushes and try and spook something out. It worked and I jumped this deer who ran out the other side. It took me about 15 minutes to get unstuck and get to where he went, I saw him take off again and head into a small timber patch which I knew very well. I backed out and went around to the other side about 200 yards and started still hunting back in his direction. I figured that I'd either see him or his tracks coming in from this way and he'd probably be watching his backside knowing I'd been chasing him. I had almost went through the whole timber patch and was within about 40 yards of where I'd last seen him when I looked up and there he was looking at me. I slowly looked down and nocked a arrow and came to full draw. I slowly raised my bow up, turned towards him and settled the pin on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger on my release. It was done in a flash, arrow went through the near shoulder and exited behind the other side shoulder, he went about 40 yards.
Equipment used:
Martin Firecat Pro X 70lbs (320 fps)
ACC arrows, 2" Flex Fletch Flash vanes
100 Gr Wasp Boss Bullets
Spothogg SDP7 sight
Trophy taker rest

[270Shooter]

Congrats man

[dreamingbig]

Nice job on a great blacktail!  Congrats!

[bow4elk]

Way to put it together on a great late season blacktail!  I love the slow pace of late season snow hunts.  Nothing but time with cold temps and clean snow to work on.

[strutnrut1984]

nice job, repectable forkie any blackie is a trophy specially with a bow congrats

[WAPITIHUNTER]

Nice job!

[NW-Eric]

congrats on the kill its been a tough year alright

[Michelle_Nelson]

Congrats on a nice looking buck!

[fc2038]

nice buck congrats!

[Crunchy]

Good job.  Man do u bring a lot of arrows or what

[Dr. Death]

Yeah, my old Martin 8 arrow quiver...Had it forever, it's the only piece of equipment that I've never changed...Probably 15-16 years old, made a few modifications to it, but it works like a champ....Thank god it's still full of arrows, it'd be a long story if you ever saw it empty! 

[archery288]

Nice work!! Congrats!

[bucklucky]

Nice job!

[mossback91]

OSudns like a fun hunt

[huntnphool]

Good job.  Man do u bring a lot of arrows or what

No kidding, my quiver has 3.

[gasman]

Nice, thats much better than "TAG SOUP"............

[Hacksaw]

Nice blacktail. Thanks for sharing the story. I've got family out Nellita. They say there was a bunch of snow. How much you guys end up with?

[PacificNWhunter]

Nice job! sounds like you have a new lucky hat!

[Dr. Death]

Oh, we live pretty close to Nellita Rd.....We had close to 20", still have 7-8"....

[Dr. Death]

Good job.  Man do u bring a lot of arrows or what

No kidding, my quiver has 3.


About the 8 arrow quiver...I do notice from your moose pictures that your quiver does have 3 arrows, only cause you shot the other 5 it looks like....

[Hunter Y]

 First,
Nice deer. Bet you wont miss the eastside next year!

AS for the quiver. I like it. It matchs mine. Its a s****y feeling with herd 50 yards away and your quiver is MT, Its a long story.

[Slider]

Merry Christmas!!!

[Dr. Death]

Thanks all of you & Happy Holidays!....As for missing the eastside, I like hunting Mulies alot more than BT's....I've seen 2 people unload their quivers at elk before and still have the herd standing there....kinda comical when they grab for another arrow and realize that their all out....

[robb92]

Nice buck!!! Congrats!!!

[JACKALL]

Nice work, nothing like celebrating Christmas with a little Red in the white snow!

[RPM]

great way to end the season. sound like you have a great wife as well

[Dr. Death]

Yes I do! I'm sure it wasn't my pitiful face glued against the window watching it snowing or anything like that...... She has been very understanding this year, with all the hunting I have done....

[Elkpiss]

Nice Job, Fun hunting the snow!!!

[Little Fish]

Nice deer. Thanks for the pictures.

[buckbrush]

Nice job...thanks for the photo.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

Thanks all of you & Happy Holidays!....As for missing the eastside, I like hunting Mulies alot more than BT's....I've seen 2 people unload their quivers at elk before and still have the herd standing there....kinda comical when they grab for another arrow and realize that their all out....

Great deer, nice shot as well, how far?  and your quote above scares me, someone missing a animal as big as a elk with a full quiver worth or arrows? man they should not be toting a bow anywhere near the woods......

[Dr. Death]

It was back in the day, over 10 years ago....we were up on a landing watching a guy in a fresh cut way down in the bottom below us, we were watching through the glasses. He finally shot up all his arrows and just stood there watching the elk walk off.  The other guy I gave a ride to, he was walking down the road, empty quiver (had one of the old wood riser browning bows). Said he'd ran out of arrows while chasing a herd. Told me exactly where they were at, I dropped him off at his rig and went around the other side of where he said they were at, I ended up going in and killing one, so it worked out for me.  Things have sure changed over the last 10+ years!

[flyguide]

nice job!  Blacktails are a trophy if their antlers branch!  Good work man.

[bowsandhose]

nice job, congrats

[Gobble]

Good Job, Congrats!