Well, after scouting all of August, getting permission to put up my tree stand on private property bordering some busy, well-hunted state land, I finally got a shot opportunity on a nice three-point blacktail buck.
My dad, neighbors and I have been watching this three-point and a forky run around together all summer. They spend a lot of time in the brush neighboring some state land that I (and a lot of other people hunted for years.) The last time I seen them was on opening day, last 5 minutes of light, 60 yards away with heavy brush between us. No shot opportunity. (I posted last weekend about scaring them off as I walked out in the dark.)
This morning, after watching a buck and some does and fawns try to cross the nearby road in front of a few hunters and then watching the hunters chase the buck back and forth for an hour or so, I said to myself, "man it'd be cool if that buck tried to sneak around those guys and came across the property line towards my stand." (I was in the brushy timber on the property border and they were in an open field on public state land.)
After I seen the four deer run past the hunters at 80 yards for the third time, I thought "Well, that is probably the last time I will see the three-point this year..." They were so spooked and they were on a sprint of a run.
I almost got down from the stand and took a walk to see if they went across the road or not. I decided that as spooked as they were I would not see them again unless they came to me and I stayed put. About 30 more minutes went by. I hadn't seen the other hunters or the deer for over an hour. I checked my watch - 9:15. Just then, I see a fawn deer come sneaking down the brush line 20 yards behind my stand. "If that is one that was with the buck, I may be in business."
And then he came into view. He was 20 yards from me, 5 yards behind the fawn. Having an arrow already nocked, I hooked up the release and drew back. He was slowly sneaking with his head down and I took aim and let the muzzy trocar hb go.
Either I hit a branch, he jumped the arrow or I just shot low. But I missed and as I readied another arrow I wondered if I would get to try again. He stopped completely, quartered away a few steps from the first shot and looked my way. I took aim again, pulled the release trigger and I heard it hit bone. Sounded like slapping the ass of a big grass fed cow with the palm of your hand. (We've all done that, right?) He ran off and the doe and fawn followed him.
I waited for about 20 minutes before I got down from the stand. First thing I seen was some blood on the ground cover and the back 2/3 of my arrow, snapped off and covered in blood.
I picked that broken arrow up, and my other arrow from the shot that I missed and I decided that he was hit well enough and would die quickly so I decided to go look for him. Found really good blood, across the stream, along a game trail. As I got to the edge of the brushy timber and within 30 yards of the field part of the farm that I had been allowed to hunt on, I found him about 80 yards from where I fired the shot!
As he lay:
I called my dad and my cousin and they drove around and met me there. They arrived just after I field dressed him and they took some pics of me with the Grey Ghost of the Pacific Northwest!
I feel very good about this buck. This is my second year hunting archery and so far in two years I have killed a bull elk and this buck. The shot placement was good. It went in at the liver (a little high and back maybe) and went through the opposite lung and stuck into the shoulder bone on the opposite side. That is why he broke the arrow shaft when he ran off. It had his leg pinned down to his body. (I always make mental notes of these kind of details because I like to keep learning even after the kill.)
I spent the midday helping my cousin put up his tree stand and now we are both out in them.
I still have an elk tag in my pocket.
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