Right Now I'm Drinking... Archery Buck Down - Updated with Story

[WildBear]

Awesome!!

[pd]

Very impressive.

[Dan-o]

That's a beautiful buck.   

[NumaJohn]

Beautiful buck! Congratulations!

John

[elkrack]

Sweet whitey!

[Encore 280]

I hope you're not drinking cheap stuff!  Congrats on a dandy buck!

[Alchase]

Beautiful buck Smokepole!

[hard hunter]

Great buck, looking forward to the story

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

That is a masher white tail! Hope you hang it on the wall in some way. Sounds like a long day. Get some rest.

[Smokepole]

Thanks you guys.  I didn't drink too much last night, but what I did drink, I really enjoyed!  Thanks for the attaboys.  It was a fun day. 

Here's the story...

[Smokepole]

I had a few visitors to the trail cam this summer, mostly does and a tiny buck or two.  This is my first year hunting big game with archery stuff, so I spent most of the fall gearing up and learning to shoot a modern bow, after giving it up for the past 25 years.  Back in the 90's I shot finger style at the range and for grouse and rabbits.  Always rifle hunted with my dad & family.  In my old age, I thought it would be good to go the "Easy Route" and use a bow to bag a whitetail buck during the rut.

Threw my back out bad right before Thanksgiving.  Could barely walk, and I needed help getting dressed.  It was tough to get my wife to put hunting gear on me opening morning, when she said I should be in bed.  But I would go the easy route and just sit and wait.  Not do any hiking or anything.  I promised.

I saw a nice 3 point in broad daylight, but couldn't get a shot.  He would have been nice for a first archery buck.  I thought I might take him the next evening, because the bigger one I really wanted was deeply nocturnal, and chances of seeing him during daylight hours was pretty slim. 

[Smokepole]

A three point would be nice and tender.  I'm mostly a meat hunter anyway.  I just wanted to get a buck.  I even saw a fat spike that looked pretty tasty on the trail cam.  Venison steaks and gravy is my favorite meal.

[Smokepole]

Lots of these around this year, too.  Caught chasing deer on the trail cam.

[Smokepole]

So the next day I got up early to wait for the three point or the spike.  It was a slow morning with nothing going on, and about 9 a.m. I decided I was about done.  Time to soak the back and take some Advil.  But then I heard a ruckus.  A dark-colored doe came running down the ridge, with a buck trailing.  They ran in circles, about 20 yards out, with the buck's nose stuck so far up her rump, he couldn't smell me.  I drew back, and made a farting sound with my lips.  The buck stopped and looked at me broadside - then jumped the string soon as I released. 

The arrow stuck him good, but not where I had aimed.  Let's just say my windage was way off.  Not a shot I'm proud of at all.  I watched the buck walk off and disappear.  Then he came into the open again and dropped!  I was pretty relieved.  But then he got up again and moved to a sheltered spot and dropped.

It didn't take long for the crows to start worrying him, and he got up and walked out of view at some point, leaving a good blood trail in the deep snow.  I'd give him time, and hobble back to the cabin to soak my back and wait a couple hours.

[Smokepole]

In the late morning, my wife suited up in her boots and gaiters.  My back was so screwed up, she said I couldn't do anything.  We went in to find the buck, but he was gone.  Crows must have pushed him.  We had a good blood trail, and multiple beds with pools of red.  He was headed up into the rocks and steepening snow, straight up.  We pushed on, and the blood diminished quite dramatically.  Still finding small pools, but hardly any color in the snow between them.  About noon, the blood trail quit completely, and we were left in a sea of deer tracks crossing all over the mountain.  My back was stiff as a board, and the wind was getting cold on my sweat.  Snow storm coming.  Then I saw a flash of movement.

The buck saw us and trotted farther up the hill, across an open ridge.  Crap!  We came down and called it off until later… or the next day.  The waiting was agony.  The worst part of archery hunting IMHO.  I was pretty sick thinking about the buck getting away.  We checked the weather report, which was calling for snow after 10 pm.  And at 2 in the afternoon, we decided to go back up there before all the sign was buried in new snow.