bittersweet

[724wd]

2011 was an interesting year for me.  3rd year bowhunting, but first year with a 4 year old in the blind!  My daughter was my constant companion every trip out.  Hunting 117 and it's 4 point minimum made things interesting, but seeing lots of spikes and does at close range was a lot of fun! 

Last saturday, as light came up, i shot over the back of a doe (she ducked).  20 minutes later, the deer were back, about 12 does and fawns.  I was drawn and waiting for a big doe to clear a fawn behind her, and when she did, i fired.  At that second she started to turn to kick at the fawn (30 yard shot) and i watched my arrow zip through the back of her neck!     the deer scattered a bit and i watched the doe stop about 90 yards out at the edge of a treeline, tail down, ears down, blood on her neck and stand there for 10 minutes bleeding.  Deer were coming back to the bait pile when local dogs got in on the act and chased every deer from hell to leather.  The doe i had shot followed a couple of other deer up in to the trees behind the hay shed my kiddo and i were hiding in.  we headed back to the house after recovering the arrow and scoping out the blood trail.  looked pretty good, but not a jugular hit obviously. 

an hour later we hit the trial and ended up following blood through the thickets 250 yards and across the road to the neighbors place.  back to the house to call the landowner for permission and gather reinforcements.  three of us worked out another 200 yards of blood trail.  some big spots, some small.  lots of the blood came with phlegm and  bubbles, making me figure it was a windpipe hit and the doe would lay down and drown.  an hour later, more help arrived in the form of my archery club president.  he and i were able to gain another 60 yards or so of blood before we were stumped.  being late afternoon we figured the deer dead in a stand of pines (20 year old tree farm trees) with lots of tall grass and snow pockets, so we called in the dogs...specifically, more club members.  when they arrived, there was so much deer sign in the area, we had a hard time sussing out more trail and by sheer luck found another 5 drops of blood 150 yards further into the sea of trees, on a trail and moving at speed, judging by the directionality of the blood drops. 

When my help left stumped, i continued until dark, scoping the likely areas with no success. 

this was my first archery-lost animal and it kills me to know i wounded her and was unable to recover her.  My daughter took it better than I, though she seems to understand the seriousness of the situation.

and so ended my 2011 hunting season.  My daughter and I had AWESOME days in the blind watching deer.  She's excited to go again next year, but i'll remember the sight of that arrow impacting the back of that does neck forever.

Good hunting to everyone out there!  May your arrows fly true!

[lokidog]

You could still hang in the blind for the rest of the season and watch to see if the doe comes back.  If you don't see one with an obvious neck injury, you don't have to shoot.  It would still be time well spent with your daughter and you might get lucky if the doe is not dead and comes back.   

[724wd]

we tried that sunday morning, but the kid petered out just after daylight.  season ended yesterday.   

[lokidog]

Bummer.  Sounds like you had a fun season, especially spending the time with your daughter.  Too bad it didn't end with meat in the freezer though.

[Skyvalhunter]

Any day in the outdoor is a good day weather you harvest anything or not, especially when you pass the tradition on to the younger generation.

[engelwood]

Sorry to hear that. Hate losing animals but it is the risk we stickflickers take at times with our sport. Good learning experience for your daughter as well. Hard lesson to learn.

[boneaddict]

I Really appreciate hearing that you put a STRONG effort into trying to recover her.   $hit happens, but you did your best at trying to recover her.   I see so many stories on here about people putting in half assed efforts.  Thanks for trying!

[JackOfAllTrades]

I Really appreciate hearing that you put a STRONG effort into trying to recover her.   $hit happens, but you did your best at trying to recover her.   I see so many stories on here about people putting in half assed efforts.  Thanks for trying!

I've lost one animal in the woods after shooting it. 'Calling in the dogs' was not in the cards in the high country with a storm brewing.  You went all out. Kudos to ya. You set the correct example. 

-Steve

[buck man]

Congrats to you for your perseverance. I have it happen a time or two and it always makes me sick. My dad told me 30 years ago when I started hunting" if you ever quit feeling sorry for the life you take and don't give the animal the respect it deserves then its time to give up hunting." Words i live by and pass on to my kids. You were a great example and even at 4 years of age your daughter will remember your effort.

[Seabass]

Unfortunately this has happened to me as well....more than once. The only thing that you can do is to search until you feel like you can sleep with a clear consience. Then practice up and get back in the saddle. Sometimes you get lucky and the deer survives. I hit a buck too high just this year, spent 2 days looking for him and on the 3rd day he showed up on my camera again for 3 straight days. I don't know yet if he will survive but it appears he is doing fine.

Good for you for taking your daughter along. I had a very similar experience with my daughter when she was 6. I drew a b-tag and she was with me when I lost a doe. I was concerned it would affect her desire to hunt. When she turned 10 she shot her first deer and got her first buck this year at 11. Not all is lost.

[Whitpirate]

Sorry to hear about the rough patch.  I'd suggest doing something about the local dog problem though.   I've got a place in 117 and we've got a rule on dogs that run deer.  They don't run long.

[724wd]

oh, i would love to find them out one day, but they belong to the family that lives on the property.  i've been asked by another family member on the property to dispatch them, but with my luck they'd go running back home with an arrow in them!   

160 acres and it's mom & dad in one corner, daughter & her family in another (who i worked with and got me hunting there), and son in a third.  Dogs belong to the son and it's the daughter's husband (and the dad, if truth be told) who would like the dogs gone. 

[Whitpirate]

.22 MAG.  Don't leave home without it.