Hunting Forum

Personal and work committments have kept me out of the woods this season. Have a few stands out but have been unable to hunt. Finally got my deer hunting season kicked off this morning. New stateland stand with some buck sign but maybe too close to bedding area. Got in about 6:15 and bumped a solitary deer near the stand!. Hunted till 9:45 then went home to do some chores. Decided to try behind my house for the afternoon. Problem here is always getting to the stand without jumping the deer. Got in quietly without spooking anything at 3:00 pm. Around 3:30 had a couple (doe and a fawn) feed by me at about 60 - 70 yards but they never came closer. Very quiet in the woods this afternoon. Around 6:00 heard something directly in front of me and lo and behold a lone mature doe is heading directly towards the tree. picked up my bow and she kept coming. Came to full draw found the peep, picked an opening, waited for the shoulder and released at less than 10 yards almost directly beneath the tree ! Wow about 30 seconds or less total had elapsed. The deer kicked it's legs out and ran behind the tree. Although I couldn't see the deer and never heard it actually fall, I thought everything looked and sounded good. Waited 15 minutes and found my arrow totally covered with great blood but not sticking in the ground at the shot, laying on the ground about 10 yards away. I was able to follow the kicked up leaves and found my deer about 50 to 75 yards or so away. Shot entered midway on body, arrow took out one lung, passed through the heart and exited low behind opposite leg and actually went through some leg meat which is why arrow wasn't sticking in ground I guess. Relex coumpound, NAP shockwave 100g expandable. Thank you deer gods. dressed weight 75 pounds

photos tommorrow!

Well done Bobby, sounds like a nice doe.
I've been out a few times but am struggling with a shoulder injury. I had access to private land in Zone 12, and got some good deer on camera (see my earlier post) but a disgruntled / envious relative of the land owner started kicking up a stink and I was asked not to hunt the land anymore. On my one trip out there I had 2 young buck (2 and 4 pointer) and 3 does around my stand but I was waiting for the big n\boy I photographed. After an hour of sitting perfectly still the wind changed and a doe smelt me, so with the usual stamping and snorting she spooked the herd. Now I cannot get back on that land. Sad thing is the relative only wants to hunt shotgun and doesn't actually do so every year.

I noticed that many of the deer were far thinner than I have seen before. Ribs and pelvis showing through. Have you or any other hunters seen the same?

jholst

what a bummer. it's interesting I've got a similar situation going. a beautiful 50 acre piece in brooklyn where the wife is "uncomfortable" with me hunting there. great deer, i've got two ladder stands and a couple of ground spots set up and i can't get my permission slip. very hard to get permission here I've found. 

deer i've been seeing look ok. the one i got was very healthy just a late fawn in 2011 that didn't get bred. i'm going to try agian tommorrow afternoon, went out this morning, no sightings

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Very nice, I think that heart was leaking a little!!!