Almost time to slang some arrows

[EastHipster]

Yeah...just Packed again :)

[rugerla1]

Yeah...just Packed again :)

HA HA!! Maybe one more change is in order tonight before bed time! I have all my stuff together and packed except for snacks and water. Putting them in there before I leave the house, everything else will be in the truck tonight so I can leave the house quietly without getting the dogs riled up....that makes Mama not so happy!

[rugerla1]

I'm still at work, but when I get home, I need to sleep, but won't sleep. I don't care. It's here boys!!!! I hope to see lots of pictures of deer posted here tomorrow :up:

[Wiljo05]

Loading up the truck in a few min. Looks like it's gonna be a heavy fog for me again in the morning. Didn't burn off until 930 the past few days. Cam still showing activity though. They will likely be under me before I ever see or hear them coming! Good luck in the morning, and like Ruger said, let's see some pics tomorrow!

[rugerla1]

I'm getting ready to load mine too. Just got back from picking up some Nutter Butter's, jerky, Clif bars, and Smart Water (I need all the help I can get  :x: ).

I am seriously going to have a hard time going to sleep. Getting up at 3, be in the stand by 4, and just sit and smell the air till daybreak. We've all been dreaming of this morning we are about to encounter and it's almost here.

 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Edited September 28, 2013 by rugerla1

[rugerla1]

HOLY CRAP! I just pulled out my hunting license to be sure it was in there. When I got it a month or so ago, I didn't look at it, but I sure am glad I did tonight....big game gun! Not archery! Don't know why he did that, but I should have verified before I put it in my wallet. :down:  Headed to Academy!

[Wingshooter]

I'll have a hard time sleeping tonight like I always do before a hunt and be dead tired in the AM... Can't wait!!!

I never got my cam out for the stand I plan to hunt. There has been zero human activity near the area since spring, but it was a hot spot last year. I hope they're still there! Natural funnel near a bedding area.

[Wingshooter]

HOLY CRAP! I just pulled out my hunting license to be sure it was in there. When I got it a month or so ago, I didn't look at it, but I sure am glad I did tonight....big game gun! Not archery! Don't know why he did that, but I should have verified before I put it in my wallet. :down:  Headed to Academy!

good catch! Thanks for the reminder. I'll look at mine too

[rugerla1]

good catch! Thanks for the reminder. I'll look at mine too

Yeah man. Hope yours is right. That would've put a damper on my day!

[rugerla1]

Okay, I'm legal. I will never put a license in my wallet without checking first again. The state isn't going to say "aww man, I hate that happened. Oh well, keep hunting".

[Wingshooter]

What's your plan of attack tomorrow? "If it's Brown, it's down" or do you have standards?

Mine will be to take anything that's not a fawn or doe with fawns (done that before... never again). Once I get my "meat deer", I'll get picky.

[rugerla1]

If its grown, the arrows flown! Lmao I have zero kills with a bow so until my first is down, mature buck or doe, doesn't matter. I will then have meat in the freezer and can watch for Bullwinkle. :lol:
Oh, and I'm with ya on momma and fawns, I will watch em walk. Edited September 28, 2013 by rugerla1

[Wiljo05]

What's your plan of attack tomorrow? "If it's Brown, it's down" or do you have standards?
Mine will be to take anything that's not a fawn or doe with fawns (done that before... never again). Once I get my "meat deer", I'll get picky.

I should be sleeping, but can't yet! I'm trying to take a one antlered scrub buck that is polluting the gene pool at hone. That and coyotes!

[rugerla1]

Rise and shine!!!

[R4MBO]

It pains me that I am sitting in graduate class on this fine opening morning.  Best of luck to you all! I'll be joining the masses tomorrow morning.

[rugerla1]

I'm watching about twenty turkey right now, so close I could spit on them. Wish it was twenty deer!

[ShaunM]

Good luck everyone.

[rugerla1]

Okay guys, I'm exhausted so bear with me:

Was in the stand at 4 this morning, and didn't climb down till right before last shootable day light. I'd only seen a group of 20 and group of 27 turkey, 4 deer (2 momma's each with a fawn) so let them walk. Not to mention I got up, and held ready, stuck leaning forward because they would have seen me move, waiting for something behind them for 30 minutes while they grazed, 40 year old back is now 75. Now, fast forward to the last few minutes of daylight. Sitting there ready to come down as it had been 3 hours since I'd seen anything. Calling it a good day since I was in the woods and out from the back of the property comes an old buck, not huge (I think), but dark horns, big body. I stand up, he turns towards me at 20 yards behind a little tree, I draw back, he turns broadside at 15 yards and comes past the tree. I hold between my 10 and 20 yard pins and let her go. THWACK!!! I'm not exaggerating when I say my knees buckled and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I sat down FAST and watched it run off with my arrow sticking out of it (only the fletching showing on his right side. I watched the direction he went and kind of blacked out for a minute out of excitement so I didn't see if he made more turns or not. My phone is almost dead, it's getting dark fast so I call my buddy who'd killed that morning and asked if he could come help me track it. Good thing I did, phone died as soon as I said bye. He gets there, we walk out to where I shot him, no blood. Okay, sometimes that happens, I'm pretty sure I hit him higher than I should have, last minute light, excitement, no excuse, just truth. I sure wish I'd had a little more light so I wouldn't have had to take that shot, it was there or none. We found the arrow broke in half, the part with the fletching broke off right there at the front (of fletching) the rest of the arrow pulled out the other side. We searched for 3 hours Nothing! I cannot put into words how sick I am, being my first bow kill is second, not knowing what happened to him if first. I am going back out in the morning to try and find it again. No blood, except for the little bit on the arrow that went through. Is it possible that I hit him in the 1 in a million places that doesn't bleed??? Rage broadhead too, I just don't get it. It makes want to puke thinking a deer suffers from a bad shot, I don't know if this is one of those cases but I still hate it. Hell he could heal up and live as crazy as it is. I'm about to pass out from sickness of heart and anger. What an experience for my first bow kill, for a few minutes it was the best thing ever, boy did that change fast!

[Wingshooter]

Wow, you had a long day! Congrats on first contact with your arrow. I lost my first bow-shot deer about 10 years ago, but my arrow only penetrated an inch when it hit the shoulder blade. I know how you feel, but I think you'll find him tomorrow!

Two years in a row I shot two does (both double lung shots) from the same stand with a 50cal muzzleloader right before dark. All I found from both deer was just a few drops of blood. I ended up having to go back the next day to find both. Sometimes they just don't bleed.

Did your arrow pass through? If you had a pass-through, you got him. Try to get out there by first light though. You're racing the heat and coyotes. Good luck!

I didn't even get to go today. Wife got sick last night, and I was needed at home today with the kiddos Edited September 29, 2013 by Batman

[rugerla1]

Thanks Batman, I wish it didn't bother me so bad because I know it happens. Just being my first bow shot and it makes me sick to think I just wounded it. I have passed up a lot of shots with a gun because it wasn't right. This one felt right, I just hit high. The way my heart was pumping, surprised I hit it at all. Yes, passed through. I figured no matter where I hit it with that Rage there would be blood everywhere. Guess I know better now.

[Wingshooter]

I would go early if you can with some flagging tape. Start where you found the arrow and mark it. From there, I would just work slow and find the next spot of blood. You're arrow passed through, so he's bleeding. The last deer I shot with the muzzleloader, I had to follow the terrain to where I guessed it would run because I never found any blood. I found the deer though. Be persistent and work slow. You'll find him Edited September 29, 2013 by Batman

[JWC]

That sucks. You'll prob find him in the morning though if you hit good but high couldv'e clipped the top of the lungs. They can cover some ground before they succumb to that wound and they can possibly not bleed much or at all.
I did exactly that on a nice 8pt on opening day last year. I saw that i hit him high, arrow passed 3/4 way through then fell out at about the 50yd mark.. He didnt bleed good at first, then bled a little, then stopped bleeding altogether. Then i found some kicked up ground and followed it and he was laid out in a creek.

I killed a big fat old doe this evening. Perfect 15yd shot. Zipped one right through her heart. She ran maybe 30 yds then rolld back down the ridge. No tracking at all, watched her fall.

Why didnt you shoot a turkey???

[rugerla1]

Searched that place from 7 till now. Found small amount of blood but disappears shortly after. I'm allowed on all 3 places I checked today but he could have ran on anyones property if he wasn't bleeding worse than he was. I'm still sick about this....and exhausted again, Kitts thick stuff out there. Edited September 29, 2013 by rugerla1

[Wingshooter]

Searched that place from 7 till now. Found small amount of blood but disappears shortly after. I'm allowed on all 3 places I checked today but he could have ran on anyones property if he wasn't bleeding worse than he was. I'm still sick about this....and exhausted again, Kitts thick stuff out there.

Ya did the best you could, and that's all you can do. In fact, you did more than most hunters by putting forth a long and exhausting search. I know it sucks to loose your first deer with a bow... I lost my first one too. If you can go back out tomorrow or next day to observe, you might be able to pin-point a location from buzzards unless you know someone with a hound. However, at these temps, I wouldn't trust the meat though. My brother shot one a few years ago in a swamp. There was no way to follow a blood trail, but we found it two days later under the low canopy of a cedar tree. Yours may still turn up. I hope you didn't pick up any chiggers during your search today... that would be my luck :)

[rugerla1]

Ya did the best you could, and that's all you can do. In fact, you did more than most hunters by putting forth a long and exhausting search. I know it sucks to loose your first deer with a bow... I lost my first one too. If you can go back out tomorrow or next day to observe, you might be able to pin-point a location from buzzards unless you know someone with a hound. However, at these temps, I wouldn't trust the meat though. My brother shot one a few years ago in a swamp. There was no way to follow a blood trail, but we found it two days later under the low canopy of a cedar tree. Yours may still turn up. I hope you didn't pick up any chiggers during your search today... that would be my luck :)

Yep, I didn't mind doing the work to find it, that's part of it. I kept thinking that any second I would look over and see the white belly. I don't live or work out that way so won't be able to go back till next Saturday. I'm sure the carcass will be stripped by then by coyotes, buzzards, and the like. The chiggers got me a little bit even though I sprayed, but all the ground I covered, I expected it.

Now on to another point Batman. As I'm sure you did, I've been playing this over and over in my head. Re-playing everything to remember if I did anything wrong, if I could have done anything better. What are your experience with Rage broadheads or expandables like them? Personally with my experience, along with my best friend, this is the 3rd experience with little blood trails. I just talked to him and down to the last detail, this happened to him yesterday and he searched all day too. Last year he shot a 6 pointer at 7 yards, I found the first splatter of blood about 30 yards from where he shot it, and barely saw it as we were riding by the creek on four wheelers. I know if you hit an artery with any kind of blood, it will fly out, but I am second guessing expanding blades and want to go back to fixed 4 blades. Is it because I'm mad/upset/sick over losing this deer? Am I over reacting and just keep using what I have because I'm jumping to conclusions?