First of the season..

HuntnCarve · October 21, 2009, 07:52:16 PM

I took my climber stand and set up in a wooded hedge row near a red oak tree that was dropping acorns. I didn't have much confidence in the stand, as it was a last minute type deal.
I did manage to slice open my index finger on my left hand while trimming a few branches with a small folding saw. When the limb broke, the saw jumped across my finger! Ouch!!! I managed to get it patched up, and turned my thoughts to hunting.
Of all things that comes hustling down the hedgerow...A fat groundhog! He got a pass from me, and proceeded to amble on by...
About 15 minutes later the blue jays and robins start carrying on? A red fox comes slinking into the hedgerow. I found him in the scope of the crossbow and watched his antics. Our fox season does not open till the 24th of this month... So all I could do was watch. His pelt was really dark, and I could see where his Winter coat was just starting to come in. As I'm watching the fox, all of a sudden a big deer comes walking into the hedge row heading towards the fox (who's about 20 yards away). I quickly checked to make sure it was a doe, and not a small buck. By this time the doe turns and starts heading right at me. She ends up walking about 5 yards in front of me, and pauses to grab an acorn. I get the scope on her, but have to really pick my placement so as not to hit the shoulder bone. At the shot, she takes off down through the woods. I catch a fleeting glimpse of her as she breaks out into a little clearing near a pipline about 75 yards away... As I start preparing for the climb down, I lower my crossbow on a rope. The fox (who obviously was not spooked) is standing there watching the crossbow touch down.. He finally takes it all in, and decides he best hunt else where.
I find my bolt sticking in the ground, covered with blood. I start walking the trail the doe ran down. I finally start to find a few blood drops spattered here and there. As I work my way towards where I last seen her, I lose the blood trail. It's starting to get dark now too. I figured she stuck to the open woods verses the pipeline and the dense thicket on each side of the woods? I silently curse the Autumn leaves laying on the ground with their red and brown splotches. I've picked up several now, touching them in the hopes that it's blood. Nothing... About 100 yards into the woods I decide to button hook towards the thicket edge and work my way back to the last blood.. I was forseeing a long night ahead of me.. After slowly backtracking 25 yards, I suddenly see a patch of white and brown laying ahead of me!! There she is! Whew! What a relief.
I radio my friend Dave, and tell him I found her. He's happy, cause he was figuring a long night.. Anyway, I tagged and dressed her by flashlight. Then dragged her 100 yards to the edge of the pipeline and left her there while I went back to Dave's truck and dumped off my gear. He was at the truck when I got there. The two of us then went back and dragged her the last two hundred yards to the truck. - A good friend is priceless when you get a deer. LOL!
So here she is back at Dave's place. And as of now, she's cut, wrapped, and in the freezer! This hunt didn't turn out too bad after all...

Dave

FOsteology · October 21, 2009, 08:02:59 PM

Congrats on the years first Dave! How much willpower did it take to restrain yourself from shooting that chuck? LOL grin

You need to remind your pal Dave to have his daughter sign up and post her hunt report and photo. She tagged a nice buck!

This past weekend while hunting with Aaron, we were shocked and amazed as we saw a small herd of red deer! One good bull in the group.... 6x6. They must have escaped from one of the many high fence operations in the area. They were pretty skittish and wary, but I managed to take a yearling hind for the freezer.

Yotehntr · October 21, 2009, 08:27:27 PM

Congrat's on the 1st of the year Dave! Enjoyed the "read"!!!

alscalls · October 21, 2009, 08:43:38 PM

Congrats Dave!

Take care of that finger.....or you will have trouble typing the next one.

coyote101 · October 21, 2009, 08:48:05 PM

Congratulations Dave.

You and Semp and your crossbow kills have really got me wanting to try one.

Pat

Tikaani · October 21, 2009, 08:57:10 PM

Congratulations Dave, it is good to see you will fill the freezer for this winter.

Hunt hard, Die tired
John

HuntnCarve · October 21, 2009, 09:03:33 PM

Thanks guys!

FOs, any other time and that chuck would have bought the farm! LOL! Congrats on the hind. That'll be some good eating.

I passed up a small 5pt this morning. Had him broadside at 15 yards. But with the rut starting in these parts, I'll try and save my buck tag for something alittle bigger.

pitw · October 21, 2009, 11:32:26 PM

Nice to have a short night Dave. Glad you got 'er done and all.

Hawks Feather · October 22, 2009, 08:23:06 AM

NEWS FLASH!

Dave (aka HuntnCarve) the master groundhog hunter has decided to forgo a chance at "the other red meat" and has chosen to instead shoot a deer. This is just another sign of the CHANGE that is happening in America. We never thought that we would see the day that something like this would have happened, but now we all know better.

Newsflash reporter Jerry

P.S. Nice deer.

vvarmitr · October 22, 2009, 10:34:37 AM

@ ^^^^^^^^
Hey those arrows are expensive. I don't waste any bolts on 'em.

Good, got yourself some meat for the winter.

HuntnCarve · October 23, 2009, 11:13:50 AM

VV, you are darn right! Those carbon bolts are too expensive to be winging at groundhogs! Ol' Jerry must think I whittle them myself.

To be honest, I'll take a deer over a groundhog any day for eating purposes.

JohnP · October 23, 2009, 01:22:04 PM

Congratulations Dave. What would a doe of that size dress out?

HuntnCarve · October 23, 2009, 05:41:01 PM

JohnP, this doe dressed out at 120 lbs according to my buddy's scale. She was pretty good sized. On average the doe's down there probably dress out between 80-100 Lbs. I did get one last year that dressed out at 145 Lbs.

FinsnFur · October 24, 2009, 08:45:19 PM

I missed this one Dave.
Didnt waste any time bagging her did ya

Hawks Feather · October 24, 2009, 10:06:56 PM

I think it is a groundhog that he Photoshopped!

Jerry

JohnP · October 26, 2009, 11:09:05 AM

I would have to kill two good bucks to get the same amount of meat as your getting from one doe. We are only allowed one deer per calendar year.

HuntnCarve · October 26, 2009, 01:01:04 PM

JohnP, here in PA you are allowed one buck with the purchase of a general hunting license. As for doe, they have the state divided into units. Each unit has a certain number of tags that you may apply for (only twice in most units). So you could end up shooting two doe if you have two tags. All that being said, certain units called "Special Regulation Units" (three total) allow you to apply for, and shoot as many doe's as you have the tags. In Units 5D and 5C where I hunt they still have 3800 tags left (out of 22,000), and 7900 left( out of 113,000). These units are experiencing alot of deer damage. They are also highly populated with humans. The wealthy folks don't appreciate smashing their BMW's and Mercedes into deer. They also despise them eating their well maintained lawns and shrubbery. So the State allows licensed hunters with tags, to harvest these animals (provided you have landowner permission!). -The majority of the Special Reg's units are archery/crossbow only.
Last year one of my friends harvested over ninety doe in his area. -Still only allowed a single buck. I believe this year he is already at sixty some. He donates the meat to local food banks. I have six tags left for one unit, and two in another. So far I've only filled the one tag. The season will run well into January in the Special Reg's units.