There is no 'I' in TEAM....

[studabaka]

Well my dry spell is over and my freezer is beginning to get stocked thanks to team FnF 

A long, somewhat strange, sometimes nerve racking, but ultimately successful day..... I'll try and give the cliff notes, though I tend to get wordy 

Woke up early [4am] and and got a 'good luck' shout from Nelson. Sunrise was 6:48 and I was on watch well before that about a quarter mile behind my house. There is a little puddle/pond tucked in the corner of some hardwoods along side a bean field. It's been so dry, there are only a few places with water and I was hoping that I would see something catching a quick drink before heading off to bed. I just sat and watched and listened until about 7:30, but nothing except me and a bunch of song birds. They kept trying to land on me  So I pulled out my Bill Grove deer grunt call which was tuned to doe bleats and did my best to follow the instructions Bill had given me a ways back. Did that for 30-40 min, but still nothing. So then I pull out my Coulter deer grunt call tuned to a buck grunt and followed the tips that Chad [CB223] had recently told me about. Did that for about 30-40 minutes, but still nothing. After waiting a bit longer I figured it wasn't going to happen, so I pulled my muskrat covered decoy heart out of my pack and stuck it 25 yards away where things could see it from most directions. Then I pulled out a little THO closed reed and started playing the blues hoping a yote, or cat might be around. Did this for about 20 minutes and just as I was getting ready to blow another sequence, out steps this little spike. He's 25 yards away and my bow is in my lap  He looks at me, then at the decoy, then back to me. At the time I was thinking he saw me, but now I think he was looking for what was making the sound, but couldn't see me. As he causiously work his way toward the decoy and me I decided to go for it and slowly but steadily raised, drew, and aimed. Dang... he is straight on...pull on his chest and release. I hear the thunk and he does one of those straight up jumps and then heads off with one front leg clearly not working. I sat and slowly gathered up my stuff then started looking for a blood trail. Thanks to SEMP my arrow was carrying a muzzy and a blood trail was quickly found. 100 yards I find where he laid down. 200 yards I find my arrow. 500 yards, he is laying down again and I jump him 700 yards the trail passes my barn within 100 ft [almost a Bryan Stanley].... 800 yards and he cross the road.... bean field on the other side and I can't find blood anywhere....... What did Al say  water .... check a lone tree/brush in the middle of the field as I head towards a small pond on the other side of the field. Nothing by the tree, but pick up the blood trail just above the pond at about 1000 yards now... follow the trail to the next bean field but again, can't find blood.......  what was that about a straight line  So far the route was anything but straight, but heck...... line up the markers and it points to a lone tree/brush in the middle of this field. 1200 yards and I come to the edge of the brush around the tree. Big blood spot where he had laid down [probably looking back at me]. Start to move along the edge and he jumps and slow runs to the other side of the bean field and a real thick briar thicket with hardwoods on the other side. It's 30 minutes of looking and mumbling before I find a drop of blood heading up the hardwood ridge. The drops are getting smaller and less frequent. I'm progressing through the hardwoods at a rate of about a yard a minute and sometimes less. Along the top of the ridge I'm struggling to pick up blood.... I look up ahead and there he is dead. By my reconning he went more than 2000 yards. If I had laid back he probably would have bled out at one of those spots he laid down  I shot him around 9am and found him at 1pm  but I found him!!!  Thanks Guys 

[Bills Custom Calls]

Way to go Stu  Nice story there are some folks would have give up long before you did.Great recovery

[possumal]

Great story, Stu.  Glad you stayed after him until you found him.  Enjoy those backstraps!!

[FinsnFur]

Calling coyotes and get a buck instead  Can't complain about that. 
Nice read, thanks for sharing the trip

[wv_yoter]

Nice job Stu, most folks would have given up.

[iahntr]

Congratulations Stu 
Now get back out that grunter and bleat, and call in some yotes.

[KySongDog]

Congrats, Stu!   

2,000 yards is a heck of a tracking feat.  Many would have given up.  Your effort showcases your ethics.  My hat is off to you.   


Semp

[Hawks Feather]

Stu,

Way to go!  That was a heck of a trail to follow.  We may have to give you an Indian scout name after that.  I am thinking that I may have to start advertising my predator calls as predator/deer calls.  I don't know if mine will work like Al's or not.   

Congrats!

Jerry

[Nelson]

      Great story Stu.  Your patience and persistence paid off, and there's meat in the freezer.   

       

       Nelson

[vvarmitr]

At least you waited till the arrow got to him before you decided to tag him. 

It's amazing how far they'll go if they get pushed. :shck:  Sure glad you were able to really hunt him down. Good job, proud of ya!  

[Silencer]

Congrats Stu, way to hang in there buddy  !!  That'd be a 4pt in these parts, I bet you can hang a ring off them little eye guards 

[HaMeR]

Burgers are on Stu this weekend!!!!!!   I like mustard on my burgers too!!

Good job of trackin the buck Stu. After going thru all that it woulda been easy to say the heck with it. I've spent as many as 6 1/2hrs looking for a deer myself. Talk about a tough deal when you don't find it.  Glad you filled your tag.

So whats the count this year now?? ! big ol Tom, a Bobcat, & now a nice buck??  

We can call you "Youdagamebaka"

[studabaka]

Thanks guys. Hope ya'll see the help you have been so generously giving is being put to use 

I really need to work on my shot placement. It's amazing that an inch or two off is the difference between a flop and a heck of a long trail. I am sure getting a full appreciation of the toughness of critters  :shck: I kept thinking of that cat I couldn't find and saying this can not happen. It gave me the persistense and the tracking tips gave me just enough skill to pick up the trail again after what seemed like dead ends.

I think I am learning and getting better..... now ain't that something for an old dog  Sure feels good when it all comes together.

Oh, and yes...burgers on me [I'll even supply the mustard], though my son gets home for Thanksgiving break in about a week, so you better hurry 

[Hawks Feather]

My son gets home for Thanksgiving break in about a week, so you better hurry 

Now that is a true statement if I have ever read one.  Hey Dad, a bunch of friends are coming over will you fix burgers?

Jerry

[slagmaker]

Heck of a read and it really is amazing just how far they can go when you push them.

Lessons learned and meat on the table so it was a good day.

[DGF]

Sometimes it is hard to wait. The important thing is you stuck to tke trail and got him.
Congradulations, that will be some fine eating.


When you skinned him out was there much fat on him. I have take three does this year and they have noy had the fat that they normally have, they were healthy but you could tell that they had not been eating good.

[DirtyDog]

Congrats Stu........and way to go on the recovery. Way to stick to it 

[studabaka]

Not much fat at all. Maybe the warm temps also delayed them building it up 

[Purgatory_Predator_Calls]

To cool Stu!

Nothing worse than that feeling.  HATE IT  But dang nice that you found him.

Yoey

[blackfish]

  GOOD JOB Stu!!   Sure Glad you found him ,now your eatting well in the neighborhood!
BlackFish