Brown and Down, but

[Hawks Feather]

not ground yet.  I have gone out the past few afternoons/evenings and Sunday afternoon/evening was a great time for watching squirrels â€" actually counted 9 out at the same time and all within 50 yards of the tree I was sitting in.  No deer, but 9 squirrels.  What more could a person ask for?  So, what do I do, I go out again on Monday afternoon/evening fully expecting a repeat performance.  Not even close.  Just 1 squirrel and again no deer.  So it was time to change things up a little bit and out I went this morning.  I got up at 6:00 a.m. and fully expected to be in the woods by 6:30, but I heard coffee calling my name and so it was 6:30 when I left the house.  I was out and parked by 6:45 and by 7:00 was peacefully perched in the tree stand waiting for the squirrels to wake up.  About 7:15 I noticed movement and thought that a squirrel was not only out early, but should have heard me tramping through the leaves.  It wasn’t a squirrel, but a deer.  And not only a deer, but a buck.  I didn’t even have the call out of my pocket so I gave a little mouth call, something along the lines of “here deer, here deer, come over here deer.”  O.K. so it was only one little baa, but it seemed to work.  Mr. Deer changes directions and starts heading my way.  I think I have told some of you that the woods I hunt is more a woods of opportunity than a woods that really holds deer.  They move through (sometimes) either to eat, after having had a good meal, or if being chased during gun season.  The owner runs his mower over some of the trails so that his grandkids can play and it is not overgrown or anything like that.  Mr. Deer was headed for the other side of the creek where there is thick cover and a good place to hang out during the day.  Anyway, after my baa he heads in my direction and stops just over 30 yards.  I would rather have him come a little closer, but the longer he stood still the better the chance he would head back where I think he planned to cross.  So, ready, aim, fire.  There was a buck jump, a buck roll, and a buck run.  There was a pretty good thump when the arrow hit, so I figured he would pile up shortly, but didn’t hear it happen.  I sat there till about 9:00 a.m. and thought that I had better get down and go looking.  I went over where he was when I shot and started looking for the arrow that should have passed through and couldn’t find it.  After a few minutes I figured that I could come back and look for it later and moved to where the deer had rolled.  There I found the back 1/3 of the arrow.  Hum, that doesn’t look good and the blood trail is somewhat thin as well.  Usually it looks like a fountain has been turned on, but this time there were a few drops, a few yards, another drop, and I was thinking that maybe it was not as good of a hit as I thought.  I continued on and at about 75 yards found him.  I put the temporary tag on him and went back to the house to get the cleaning tools.  Yea, a butt out was one of the tools.  I knocked at the house and asked Lorene if Dan was home.  Nope, he had gone to town for groceries.  I told her that I had a deer down and was going to gut it and would be back.  When I got the work done I went back up to the house and Dan still hadn’t returned.  Lorene was my secretary when I was working so we started talking school till Dan arrived.  I told Dan that I had a deer down and gutted so he got out the lawn mower, hooked on the trailer, and off we went.  (Since I don’t have an ATV or even a wheelbarrow, this might be the reason I hunt there.)  He helped me load it up, drove it up to the back of my truck, and helped me load it.  Off I went to get the “real” tag and then came home to change clothes.  Back out to the truck and back to Lorene and Dan’s place.  Backed the truck into the work shed, strung up the deer, pulled out the truck, and started whittling on Mr. Buck.  Dan came back out to offer some help, but I said that it was a really nice day and that I would take care of this one.  A few hours later all the meat is cut off, placed in 5 gallon buckets, and Dan is taking the remains back toward the woods in his wheelbarrow. 

Mr. Deer was a six (actually 5) point since one was broken but had a decent sized body.  He had eaten well overnight and his stomach was the size of a five-gallon bucket.  When I walked up I though that he was bloated already.      Dan guesses it was between 150 and 165 dressed out.  All in all, a pretty good day, even if my back is hurting from standing and trimming out the pieces I brought back home.  Tomorrow will be the grinder, mix with some hamburger, and I (make that the daughters) will be ready for some ground mix. 

When I was cleaning the buck I did find out why there was no pass through on the shot.  It was a couple of inches too far forward and the arrow had passed through the top of the front leg before going through both lungs.  That is the reasons that he went down when he did the jump â€" broken leg.  Now I need to check and see if it was buck fever or if I need to adjust the sights.

Jerry

[bambam]

    Way to go  !! Thanks for the story and pic. Should be some goood eatin' there.

[FOsteology]

Congrats on a nice deer Jerry!

[coyote101]

Way to go Jerry.  Congratulatins on a successful hunt.  Thanks for sharing.

Pat

[Yotehntr]

   Congrats on a successful hunt Jerry! 

[KySongDog]

Great story and a nice buck, Jerry!      

  Yea, a butt out was one of the tools.  

Kewl!!   

[Bills Custom Calls]

Congrats  Thanks for the story and pic

[centerfire_223]

Congrats and good shooting!!!! 

[FinsnFur]

Other then the sore back, ya gotta like that.
In and out within just a couple hours, nicely done.

Nice Canon Powershot SD 1400 too

[HaMeR]

Good shootin Jerry!! I wouldnta guessed that one at 150-165 tho with that broken tine. 

[HuntnCarve]

Congrats on a fine buck Jerry!  See, persistence pays off.  It's also nice to have good friends.  Ex. Monday evening I drove down to Dave's place.  Hopped up in his double wide ladder stand.  Watched a small buck pass by under the stand (the buck Dante's been looking for  ).. Twenty minutes later three does start approaching the stand.  I pulled off a spectacular shot at 15 feet, as the doe just about climbed the ladder to the stand...   She ran 40 yards and piled up... So I dragged the deer to a trail in front of the stand and left her.  The hope that a passing buck would investigate.  Meantime  Dave and Dante hopped into that stand, and I headed for another.  Didn't I see another buck that Dante wanted a 3pt. (not legal for me). Watched him feed for a while, then he ambled on past me...Darkness set in.  As I walk up to the house here comes Dave on the ATV.  Gives me a ride up to the house so I can dump off my gear.  Tells me he dragged the doe I shot out to the big trail.  Take the ATV go down and drag her back in the woods a ways, dress her out, and drag her back to the house.  Dave has a block and tackle set up in his front yard on a tree.  Hook her up, skin, and bone in a half hour...Pop the meat into Dave's walk in cooler.  Head into the house where he has a chicken dinner with all the fixins waiting... Exhausted with all the effort I put into the hunt, I relax in front of his big screen and watch my Steeler's beat some Ohio team.. Yeah, Good friends are a vital and important part of every hunt!

[HaMeR]

I pulled off a spectacular shot at 15 feet,

With all the HH practice I would think a shot at THAT range would be 2nd nature for you by now Dave.  Congrats on the doe too. 

[weedwalker]

Way To Go Jerry!! Nice buck.

[slagmaker]

Congrats on the buck

[Jeb]

Congrats !!  Thanks for sharing the story and pics !  
                                            Jeb

[Hawks Feather]

Everyone,
Thanks for the congrats.

Dave,
I am going to have to have a little talk with Lorene and Dan and see if they can't sweeten my deal so that it is closer to yours.

Jerry

[HuntnCarve]

 

[vvarmitr]

  Boy, I thought those members had it rough hunting moose.
You two really put the wild in wilderness. 
   

WTG Jerry & Dave.

[alscalls]

   Wonderful

[msmith]

Good read! and good freezer fodder!

Hey Jerry, you said you mix the ground with beef? Try mixing a little bit of lamb instead sometime. Makes great lasagna.