Archery buck 2023

[bigben]

Not sure how many people know but I started shooting a recurve when one was gifted to me in late summer 2020.  Since then I hunted with a recurve.  As well as shot indoor and outdoor competitions with my recurve in barebow category.  Over the years I have had a lot of close calls but no animals harvested. 

This year has been somewhat different.  Archery season started and just stress from life kept me from enjoying my time outdoors.  The first day of archery came and i just needed to go sit in the woods.  I had a great morning seeing deer but no critters shot at or even any desire to draw back.  Warm temps took their toll on my hunts as well. I found myself getting into work early so I could leave to go hunt only to go home take a shower and veg out with the wife and the dog.  I have been doing a lot of soul searching and one thing that hit home with me was a podcast with a fella named Scott Moore.  The jest of it was to make sure your spending your time where it matters and life will reward you.  That resonated with me so when I was with family and friends I made sure my mind and thoughts were present not thinking about how I should be out hunting etc. 

Sat i found myself in my favorite piece of woods.  The morning was fairly slow.  I seen nothing but squirrels.  I was sitting on the ground which i do because I don't feel safe sitting in a treestand.  I had already moved once and i heard a commotion.  A group of does got scattered and i noticed one was being chased.  After awhile  she came past seemingly shaking whatever was chasing.  Shortly after a set of small bucks came past.  One spike and one barely legal fork horn.  I watched them move off and decided that I was going to hunt the afternoon since there appeared to be a hot doe in the area. 

Around 3 in the afternoon I worked my way back to the woods.  This time moving once more to the area the deer had moved through earlier.  They always use this general area to cut through as its an inside corner with good cover on both ends of the corridor.  I was setting on the ground again with a leafy suit wearing a tshirt on underneath.  To say it was hot is an understatement.  82 degrees in the truck when I parked it.  I did not expect much till dark but wanted to make sure I was aware and ready the whole time.  luckily I packed the thermacell as the skitos were terrible.   

Around 5 I seen a doe quick incoming ears pinned back I got ready.  About that time she turned and ran out the bottom.  Then I seen another deer behind her.  I quick grabbed my binos and it was a very large 6 point that had broke both his brows off.  In my area I need to have 3 points to a side including the brows.  A point is considered 1" measured from the base.  He pursued her so I quick grabbed my grunt tube and left a few quick grunts out.  At this point I could not see the flat below me real well.  If I stand I can see pretty much all of it.  I knew I should have stayed sitting but had to look.  So as I stood I seen the doe run real quick.  Then I seen him standing there 30 yards away.  He had his head turned to the doe.  She bailed off the flat and up the hollow and he pursued.  When he got down to the spot where she was he stopped and just watched.  I sat down and steadied my binos on my quiver of my bow and watched from 100 yds away.  As I grunted and snort wheezed at him just trying to get him to come up he had no interests in me.  This all happened in a few short minutes but felt like a hour.  As I sat there he moved off out of view kinda towards me but I was sitting again.  After a minute of two I stood again because I wanted to see where he moved too. 

As I stood I kinda heard something walking over my left shoulder.  I am sitting on top of a oak ridge just over the lip.  I turned my head to see a buck standing 50 yds away looking in my general direction.  I thought to myself man I screwed up royally.  Just then he dropped his head and started feeding my direction.  I couldnt believe it.  I am standing arrow knocked on my strong side and hes moving closer.  Around 20 yds he turned heading downhill.  As he crossed behind a tree I knew that was my time.  I drew anchored.  He stepped out on the other side still feeding.  He lifted his head and stopped.  I knew this was the time settled and released.  My heart sank as I followed the arrow right to a liver hit. 

He dropped his head and ran hunched up down the hollow.  I knew I got two holes and that I figured my arrow was still in him.  I shoot a lighted nock so I can track the arrow as well as find the arrow easier.  About 40 yds away he stopped holding his head low back hunched I knew at that moment he was going to die.  What I wasn't sure of was how easy he was going to find and how warm it was i was worried about meat spoilage.  I was sick to my guts as I knew it was a bad shot.  I stood on a log in front of me watching him walk slow down the hollow.  I seen the other 6 point I had been watching and I noticed he followed my buck down the hollow.  I sat till dark so I didnt bump anything. 

After I got out I called my father in law who is an avid archer.  He told me what I already knew.  Give him time and we will look then.  We decided on 5 am the following morning to beat the forecasted rain.  A sleepless night ensued.  I think I slept 2 hrs at most. 

The following morning we went out.  A close friend.  My father in law and my wife.  We went to the spot I shot him and looked 30 yds away we found one spot of blood.  I thought this is good.  I contiuned down the hollow and the further I went the more my heart sank.  I had made it about 100 yds without seeing any blood.  My buddy and FIL came down and said which way do you think he went.  He was heading to a stream bottom and we took the left hand stream at the bottom of the hollow.  After 200 yds of not finding anything not even seeing my nock I was really doubtful at that point.  I wanted to pull out wait for daylight.  They continued on while I went back to the bottom of the hollow.  Looking for blood or anything that would give us direction of travel.

At this point my wife was still standing up on the ridge.  it is getting daylight.  I noticed her flashlight work across the ridge as I worked the opposite way of how we looked earlier in the morning.  I noticed her flashlight going beserk I pull my phone out of my pocket and I have missed calls and text.  She sees my nock.  I call her she guides me to where I can see it.  I immediately glassed with my binos and no body.  I worked my way over there and looked we had blood.  Decent blood actually for a gut hit.  I text my FIL and buddy who was still the other way in the hollow. 

My FIL got to where I was and i let him take up the track.  As I stood at last blood till he found more.  My buddy had caught up to us and was standing on the other side of the stream higher above us with my wife.  I told them look ahead for anything as we followed blood.  About that time he said hes right there.  I see tine. 

Several are you serious statements came out of my mouth and the rest was a blur.  Walking up to him he had burried himself in a small offshoot of the stream bed.  My FIL and myself were only 30 yds away when he said hes right there.  We got him up and out of the stream bed and gutted him.  He was still very warm figuring he had passed only hours before we got to him.  we never found any other beds in which we pushed him.  we did not loose any meat either other then some questionable inner loins.  He is now resting in the local cooler at the butcher shop. 

I gotta be honest I have some of the best family and friends around.  Without their encourchment I do not know how it would have ended up.  Me shooting a recurve.  even more so hunting with one.  Not gonna lie I looked at my compound last week and almost dusted it off.  The bow I shot him with was my childhood compound turned into a recurve.  I am drawing 45 pounds shooting a fairly heavy arrow with a wide zwicky delta broadhead. 

Its been a pretty decent season so far.  now I have doe tags and a bear tag to fill.  We will see how the following weeks go. 

Thanks for reading. 

[nastygunz]

Holy crap nice buck, great story! I was literally just yesterday thinking about getting myself another recurve bow. I used to hunt with one exclusively. I find them a lot simpler and a lot more fun than hunting with a compound. I really enjoy target shooting with a recurve.

[pitw]

Great write up. Good job too.

[bambam]

Great job !!!!

[Hawks Feather]

Nice story and great looking buck. There will be venison for winter nights.

[Okanagan]

Enjoyed the story. Thanks for posting.   Now the pics showed up.  DANDY buck!

 

[FinsnFur]

Thats a dandy. Well done sir.
Good readin 

[MI VHNTR]

Excellent! Great buck and story.

[bigben]

So to add to this story.  The other morning my cell cam sent me a series of photos.  This is the big 6 in the story.  getting it done to "doe"lores.  hes now got the nickame of forks.