Redemption... I think. ??? First crossbow deer. Got her!

[Panhandler80]

So, I had some sucess yesterday.

I got nice and situated just in time for the turkey crossing that usually goes down around 4:00 each afternoon. Had about 10 hens and 3 or 4 jakes last Sunday walk right out in front. Got bow drawn (oh, wait... crossbow) bow was drawn on resting on shooting rail, but none were shooters so I let them all go.

Yesterday from dead down wind behind me I hear some rustling.... sounded like deer, then more rustling, then more, then more... turkeys! Said I.

Well, this time the crossed behind me and not in front. Pretty sure it was the same flock, so no big deal.

Around 5:00 (1.5 hrs of legal light left here) I hear sometihng again, but AGAIN dead down wind in a steady 12 or 13 knt breeze that was stiffining, but very consistent. Got closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. I'm thinkting this MUST be a bear. No deer would be this stupid. THEN, the noise split into to sections. Man, these critters sound like deer, but they are right down wind and I'm a whopping 10' off the bottom.

We'll see.

Well, they show themselves and it's the same two tiny does that came in last week. The same two that got there first before the big ol granny nanny showed up from an entirely different direction. Search "first crossbow deer... lost her" and you can read all about it. ANyway, these two youngin's were not with her last week. By that I mean, if they have a momma, they are not with her anymore.

So, the two youngins show up from dead down wind.

I got the bow up on the rail and safety off, and got the smaller of the two lined up. Why? Because I wanted some REDEMPTION after last week and the larger one was beind a palmetto bush while the small one was dead calm and broadise.

She got good and broadside. I made sure I didn't shoot high. She was, eh... 16 yards. Calm and broadside. I let her rip she takes off to my left... blood just-a-pumpin! NICE! She's no trophy, but she'll be tasty and I know I'll find her!!!! Picked her up 87 yards from stand.

I get down and luminok has turned off. I'm pissed ticked about that to begin with, but at least arrow is bloody. I find blood within 2 yards of it, then more, then more, then less, then less, then more, then less, then MORE, then MORE MORE MORE, then less, then DEER!!!

Pretty much red carpet treatment... and here's why



Here's what I don't get....

This is deer number two, and my second ever, that I have shot with my crossbow. Number one was never found. She was a granny nanny and I SWEAR to you, it was like she vanished before the arrow arived. Having never shot anything (other than first line in an alligator) with a crossbow, I chalked it up to maybe I shut my eyes, or maybe the bow is off, or maybe my spitfire opened, or maybe there was a twig i didn't see, or maybe maybe maybe.

I will say this, my bow is pretty much dead on. I posted on Friday about potential GT Laser II issues. Of my 6 bolts in that package, half have had their own attitude. I nock **** vane in rail every time and I had a right hand flyer, a low fligher, and a NW flyer out of te 6. The right hand flyer was the worst. Talking 2" at 20 yards. I changed tips and over and over these flyers would hit within a dime of their original hole at 20 yards.

Anyway, I know the bow is on. I think I"m battling either some GT issues, or maybe some luminoks that aren't seated squarely (i never sighted in / target shot with mfg installed aluminum nocks), but I KNOW THE BOW IS ON.

So, here's the deal....

After last weeks mishap, the one in which I SWEAR that granny nanny jumped the string at a whopping 15 yards and I ended up (I THINK) sailing the bolt through her armpit as she bolted... ( again,,,,, I think). After that, here is yesterday's deer.

See picture above.

This freakin yearling (fawn, if you'd rather phrase it that way) was B-R-O-A-D-S-I-D-E at 15 yards and look at the shot. She too got probably 70 degrees from her initial stance before the 416 gr arrow out of my Axiom got there.

Go figure.

Go figure.

I'm going to talk to Excal on Monday. The bow has got to be either slow, or unusally loud, or this was the smartest and quickest baby Florida doe in the history of the world.

I can't prove what happened to deer number one last week, but the picture above is EXACTLY what it FELT like last week. This week I just happend to be lucky enough to grab some good stuff.

Oh... PS.... she went 87 yards accorind to GPS.

Also, this was kind of cool.... THis road dead ends into the bay. I wonder how many days out of the year the sun sets exactly at the end of it over the water. Pretty neat. I passed it going about 40, and then said, man.... I should get a picture of that. Threw her in R and by the time I got there the big round ball had sunk by a lot. Still a cool pic, though. I wish the jack-leg that leases that piece didn't have his silly cable up, though.


The sunset picture is with the fany phone (better pic). The baby doe pic is with the flip phone (sorry pic, but phone is waterproof and a real battlewagon)

[Big58cal]

Congrats on the doe! Should be some good eating!!

You going to cook that thing whole? Should be enough for a meal for a couple of people.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[maple]

Congratulations Panhandler!!! You've got meat on the table!! Tender and tasty!!

Whatever is going on with your POI, you ought'a get on top of that. Keep on it and it'll be all figured out soon enough.

Maple

[georgiaboy]

Congrats on your doe!!
Have you shot one of your broadheads through some paper to see if their opening up on you? I shoot spits and i've never had a problem...just a thought.

[gerald strine]

That is a heck of a hole in that deer what broad head did you use a splitting maul.
congrats .
on the arrow impact thing are you using a rope cocker to cock the bow?

[Panhandler80]

I will say this, my bow is pretty much dead on. I posted on Friday about potential GT Laser II issues. Of my 6 bolts in that package, half have had their own attitude. I nock **** vane in rail every time and I had a right hand flyer, a low fligher, and a NW flyer out of te 6. The right hand flyer was the worst. Talking 2" at 20 yards. I changed tips and over and over these flyers would hit within a dime of their original hole at 20 yards.

Anyway, I know the bow is on. I think I"m battling either some GT issues, or maybe some luminoks that aren't seated squarely (i never sighted in / target shot with mfg installed aluminum nocks), but I KNOW THE BOW IS ON.

I know she's small. And thank God that she was. Had it been a real deer, I probably would have lost her just like the last one.

I'm not trying to be pis$y. Why? Because I sincerely appreciate and value everyone's opinon, well except for Big Nasty, of course. But what I'm trying to figure out is why this is deer number two that has turned on me during the shot. The granny nanny last week was standing at the same distance and the shot felt just like this one. Both were broadside when I pulled the trigger. Never found the adult doe that had no fawns with her and came from a different direction from the two (one of which I shot yesterday). ANyway, never found her, but I did find this little tasty fryer, look at her. Again, thank God she was small.

Why / how are these deer jumping my bow so badly?

[Panhandler80]

That is a heck of a hole in that deer what broad head did you use a splitting maul.
congrats .
on the arrow impact thing are you using a rope cocker to cock the bow?

This is the second deer I have killed with a Rage 100 grain.

The last one was with V bow and it was just about as devestating. Keep in mind, the deer in the picture might have gone 60 lbs.... maybe. A realy tasty baby, but a baby nonetheless.

Yes, I'm using a rope cocker.

My bow is DEAD NUTS consistent. As posted above, it will put the same arrow in the same hole with the cockvane in the track EVERY SINGLE TIME. What it won't do, is put different arrows in the same hole every time. That's what makes me think I have a GT issue.

Bow is accurate and precise. AIn't no doubt. My only doubt with the bow is that I feel like deer are getting out of the way before the arrow gets there. I know that's virtually impossible considering the fact that a 15 yard shot at 280fps is like 3/32 of a second, but dang! As evidenced by the broadside baby picture that ended up like this, my concerns / apprehensions are valid. At least I would think.

I'm just wondering if there's something wrong with my bow in terms of speed / noise. That's all.

I'll talk to Excal next week and ask their thoughts.

AGAIN... NOT HATING / BASHING Excal. I'm just concerned.

Thanks yall.

PH80

[Big58cal]

Look at it like this, with the smaller ones, you've got a smaller target, so your accuracy is more important.

Just a couple of thoughts on the point of impact issues............... It could be that you're raising your head up just as you shoot to try to see where you hit. This could cause you to raise the bow up, which may be raising the POI. The other thing is that maybe the deer around there are just particularly skittish. I've seen some deer that don't flinch/jerk at all, but others that practiacally jump out of their skin as the slightest noise.

[MarkMarine]

I agree with Gerald on this one. It looks like you took a flaming battleaxe to this one LOL Perhaps it is because of the deer's size the hole looks so big? I do not know, but it looks like a red, gaping maw

Also, what Big58 said about raising your head trying to trace the arrow to the target is a no-no. Just follow-through with your shot and you can catch most of the flight and what your eyes cannot see your ears can hear that hollow "thunk" of a hit

[wabi]

Congratulations on your deer!

[Sandman]

Congrats

[rayman]

Well, now you can try to get another gag trip in before the season goes out again.

[VixChix]

Congrats on the deer!

[Gewehrhund]

For meat you can't beat a deer that size. You can take out the tenderloins rinse them off and just fry em up!!! That is one nasty hole!!!!

[peter p]

Congrats.
I don't think there is anything wrong with your bow.
Maybe your arrows but not your bow.

I get the assumption that you think that if you aim at a deer broadside...lets say for the heart that you will hit the heart.
A deer will almost always duck the shot. My aiming point is just above the heart. I actually aim to blow the top of the heart off.

Of the several deer I killed aiming for the top of the heart, I have never hit that spot.
They are either dead center double lungers or spine shots. All shots are 20 yards or less.

My bow is an Exocet 200 with GT lazer II's front brass inserts with 100 grain slick tricks.
Scope is varizone with main cross hairs set at 20 yards.
Remember, always aim a little lower, if the deer doesn't duck then you hit the top of the heart and lungs, if it does then you still have a kill shot.

There's one thing I've learned shooting at game with archery...you never know where the arrow is going to hit.

Years ago I had an Exomax shooting the the same GT lazer II's that I shoot with my exocet 200.
I had a doe at 18 yards perfectly broad side.
I aimed center of the lung area. Believe it or not the deer ducked the arrow.
When I climbed down there was no blood and no arrow.
Went back the next morning and found my arrow buried to the fletching with no blood.


I had a batch of 6 Gt lazer II's and 2 were not grouping like the rest.
What I did was screwed in a field point and heated the field tip with a propane torch. They are usually epoxied but the heat will loosen them (do not heat the shaft).

Once removed I cleaned the insert and inside of the arrow and use hot glue to glue in the insert.

What I do is put a little glue on the insert and once inserted heat the field tip and spin the insert so the glue spreads evenly. I keep a field point on when doing this so I can spin with pliers.
This fixed one of the arrows but for the other one I had to also refletch.
Both are good now.

Good luck.