Pa 8 point buck
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STEELWORKER
- Posts: 451
- Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:50 pm
- Location: southwestern pa
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crazyfarmer
- Posts: 5250
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 10:21 pm
- Location: Virginia
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Todd the archer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:34 am
- Location: Sellersville, Pa.
Thanks all
Thanks everyone for your replies. Yes I am very happy with this buck.
CrazyFarmer, yes and no with it going 50 yards.
Okay here's the story on this hunt hope it's not to long.
After hunting behind my home the first couple of weeks and not seeing anything I got the chance to hunt a farm about 15 miles from my house. I set my tree stand up the night before and was in it early the next morning. Was in it for a little over an hour when two bucks appeared about 60 yards out. Both were shooters and they were angling towards me. While setting up for a shot they were still about 35-45 yards out but in a brushy area so I had to watch and wait for them to come into the clear. Well eventually one starts walking straight away from me along the edge of a field. Quicking I pulled out my range finder seeing I might not get a close shot. I couldn't get a reading on the deer probably because of some brush. There was a big cedar nearby in the clear I was able to get a reading on. It was 50 yards exactly. the buck that was walking away was about 10 yards closer or 40 yards. As I set the range finder down the other buck walks out perpendicular to me into the clear. He's about 2/3 the distance to the big cedar that I ranged earlier. I figured that to be about 35ish yards. I raised my Exomag up and quickly found the 30 and 40 yard dots in my scope, split the difference, and put that point on the bucks chest. I waited until he took another step to give me a clearer shot and when he did I pulled the trigger. It seemed like forever when the deer were in the brush but when they stepped into the clear it all happened very fast.
Anyway after the shot I watched the buck take a couple of quick steps, and walked around the big cedar where it stood next to the other buck. At this point I am not even sure I hit the buck. So I just watch and observed. The two bucks just walked away like nothing happened! They only walked about another 10 or 15 yards behind some bush on the woods edge. Now this is only about maybe 65-70 yards from my tree stand. While continuing to watch I could see (barely) the buck I didn't shoot at. It was just milling around and not going anywhere. Now I am thinking my buck went down and the other buck doesn't know what to do or where to go. But I figured I'll give it 30 minutes just to make sure. So I poured me a cup of coffee from my thermas and relaxed. After 30 minutes went by I decided it was time to go over and take a look. By the way the other buck was still hanging aroung. I lowered my bow down and quietly climbed down from my stand. Once on the ground I recocked my crossbow and loaded another bolt. Walked over to where the buck was standing to find my bolt which I didn't see nor any blood. No matter I'll walk over towards where I think it went down. As I get closer off goes the buck I didn't shoot. Now I am looking around for my deer and just as quickly up he jumps from a bed and starts running away. I noticed he was running a little crooked. He runs off and over the side of a hill we are on. I looked at the bed he was lying in and noted ther was some blood but definitly not a lot and was worried about what kind of hit I made. I started after him but noticed in the distance a house about 300 yards away. I changed my direction and worked my way to the left. Went 35 yards or so when my hunch paid off because ahead of me I could see a deer coming around up the hill. I snuck up closer where I could see it was my buck. I got down on my knee and watched. It was walking funny and then laid down. I knew it was hit hard. Tried using my range finder again but for some unknown reason it didn't work (checked later worked fine). Estimated at 40 yards and shot again not knowing how much life was still in it. Because of the way it was laying it glanced off the leg bone. It got up again and trotted off a short distance with me at a fast walk trying to keep up with it. Watched it go down again and rolled 20 feet down hill. It was still kicking though. I reloaded again and walked up slowly but by the time I got to it the buck had expired. When I checked my watch, just over an hour had past from when I shot untilled it died. Distance from where it was shot to where it bedded down something like less than 40 yards, and another 100 to 120 yard to where it died. If I didn't push it I think it would have died in it's bed. I don't think the buck knew it was hit judging by it's reaction.
Todd
CrazyFarmer, yes and no with it going 50 yards.
Okay here's the story on this hunt hope it's not to long.
After hunting behind my home the first couple of weeks and not seeing anything I got the chance to hunt a farm about 15 miles from my house. I set my tree stand up the night before and was in it early the next morning. Was in it for a little over an hour when two bucks appeared about 60 yards out. Both were shooters and they were angling towards me. While setting up for a shot they were still about 35-45 yards out but in a brushy area so I had to watch and wait for them to come into the clear. Well eventually one starts walking straight away from me along the edge of a field. Quicking I pulled out my range finder seeing I might not get a close shot. I couldn't get a reading on the deer probably because of some brush. There was a big cedar nearby in the clear I was able to get a reading on. It was 50 yards exactly. the buck that was walking away was about 10 yards closer or 40 yards. As I set the range finder down the other buck walks out perpendicular to me into the clear. He's about 2/3 the distance to the big cedar that I ranged earlier. I figured that to be about 35ish yards. I raised my Exomag up and quickly found the 30 and 40 yard dots in my scope, split the difference, and put that point on the bucks chest. I waited until he took another step to give me a clearer shot and when he did I pulled the trigger. It seemed like forever when the deer were in the brush but when they stepped into the clear it all happened very fast.
Anyway after the shot I watched the buck take a couple of quick steps, and walked around the big cedar where it stood next to the other buck. At this point I am not even sure I hit the buck. So I just watch and observed. The two bucks just walked away like nothing happened! They only walked about another 10 or 15 yards behind some bush on the woods edge. Now this is only about maybe 65-70 yards from my tree stand. While continuing to watch I could see (barely) the buck I didn't shoot at. It was just milling around and not going anywhere. Now I am thinking my buck went down and the other buck doesn't know what to do or where to go. But I figured I'll give it 30 minutes just to make sure. So I poured me a cup of coffee from my thermas and relaxed. After 30 minutes went by I decided it was time to go over and take a look. By the way the other buck was still hanging aroung. I lowered my bow down and quietly climbed down from my stand. Once on the ground I recocked my crossbow and loaded another bolt. Walked over to where the buck was standing to find my bolt which I didn't see nor any blood. No matter I'll walk over towards where I think it went down. As I get closer off goes the buck I didn't shoot. Now I am looking around for my deer and just as quickly up he jumps from a bed and starts running away. I noticed he was running a little crooked. He runs off and over the side of a hill we are on. I looked at the bed he was lying in and noted ther was some blood but definitly not a lot and was worried about what kind of hit I made. I started after him but noticed in the distance a house about 300 yards away. I changed my direction and worked my way to the left. Went 35 yards or so when my hunch paid off because ahead of me I could see a deer coming around up the hill. I snuck up closer where I could see it was my buck. I got down on my knee and watched. It was walking funny and then laid down. I knew it was hit hard. Tried using my range finder again but for some unknown reason it didn't work (checked later worked fine). Estimated at 40 yards and shot again not knowing how much life was still in it. Because of the way it was laying it glanced off the leg bone. It got up again and trotted off a short distance with me at a fast walk trying to keep up with it. Watched it go down again and rolled 20 feet down hill. It was still kicking though. I reloaded again and walked up slowly but by the time I got to it the buck had expired. When I checked my watch, just over an hour had past from when I shot untilled it died. Distance from where it was shot to where it bedded down something like less than 40 yards, and another 100 to 120 yard to where it died. If I didn't push it I think it would have died in it's bed. I don't think the buck knew it was hit judging by it's reaction.
Todd
Nice buck for sure. The one I got last year did something similar. After the shot he ran 100 yards and fell down. After 20 minutes he got up and walked away. I could tell he was hurtin. The buck went over a km to where it finally dropped. I didn't push the deer, but if I had of, I would have lost it. It's nice when you can see them go down, takes the guess work out of it.
I hunt for memories, the meat's a bonus!
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Todd the archer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:34 am
- Location: Sellersville, Pa.
Congrads from your family
Donna, Ashley and Jessica
Donna, Ashley and Jessica
Last edited by Todd the archer on Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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crazyfarmer
- Posts: 5250
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 10:21 pm
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you got lucky.. had he known he was hit he mighta kept getting it and with the little blood trail you mighta not have found him. Happens alot with bows.
what bheads were you using if I can ask? The one I shot I hit about 4 inches higher(he was closer than I thought). And he bleed like a stuck pig and dropped in 65-75yards. My bolt didnt exit though either so it kept cutting as he ran. It was also on a forward quarter angle so he went in at the top of his right shoulder and down through his lungs and stopped right at his bottom ribcage.
glad you found him and he probably would have layed down and died 40yards. But sometimes you never know. I always like to get down and find my arrow like you did and look for sign atleast. Then back out and come back 30min to a hour later, or more depending on the shot. If its a double lung, it shouldnt take more than 15-20mins at tops for him to die anyway
what bheads were you using if I can ask? The one I shot I hit about 4 inches higher(he was closer than I thought). And he bleed like a stuck pig and dropped in 65-75yards. My bolt didnt exit though either so it kept cutting as he ran. It was also on a forward quarter angle so he went in at the top of his right shoulder and down through his lungs and stopped right at his bottom ribcage.
glad you found him and he probably would have layed down and died 40yards. But sometimes you never know. I always like to get down and find my arrow like you did and look for sign atleast. Then back out and come back 30min to a hour later, or more depending on the shot. If its a double lung, it shouldnt take more than 15-20mins at tops for him to die anyway
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Todd the archer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:34 am
- Location: Sellersville, Pa.
Hey crazy farmer, I was using a Steelforce Hellfire broadhead. It is a four blade head that is 1 3/16" across and 3" long. It is the one with serated edges. I chose this head after seeing firsthand what a blood trail it left on a 5 point buck someone else with a simular set-up had shot last year.
My own theory is that cut-on-contact cause less of a startling effect on game than a punch through point causing them to react less after the hit. This seems to be the case in this instance.
More to the truth is that a good blood trail is more a matter of shot placement than broadhead design.
In my case the bolt went through the back of the lungs and exited just behind the ribcage.
Todd
My own theory is that cut-on-contact cause less of a startling effect on game than a punch through point causing them to react less after the hit. This seems to be the case in this instance.
More to the truth is that a good blood trail is more a matter of shot placement than broadhead design.
In my case the bolt went through the back of the lungs and exited just behind the ribcage.
Todd
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Doug the Slug
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 7:37 pm
- Location: Smiths Falls, Ontario
Congrats!
Congrats Todd: That is a dandy buck.
Doug
Doug