Thread: Opening day...not a monster but...

Well things were looking grim for the opener for me. It was HOT. My knock loop broke during midday practice. My arrows were eradic (rest had loosened and moved). So here it was 4:00 and Im getting my bow tuned again and sighting it back in....planning to shoot Magnus Stingers. Well I got it sited in with field points and had some NAP 100gr 3 blade Spit Fires, screwed them in, knowing from past experience that they flew field point true. Got home, showered, got to the stand at 5:30.

Forgot my mesh gloves, so the no-see-ums, which generally go through my mesh gloves anyway, ate me up, as did the mosquitos, b/c I didnt have a thermocell with me.

Hunted a area in a cutover near a creek crossing. The cutover was 3y/o and THICK. Caught a glimpse of a deer moving away from me up through the brush on the other side of the creek at about 7pm. Well about 7:50 I see two, what I thought were fawns coming towards me at 30yds and closing. Having only killed one other deer with a bow, I wanted to shoot, but something told me to hold off because these deer looked small. A couple minutes later, with the two does under me, a smallish 5-6pt buck with a 8-10" spread come out. Well knowing Ive only killed one deer with my bow prior, and I hunt in the middle of 30acre tract "its brown its down country" I decided to shoot. He was coming straight towards me, when him and the does put their head down. I drew back and he turned and I got him stopped. Aimed and shot. Longer story, long, but not as long as it COULD be lol....I couldnt find the arrow. Went back and got help and better lights and came back and found a blotch of blood. It was spotting, maybe a couple splatters or smears for 2 or 3 feet then nothing for 10yds or so. Luckily it was thick enough (odd I should say that) that we could see broken brush and sort of filled in the gaps like that until he got to the creek where it opened up and lost sign. The last blood was like 15 yards from the creek. I found some disturbed looking tracks at the crossing and found blood. 10yds away I found a 150-160lb 14.5" 8 pointer. Total distance he went was about 50yds. The arrow lodged in him and he was at a sharper angle than what I thought. I would have sworn up and down he was broad side, but apparently he was angled sharply towards me. Gut shot. I got really lucky that he didnt go further than he did. Thank the Lord. Not a monster but good for the area I hunt. Ive shot a 7 pointer with a gun that had a larger rack, but body wasnt as big. Sorry for the long post but Im excited as its one of my larger deer, 2nd with a bow

nice! congratz

Great job!!!!

Good job Treed.I dont know many guys that would have passed up that one even with a gun.I enjoyed reading the "long" post.Nice pictures too,thanks for sharing.Now thats a way to start off your season!

Nice

nice deer and good job treed....as you kill more bucks..you will be driven by wanting one a little bit bigger each year. That is a trophy for bow hunting, again good job.

Congrats, I'm hoping to go in the morning.
Mike

Take a kid outdoors!

good looking deer congrats!

Nice buck, congratulations.

Good job, good post, good pics, and last but not least GOOD DEER! Congratulations!:D