Well I would like to start by thanking Steve Shedd for his support in this one. Things turned out much better than expected. Saturday evening started off with my first miss. I had drawn on a doe 5 times that was very spooky to my throw corn. I took a shot at her at about 9 yards and she ducked the arrow! I guess with Trad equipment you have to aim lower than usual since the arrows move slower and the deer have more time to react?? Not sure but I am leaning towards this explanation. I had another doe present a shot and I thought the arrow hit its mark but a little high. I went to check for blood and the arrow and I found stomach bile and a piece of intestine. My heart sank. Due to my better judgement I walked around more than I should have looking for more sign. I went back to the house and called Steve. I was beside myself thinking about the animal out there gut shot and still alive. Steve reaffirmed that I probably shouldn't have walked around after finding the gut shot evidence and might have pushed the animal. I knew all this information but this experience really drove it home. I had all the negative thoughts running through my head thinking I should have stayed home and went to the Bob B-Day Sarrels party, never taken the shot, shot lower, sell my bow, etc. I didn't hunt in the morning and took my dog with me to the last sign found. I found the arrow about 40 yards behind where I hit her and it had blood on the feathers! We did a grid search and after about 45 minutes I was fixing to give up and admit defeat. There was no blood to be found. All the sudden my dog began to perk up and pull hard so I followed her one last time. She was much more focused and intense this time than earlier. Then all the sudden Bam she took me right to the deer. The deer had made it about 250yards. The doe was stiff as a board and had its rear end eaten by the coyotes. I saw the intestines still hanging out one side and then turned her over to find the entrance hole high in the lungs. Thanks to my best friend Molly (my dog) and Steve for convincing me to not give up I was able to find the deer and confirm that there was not a wounded animal out there I was responsible for. I apologize for the lousy pics but all I had was my phone to take them. Also, yes the doe was small but my dog is a Brazilan Mastiff and makes most hill country deer look small!
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Congrats on finding her....Peace of mind is great. -
Way to stick with it Bobby. I was standing next to Steve when you called him at the party. He said you were pretty bummed out ( as I would be) about it. Glad you found her.
BischComment
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Thanks for the support Bish. I will keep hammering away at this Trad thing!Comment
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Stick to it and learn from things you have done in the past and dont do it again when its not right.Most people cant admit when they do the wrong thing.Sounds like you are not that guy and on the road to being a good trad hunter best of luck and never give up. SAMComment
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congratsComment
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congrats man, Good dog!Comment
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