Well we had our fall break up here at Tech and while most people went down to Dallas for the Tech/Baylor game I was determined to get some meat for the freezer. As many of you know when I am not chasing deer I guide duck and other migratory bird hunts up here in Lubbock.
Well the guy I work for also offers a limited amount of deer hunts on a ranch just south of Lubbock in Justiceburg. We just got access to this piece of property this year and have been feeding since this summer and have seen numerous deer in the 140's and quite a two around 150". What we have noticed is there is no shortage of does and we have determined we need to take at least 30 does of this 2500 acre property.
Well Saturday evening we left Lubbock and made the 50 minute drive to the ranch. We checked trail cams and setup a few popups went back to the brand new house that was just built on the property, made a fire, grilled some steaks, and sat around the fire drinkin a few coldies.
Well 5:30 came alot quicker than I expected, but I was dressed and outta the door by 6:00 and in the blind by 6:15. I sat in the blind waiting and waiting for the feeder to go off but by 7:30 it still had not gone off and I thought the hunt was a bust. I had thrown some hand corn out to keep the deer from jumping into the feeder pen and preventing me from a clear shot.
At at 7:35 I look up and see two does walking out in front of towards the west about 80 yards out. Well at least I had seen a deer. Not two minutes later two more does came into the feeder from my east and over the next 10 minutes I had 15 does come into the feeder even though it had not gone off they were eating corn we had thrown out.
Well i sat there looking over does for about 15-20 minutes trying to find not necessarily the biggest but the oldest. Well finally I decided on the doe that looked the oldest I drew and had her at 23 yards from what I had walked off the evening before.
I squeezed the trigger and felt the feeling that all bowhunters live for, the perfect shot! I watched as the arrow blew through about 2 inches behind the shoulder and watched her run off and waited for her to fall, but she kept going, ducking through mesquite and cactus...surely she will fall.
I watched her run to just over 100 yards out with her tail between her legs, til I lost her in the brush. I gave it about 5 minutes and stepped out to grab my arrow and I was quickly worried. The arrow had very little blood and had some gut on it. I just did not understand til I replayed the shot through my mind, I did not let her put her leg forward it was back when I shot!
I was now kicking myself as I should know better with over ten years of strictly bowhunting, thinking that I had just made a dumb mistake that was gonna cause this doe to die a slow death and probably not be recovered. I sat in the blind for just under 2 hours and went to look for her. I looked a 30 yard half circle where i thought she originally ran and did not find one speck of blood, I was starting to get sick to my stomach.
I looked ahead and noticed a road about 80 yards from my blind that she had to have crossed so I walked up to it and walked it, knowing she had to have crossed the road and surely it would be easier to find blood on the dirt and rock than in the grass I was looking in prior to that. Immediately I found blood and started tracking.
I followed it for about 40 yards finding spots where she had to have stopped to try and catch her breath and I was confident I had caught at least on lung from the color of the blood and bubbles in it. After 10 more yards I lost it. I decided to walk 100 yards past and zig zag my way back to the last blood, so I took off. When I was within 15 yards of the last blood I stopped to drink some water cause it was getting hot and trying to decide what my next plan of action would be.
I looked directly down to my right at a bush and noticed the bag leg of a deer sticking out, I literally had almost stepped on her she had made it about 135 yards fro the original shot, but I could not be more happy with the recovery as I truly had to work for it. The entry was like i said and inch and a half to two inches behind the shoulder, when the leg was in the back position, i did however catch the opposite lung
If anybody is looking for a quick cheap doe hunt around Lubbock let me know as my boss has plenty of em...
Well the guy I work for also offers a limited amount of deer hunts on a ranch just south of Lubbock in Justiceburg. We just got access to this piece of property this year and have been feeding since this summer and have seen numerous deer in the 140's and quite a two around 150". What we have noticed is there is no shortage of does and we have determined we need to take at least 30 does of this 2500 acre property.
Well Saturday evening we left Lubbock and made the 50 minute drive to the ranch. We checked trail cams and setup a few popups went back to the brand new house that was just built on the property, made a fire, grilled some steaks, and sat around the fire drinkin a few coldies.
Well 5:30 came alot quicker than I expected, but I was dressed and outta the door by 6:00 and in the blind by 6:15. I sat in the blind waiting and waiting for the feeder to go off but by 7:30 it still had not gone off and I thought the hunt was a bust. I had thrown some hand corn out to keep the deer from jumping into the feeder pen and preventing me from a clear shot.
At at 7:35 I look up and see two does walking out in front of towards the west about 80 yards out. Well at least I had seen a deer. Not two minutes later two more does came into the feeder from my east and over the next 10 minutes I had 15 does come into the feeder even though it had not gone off they were eating corn we had thrown out.
Well i sat there looking over does for about 15-20 minutes trying to find not necessarily the biggest but the oldest. Well finally I decided on the doe that looked the oldest I drew and had her at 23 yards from what I had walked off the evening before.
I squeezed the trigger and felt the feeling that all bowhunters live for, the perfect shot! I watched as the arrow blew through about 2 inches behind the shoulder and watched her run off and waited for her to fall, but she kept going, ducking through mesquite and cactus...surely she will fall.
I watched her run to just over 100 yards out with her tail between her legs, til I lost her in the brush. I gave it about 5 minutes and stepped out to grab my arrow and I was quickly worried. The arrow had very little blood and had some gut on it. I just did not understand til I replayed the shot through my mind, I did not let her put her leg forward it was back when I shot!
I was now kicking myself as I should know better with over ten years of strictly bowhunting, thinking that I had just made a dumb mistake that was gonna cause this doe to die a slow death and probably not be recovered. I sat in the blind for just under 2 hours and went to look for her. I looked a 30 yard half circle where i thought she originally ran and did not find one speck of blood, I was starting to get sick to my stomach.
I looked ahead and noticed a road about 80 yards from my blind that she had to have crossed so I walked up to it and walked it, knowing she had to have crossed the road and surely it would be easier to find blood on the dirt and rock than in the grass I was looking in prior to that. Immediately I found blood and started tracking.
I followed it for about 40 yards finding spots where she had to have stopped to try and catch her breath and I was confident I had caught at least on lung from the color of the blood and bubbles in it. After 10 more yards I lost it. I decided to walk 100 yards past and zig zag my way back to the last blood, so I took off. When I was within 15 yards of the last blood I stopped to drink some water cause it was getting hot and trying to decide what my next plan of action would be.
I looked directly down to my right at a bush and noticed the bag leg of a deer sticking out, I literally had almost stepped on her she had made it about 135 yards fro the original shot, but I could not be more happy with the recovery as I truly had to work for it. The entry was like i said and inch and a half to two inches behind the shoulder, when the leg was in the back position, i did however catch the opposite lung
If anybody is looking for a quick cheap doe hunt around Lubbock let me know as my boss has plenty of em...
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