Well I finally got the monkey off my back. After drawing on a mature 8pt last year and not getting a shot through my shooting lane, I was able to get it done early this year with a doe. This was in Dewitt county. So I wanted to take a doe for my uncle since they are only legal during bow season here and no one else there bow hunts. Not a better way to get my first! Stalking her through the brush...
I knew I had some does coming to a certain feeder so I sat up there Saturday morning. Had 3 come in. 2 of which each had a fawn (still had spots) and one with knubbin buck. But I couldn't make my mind up to take her because I saw she still had milk and I could hear a buck grunting in the brush for about 30 minutes. I was hoping he would show himself but he didn't. He had a nice low grunt too. So by the time I decide to take her I can't get a shot because of the little ones eating behind or in front of her. So I leave the stand empty handed and mad at myself. I get back to the cabin at 10am and change out of my camo and into some shorts and Tshirt. I didnt want to get my camo sweaty and smelly.
I'm not there 5 minutes and the does come out 75 yards from the house grazing! I grab my bow and tell my brother I am going to try and stalk her. So I take a step slowly every time all their heads are down. And I work behind some brush helping cover my shorts and tennis shoes. I get about 20yds from her, as seen in the first pic, but that edge of the brush is still between us. Before I can move 2 more feet to my right she gets whiff of me and eases into the brush with the others. Doesn't spook though. So I decide to go back left and cut her off. I'm duck walking through the brush slowly so I can keep an eye on them. Seems like it took 30 minutes. My legs were burning! Then they start easing back to the right. The whole time eating while walking slowly. So I find a cattle trail with a little tunnel cleared through the thick brush. I decided that would be my shooting lane. She was headed straight for it while eating.
So I draw back and hold....and hold....for about 2 minutes. Then she finally steps in the trail. The shooting lane is only about 4ft high. So I'm still squatting and this is how I shoot. I guess her to be about 30yds away (I don't own a rangefinder) and turns out I was about right. Drilled her right through the ribs and lungs. Ran 50yds and was dead within 10-15 minutes
I also had to find her almost entirely based on the fact that I saw where she ran. There was nearly no blood trail. A few spots where I shot her. Arrow was complete pass through with good red blood on it. But she was quartering more than I realized and I entered in the rib and exited far back. I'm guess the guts pressed against the exit wound preventing a blood trail? When I opened her up her chest was FULL of blood. She just didn't leak any. And I mean any!. I found two splots where She stood when I shot then a single splot 40 yds away on a road. Then I saw her dead from there. And I'm no newby to a blood trail. I can track well and get after it when I do. Was using the Razor Trick it had great penetration and wasn't dinged up at all! Get another hunt out of it for sure.
I knew I had some does coming to a certain feeder so I sat up there Saturday morning. Had 3 come in. 2 of which each had a fawn (still had spots) and one with knubbin buck. But I couldn't make my mind up to take her because I saw she still had milk and I could hear a buck grunting in the brush for about 30 minutes. I was hoping he would show himself but he didn't. He had a nice low grunt too. So by the time I decide to take her I can't get a shot because of the little ones eating behind or in front of her. So I leave the stand empty handed and mad at myself. I get back to the cabin at 10am and change out of my camo and into some shorts and Tshirt. I didnt want to get my camo sweaty and smelly.
I'm not there 5 minutes and the does come out 75 yards from the house grazing! I grab my bow and tell my brother I am going to try and stalk her. So I take a step slowly every time all their heads are down. And I work behind some brush helping cover my shorts and tennis shoes. I get about 20yds from her, as seen in the first pic, but that edge of the brush is still between us. Before I can move 2 more feet to my right she gets whiff of me and eases into the brush with the others. Doesn't spook though. So I decide to go back left and cut her off. I'm duck walking through the brush slowly so I can keep an eye on them. Seems like it took 30 minutes. My legs were burning! Then they start easing back to the right. The whole time eating while walking slowly. So I find a cattle trail with a little tunnel cleared through the thick brush. I decided that would be my shooting lane. She was headed straight for it while eating.
So I draw back and hold....and hold....for about 2 minutes. Then she finally steps in the trail. The shooting lane is only about 4ft high. So I'm still squatting and this is how I shoot. I guess her to be about 30yds away (I don't own a rangefinder) and turns out I was about right. Drilled her right through the ribs and lungs. Ran 50yds and was dead within 10-15 minutes
I also had to find her almost entirely based on the fact that I saw where she ran. There was nearly no blood trail. A few spots where I shot her. Arrow was complete pass through with good red blood on it. But she was quartering more than I realized and I entered in the rib and exited far back. I'm guess the guts pressed against the exit wound preventing a blood trail? When I opened her up her chest was FULL of blood. She just didn't leak any. And I mean any!. I found two splots where She stood when I shot then a single splot 40 yds away on a road. Then I saw her dead from there. And I'm no newby to a blood trail. I can track well and get after it when I do. Was using the Razor Trick it had great penetration and wasn't dinged up at all! Get another hunt out of it for sure.
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