I had pictures of this buck at this particular setup only a couple of times but for some reason I really felt I would get a chance at him. On Saturday my optimism was rewarded. He came in exactly like I expected. He messed around outside the pen for about 10 minutes and then finally went in. This feeder is an old on time feeder that I have probably had for 20 years and it really does not throw corn very far. About 80% of it lands in about a 5 foot circl right under the feeder, but this setup has some narrow shooting lanes so it works out. Anyway the buck came in and walks to the middle of the pen, right where I need him. Something catches his attention back to the east and when he loks that way I draw and anchor. He then turns back and take 3 steps forward....great now the leg of the feeder is in the way. Keep holding and he finally takes about 3 more steps. I pick my spot and send the arrow. At this point eveything has been perfect. The buck jumps out of the pen and travels about 40 yards and stops. My vision is limited in that direction but I am looking though leaves waiting for him to fall, but he just humps up in the back and slowly walks off....
Now I know what that means and I am telling my self that there is no f'ing way I gut shot this deer. I wait for about 15 minutes and slowly starts down the ladder to my tripod. Just as my foot hits the ground I see him about 75 yards off jump up. He takes 1 or 2 jumps and then slows to a walk. I laid on the ground until he went over a little rise. I then crawl over the the pen/arrow and sure enough very little blood, fat, and a slight gut smell....
Now I am sick. I cannot figure out how this happened. I know anyone can make a bad shot, but I have bow hunted a long time and this is just something that I do very often. Especially when everythinf felt perfect. I get back in my tripod and beat the hell out of myself for the next hour or so. I then start to reenact the shot. This particular stand is behind a tree trunk. When you are sitting back in the seat you can see the pen but you have to slide forward in the seat to shoot. When I shoot the deer I had looked though my peep and though my site from the time the deer was in the middle of the pen until I shot him. I am left eye'ed and shoot right handed so I shut my left eye. When I picked up my bow, slid forward and looked where the buck was I saw the limb, really more of a twig. I was sick. I figured I had clipped it on the way by. I snapped a picture to show my buddy's how stupid I could be.
Back at camp I put the picture on my laptop. On the bigger screen you caould see where the bark was knocked off of it. The only smart thing that I did was to back out and not look for my buck. It made for a long night.....
Went back the next morning and apparently when the buck had crossed the little rise he laid back down and never moved again. The shot was not as bas as it could hav been. It hit a little low right behind the front leg but somehow angled back towards the stomach. So either the back was quarting to me some even though I thought he was broadside or the arrow just did something crazy. Not completely sure which. I put a real quick score and he was just a little over 133. I will get a thinner tape measure and do a little better job on him sometime this week. Weirdest thing about him is his right beam was over 21 inches long but his left was only 18 1/2. Never had one with that big of a difference in beam length before.
-john
Now I know what that means and I am telling my self that there is no f'ing way I gut shot this deer. I wait for about 15 minutes and slowly starts down the ladder to my tripod. Just as my foot hits the ground I see him about 75 yards off jump up. He takes 1 or 2 jumps and then slows to a walk. I laid on the ground until he went over a little rise. I then crawl over the the pen/arrow and sure enough very little blood, fat, and a slight gut smell....
Now I am sick. I cannot figure out how this happened. I know anyone can make a bad shot, but I have bow hunted a long time and this is just something that I do very often. Especially when everythinf felt perfect. I get back in my tripod and beat the hell out of myself for the next hour or so. I then start to reenact the shot. This particular stand is behind a tree trunk. When you are sitting back in the seat you can see the pen but you have to slide forward in the seat to shoot. When I shoot the deer I had looked though my peep and though my site from the time the deer was in the middle of the pen until I shot him. I am left eye'ed and shoot right handed so I shut my left eye. When I picked up my bow, slid forward and looked where the buck was I saw the limb, really more of a twig. I was sick. I figured I had clipped it on the way by. I snapped a picture to show my buddy's how stupid I could be.
Back at camp I put the picture on my laptop. On the bigger screen you caould see where the bark was knocked off of it. The only smart thing that I did was to back out and not look for my buck. It made for a long night.....
Went back the next morning and apparently when the buck had crossed the little rise he laid back down and never moved again. The shot was not as bas as it could hav been. It hit a little low right behind the front leg but somehow angled back towards the stomach. So either the back was quarting to me some even though I thought he was broadside or the arrow just did something crazy. Not completely sure which. I put a real quick score and he was just a little over 133. I will get a thinner tape measure and do a little better job on him sometime this week. Weirdest thing about him is his right beam was over 21 inches long but his left was only 18 1/2. Never had one with that big of a difference in beam length before.
-john
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