Some of you might have seen the pictures of the buck I got earlier this month but I did want to do a recap on my hunting trip.
http://discussions.texasbowhunter.co...d.php?t=426698
First off, I'm on a lease between Comfort & Fredericksburg. The lease is 2400ac but is only set up for gun hunting (Lease Rules). They don't mind me bow hunting, I just can't set up a stand location. Community stands and all stands & feeders are established. But on the bright side most of the lease is not hunted or traveled. I have put my time in scouting and have found several location where I hunt tanks, trails, and funnels. Just before season started I found a new location next to creek between 2 ridges about 600 yards from feeder & stand. I found a spot where about 4 trails crossed. There was about 40 scrapes & rubs in the area. I threw out some hand corn & put my camera up. I check the camera 2 day later and I had about 20-30 different bucks on camera but no does. I hunted the location early in the season and saw a lot of deer in the area but none of my target bucks came into bow range. As the Rut started, I saw fewer & fewer deer.
I showed up a lease & went put some hand corn out at my locations. I decided to sit my "Honey Hole" because the wind was right and I knew those bigger bucks were still traveling the area. I sit Thur. Evening, Friday morning and Friday Evening and didn't see one deer even out of bow range. I checked my camera and I had a few buck come through after shooting light & middle of day. So Saturday morning I decided to give the spot a rest and go after a doe or Axis. About 8:30am I had this doe come out and give me a shot. She was at 23 yards broadside. I drew back and she moved a little and coverd up my shot. I held back for about a minute until se moved forward quartering away. I release & saw my arrow pass through her. I watch her run about 50 yards, fall and didn't move again. I had been using Rage & Rage Hypo, but I wasn't to impress with the blades on the Rage Hypo(but that is a different story). So I decided to try the Slick Trick 100gr Mag. I got down & went to check out my arrow, I had good blood on arrow but no blood on ground. Luckily I knew she was laying about 50 yards away. I walked over to where she was laying and it looked like someone dropped a gallon of red paint. The exit hole blew right through the shoulder blade. I still don't know why I didn't have a blood trail but the Slick Trick did its job and I'm now a true believer.
I decided to hunt a few more of my areas to no avail, but my Honey Hole was calling my name, so I decided to go back Sunday evening. I generally park about 600 yards away but I decided to park even further and walked about 1000 yards in. I ran off a few deer & huge Axis walking in. I got situated about 2:30 and ready for a long sit. At 4:15 I had a few small bucks pass through, then a decent 8pt. I watch the 8 pt for about 20 minutes. I was second guessing myself passing on him, because he still would have been my best buck. He leaves and it's getting darker and I'm cussing myself for letting the 8pt walk through. At 5:30 I have movement from the trail to my right. I look up and see one of my target bucks about 25 yards away. He walked right down the trail into my shooting lane and started eating some hand corn at 28 yards away. I drew back and settle my pin on the v. Right before I released, he looked up at me. I released and see my red nocturnal go through him and stick into a big tree behind him. I watch him run down the trail about 70 yards & disappear, I heard a crash about 2 or 3 secs. after I lost sight of him. I wait about 20 minutes & climb down. I pull the arrow out of tree but I notice I had very little blood on arrow & ground. Remembering everything I had read on TBH I backed out and walk the 1000 yards back to truck. I set my camera on video, so I was hoping I got the shot on camera. I got back to camp and get out the video but it didn't get the shot. It did get me pulling the arrow out of the tree. I thought to myself that the arrow might be a little low in the tree for where the buck was standing.
About 3 hours passed and I decided to go look for blood up to the area I heard the crash. We found blood at the shot and small drops exactly where I saw him run, we finally loose the trail right were I heard the crash. We looked around the area and found him another 20 yards up the trail where it crossed a dry creek. It was one of the greatest feeling of my life. He had been dead for sometime because he was stiff as a board. To my surprise, my shot was high & back but I still manage to get the top of his lungs. It was surprising because of the arrows location the tree. All I can think, is he was dropping to start to run when he heard the arrow. I'm not to proud of the shot but I am proud that of this buck. I'm proud that I stuck to my guns "Bowhunting" a took my buck. Everyone on the lease was telling me I had no chance to get a buck with my bow because I didn't hunt the feeders & they would stay out of my range. I also really enjoy that I didn't hunt feeder all year. I keep telling the guys on the lease the scenery that they are missing hunting the feeders only. Sorry for the long read but I'm still pumped about the hunting trip.
http://discussions.texasbowhunter.co...d.php?t=426698
First off, I'm on a lease between Comfort & Fredericksburg. The lease is 2400ac but is only set up for gun hunting (Lease Rules). They don't mind me bow hunting, I just can't set up a stand location. Community stands and all stands & feeders are established. But on the bright side most of the lease is not hunted or traveled. I have put my time in scouting and have found several location where I hunt tanks, trails, and funnels. Just before season started I found a new location next to creek between 2 ridges about 600 yards from feeder & stand. I found a spot where about 4 trails crossed. There was about 40 scrapes & rubs in the area. I threw out some hand corn & put my camera up. I check the camera 2 day later and I had about 20-30 different bucks on camera but no does. I hunted the location early in the season and saw a lot of deer in the area but none of my target bucks came into bow range. As the Rut started, I saw fewer & fewer deer.
I showed up a lease & went put some hand corn out at my locations. I decided to sit my "Honey Hole" because the wind was right and I knew those bigger bucks were still traveling the area. I sit Thur. Evening, Friday morning and Friday Evening and didn't see one deer even out of bow range. I checked my camera and I had a few buck come through after shooting light & middle of day. So Saturday morning I decided to give the spot a rest and go after a doe or Axis. About 8:30am I had this doe come out and give me a shot. She was at 23 yards broadside. I drew back and she moved a little and coverd up my shot. I held back for about a minute until se moved forward quartering away. I release & saw my arrow pass through her. I watch her run about 50 yards, fall and didn't move again. I had been using Rage & Rage Hypo, but I wasn't to impress with the blades on the Rage Hypo(but that is a different story). So I decided to try the Slick Trick 100gr Mag. I got down & went to check out my arrow, I had good blood on arrow but no blood on ground. Luckily I knew she was laying about 50 yards away. I walked over to where she was laying and it looked like someone dropped a gallon of red paint. The exit hole blew right through the shoulder blade. I still don't know why I didn't have a blood trail but the Slick Trick did its job and I'm now a true believer.
I decided to hunt a few more of my areas to no avail, but my Honey Hole was calling my name, so I decided to go back Sunday evening. I generally park about 600 yards away but I decided to park even further and walked about 1000 yards in. I ran off a few deer & huge Axis walking in. I got situated about 2:30 and ready for a long sit. At 4:15 I had a few small bucks pass through, then a decent 8pt. I watch the 8 pt for about 20 minutes. I was second guessing myself passing on him, because he still would have been my best buck. He leaves and it's getting darker and I'm cussing myself for letting the 8pt walk through. At 5:30 I have movement from the trail to my right. I look up and see one of my target bucks about 25 yards away. He walked right down the trail into my shooting lane and started eating some hand corn at 28 yards away. I drew back and settle my pin on the v. Right before I released, he looked up at me. I released and see my red nocturnal go through him and stick into a big tree behind him. I watch him run down the trail about 70 yards & disappear, I heard a crash about 2 or 3 secs. after I lost sight of him. I wait about 20 minutes & climb down. I pull the arrow out of tree but I notice I had very little blood on arrow & ground. Remembering everything I had read on TBH I backed out and walk the 1000 yards back to truck. I set my camera on video, so I was hoping I got the shot on camera. I got back to camp and get out the video but it didn't get the shot. It did get me pulling the arrow out of the tree. I thought to myself that the arrow might be a little low in the tree for where the buck was standing.
About 3 hours passed and I decided to go look for blood up to the area I heard the crash. We found blood at the shot and small drops exactly where I saw him run, we finally loose the trail right were I heard the crash. We looked around the area and found him another 20 yards up the trail where it crossed a dry creek. It was one of the greatest feeling of my life. He had been dead for sometime because he was stiff as a board. To my surprise, my shot was high & back but I still manage to get the top of his lungs. It was surprising because of the arrows location the tree. All I can think, is he was dropping to start to run when he heard the arrow. I'm not to proud of the shot but I am proud that of this buck. I'm proud that I stuck to my guns "Bowhunting" a took my buck. Everyone on the lease was telling me I had no chance to get a buck with my bow because I didn't hunt the feeders & they would stay out of my range. I also really enjoy that I didn't hunt feeder all year. I keep telling the guys on the lease the scenery that they are missing hunting the feeders only. Sorry for the long read but I'm still pumped about the hunting trip.
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