dpv

I got lucky Sunday evening. I sat over a Doe and two fawn last week. One of the fawn busted me as I was watching them....It's a funny thing to see a fawn stomp. This weekend it rained all day Saturday, so Sunday morning I set up a blind in a hollow. I was in a small stand of oaks next to a recently cleared field. It was pretty windy Sunday so I was glad to be in the blind. I hunted 2 hours in the morning and spent the day working on a few projects and slipped back into the blind an hour before sunset. Around 635 I heard something and started craning my neck to see. Finally caught sight of what I first thought was a large doe....then realized it was a buck... I didn't have a shot and it turned around and hung in a blind spot so I couldn't get shot off on it. It was a 4 pointer hanging around a spike. The spike came 10 yds from me presenting a perfect broad side shot. I just tried to be motionless and not run them off. The spike turned and walked away for a few feet. His tail was twitchy but I didn't see the flag. A small branch fell behind me and both deer took off toward the field. I figured that was it and sat there trying to get a better look at them. They were hanging out at the edge of the woodline. after about 10 minutes, they turned around and came back down. I waited as the spike crossed in front of me....when the 4 point crossed in front of me, presenting a perfect broadside, I double lunged him with my crossbow. Distance was about 17 yds. I knew I hit him because it sounded like swinging a bat against a cardboard box. He ran about 30 yds then stopped....took one more hop over a log and I heard a crash. No more noise from him, but the spike ran in that direction and walked around for a while....like he had no idea what to do on his own. I waited 30 minutes before leaving the blind...by then it was pretty dark. It's no monster buck but it's meat and he sure was heavy dragging out.....but I might be getting a little older.
I will probably hold off on bucks unless they are bigger, the rest of the season....does will have to fill the freezer.

huntnmachine

Nice looking deer and great shot placement

turkey harvester

Way to go. A deer is a deer

Champlain Islander

Good going and a nice eating sized deer.

BrushyPines

Congrats bud! Meat is meat!

Champlain Islander

My brother shot a similar 4pt tonight in Virginia. Good eats for all.

dpv

I was hoping for a nice fat doe, but I'll take what I can get. I know there are a few really nice bucks out where I hunt. I have a few pictures of them on my game cams from last year, and I found a 5 point shed antler. I had about 25 acres logged this year so I have taken away a lot of the hunting habitat. That changes things dramatically. The deer still love to come thru the areas I have cleared, and I have been trying to grow a food plot but it's mostly just debris. I kept the stand of oaks where this guy was shot, and some other larger wooded areas. Eventually I will have plenty of food plot established for the deer to be drawn in, as well as an orchard. But right now, It's the oak trees and the acorns that I am working.