oldsmellhound

Hey everyone,

This should be in the bow or crossbow forum, but I don't post there, so I thought I'd post on my recent deer harvest. Unfortunately it wasn't with a muzzy, but that season doesn't start for almost 2 more months, so I feel I should be pardoned for my sin of using an inferior weapon.

I went back to Ohio to get a couple of days in bow hunting early season. The first afternoon I was out, I was enjoying myself 20 feet up on a very nice early fall day:





I hadn't been up there more than 30 minutes when this youngster shows up:




It originally showed up 5 feet from my tree and I got ready to shoot. However, upon further examination I saw that it was a very young and small deer, so I decided to pass on it. So I watched it eat acorns for 20 minutes or so until the next deer showed up:



Now this one was even smaller than the first which got me second guessing myself - "Maybe I should have shot that first one.... I only have 4 or 5 days of deer hunting each year..."

But less than an hour after I saw these deer, I saw a buck in the brush about 60 yards away. It just was standing there for the longest time, looking my way. Eventually it meandered on down towards me and presented me with a 15 yard shot.





At the shot, it wheeled around and took off in a stumbling run. I knew I had hit it good, because I could actually see blood shooting from its chest as it ran. It made it about 50 yards and I saw it crash less than 10 seconds after I shot it.

Not the biggest buck I've gotten, and certainly not a wall-hanger, but I got a lot of good meat out of it, and it was a mighty fine hunt.

Now I'm just pumped to get one with my muzzy in December!

Semisane

Way to go StinkyDog!

wildeboer

Nicely done, I prefer meat above horns myself.

cayugad

As my father used to say... I boiled then horns for over two hours to tenderize them and they still are not fit to eat... Nice deer. Congratulation on your buck!!

Did you get a pass through with that bolt? Also what is your "effective" range with that weapon? I hurt my shoulders bad a few years back and can not pull my bow anymore, silently or without a lot of fan fair. I thought I would ask the doctor if I could have a cross bow permit (yes we need doctors permission to use a cross bow, or at least used to.. never know, they change the laws every year) and then get back to bow hunting. I miss fall days hunting.

oldsmellhound

I agree completely- can't eat the the horns. I am pretty much just a meat hunter (though I wouldn't pass up a chance at a nice buck).

I did get a pass-thru- it was a quartering-to shot, arrow entered at the junction where the neck meets the chest, passed through the chest cavity diagonally and exited right behind the front off-side leg. I have almost always gotten pass-thrus with a crossbow.

In Ohio crossbows have been legal for regular bow season for a very long time, and many people use them. I use them mostly because I don't have easy access to a bow range to practice with a regular compound. A crossbow takes very little practice each year to stay good with.

To answer your question, a crossbow's range is about the same as a compound. I prefer as close as possible. Crossbows are pretty loud, so you run into problems with deer jumping the string at longer ranges, especially if they are on edge. All the deer that I have taken were 25 yards or less. I did take a 35 yard shot at a nice buck one year, but misjudged the range and shot under him. I also took a turkey at 37 yards with the x-bow, but I rather suspect the hand of God guided that arrow to hit the mark.

I also love bow season in the early fall- it's such a nice time to be out in the woods.

mackesr

Congrats on the buck with your Xbow and thanks for the nice pictures to go with the story. I will be up in my tree stand tomorrow morning for the first time this year with my tenpoint and cannot wait. The temps are supposed to be nice and cool for this time of year in Va.

cayugad

Its Cold!! and a very strong wind coming off Lake Superior today here. Chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. Would probably be lake effect snow. So there is no telling how much of that comes across the big lake. The deer were moving today for a change. I took a very SHORT walk in my woods and saw one nice doe. The problem was it was on my way back to the house. As I approached the trail that leads to my yard, (actually my shooting range) she was standing in the yard eating the lawn. Oh well.. its hunting season. That's all that's important.

sabotloader

oldsmellhound

Alright!!! thanks a ton for sharing...

I have a real problem though... my son-in-law is also a bow hunter... not a xbow but what ever the other kind is that has the wheels and thing.... Well any way he practices a lot at his farm he has a couple of big bales of hay he shoots into... I tried a couple of weeks ago - I did hit the top bale and the arrow stopped - but the target was on the lower bale...
I have that same problem with pistols... I am an area shooter...

bronko22000

A trophy is in the eyes of the individual. Nice deer. I would have taken him as well.
Congratulations.

Dutch

Yep that looks like a perfect day in the deer woods. Congrats!