HuntingNet.com Forums - My First AR Buck and 1st Bowkill!!

Well, this past friday, I got to my stand at 6:50 am and put up my strap on steps. When i got back down to the base of my tree to hook up my bow, muzzleloader, and pack, I heard a deer snorting at me about 90 yds away or so. I went ahead and climbed up and got situated. As soon as daylight broke, I had 4 deer heading my way, 3 does, and a Buck. However, I didn't have enough time to tell what the buck was, before he disappeard into a cedar thicket. I took out my can, and gave 3 estrous bleats. About 10 minutes later, this buck came right back on a string! I don't know if he was just checking out his turf, or looking for a hot doe, but he came right to me. I picked up my bow, and shot him pretty far back, as he walked under my stand, and wasn't presenting the best angle. I got his spine, liver, and the back of his lungs with my arrow, and he only went about 20 yards before he crased. I think i also got his femoral artery, based on the amount of brigth red blood that followed the hit. Anyways, after watching him for 10 minutes, he still wasn't dead, and If i would have been a little more patient, i am pretty sure he would have bled out looking at the wound, but this was my first arkansas buck, and my first bowkill at that! So i got my muzzleloader and finished him off (hit him high in the shoulder, and it went down into vitals). Again, I know i got too excited and SHOULD have waited for a better shot presentation, but i just wasn't thinking right i guess [:o]. But i didn't have to track him :). A local warden told me to check it as an archery kill, because upon inspection of where the arrow hit, he said it was a fatal shot, and no different than walking up to him and slitting his throat.

He dressed at 115 lbs, so we estimated about 150 lbs. live weight. He is a mainframe 8 pt, but has 10 legal points with three kickers on his left side, one 1.25", one 1.5", and the other is only .8", so only 10 true points. He had an inside spread of 15".