I watched my buddy score!
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: NH
Posts: 854
I watched my buddy score!
Actually, I've watched my two best friends get their first archery deer this year. I got pictures of Derek's hunt.
This was Derek's third hunt, 1st from a tree stand. He hadn't seen a deer his first two times out, so I told him I'd take him to my honey hole (same spot where I connected and watched my buddy Bill take his first) where he could smoke a doe.
He got into stand and I picked a tree 10 yards from him and then I proceeded to climb up to 30', he was probably at 18'. We weren't there a half hour when a fawn came in. 5 minutes later a mature doe followed the pup in. Derek looked my way and I mouthed "shoot her". I felt a little uneasy about that, because this doe is "white ears", she is 2.5 years old now, I've been watching her and if I ever take her, she has a spot on my wall. She has two large distinctive white splotches on the backs of her ears.
He drew back on the doe, but never offered him the shot. He held the bow at full draw for a couple minutes before he had to let it down. I was proud of him for not just sending an arrow at her. They milled around for a bit and started to walk off. The big doe was quartering away perfectly (for me) as she was walking off. I grunted and she stopped but didn't offer him a good shot he was comfortable with, again he held at full draw for about a minute. They left and came at us from the front. By this point it was sunset and the light was starting to fade. The fawn came in and gave him a nice broadside shot opportunity at 15 yards and he took the shot.
It looked good, we found blood after a brief search. We left and came back a couple hours later. We tracked a vary sparse blood trail for an hour or so until I almost stepped on it as it tried to run away, but couldn't get up. The shot hit a little far back and hit the liver (even though we never found dark blood). I knelt down beside the deer and petted it and tried to make it somewhat comfortable before I dispatched it.
Very cool hunt.
Here is the fawn and 'white ears' when they first came in.
This is after the shot, when I said to him "Derek, you just killed your first deer, how do you feel"...he was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane!!
This is Derek after the recovery...
Sorry about the size of the pics, haven't figured out how to resize them yet!!
This was Derek's third hunt, 1st from a tree stand. He hadn't seen a deer his first two times out, so I told him I'd take him to my honey hole (same spot where I connected and watched my buddy Bill take his first) where he could smoke a doe.
He got into stand and I picked a tree 10 yards from him and then I proceeded to climb up to 30', he was probably at 18'. We weren't there a half hour when a fawn came in. 5 minutes later a mature doe followed the pup in. Derek looked my way and I mouthed "shoot her". I felt a little uneasy about that, because this doe is "white ears", she is 2.5 years old now, I've been watching her and if I ever take her, she has a spot on my wall. She has two large distinctive white splotches on the backs of her ears.
He drew back on the doe, but never offered him the shot. He held the bow at full draw for a couple minutes before he had to let it down. I was proud of him for not just sending an arrow at her. They milled around for a bit and started to walk off. The big doe was quartering away perfectly (for me) as she was walking off. I grunted and she stopped but didn't offer him a good shot he was comfortable with, again he held at full draw for about a minute. They left and came at us from the front. By this point it was sunset and the light was starting to fade. The fawn came in and gave him a nice broadside shot opportunity at 15 yards and he took the shot.
It looked good, we found blood after a brief search. We left and came back a couple hours later. We tracked a vary sparse blood trail for an hour or so until I almost stepped on it as it tried to run away, but couldn't get up. The shot hit a little far back and hit the liver (even though we never found dark blood). I knelt down beside the deer and petted it and tried to make it somewhat comfortable before I dispatched it.
Very cool hunt.
Here is the fawn and 'white ears' when they first came in.
This is after the shot, when I said to him "Derek, you just killed your first deer, how do you feel"...he was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane!!
This is Derek after the recovery...
Sorry about the size of the pics, haven't figured out how to resize them yet!!
#5
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 17
RE: I watched my buddy score!
That's kind of sad. Tell your buddy to practice a little more so he doesn't have to pet the next one before he kills it. If he still makes a bad shot (we all do at some point), give it at least 6 hours before persuing it. I think the petting probably comforted you more than it did the deer.
#7
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: NH
Posts: 854
RE: I watched my buddy score!
Nah, it wasn't sad at all RobVT, it was friggin awesome. Like I said, from my vantage point it looked like a good shot. We gave it a couple hours and we recovered the deer. I was the one that petted the deer, and as I was petting it, it layed it's head back and I could feel it relax in my hands and it wasn't trying to get up and flop anymore. Maybe it did make me feel better than the deer, who knows the deer isn't telling anyone the story.
As far as him practicing more, he made a killing shot on his FIRST deer ever while shaking like a leaf...he'll be fine.
As far as him practicing more, he made a killing shot on his FIRST deer ever while shaking like a leaf...he'll be fine.
#8
RE: I watched my buddy score!
Good Job with helping out your buddy. It will be something that neither of you ever forget.
But...by the pictures I'm seeing it does not look like he is wearing a safety harnass while in his stand. If I'm missing it in the pic, I apologize. If I'm correct and he's not, be a buddy again and encourage him to put one on. It could save his life.
But...by the pictures I'm seeing it does not look like he is wearing a safety harnass while in his stand. If I'm missing it in the pic, I apologize. If I'm correct and he's not, be a buddy again and encourage him to put one on. It could save his life.
#10
RE: I watched my buddy score!
No safety harness and no safety stap around the seat portion of that Summit. If my eyes don't mistake me thats a summit python stand. I bought one when they came out and have had it for 4 years, I still haven't figured out how to get the two parts together for a backpack style carry. I always manage to rig it together somehow, but I take the loggy most of the time now.