As Davidmil has noted here recently, the weather for bowhunting has sucked for the last month or so. It's been cold with blowing winds for over a month and snow or ice accompanying most of it.

With the last day being Saturday, I went out Friday afternoon to freeze my butt off in a tree in hopes of filling my last tag. The winds were howling and I almost got down early since I was near frozen and nothing was moving except blowing snow. I decided that any doe of decent size coming into range was going to get an arrow. I would take a large buck if it still had antlers, but pass on anything small or that had dropped it's rack.

At about sunset, several deer finally started towards the field in front of me. The first to offer a shot was a large bodied fork horn--I passed on him so he could grow a nicer rack in later years. The does were behind him, but further out. The largest one never stopped in a lane, but a decent sized one did about 32 yards out. I drew and was about to trigger the release when she started forward. I knew better, but led her a bit and shot.

At the shot, all the other deer ran a few steps and stopped. The one I shot ran a semi-circle and layed down. I nocked another arrow (my last) and then saw her get up and run right towards my treestand. I drew and tried to grunt her to stop. Then, my arrow fell off the string! [] I was out of arrows and she layed down about 20 yards away!

I usually go out with a quiver full of arrows, but it was the next to last day and I only had two arrows ready when I left, so I watched the doe lay there. The largest doe in the herd walked over to my tree and stopped about 15 yards out as well.

Finally the others left and the one I shot tried a couple times to get up, but couldn't. Then she found the strength and walked off, then ran as if nothing was wrong! I watched as long as I could see her and then got down and backed out to wait for morning--I suspected a liver shot.

I went back this morning with my oldest son. We found blood and hair at the site of the shot. I even found my arrow buried under the snow. Blowing snow had covered much of the sign, but with two sets of eyes we found her not far from where I last saw her. As I expected, she was hit in the liver because I made the mistake of shooting at a moving deer--and at that range.[:@]

Unfortunately, the the foxes had found her before me and had eaten one hindquarter and half the backstrap on the right. By their invasion into the body cavity, they also ruined both tenderloins and nothing I did could save them. Here she is at the site of the kill.


And just for fun, a pic at home!



Looks real, and I didn't even try that hard!

Congrats on the late season harvest Dave Nice 2nd pic

Very nice pics. To bad a lot of the meat had been taken away.

Congrats to a brave person to hunt in that kind of weather Too bad about the foxes, but thats nature..oh well, I'm glad to see you had a smile on your face even though foxes got to it. [:-]

congrats on the doe

Sounds like a very prudent decision to back off. Congratulations on the doe! At least you got one backstrap, right?

Good job Dave, I never got back out after the smokepole season.

TAGGED OUT.... come to Howard County and shoot all you want.

Congrats Dave, or should we call you Chief Two Arrows from now on. Even Tonto carried more than 2 arrows. Glad you found her. Sorry the foxes took their share.

We're happy that you at least found her , at least you had some success hunting and nice to fill the freezer.

nubo

Good job and good pics [:-]