HuntingNet.com Forums - Skunked in 04 but not 05!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Well 04 was an exciting year for hunting for me. Had some opportunities to take some decent bucks but chose to pass. Saw one nice one while I was loading my truck to go home but he saw me first. I guess that is why we call it hunting. Ended up getting skunked in 04 and it has been a long time since I haven't shot a deer in a particular year. Well 05 started out even better. I went out this morning around 8:30 to try my luck on a doe. I had been sitting earlier in the mornings but the deer just werent moving and it has been so cold that I could not sit for more than a couple of hours at a crack. They seemed to make their way in around 9 every morning so I decided to sleep in and go out just before 9. We have had a lot of rain here in the UP so the back roads so upon driving my truck to our land I slid right past our road and had to drive another 1/4 mile to turn around because I couldn't back up. So, now I am getting into my stand a little later than I wanted but oh well, I am still going. I got settled in at 8:50 and put my fleece jacket on the stand to keep the noise from my boots down and it worked well.

After sitting for only 10 minutes I could here a deer crunching its way up from the swamp. She decided to come my way after hitting our old tractor road and she came in perfect. She got behind a birch tree in front of me to my right and I got situated and waited for her to make the move out from behind the tree. She steped forward and was quartering away as I drew and put the pin behind her shoulder and released. I hit her right where I aimed at 12 yards. My Gold Tip XT tipped with a Rocky Mountain Snyper dissappeared into her chest and I heard it hit the ice on the ground behind her. She bolted right toward the swamp and I could see 90% of my arrow sticking out of her or so I thought and dissappeared. I gathered my stuff and went down to check the area and headed to my truck to let her lay.

My brother-in-law went in early today so I knew he would be out soon. When he got to the truck we headed out to get her. The blood started spraying after about 20yds and was not hard to follow at all. We found about 12in of my arrow on the snow (feather end) but not the rest of it. I swore I saw the arrow sticking out the opposite side and the whole thing fell out. Well we went about another 40yds and there she was laying in what looked like a massacre site. She must have thrashed a bit and sprayed blood all over the snow. In all she went about 80yds and the snyper did one heck of a job on her. Huge entrance wound but we could not see an exit wound. After gutting and inspecting we found I hit the left lung and clipped the front of the right lung just above the heart. Upon dragging her out we did find the exit wound in the front of the right shoulder. It was so clean and hidden under the hair that it was hard to find. At least now I know I wasn't seeing things, that arrow did go through the deer!!!

All in all it was a quick but exciting morning. It was great to get some meat for the winter and even better to have been able to make a quick and humane harvest. She probably goes around 115-120lbs and was nice and fat, should be some good eating. She was taken with a Ben Pearson Anaconda loaded with Gold tip xt 7595 and a Rocky mtn. Snyper off a TR drop zone and with a impact Jumbo sight.

A little side note: I am very impressed with the Snypers. I wish I coud have found the other piece of my arrow to see what kind of dammage was done to it upon going through the deer and hitting the ice. The entrance hole was huge, looked like she was shot with a slug. She was easy to track and expired very quickly. I will be using them again.

Again Happy New Year!!!! May this year bring us all the buck of our dreams!!!!!