dpv

I was able to get out of work in time to climb up in a tree for the last hour of light Wednesday. I settled in hoping,, but not expecting too much. I had missed a shot on a nice doe about a week before because of a damaged fletching....arrow flew like a boomarang.
I sat listening to the cars going up and down the road and heard a some people come out of a nearby house and get in their car...almost as soon as they drove off I heard some noise that sounded like deer walking my way. My heart started thumping, which I noted because earlier in the year I wasn't getting any buck fever when the does came around but now, when they were all I was hunting I was really pumped. I saw a couple yearlings walking thru my shooting lane. Not what I wanted...nice and plump, just not what I was holding out for. Then the 6th deer in line, even thru the brush I could tell was a shooter. She was a nice doe....and when she tentatively made her way into my shooting lane, I squeezed the trigger on my crossbow. I heard the arrow hit her. The angle was great and I watched her run off toward a thicker area of the woods. I sat there and listened as I heard a bit of crashing from the general area she rant to, and stayed put for another 10 minutes as light faded from the sky. Then I got out of my tree, made my was to my house and had dinner. When I was done, I went back out and checked the area where I had shot her. No arrow.....and just a single pin prick of blood on a leaf. I looked for several minutes then got up and walked in the direction she had run....a few drops....then another couple feet, and more than just a few drops,, and then WOW....I knew she had run off because I watched her...but if I hadn't I would have expected her to be within 20 feet. Not 15 feet from where I shot here was a path of blood almost a foot wide that went on for over 100 yds. I didn't think it possible but that deer ran and pumped out blood steadily with almost no beak for about 120 yds. Right around 75 yds, I found the back half of the arrow. All the way I am thinking that this deer has to be close. Eventually I found her and dragged her home.


I took my time dressing her because I never did find that front half of the arrow and didn't to get cut. She was about 80 lbs field dressed. A nice mature doe. I think I am done for the year. I'm tired of skinning out deer and I really need to throw myself back into work again. Plus I have a full freezer of meat.

gregrn43

Congratulations on a nice looking doe, gonna be good eating.

Bocajnala

Great doe, great story. I think a lot of people get caught up chasing bucks that they forget That doe can be just as tough and as fun as bucks. Some of my toughest hunts have been while trying to get a mature doe. I could shoot a yearling about whenever, but a mature doe can be tough to put on the ground! Good job
-Jake

Krypt Keeper

Congrats. They sometimes can be tough critters.

I am waiting patiently for October to come back around.

Bocajnala

Same here, can't come soon enough!
-Jake

Charlie P

Was she pregnant? How big were the babies in the deer. Not a judgement just wondering how developed they are at this time of year.

Bocajnala

Charlie,

Here's a January doe from 2 years ago. I saved the baby for a high school teacher that wanted it.

Bocajnala

Here's the two pictures, I couldn't get the second one to upload so had to use photobucket.



It's in a little container and it's on ice cubes. You can see my hand in one of the pics for a size comparison.



It was pretty interesting seeing this. This was a doe that was hit on the road and needed to be put down. A friend I knew needed the meat, so I cut it up for him.
-Jake

dpv

I didn't do a full post mortem. I would have expected her to be though, because of her maturity. She definately was not giving milk, which the doe I shot earlier in the season was. It's a tough question as to which deer you should take to bring down the numbers. I read that young deer are more at risk of dieing in a tough winter, so do you take the older doe who is more likely to make it thru, or take the younger one who would likely have more years of breading potential?