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He came running in off of the neighbors field with another small 8....stopped at 25 yds. Couldnt see his rack until small buck started walking away and he turned to follow giving me a slighly quartering away shot. He mule kicked at the shot and ran about 50 yds and stopped. Walked back around my stand and bedded down 30 or so yds away. Could see him through a small window in the leaves. With the rain I didnt want him getting away so I threaded another arrow throgh the small opening and he finally died.

After talking to neighbor, turns out he left his stand early because of the rain and he spooked them across the fence and right to me! Talk about lucky. No tail cam pics of him this year, but one last year on a scrape line in Oct.....enjoy.

Probably 4 years, have his teeth checked out.

One of the biggest bucks I ever saw on stand was during a light steady rain. He didn't stop long enough to get a shot and never saw him again. You had a whole bunch more luck on Saturday.

You as well Trueflight!

How about a little chit chat on how ya got your deer and the circumstances?

WI Teach has right idea!

Congrads to all -

BT

Great deer guys!!

Congrats to your son!! Proud you are and proud you should be.

Sunday, yesterday, October 20, 2013, I woke up with what I thought was plenty of time to get ready and walk out the door to my stand. By the time I got dressed in the garage and looked at my phone it was already 6:00, the time that I wanted to be on stand and ready, so I really had to move to get out there. I didn’t check the time, but I think I was in my stand before hunting hours, good thing it was overcast and dark for that time of day. I get stuff situated and start to settle in……crap, I don’t have my release! Oh well, I haven’t had a deer in range for 4 years almost to the day, why would today be any different?. I heard what sounded like a buck rubbing on a tree to the north of me at about 6:45, so I gave a few doe grunts in that direction. A few seconds later I heard what I thought was a grunt to the west of me, then another to confirm what I had heard, so I gave two more doe grunts back and I heard a response coming closer. I could hear a deer walking though the tall grass and water coming towards me so I grabbed my bow and got set. I couldn’t believe it was a doe coming in, but I’m not one to pass a shot on any legal deer so that didn’t matter at that point. She had to go behind two aspen trees for me to draw back on her, once her head got behind the trees I started my draw, at half draw I noticed her head looking towards me around the trees from her rear side so I had to hold at half draw until she moved her head back behind the trees. Once she did that I completed my draw and ………CRAP!!, I can’t see my sights, maybe my peep was twisted but that was verified that it wasn’t twisted at all. She now turns to cross by on a trail that goes to the north past my stand, which is an old Lone Wolf climber about 6’ off the ground in a white birch. I line up the shot as best as I can and loose the arrow. The arrow looks to fly true and I see a red “X” open on the ribcage right where I was looking. She jumps and does a mule kick and runs about 15 yards and stops to look around to figure out what just happened, no tail twitching or any other sign that she has been hit. I’m really starting to wonder if I was just imagining where the arrow supposedly went or not as she is standing there looking around chewing her cud, wondering if I should grab another arrow to shoot again……..then I see her take a little stumble as she is standing there, then another and then she drops. Talk about a rush and easy tracking job that I had my 7 year old daughter “help” me with, it was also nice to have her there to help hold a leg when I was field dressing the deer. The pics are a little blurry because she took them for me, not bad for a 7 year old though, I’m happy with how they turned out.

I’ll post another picture later. Sorry for the long story, but I was pretty excited about this kill, not only because I haven’t had a shot opportunity for 4 years and haven’t killed a deer for about 6 years, but it is the first deer kill in 3 seasons since I got my newest bow.

I'm sure that you have heard a doe grunt at some point in your hunts over the many years you have put in.?.?

It's an RER bow, made just a few miles from my house.

You got it, much different sound than a doe bleat. An untrained ear won't tell the difference between a doe grunt and a buck grunt. I've been fooled many times in the woods. I still need the visual to tell them apart.

That doe seems to be missing the white markings around the nose, looks nice and different. Nice job!

The bucks are starting to heat up! BC

COGRATULATIONS Rainer!!!!

I like the story of the arrow. That kind of happened the same way with me. The deer I shot, just made a scrape about 25 yards from my stand that sits under an apple tree. He gets done pawing and urinating down his hocks, eats a few apples, and heads right down the trail I just walked in on. At twelve yards broadside, I bleated at him. He didn't stop, he just looked at me in mid-stride and I had to take the shot. I lead him just slightly, hitting him a little far forward (just inches), fortunately missing his blade. Hit him just above the heart severing the connection where his heart meats his lungs. He died in seconds. Not a single movement after a three second run.

As he left, I saw about 4 or 5 inches of arrow sticking out of the entrance. So like you, I had penetrated externally, but what seemed like it was not a pass through. That surprised me. Especially at twelve yards. I assumed I hit the blade and the obvious reason the arrow's energy was absorbed allowing minimal penetration. Like you, when gutting the deer and cutting his esophagus free, I could feel a pencil sized piece of arrow in his chest. I saved it and the next day found the fletch end that I could see, that was at about five yards from the impact site. I followed the bloodtrail (all fifty yards of it) twice, back and forth. I still ciuld not find the killing end of the arrow? I walked back to the impact sight, and found it burried in the ground on the opposite side of the deer where I shot it. So it was a pass through after all, but the deer being in mid-stride, apparently snapped that arrow immediately, into three pieces, and the fletch sticking out was simply like a dart stuck into the deer until some brambles knocked it out. I've broke arrows on deer, but this was a first? Arrow passes through, snaps immediately, leaving the fletch in the side of the deer, a six inch piece stuck in the cavity, and the remainder stuck in the ground at the impact site.

I butchered the shoulders up today, and that's when I absolutely realized I missed the blades on both shoulders. I took a picture of the arrow in its three pieces.

I'll try that again.

About 3 I decided to look behind me. There on the woods road was a large bodied deer about 50 yards away. With the high winds I never heard him approach. He stood scanning the woods for 10 minutes, then turned to leave. As he turned I blew my grunt call, he turned back and took a few steps into the woods, still no shot. After about 5 minutes of looking for the "other deer" he trotted into the thick stuff going away from me. Once out of sight I grunted twice and let out a snort wheeze. Nothing for a few minutes so I figured he went on his way.

The next thing you know he's busting into the woods and coming fast. He gets to about 12 yards and stops behind two trees. He stays there facing me for about 3 minutes, all of which I'm at full draw. All of a sudden the wind swirls a tad and he's running the other way. But I bleat and he stops at 70 yards. I then slipped my grunt call into my jacket and gave a few soft grunts trying to "cast" them behind me. It worked he came back although higher on the hill, so almost level with me. I had one shot at 38 yards through a small opening. I thought I was perfect but at the last second the arrow hits a limb on a sapling kicking the arrow left. I'll try to shorten up this already long story. He was hit in liver intestines, very sporadic blood. One of my toughest tracking jobs, but I found him monday morning deader than a doornail about 600 yards from the shot.

This hunt was a blast for me, excluding the crappy shot. I have been loosing a little of the fire in the belly feeling I have always had for hunting. Part of it was just being busy with life. But part of it was I was getting too wrapped up in the whole big deer, what's he score thing. I decided this year if a particular deer gets me worked up, I'm shooting it. Sorry about the long post. Good luck to all those hunting yet. I'm heading back to camp later today to doe hunt and ready some stands for gun season.

When this weather changes starting tomorrow, things should certainly heat up as the temps cool down.

I've given the woods a two day break, but will be hitting it very hard starting tomorrow with an all day sit. Should be good.

GREAT BUCK DUDE!

It is mostly all poplar, white oak and red-stem dogwood. I've planted over 100 trees in variations of white cedar, white pine, spruce, and balsam. It is a good mix. I have also over-seeded the trails with throw and grow. The only time an ATV goes in is for a drag. I never sit the same stand twice in a row and do not allow the farmer to spread manure down in the fields until after gun season. It took seven years before I took my first buck off the property. Never enter the woods during hunting season until the rut. Sept. Oct., I always hunt the perimeter of the fields. The very center of the woods is left as a refuge. Never do I enter it. Still, the woods is a hammer shaped funnel where bucks transition through. It is not a core area to any bucks! It has become a bit of a core area for does. Great place for a doe to sneak away and drop her fawns. Also have a strip taken out of production between the swamp and woods and another strip in the middle that is a great staging area. Planted an island of trees out in the field. You can see it in one of the trail camera pictures. It is a view looking from the swamp. This place is not perfect but, sure is fun! Very grateful and lucky to have it.

So needless to say, my intent was to shoot a doe or a buck because I had three buck tags left. I shot this deer yesterday morning. It is just a 2 year old 8. The story is better than the deer, and is a testiment to making a poor shot and still recovering the animal. I feel bad it suffered, and take great time practicing. Unfortunately at the release of the arrow, my string caught a button strap that fastens my coat sleaves tighter. I did not have it buttoned because it lessens the flexibility in my arm. The strap has been removed.

The shot was gut/liver. After the shot, the deer ran a short bit, then did the usual slow, sickly walk. His back was not hunched, his tail was not wagging. I assumed gut only. I waited two hours, snuck to my arrow, and it had both dark blood indicating liver as well as green stink indicating gut. I knew the shot was centered in the middle of the deer but not far enough back to be intestines in my opinion. I was certainly hoping I hit liver. I backed out and came back 7 hours after the shot. Pretty decent blood...then spotty....then none....five beds along the way with very little blood. He would bed two or three times in each spot, indicating how uncomfortable he was. The blood was dry, so I never felt like he was alive, but knew he still hadn't bedded for his last time. I had trailed for 250 or 300 yards at this point. He stayed on the path of least resistance. It was a prettty direct line. When the blood finally quit, he was very near a field edge. There is a sliver of woods that is virtually unhunted because it's so thick with brambles and burdox, no one typically enters. Of course it makes a perfect bedding area. There were several tracks in the field coming from this trail. I was losing daylight, and figured I would look in that four acre sliver today.

Rain and snow in the forecast, but I had no blood at the end anyway, so at this point I would be doing a grid search. I walked in through this sliver running the edge, zigzagging my way to that field edge. I walk out to the field, and the deer is laying right where I stood last, the night before. Dead, stiff, and right out in the open?

To sum it up, he was not dead when I tracked him 7 hours later. He died perhaps exactly where I stood contemplating my next move for the following day. He was gut and liver shot. He lived at least 10 hours, and likely longer, because that's the time from the shot to the time I left after tracking.

I've read that a gut shot deer is 4 to 12 hours before death. Liver is approximately 2 hours before death? If you make a bad shot like I did, my suggestion is this. Give it as long as you can. If weather is cool and coyotes are few, let them lay overnight, even if it was a morning shot. I'm sure there are times where the deer will die sooner, and likely take longer. Of course making the perfect shot is what we strive for, but shit happens. If it does, take my advice and give them as much time as possible. I'm not sure the trail would have been as easy to follow, and I would have had to start earlier to avoid this rain and snow mix, but my deer was not dead after ten hours, and bumping him would normally make matters worse. Where was he when I was standing there the night before? I'm not sure? He could have been bedded a few feet from me and met his demise in that field later? Just no idea. Real crazy for him to die right there though, and I got very very lucky!

I already felt terrible about the bad shot and the suffering this animal must have felt. It would have been magnified if I didn't recover it. The deer bleed internally and the gut was preventing blood loss. What kept him alive (besides his untouched lungs and heart) for so long, still surprises me. His cavity was absolutely filled with blood.

Once again, a liver shot deer does not (always) die in two hours (like so many souces say), and a gut shot deer needs as much time as you can give it. Like FiveRs put it, weather plays an important factor. I have snow cover on the ground. Blood trailing would be impossible at this point, and we all know how easily a deer blends in to cover, even if we are looking intently for them? This deer was potentially a few feet from where we lost blood the night before, and he was not seen, and we were really looking. He decided to enter an open field after we left before he died. Crazy lucky!

I have been pretty much offline for a while. Been in the woods every day for about 4 weeks. Retirement has it's advantages. Was real busy the last 8 days.

This story started Tuesday Nov 5th and ended today. I shot this buck about two hours before sunset on the 5th. I watched him run 35 yards out of the woods and another 200+ yards up hill across CRP to the crest of the hill which in this case was the horizon. Was not sure if he went down near the horizon or went past it. It was a 23 yard shot with him angled away. He had snuck thru behind me and over to my right side. Anyway, did not see the arrow in flight, luma nock did not light, no arrow to be found and only 5 specs of blood in the first 50 yards after waiting an hour. Weather said to be forecast good till noon the next day so I left him over night.

Next morning heavy fog that had frozen into quarter inch thick frost on every blade of weed and grass in that crp. No chance to find more blood but tried and then went into an 8 hour pattern search before the rain got so bad I was soaked and had to quit. That was the storm that covered a huge area of western Wisconsin on the 6th.

Thursday and Friday hunted the same stand with hope of getting help from the crows and doing more pattern searches of the CRP during mid day. Focused on the area near the horizon then worked farther and farther on the other side. No help or luck finding him.

Friday night I headed back to MN to hunt part of the gun season that opened on Saturday. Didn't see much and my mind was on getting back to look for this buck and do more hunting where I was actually seeing deer.

Yesterday I got back in time for an evening hunt, sat that same stand but still no crow activity. Plan was to hunt till 10 or so this morning and then get back to pattern searching cross wind figuring my nose might help by now.

Around 8 this morning 2 crows start landing and taking off only 55 yards from the woods. Since I saw that buck run at least 200 yards past the woods I knew it could not be my buck. After 20 minutes I had to go look. Well, it was him. All I can figure because he went down in line with some big trees in my line of sight I could not see him go down and somehow there was a second deer that I saw go over the horizon.

Hit was slightly high and just forward of the hind quarter and stopped by the opposite side front shoulder. My arrow was totally inside of him. It was a mess inside but think it went through the opposite side liver and lung. As you can see yote got to him. Meat was worthless and the cape is probably going to slip.

After calling the local warden he said it would be OK to cape him out right where he was laying and let the yote and crows clean up the meat. So after tagging him and capeing the story finally had a conclusion.

Now, back in MN for the rest of the gun season.

Serb, if you are still around reading this consider this my equivalent to your buck in the back of your truck pictures. ;-)

That sounds the same as one of my properties, if they have both G1's they are rarely over 2 inches, most bucks have 1 short G1 or none at all and it is farm country near the fringe of big woods.

"Jeff in MN ........Hey Squid, you had a good season. Did you get any of those near my land?" No, Two were shot at Two Creeks and the last one off of Woodland Dr. not to far from the Fawn now HogWild. I also got a nice bear, 310lbs. I hung up the bow as I have enough meat but will take the muzzle loader out - the pantry needs a few deer, I might as well help them out. There were only three hit by auto's on 310 so far, an all time low, two on Woodland Dr., and one on Columbus. The Dunes hunters have a total of seven and only three does out of the seven - none close to your land unless Jack, or the other guy arrowed one. We seem to have more bucks than does all of a sudden and some nice one too. The picture is one I hope to find next bow season - he's only a mile or less from your property.

Maybe Charlie was supposed to be at work that day, and called in sick instead? ;-)

Yes, it is anyones right to remain anonymous. If that's what they choose, good for them.

"Serb wasnt a coward like Fipster"

How do you know he is a coward? What gives you the right to say that to someone? It is you who is the coward, illegally baiting and calling people names on the internet. Grow up! Just because you feel you are right all of the time, doesn't make it so. I joined to learn and hear stories about bow hunting. I didn't join to have a person or person's bully someone else or call them names because of something they don't like. We can agree to disagree, but you sir take it way too far!

The pics from Nov. 13th and Oct. 13th are indeed the same hunter. Look at the bow in the pics.

FIP either has ag-tags, multiple earn-a-buck stickers in the CWD area, or one of those hunts was out of state.

I shot this guy 11/10/13 about 4:30 pm trailing about 10 minutes behind a doe and 2 fawns.

I didn't measure the neck, I got my first wolfskin back in '99 and I think I've had the wool since about '08. Btw, your wife might not be able to tell us apart with the same camo...Lol!

Thanks RC, smokey, 10orbetter and havoc.

This is the first bow buck I have killed on private land in 32 years. I went to my normal stomping grounds in bayfield county, hunted the first week of November and saw 3 deer, 1 wolf and almost zero deer sign. Seriously, it is really pathetic up there. It's always been a challenge but in 16 years of hunting Bayfield County I've never seen so little sign. A friend who has killed numerous P&Y bucks hunted 13 days and saw 1 doe. Another friend saw zero deer and 5 wolves. I heard the local registration station registered 5 deer for the entire season as of last weekend.

So I came home and shot this buck on the 50 acres I live on.

BT

Anyway, it was 8:45 when she walked in and gave me a good 30 yard shot. Hit looked good but what happened next confused me. She trotted 20 yards, stood for half minute then got wobbly and folded up. I figured down for the count. Well after about a minute she stands up and walks slowly away and got out of sight. Now I figure I better give her a good hour. So hour and a half later I take the trail, massive blood up to the spot where she fell, and after. Literally two lines of blood sixteen inches apart, entry side line bright red, exit side line dark red. So, figured liver and something else, but what. After at total of 40 yards just drops every 5 feet or so and dark red. OK, at about 90 yards into the track I backed off to give her more time. Went and got the sled, 4 wheeler, and camera, and took a stand down. Picked up the trail at 3.5 hours after the shot. Figured plenty of time with there being a fair amount of bright red blood at the start of the track. She never bedded, looked like she fell twice just before where she laid at 140 total yards of walking a drunk persons wiggly line. She was hit center of the entry side lung and center of the exit side lever. More angled away than I thought. She was one tough doe to Walk that far given how she was hit and all the blood she lost. Running I could see it but that walk took her some time and energy.

Now, package the meat, pack for the gun season up at Hayward and head up there ASAP.

Now tell me how a deer bleeding like this walked 140 yards. Tough critters.

Thanks to Treefarm for his valuable second opinion over the phone. We both figured this deer was dead but hey a dead deer now is also a dead dear a few hours later.

What do you people think of the pic of the blood with the bubbles? That was dark red blood so I expect it came from the liver but bubbles on blood from liver? Seems unusual.

Here's number 1 son Michael with his first archery killed deer ever - check out the smile!

Michael's shot was at 12 yards as he opted for the smaller of two deer as the larger one would simply not present a shot he reports. The doe traveled some 80 yards before tipping over! Rage in the cage as they say!

Bent on a career in the Shooting Sports Industry he claims that he'll do that in his off time as a linebacker for the Saints! At 220 pounds and a size 13 shoe, age 14.....

We'll see!