Dont assume you know it all, like I did.
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
So on Friday the 9th at noon I walk down to the River by the cabin and I get up in my tree stand. At 2;15 an 8pt buck comes limping through, I don't hesitate, I pull back the Bowtech compound, anchor and shoot, 24 yard shot and I'm 25 feet up the tree. Well the deer is moving a bit and in my opinion I hit liver or maybe the back of the lungs. It all happened fast. After the first 2 jumps the buck is out of site. Tag alders, Balsam and Cedar trees. I look with my binoculars and I can see quite a bit of blood. I still have a doe tag in my pocket and because of the hit location I nock another arrow and stay put. At 4:15 I decide to quietly get down and sneak out until later as I have a buddy coming up and I still think the deer needs more time to possibly expire. On my way to the cabin I walk past the point of impact and I see a lot of blood on the snow.
From: Live2hunt
13-Nov-18
So are you saying that the deer was just hit prior to your shot? 25 feet up, your up there. did you find the deer? I assume there are more parts to this story?
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
So, I'm up at the Cabin doing cabin chores. Filling the woodroom with wood, doing dishes and a little cleanup that I was neglecting with my all day sits. Finally my buddy gets there at 6:00, because of my explanation, he and I decide to go and get a sandwich and give the deer some more time. (Note, Coyotes are a non issue by me.) Well we get to the Fish fry place and its the busiest I ever seen it. 1 hour wait for food. No worries, give the deer some more time. Well, we finish eating and go out side to leave and there is 1 1/2'-2" of fresh snow that came down in the 1 1/2 hours we were there. We hurry back to the cabin and in 3 hours of looking that night we only found 3 more spots of blood as everything else was covered. The next morning at 7:00 I decided to do a grid search in the direction the deer was running at last blood. 3 hours later, I gave up. Pretty dejected. Texted my wife and told her I guess I still have my tag for late season.
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
So after looking for the deer, I go back to the cabin and grab a camera disk to take back down by my stand and also look a little more thoroughly for my arrow.. Well I take Skyy my Lab along. We are walking along the blood trail and she gets real birdy and goes at a right angle to the trail I'm walking and I'm waiting for the grouse flush that never comes. but she is set on that spot and I now assume its a porky or some other critter so I walk over to her. to check it out. Mind you, we have a north wind.
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
What do I find, the buck. Apparently the buck ran a straight west line and I assume saw neighbors across the river and spooked and came running back almost straight at me.
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
From: Beerbobber31
13-Nov-18
I think that dog deserves some back straps. Was it really a mercy kill or would you have shot him anyway. Nice buck
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
Moral of the story, look in complete circles around last blood. I just figured the deer went on a death run straight back to his bedding area. Thought I knew it all. Good Skyy!!!
From: Trax
13-Nov-18
Neat story, it can happen. Meat still good?
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
Yes Trax, It was a liver and 1 lung shot. Deer was probably dead before I got out of the tree and I wouldn't have had to wait at all. The temperature was in the 20s over night.
From: Live2hunt
13-Nov-18
Good Dog!!!!
From: Duke
13-Nov-18
Very good on you and your pup! Congrats. Did you find anything out on the limp or was it just a loser's limp from a late night scrap he got in?
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
Yes Live2 hunt, the hole in the shoulder was from someone else. Didn't break the bone but there were a bunch of bone fragments.
From: Trax
13-Nov-18
Great buck, congrats to you and Superdog! Yes, as has been said, he's earned some backstraps!
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
Beerbobber, even though I would like to say it was a mercy kill, it was not. I had a kind of frustrating season. I left a number of bucks walk that were considerably larger, but with this years work commitments and a few other things going on during late season I never hesitated to shoot. Rack size wasn't much but I netted over 65# of boneless venison. I really think he was a 3 1/2 year old.
From: RutnStrut
13-Nov-18
Great job Skyy and Trapper. I guess I should have bought one of those pups;)
From: Hoot
13-Nov-18
Congrats Trapper. Nothing like have a dog that can find deer.
From: northbound
13-Nov-18
That's a nice buck even thou it's a little shy of your norm Must be genetic... ranger (one of skyy's pups) is a boss at blood trails- killed two does just for him. In fact he's carrying a bloody boot around right now being proud. pheasants he still learning, he either barks at them or grabs them and I don't get to shoot
From: Trapper
13-Nov-18
Thanks everyone.
From: Monster
13-Nov-18
Well done. Mans best friend seems to always find a way to help.
From: Grub
13-Nov-18
I shot my first but couldn't on Friday too. He ran into 30 acres of CRP land. I would have bet me bow that he would have curled up in that grass. But he ran right through it and died across the next valley. He was 30 yards off the driveway I drove in on to track him. Too bad I didn't know it, would have saved 2 cold hours tracking through the grass!
From: Kman43
13-Nov-18
Well done, congrats! Thanks for the story
From: Novice
13-Nov-18
Congrats. Dogs can be wonderful tracking pals. We're never too old to learn. Deer don't always read the playbook.
From: Grunter
13-Nov-18
Hey way to stay persistent! That's great. And a dang great dog too. Congrats on finding him!
From: RamMan
14-Nov-18
Sky deserves a great venison meal!!
From: Crusader dad
14-Nov-18
Nice buck. Thanks for sharing. Definitely give the dog a few scraps.
From: Trapper
14-Nov-18
I wonder if she smelled the deer, the blood or the antler.
From: brewcrewmike
14-Nov-18
Gotta love our four legged dog friends! No offense to cat people but I will and always will be a dog person. They are way more helpful than cats ever will be.
From: happygolucky
14-Nov-18
That is a very cool story. Congrats on the deer and well done by the dog. My boxer would have failed miserably in that quest.
From: longspeak74
14-Nov-18
Nice work and congrats to you and the pup!
From: HunterR
14-Nov-18
Good job, good pics, good deer, GOOD GIRL!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
From: Bootspit
14-Nov-18
nice buck trapper!!!! I have a four month old black lab I would like to work with in the woods. Sheds or blood how did you work with sky?? did u use any scent or just real antlers. what is the secret??
From: albino
15-Nov-18
Great story. Things have a way of working out when you stay at it. Like me it is better to be lucky than good. I may be able to use my dog to track deer now as I hung the quarters of my Doe in the basement so they wouldn't freeze & my wife went down there to get something & didn't know one of the dogs followed her. An hour later I heard the dog yip. It is amazing how much a dog can eat in an hour. When I went down there he was eating like it was his last meal. Good Dog, Bad Wife.
From: Trapper
19-Nov-18
Thanks Bootspit. When I train, from puppy on, the only thing I throw for them is a shed. Praise and consistency is the most important. Start with throwing on the lawn where she can see it and then throw in your wife's flower bed so she can see it land and then progress to tougher locations.. Even to this day, before we start a shed hunting expedition I will throw an old shed for her just so I can praise her and remind her what we are after that day. 2 years ago we were pheasant hunting and she brought back a 3 point.
