11/3/2012 Evening Hunting Trip, Success!

Third time really is the charm!  Got setup a little late this evening but better late than never right?  Shortly after 6 pm I had 3 does come in feeding and I watched them as they walked around feeding.  About 6:20 I had another doe come it, and at this point I had a fawn, yearling, and two adult does feeding within 30 yards of me and I had decided my trigger finger needed scratched.  It was plenty cool enough and I had waited long enough, it was time to harvest a doe for some meat.  I was just waiting on a good clean broadside shot.  Just as I was about to take a shot a the one bigger doe that didn't have a fawn I saw another tree coming.  I quickly got a good look at it and sure enough it was that same 11 point I have been telling you all about.  The same one that I have missed both days before hand.  He might have gotten me to miss twice, but three times was not happening.  I watched him approach and waiting on a good broadside shot, finally at 6:27 pm  with just 5 or 6 minutes of legal shooting light left he presented me with the perfect broadside shot at 27 yards.  I let the arrow fly and heard the signature thunk of an arrow landing where it should.

I will honestly say that it was dark enough I wasn't sure where I hit him all I knew was I put it right behind is shoulder and dead in the middle up and down.  He took off running and I lost sight of him.. So I waited about 30 minutes before I started my search.

Went to the place he was standing and started looking for the arrow, found it clean pass through with good lung blood on it! 🙂  This told me my shot landed right where or close to where I was aiming.

Started looking for blood, couldn't find any, he didn't really start bleeding until about 40 yards into his run.  I was only getting dots and some places several dots, knowing it was a clean pass through I thought I would have more blood (this had me a bit worried).  Followed the blood trail for another 60 yards or so and started to see signs he was bleeding more, took the flashlight looked around and there he was just 5 yards further over in some brush.  So in total he ran about 85 yards, which isn't so bad. When I found him I learned my shot had landed right where I was aiming behind his shoulder, but was an inch or so high and gave him a high double lung shot. This is why I didn't have a big blood trail, it was mostly only dripping out the exit, which was high as well.

I of course had to grab him and check him out and count the points, and as I said yesterday after I shot at him, it isn't so much that he is that big, but he is super cool as you will see in the pictures below.  He is a mainframe 8 with a second  beam or kicker on his right side that gave him 3 more score-able points. He has several other little points but they are less than an inch. Probably the coolest 11 point buck anyone could ask for even more so from central Maryland.  This deer makes me even more thrilled and excited as anyone could have taken him as he was spending most of his time on public land in Loch Raven and I got not 1, but 3 chances in 3 days to harvest this awesome deer.  I don't normally need do-overs but I am sure glad I got more than one on this deer!

Below are a few pictures taken with my phone this evening, I will post a few more better pictures tomorrow after I get the camera out, along with some more details about him such as weight and such.

Anyone want to take some guesses at what he might score?

Hope everyone else had as an exciting weekend as me, and if you were lucky enough to harvest a deer as well, post a comment with some pictures! Good luck to everyone this week with rut really getting geared up it should be awesome hunting this week.   I now must move on to helping thin the doe population.

 

6 Responses

  1. Ramsay
    Wow! Congratulations Andy. Third time is a charm!! What a cool, gnarly looking rack. I definitely have never seen anything like that before. Glad to hear we've had a good first week of the rut. I hope to read more from your other readers too!
    • admin
      Ramsay, Thank you so much. I am very happy with this gnarly racked 11 point. Even know he isn't a giant, he is one of the coolest deer I have ever seen and surely isn't a little guy either. I couldn't let him pass. Even know he would have been really cool next year, but I don't think he would have made it that long. I am glad to see that rut is treating us hunters well thus far and I too look forward to more stories from other readers as well! As for you and I it is time to work on taking some does out!
  2. Clay
    Hello First, I like to say congratulations on your 11 pointer. I informed you on Friday that I will be hunting the next four days. I didn’t see anything on Friday. On Saturday I have a fawn about eight years away from me and didn’t want to take that life. I also had a small buck sneak right pass me never saw or heard. Him. I couldn’t have been distracted by the squire under my tree stand. On Sunday I went out although my tree stand is in the wrong location for a NNW winds. Once again a deer approached on turned around. I tell you , the deer know where I am because I only have one stand. On Monday, I was quite sure I was going to hunt although that is the reason I took off work. But I knew I could hunt from my tree stand because of the NNW wind. Around 9:30 I read your email about your success, and I got motivated to hunt I decided to take a cheap ground blind with me and went to another area of the property. I found deer tracks at a crossing. I pop up the ground blind down wind and wait a little while. I didn’t feel comfortable in the blind had too many “blind” spots. I took the blind down and decided to still hunt. I rattle and set off some buck bomb. About an hour later, I saw a deer coming toward me, I saw the deer my a rub; that is when I knew it was a buck since I couldn’t see the antlers. The deer approached as I face the bow toward the deer he stopped and I thought I was busted, but he only stopped for few seconds then he kept coming I turned slightly and as he because even with me I let the arrow go (about 20 yards). I saw a flash of red, as he ran. I heard him crashing in the woods. I felt pretty good about my shot that I called my wife to share the news that I thing we are going to have some meat. Well, I waited 50 minutes went to the spot that I shot him and started to look for blood couldn’t find any blood. I headed in the direction he went, still couldn’t find any blood, and started to question myself. Did I miss? Walked about 15 yards and there he was an 8 pointer. Finally, I got my deer. What a relief! Pic attached
    • admin
      Clay, Great to hear you got out and got it done. That is a great story and I am very happy to hear from you got one. Congrats! The picture wasn't attached, so hopefully you can leave another comment with the picture for all of us to see! Once again Congrats!
  3. Clay
    Sorry, my previous email had lots of typo's. My treestand was located in wrong spot for a North wind direction. That was why I went to ground hunting. Here's a pic of the eight pointer. My adrenlane(spell) didn't kick in. I had the same feeling as gun hunting from the ground the action is so much faster when you don't have the view from a tree stand. The buck was on top on me with in no more than 2 minutes. Here the pic that didn't upload.
    • admin
      Clay, Thanks for the reply back. Great looking 8 point buck! Once again congrats!

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