Dandy Down

[Fletch]

Well after a bit over 74 hours in the stand and passing up numerous small bucks, a few as close as 10 feet, I finally had a chance at a nice buck on Tuesday morning. It was buck sighting 19 of bow season a few were multiple of the same deer, especially a nice 1.5 year old 9 point I saw like 5 times. Hope he makes it he is gonna be a nice one.

Anyway, I am in my favorite spot in the woods out back in a ladder stand settled in well before light. At 7:50 am I have a little 3 or 4 pointer go by about 60 yards out I can him to see if he will respond but he just pauses and continues on. It was raining last night so it is pretty quiet out but at about 8:50 am I hear some crashing off to my right and I grab my bow and stand up because it sounds like running deer coming. I see the doe first trotting in and the buck about 20 yards behind her. She stops and so does he about 50 yards off and he begins to make a scrape. After a few minutes she starts walking but instead of continuing on in front of me as I hoped she angles out a bit. I have a couple places I may get a shot and as he has a step before one I grunt to stop him but he stops too late and passes the lane one step to far and his boiler is covered by a big tree. Ugh. After he can not see anything he starts again and when he hits another opening I put my 30 yard pin on him and let it fly. It looked like I hit him but it may have been low. He jumps off and I grab my can call and hit it a few times and he stops and comes out broadside at maybe 50 or so and I let loose another arrow, 4 holes are better than 2 I am thinking! Except this one goes just beneith him. At the time I was not sure though I lost track of the arrow. He then runs down about 25 yards into some pines and I see him standing in there for a few moments and then walk off. Not good. I sit for 45 minutes and get down and the leaves have started to dry up and it is quite loud so I sneak up to where my first shot is and can not see the arrow I do not want to mill around and bust him out so I decide to back out and come in later.

At 2:30 pm I get the kids off the bus and head back out and I am at the spot at around 3:00 pm. I find the first arrow and it hit and passed through the second a clean miss. There is a very good blood trail and I follow it about 90 yards when I jump him, dang! I stay still for 15 minutes trying to decide what to do. It has been over 6 hours since the shot and rain is a half hour off. I check the bed and it confirms a low shot and I get on his trail and he is bleeding a lot. I follow another 100 yards and it is raining now and dark is coming. I lose the trail cold. I am on a neighbors property now that I have permision to trail a wounded deer but not hunt so I have not been in here and not familiar with the area. I back out and go home for a fitfull night with an inch of rain.

I had a doctors appointment in the am and am back at last blood at noon. All blood has been washed away and my plan is to just do a grid out 400 yards in all directions. I start out to the right and head over one ridge and see a second with pines and decide to hit that and follow it out and work back and forth back to center. About 50 yards along the ridge with pines I walk up on him laid out dead. Man am I happy, after the rain I new my chances dropped a lot. He is a dandy 8 point. I get him dressed out and spend the next 2 plus hours dragging him out.

The butcher and I put him at 3.5 years old and he dressed out 158 pounds. I hit him with a 2 blade rage and my shot was about 4 inches low and I got liver and I swear I clipped a lung by the looks of him dressing him out, I went back where the shot was and he was more like 38 yards. I was shooting a Diamond Marquis.

[burmjohn]

Great story Fletch, and great buck! Congrats, time put in was well worth it!

[33Canuck]

Congrats on a great buck and way to stick in there and find him!

[First-light]

Once again, congrats!

[outdoorstom]

Great job.....nice buck!!!  Congratulations, and good job finding him.

[Fletch]

Vote pimpin!! lol  ;D