2016 HuntingNY Crossbow Harvest thread

[WNYBuckHunter]

Post up pics of your 2016 crossbow season deer here!

Only pictures with the associated story will be allowed in this thread. If you want to congratulate someone, please do it by clicking on the "like this" button for the post. There will be no exceptions.

Feel free to start a new thread if you wish to have comments in addition to posting the photo / story here.

[Skillet]

Ok, I'll break the ice. Got him early this morning. Feeling pretty grateful!

[BizCT]

11/5: 4pt shot in 3N with crossbow. 5:42pm. 19 yard shot, 15 yard recovery. Full story in my journal.






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[NYBowhunter]

Got doe yesterday morning and 5 pointer in the afternoon.  The 5 pointer was chasing a doe, after i shot him another buck came in to investigate and was grunting all the way. Was a great afternnoon hunt. Bucks starting  to chase. Im all done for crossbow.

[wolc123]

Sorry about the so-so photo.  It was dark by the time I got this one hauled up to the house.   My wife and daughter had multiple technical issues getting a photo.   The story is pretty good though:

I was hoping for a button buck this afternoon (or a 2-1/2 year plus).   At 4:25 pm, a small 4 point came out of the brush and walked very slowly past my stand at a 25 yard range.   He stopped, perfectly broadside and turned his head away, almost like he was daring me to shoot.   I did not, and he calmly continued on his way, disappearing in some more thick brush.   10 minutes later, I noted a significantly larger deer come from the same spot where the other one first appeared.   This one stayed off about 75 yards, and turned into a corn plot on the other side of my stand.   I could clearly see 3 tines on one side, but not the brow tine, so I figured he might be an 8.   His body was much larger and longer than the prior buck, and I started thinking "backstraps".    

I could hear him munching on corn as he walked thru the plot, and occasionally get a glimpse of a tine or two above the corn stalks.  He stepped out of the plot, 20 yards from me in a "quartering to" position.  I shot at 4:45 pm.   My bolt entered his chest, mid-level and 4" forward of the diaphram.  It exited the lower buttox on the opposite side (I have those details and measurements because I just finished skinning him and hanging the halfs in my "deer fridge").  He bounded off a few steps, then slowly walked across the open hay field.  About 100 yards out he began to wobble, and fell onto his side.   He started to get up, then fell down again, got his head up a little one more time, then stopped moving.  

It took him less 2 minutes to expire after taking the hit, but it seemed much longer than that.  If I had a repeating gun, I surely would have shot him again from the stand.   It was not quite 4:56 (legal sunset), so I climbed down, loaded another bolt, and slowly walked over to him, finding him down with eyes wide open and very dead.   I thought he was a 2.5, but a little ground shrinkage reduced him to most likely a very mature, scrappy 1.5.  Both brow tines were broken off as was one of the G whatevers on the opposite side, making him a 5 pointer for the tag.  

The butt-out 2 worked again as advertised but the golf ball / tractor skinning method not so much.  I had to use the conventional method there.  He is a little small for a euro, but it is so fast and easy with a powerwasher, that I will probably do one anyway.  He definitely had a bigger body than my last crossbow buck a couple years ago, and a wider spread.  I will have to wait for next year for the 2-1/2 year plus I was hoping for.    This one was definitely full-rut.  I could smell him clearly as he was approaching in the corn.  

I made sure to thak God for this one and once again my Bible played a key role in the kill.  This time I remember the last verses I read prior: Hebrews Chapter 10, verses 12-14.  I laid that Bible down 10 minutes before the first small buck showed up.   I had packed very light on this hunt, but I had a feeling I would connect going in.   I tried to keep it under a pound (thanks Buckmaster 7600 for the tip).   Besides the large print Bible, I carried just a pen, my wallet and tags, a small pocket knife and my string/pulley for loading.  It was so darn warm I even removed my camo jacket up in the stand and used it to cover an opening in the wall.   The two young bucks did not seem to notice my checkered shirt.           

Edited November 7, 2016 by wolc123
typo

[dbHunterNY]

My cousin Brian got a good one. Don't have the story yet. Not sure how old yet. I wasn't there. looks more or less mature. at least 5.5 years old would be my guess.

[dbHunterNY]

won't let me edit.  buck I posted above green scored 164 4/8" gross with 15 scorable points.

[dbHunterNY]

another picture of the scorable "trash" to add up to 15 points.

[Fletch]

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[halfnelson]

First deer with my new crossbow!!!  Haven't seen a lot of deer...figured I had better move while I had the chance.  25 Yard broadside shot from natural ground blind.  Deer went 20 yds and fell over...Thank God!!!

[goosifer]

First deer with a crossbow. I was in a ladder stand in a row of trees looking onto the a large field. Heard crashing directly behind me at about 9:30 a.m. Got my safety off and waited, but nothing ever came through. About 30 minutes later, I spot a buck exiting the trees about 40 yards to my left. Looks like a medium-sized 4+ pointer. I get ready. The buck is making a wide arc in front of me. I wait till it crossed the trail running straight in front of me, just past a large bush which gives me the only cover I have at this point. Distance of about 32 yards. The bolt hits in the lung kill zone, but is a bit high and does not penetrate fully.The deer immediately drops and tries to get up on its front legs, but can't. I spined him. Best I can figure, the bolt deflected off of a rib up into his spine. So he is just lounging there looking upat me with a bolt sticking out of his side. I immediately recock the crossbow and reload. I had to wait a few seconds until he turned his body to give me shot. He gives me an angled front shot. Penetrates the side of chest and exits out his lung. Immediately starts making noises and kicking his front leg. 30 seconds later it was over. Except for moving in a circle, he never took a stop past where he was initially shot. Am glad i didn't have to track him. Feel bad he had to suffer a bit more than he should have, but it was still pretty quick all in all. Field dressing him, we noticed only one lung was damaged; suspect the second shot hit a major artery. Is only a five pointer. Only one brow tine, and it looks like one tine got broken off. Estimated dressed weight of 100+ pounds. Sorry about the ninja smurf outfit; I don't photograph well.

[Lever action]

Went out today at 1pm and was in a stand that was on the edge of a spruce thicket.I kept telling myself that there had to be a buck bedded in there because it was so thick.Well at 3:20 he came out and I put a bolt through his lungs.Sorry for the poor picture,it was dark and raining at the time.

[growalot]

So I decided to go to old faithful this morning...It was a last minute thing at the end of driveway decision. I walked the cleared trails to the stand..there wasn't even a mouse rustling through the leafs and bright!...BTW went to cock bow at the house before leaving and wouldn't , I nearly took out my back trying and finally it caught. I get up into the stand all quiet and early and go to nock a bolt...It won't slide up..so I lift tension spring...but something isn't right...as it gets light I realize the string isn't completely seated..#$@#$%Great...so I remove the bolt and stand. Then place the cocking rope on the string and  in the fire position I pull with all my might "CLICK"...get settle back down to immediately hear running above me...down the hill towards me are 3 deer...as they finally get to me I see my companions the triplets they stop 10 yrds in front of me looking past the stand.. That's when I heard the slow steady crunch.....crunch...crunch distinct walk of a buck. The triplets are dancing a bit and he's still slowly coming in from behind my stand and thankfully to my rt...I am a left handed gunner so I am with the crossbow...Just as I see his nose I start to lift the bow and as his head goes behind the tree I shoulder and find the opening...he steps in and I drop my 20 line low and behind the shoulder. He was at 5yrds and I squeezed the shot off...I mule kick and short dash ...then he stops with his tail down and wagging furiously ,he walks away...I kept a very close eye on him for the triplets ran with him and I worried about the blood trail. The fawns came back and fed over in the lane way. So I waited until I could no longer see them...I got my blood soaked arrow and decided not to track him...He had walked a very long ways,which bothered me I knew where so I decided to walk those cleaned quiet trails  to see if I could spot him and did... problem was he'd laid his head against a tree and was in an upright position ears laying out to the side...I was able to walk trails at a good distance all the way around to where I could see his front and face...dead deer.. I used the bolt I found clearing the trails and shredded both lungs..man he walked a long ways with no lungs crazy. 

 

 

 

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

I decided after a long season of spikes and only one encounter with a mature buck that hung up on me and didn't allow me a shot. That I was going to fill my tag so this buck came by this morning at around 7:05 and it was game on, he came into my grunt call then got hung up with my scent wick and was going to go the other way and I grunted again at thirty yards and he swayed and offered me a shot ,, he ran 50 yards and dropped within sight ..

[bugsNbows]

Wife's first ever crossbow buck.