2020 HuntingNY Crossbow Harvest Thread

[fasteddie]

Crossbow Harvest only .........

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[Hock3y24]

Even though I was in PA I’ll post. 
Rattled at 6:45 this am, had a 4pt chase and grunt at a doe 40 yards behind me and bed down. I turned around and an 8 point was coming right towards them, send a bolt through his liver and lung and watch him run off crashing into trees. I backed out to be safe as I thought it was back. Only went 100. Blood everywhere and died fast. While tracking kicked a 6 and doe up, another buck and doe chasing in front of cabin while I was waiting. Crazy morning. 17” inside. With the heat this is the first time in 10 years and only the second deer I’m having processed at a butcher! 

[518BowSlayer]

My first crossbow kill! 100lb doe. Holding out for a big buck for the rest of the season. Around 8am 2 doe, 2 fawns and a 4 pointer stroll by and this doe hangs back from the herd. She just stands there 30 yards away from me behind a tree. When she finally turns i let her have it

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[Bionic]

A lot of you guys, and gals, are already aware, but here is my first crossbow deer, and biggest antlers yet. I am beyond grateful. 

Mission MXB400 

Sullivan County 3K 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Bionic

[johnplav]

Wow!  2020 was a strange season for me. Had lots of bucks on camera, and not much time to hunt.  We had a baby due on Halloween, so I really wanted to get something before that.  No such luck.  My son was born on Nov 6, right when the bucks started cruising during daylight hours.  I’ve been able to sneak out for short 1-2 hour hunts over the past week, and this morning it worked out.  

About an hour into the hunt I heard leaves crunching, and I suspected squirrel, but then they really started sounding like footsteps.  I first saw him come out of a treeline about 60 yards away, and he ran to within 30 yards and stopped in front of me.  He was undecided on which way to go and was moving too much to present a good shot.  Finally he started walking a bit closer and when he was behind a tree I shifted in my stand and took the safety off the crossbow.  Once he stopped slightly quartered-to at 25 yards I took the shot.  He kicked his back legs up so high he almost flipped over and sprinted over the ridge, then the noise stopped.  I waited for my hunting partner to come over and we checked the arrow and saw great blood.  We also saw the buck laying down, facing away from us, with his head up.  As we devised a plan to sneak around and shoot him again, his head dropped down and he was done.  I hit a little bit further back than I intended, but the Rage extreme 4 blade ripped open one lung and just about cut his liver in half.  He’s a 9 point that weighed 205 lbs and is my best deer yet.  Lots of meat in the freezer, more time freed up to spend with the kids, and even a little something for the wall.  2020 needs every bright spot it can get! 
 

Edited November 14, 2020 by johnplav

[518BowSlayer]

Huge mistake turned in to my best buck yet!

I make the half hour drive down to my in-laws house only to realize I left my freaking quiver and bolts at home! I'm so upset with myself because I planned on sitting in a stand from sunrise to sunset and now I'm gonna be at least an hour late. I almost stayed home because I was so mad but I forced myself to get back out there. I pull in their driveway for the second time and it's well past shooting light. It's about a half hour walk to the stand but about 2/3 of the way there i see him on the edge of a field that's mostly overgrown grasses. I stop and stare at him for about 15 minutes, he's about 100 yards away at this point. Then I see the doe he was trailing start walking towards my stand. I sneak behind some tall brush and I see his rack bobbing up and down. Every time he looks away I try to take another slow step towards him. I get to about 40 yards from him perfectly downwind but he won't step out of the tall grass. All I see is rack. Then the doe hops along to my left and he immediately follows. I was hoping from the direction they were traveling that I could possibly get ahead of them and sneak into my stand without them smelling me. So I start walking cautiously towards my stand and what I thought was the same doe walks right in front of me at 25 yards. I figure the buck will be right behind her but she walks away and I don't see him. Turns out it was a different doe because just a minute or 2 later I see the original doe and the buck coming through the woods real slow. I start praying that they will go the exact way the other doe went because that puts them 25 yards right in front of me. Well slowly but surely that's exactly what happened. She steps out in front of me and as soon as she turns her head away from me I lift the crossbow to my shoulder. Just a few seconds later he does exactly what I needed him to do. There was some tall grass in the way but I heard the bolt hit him. I find the bolt, covered in fat but the fletching had good light red blood on them. Didn't find a ton of blood but enough to find him 60 yards from the shot. Freaking stoked! Definitely my biggest buck yet. And to get it like I did from the ground and forgetting my bolts and just having it all come together like that was amazing! I'm not religious or spiritual or nothing but I just lost my father on Oct 18, 1 month ago today, and I truly believe he had something to do with this. Definitely feeling blessed today! And a big thanks to my father in law for helping me drag him out!

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[J.B.]

Last Saturday I was able to get this deer right before sundown. He was chasing off a small 4-pointer and came 15 yards to my left. Took the shot and he didn't make it 40 yards. My biggest buck to date. 

[Steuben Jerry]

1 hour ago, J.B. said:

Last Saturday I was able to get this deer right before sundown. He was chasing off a small 4-pointer and came 15 yards to my left. Took the shot and he didn't make it 40 yards. My biggest buck to date. 

Nice buck - congratulations!