Best/Worst Opening Day Ever

[CherokeeKC]

     I was really excited to start this deer season using my first homemade hickory flat bow and flint tipped arrows.  I was in the woods extra early (5 am, Sunrise at 6) and set up about 50 yds off a cutover.  I was in position to catch the deer coming through the woods from feeding in a soybean field to head to the cutover to bed down for the day.  As the time passed and it started getting warmer I thought I might not see anything (Forecast for high of 87).  About 8:30 I heared slow methodical steps directly behind me.  5-6 does slowly fed their way past me about 30 yds behind my tree.  I had no shot but was excited to see deer and considered it a successful hunt.  I decided then to brave the afternoon heat and come back for afternoon hunt.

    I knew there were 6 doe in the corner of the soybean field friday night at 6PM.  A 17 yr old buddy of mine that is only in his second season of deer hunting went with me for the afternoon hunt.  We found two "staging areas" in the woods about 50 yds from corner of soybean field where a group of pin oaks were dropping acorns hard.  We both had climbers and set up about 50 yds apart.  We were set up by 5PM and set in to wait.  The 10 or so squirrels running around in the trees shaking the acorns to the ground kept our minds alert the entire hunt.  About 620 I caught sight of movement about 150 yds deeper in the woods.  I immediately stood up to get ready in case it was a deer so I wouldnt be caught sitting.  After 5 minutes or so I could see 3 deer feeding my way.  One went on the other side of a fallen tree and headed straight for the corner of the field.  The other two fed straight to my shooting lane to the pin oak acorns.  My entire body was shaking at this point and it was all I could to do to keep it somewhat under control.  I expected the doe to spot me shaking 20ft up the tree at any second.  She never did and I waited until she turned broadside and finally quartering away at about 20-25 yds.  I took the shot and thought I overshot her completely but in the same second she dropped and then raised up on her front legs.  I must have spined her so I reached for another arrow quickly and when I looked back she had drug/ran out of my shooting lane towards the field.  I heard a couple crashes so figured she was down.  I also saw a doe bounding through the soybean field through the trees and figured it was the first doe that walked to the field.

   The third doe ran back into the woods 30-40 yds after the thrashing of the doe I shot.  After a couple minutes I heard that doe start creeping back towards me.  I was hoping the entire time it would turn and head towards my buddy but it walked straight for my shooting lane.  I took a few seconds and toiled over whether to take the shot if it stepped into my shooting lane and decided to since the other deer was down and the fact that you dont get these opportunities often.  I also felt confident I knew how low to aim since I had just hit high on the other doe.  The doe stepped into my shooting lane and again I waited until it was quartering away.  I made a whistling sound to make her stop and took the shot.  I hit even higher on this doe!!!  I was totally surprised and disgusted with my shot.  It took off running and circled to run by my buddy.  I saw the arrow fall out and the deer keep running.  It stopped about 30 yds behind my buddy to look back and then just walked away.  I am positive I hit above the spine on this deer.

    Now it was about 640PM and getting dark fast.  I decided to get down and recover the first doe then get started tracking the second one.  I didnt know if I hit the artery or not but was optimistic.  I found my first arrow with pieces broken off the point and blood for only about 4 inches!  This worried me but I saw the deer dragging its hind legs.  I picked up the blood trail and found good blood (not lung blood but a good amount).  I followed it to the edge of the field and saw it entered the soy beans.  Now I was astonished and confused.  How could the deer I saw bounding through the field be the same one I saw dragging its back legs?!  My buddy and I tracked the blood trail through the soy bean field for an hr.  Towards the other side the doe stopped running and this must have stopped pumping the blood out.  The only blood was coming from beans rubbing against her side, there were no drops.  Then it just disappeared about 30 yds from edge of woods.  Obviously she made it to the thick woods but I had no trail to follow and the blood appeared to dry up.  The fat must have closed the wound some and I must not have permanently paralyzed her back legs.  I was sick to my stomach at this point.  I have never lost a deer I shot with anything before this point.  And I was even less optimistic about the second shot.

   My buddy and I went back and found my second arrow.  It barely had blood on it but the point had broken off.  We searched for 30 minutes and could not find a speck of blood.  From the way it acted after shot and the way it stopped and looked back then walked away I am pretty confident it was not a lethal wound.  I was/am thankful for seeing deer on both hunts but yet I am sick to my stomach about wounding both of those deer and not finding either one.  If I knew that first deer was not down I would have never taken that second shot on the next doe.  Every hunter I have ever known or read have said if you hunt long enough you are gonna lose deer.  I know I did my best to make a good shot and to recover the deer but it doesnt make it any easier to swallow thats for sure.  I know coworkers/friends/family are going to ask how opening day went and I am hesitant to even tell anyone especially non hunters.  All they will hear is that I wounded two deer and didnt find them and I dont want to cast a cloud on primitive hunting with anyone.

PS  These were my first shots on deer with homemade bow and flint arrows.

Anyway just thought I would share my story of opening day.

[mullet]

That truly sucks and I feel for you. The only deer I've hit with primitive gear I lost also. But some dog hunters killed it the next year and gave me my Grizzly broadhead back. I hit it high on the spine, also.

[Pappy]

Ya that stinks but as you said it happens, more times than not if they stop bleeding in a couple hundred yards they will be fine, some think they all die but I can assure that ant the case.Hang in and don't let it get you to down, I know you are disappointed but like I said it happens.You just have to get back on the horse and ride.   If you gave it your best shot in your shooting and trying to find it you did all you can do. I usually don't mention it to no hunters either,no use in that and as for me it's nothing worse than to hear someone say,ya I STUCK one today,better just to say nothing in my oppion.
   Pappy

[crooketarrow]

  WOW NEVER LOST A DEER

   I can't remember the # of bucks I lost over tha last 40 odd years.

  It really sucks but

[crooketarrow]

  That really sucks you just have to move on.

[Buffalogobbler]

The guys are right you just have move on,that's part of hunting, it was an exciting hunt, you learned a lot and now your more prepared for the next hunt.

Kevin

[crooketarrow]

  BUFFS totally right  remember what you did right and learn from your mistakes.

  AND JUST MOVE FORWARDS.

[burchett.donald]

 Did you ever figure out what made you hit high on both occasions? Did they jump the string? Have you been practicing from a tree stand? Just trying to figure out...

[CherokeeKC]

Thanks guys.  I knew you guys would understand before anyone else. 

burchett i have been.practicing from a hangon i have up in my backyard just for.the purpose.  I think hitting high was a function of low light which makes everything seem further than expected so I held too high.  The deer may have been smaller than i expected also which made them seem.further

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

yeah that sure is a disappointment.  Selfbows and stone points can be tough going at times. Just a few things I noticed though (I am an advocate for close shots with stone points)  20 ft up in a tree is a long way up. I've killed a lot of deer 10 - 12 feet high.  Obviously the higher you are the higher the shot angle and also, they smaller the double lung kill zone is.  Also 20-25 yards is actually a pretty far shot with stone points. Certainly it can be done, but the chance for things to go wrong increases.  I shoot very close shots. I prefer 8 yards... slam dunk shots. I will shoot out a little further, but typically never over 15y and I let a lot go at 15 hoping for a 10 the next day!   Most the time when I have experienced poor penetration it was due to shooting too big of points, and/or rough transitions and/or not a heavy enough bow/arrow combination.  I've seen some guys on here shooting some pretty darn big points, and not always, but often times I see a lack of penetration because of it.  I like bows in the upper 50's- 60's weight range, reasonably heavy arrows, my points are very very sharp 60-100 grain points no wider than about an inch and about 2 inches long at the most. very smooth, tapered, point to shaft transitions and spinning perfectly true.  8-12 yards and I am almost always looking at a pass through or pass through with arrow still inside the deer.

I experienced similar results in my earlier attempts. shots a little too far, bow and arrow combo wasn't up to snuff... points too big and too dull. Not exactly sure of your whole set up, but I would shorten your shooting ranges, make those points scary sharp & small and forget about that past bad experience.  keep after it because you are on the right path! hope to see some success pictures soon! - Ryan

[CherokeeKC]

Thanks for all the tips twisted!  I am continually tweaking my setup