Unseasonably warm today.Close to 60 degrees F.Very little wind and what their was was in my favor for the stand I was in.I have been seeing bucks most times out lately,but not close enough to shoot.Even hunts like that are good.
As a safety side note here with all my hung treestands I tie myself off every time from my safety vest.Ladder stands I do not.
I had put a ladder stand along a hedge row of some old hedge along a fence line about a half mile from the farm back in early september where there was excellent sign of deer traveling.A few scrapes along it were being well used.The corn field lies parelell with this fence line.Some hedge along this row are probably 50 years old and 50' feet tall for sure.They hav'nt lost their leaves yet and are usually the last trees besides pin oaks that'll lose their leaves in the fall.They are burnt though from all the killing frost we've had lately but still good camoflauge.Still using the same osage self bow [red rat bow] and dogwood arrows.
I was in it for a couple hours and to my left 40 yards a big old 8 point bruiser came over the fence from behind me.At least a 4.5 year old.Crossed the 50' grass strip and went into the corn field a good 20 yards.Turned right out there and went past me about 40 yards out going from my left to the right with the corn row plantings.He was walking with his mouth open a bit close to the ground like a hound with his head in a scent stream and seemed hot and on a mission at the pace he was taking.I grunted a little but he did'nt have anything to do with it and went on his way.I imagined seeing a clean arrow fly to it's mark while watching him go.Sure would of liked a shot at him.Guess I should practice more for those 40 yard shots as these self bows will easily kill at that distance too.
I did shoot at Mo Jam some years ago with my horn bow & a selfbow horseing around.Back then I think I got 1/3 of the shots in an 8" circle out of 6.The other 1/3 were within a 12" circle with the other 1/3 close to a foot and ahalf off the mark.Not really consistent enough IMO.
I suppose another hour went by and I heard a corn stalk snap out in front of me a good block into the corn field.It was another buck walking at a liesurely pace.I was hoping it was the same buck but it was a little smaller one by the looks of the rack.He was coming my direction cross row from the corn field but to the right of me a good 30 yards or so.
I debated on whether to shoot at this one or not if he came by me but wanted to see him clear the corn field first.When he did I made my decision as he was a large bodied buck by his length & width.I was hoping he'd turn my direction to his right when clearing the corn field too.He did heading to what looked like where the other bigger buck had exited from over the fence only he was taking a route much closer past me.
He gave me a really decent broadside,a little forward downward angled shot at about 10 yards with him coming from my right going left.Shot him on the walk.He never knew I was there.The arrow zipped in like a dart where I was looking,disappeared,and passed through.
He rocketed over the fence behind the hedge row and me.Within 20 seconds I heard him crash and struggle even with my stocking cap and hood on.He went into something what sounded like long grass along a pond I knew was there and was no more than 50 yards behind me.I could'nt see through all the hedge and leaves.The noise subsided in a few minutes.I figured he was dead in 5 minutes.
Found him exactly where I heard him crash.Robin helped drag him to the fence line.Quite a chore yet.We had to go around a very healthy thick,huge black raspberry patch with a lot of thorns.After skinning and gutting him the devastation was very evident.His heart was sliced big time.His lungs were tore up too.Two huge blood clots a foot long and 3" round in the chest cavity.No wonder he went down so quick and hard.I imagine he went the distance he did on adrennaline.
Any naive modern archers stating these self bows are toys should of seen this.That heavy dogwood and ace broadhead did it's job in spades.
Only 1 I seen go down faster was with the .54 besides spine shot deer.Back then I snuck up on him bedded down in middle of a treeless section from behind a 2' tall snow bank where he was bedded in a waterway with a couple does.Spotted him from out of the top window of the barn a good 3/8 mile in there.Snuck up [belly crawled] to within 30 yards.Stood up on my knees and shot him on the first bound he took.I remember seeing the red patch flash on him right where it needed to happen after I shot even with the all smoke coming out of the .54.Ball went straight through his heart looking at the damage done later while gutting him.He bull dozed into the dirt with his chest within 10 yards and did'nt get back up.He was a big deer.
I figure this deer is a 3.5 year old.We'll see for sure later looking at his teeth.He is a lot bigger than the does though [thicker longer neck/deeper chest and longer body] and bigger than the previous 8 point & forked bucks I passed on.His neck was swelled considerably.Plenty of tallow left on this boy.
Well that's my bow season for deer I guess as it's my final tag I bought this year earlier.Unless I go buy another bow tag.First 3 bow tags cost me $19.00.Another buck tag will cost $33.00 now.I still have a paid for antlerless tag for late muzzle loader season too late december [$15.00] with my .54 Johnny Brown Hawken I've had for over 40 years.It has produced dozens of deer in the past for me and should produce a big doe,or a big shed buck which should put me over the hump to get 200 pounds of deer meat.
Some muzzle loader kills from 1 season seasoning froze solid from the past back on the farm in northern Iowa.
Slim chance of that shed buck but I've seen it happen.Sometimes big bucks will get injured and can lose their rack early.Horn hunters will leave them go on.That's ok I'll pick up the slack then.The law says specifically antlerless and I'll go by that.Got the bow turkey tag to fill yet too.
The garden and the woods for deer is still the cheapest and healthiest grocery store out there yet avoiding all the processing/preservatives/and artificial flavoring chemicals they put in food nowadays.I believe many people suffer from a bad gut running that stuff through their system.The weather is timely turning a bit cooler into the 30's and 40's a while with a little snow in the forecast.
I'll let the meat season a few days.First I'll trim all the tallow off him I can while hanging.Remove the front quarters and debone that for hamburger.I mix beef fat with deer meat of about 15% for our hamburger.Take the outer and inner loins out.Remove the back strap sinew from the outer loins [these are over 2' long dried & 3" wide at their widest].Trim the neck and rib meat for hamburger too.Debone the 2 hind quarters cutting along the meat grain and make roasts and steaks from that.
The hides I'll brain tan & smoke.I'll also tan & make some pouches from the front leg hides.The skull I'll skin and debone/boil/trim and clean up.Then bleach it with a thin pastey mixture of grocery store bought 3% to 4% household hydrogen peroxide and magneseum carbonate [a very fine white powder and can be gotten from Van Dykes Taxidermy supply] applied with a small paint brush while the skull bone is moisturized yet but dry to the touch from boiling.That turns and keeps it white as a fresh snow bank.No need of paint or lacquer as a covering.You can get magneseum carbonate on line other places too.If you have a skull wanting to bleach it I would suggest getting the 3S degreaser [a little goes a long way] from The Tannery inc. also to use when par boiling the skull.It breaks up those collagen connected tissue bonds pretty good and takes out the fat residue leaving good dry white bone to be bleached.
Pictures of the ladder stand 15' tall from the bucks' point of view from where he was standing when shot.The leaves for camoflauge have left now since.It's hard to see in the picture but the stand is set back in a pocket of the trees.With the tree branches from trees to each side sticking out farther to conceal me a bit better leaving me a shooting lane out in front of me.Also the grassy strip and the corn field he came out of in front of me.
A picture of a recent scrape being regularly used.I watch these spots like a hawk executing a game plan to ambush them.
Enter hole
Exit hole
Heart sliced by the broadhead
Arrow exit hole side of deer.
He would of been a real dandy in 1 more year but that's ok.There's plenty around already there yet and there's always next year too.
I kinda get a crowd hanging around me when ever this happens.
Three arrows loosed and three deer.Lost 1 broke arrow shaft but recovered the broadhead.0 blood trail to follow.Can't ask for anything better than that.Heck of a bow season.
Post script....This deer produced 85 pounds of deer meat.Bringing total to 200 pounds.Close to 50% hamburger & 50% loins/steaks and roasts.Goal met with 3 deer & 1 more tag to fill yet.
