Orion makes meat (photo documentary)

[Alpinbogen]

My new osage hunting bow, Orion, drew its first blood this weekend.  I happened to have my camera with me to document the trail.

I'll start off with my ground blind.  This is my hiding spot, as the deer see it.


This is the deer's hiding spot, as I see it.

[Alpinbogen]

A pair of does worked their way to me in the morning.  I drew back on the lead doe, took careful aim, and sent an arrow on a spectacular flight that smacked...

...dead into an overhanging limb between me and the deer.  (Really, could I have center punched the limb more perfectly?)

[Alpinbogen]

The thunderous crack that rang through the woods arosed rather direct suspicion in the deer.  Both snapped towards me, wide eyed, and with ears aloft, ready to run.  As I nocked a backup arrow (of which I always keep one or two drawn from the quiver and propped at the ready against a tree for just such events), I decided it would be in my best interest to crouch a little for the next shot.  I took careful aim on the center of its chest, quickly made mental note of the arrow's trajectory relative to the limb, and released.  Again the arrow took a beautiful arc, which this time fortunately cleared the limb and found its way into the deer's chest, just 2" from its windpipe.  The arrow buried to the fletching from nearly 20 yards, and the deer took off along this trail.

 

[Alpinbogen]

Estimating that the arrow perhaps hit just one lung (if not the heart), I decided to give the deer a solid hour to expire to play things safe.  I occupied my mind by playing with the camera.  Just 15 yards from the impact site, I found bright red blood.



Five yards further, I found the fletching end of my arrow, which must have sheared off when it caught on brush.



I reached the edge of the woods at yard 25, finding more blood sign.

[Alpinbogen]

The deer exited the woods and ran along this field, parallel to the woods.



Yard 30, blood on soybeans.

[Alpinbogen]

At yard 40, I found the business end of my arrow.  It was coated in green stomach matter.  At this point, it dawned on me that this could have been a passthrough.  That seemed improbable, though, due to the straight on shot.



By yard 50,  I was finding blood on both sides of the deer's tracks, indicating further that this had been a passthrough.  By yard 70, the blood trail was still going strong.



By yard 90, I was nearing the end of the field.  The weeds were taller and there was quite a bit of blood against the stems.



Then something white caught my eye in the corner of the field, just a few feet inside the edge of the woods.

[Alpinbogen]

I crept over with an arrow nocked "just in case", and found the deer laying dead at yard 110.



On examination, I discovered that the arrow had in fact passed lengthwise through the deer, from brisket to the hip...a distance of 22"!  Name an organ and the arrow found it.  I could have certainly spared myself the agonizing wait, but have learned that it's always better to be patient than rush onto the trail.  (If you look carefully, you can see the exit wound just front of the hip.  It's surrounded by faint green matter and a black fly.  The entrance was in the brisket, roughly in-line with the bloody leg.)



A happy hunter with his prize.  The loins are now marinating, all quarters are in the freezer, and the hide is soaking in a dehairing solution of wood ash and water to become rawhide. 
63# @ 25" osage bow.  725 grn ash arrow with 200 grn Grizzly head.

[Ken S]

Good story great prize & sweet looking bow.   

[stickbender]

     Man, I bet those deer were mentally shouting.....INJUNS !!!!   It is amazing at how a limb will jump in front of an arrow, sometimes......   Congrats, and you certainly have a nice supply of very tender, and delicious meat, and hide, and sinew, and whatever else you are capable of using.....bones, hooves, fat, etc.  Nice bow too!

                                                                       Wayne

[Thwackaddict]

Way to go man,great to see some blood on that one and excellent job and the photo documentary two thumbs up!!

[Pappy]

Nice job,loved the photos, great story. Congrats.
   Pappy

[Cromm]

Great story thank you loved the photos. Great looking bow too.

[mullet]

Cool story, great pictures and nice deer, Congratulations.

[Cacatch]

Sweet story and documentary, thank you for sharing! Glad you got the ol girl and as said above, are now blessed with so much meat and resources. Good for you!

CP

[BearG]

Great story and photos.  And congrats on the meat