A fantastic and terrible day in Illinois
10-28-2007, 06:21 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,200
A fantastic and terrible day in Illinois
This all occured yesterday, and you will understand why I am just now getting to a computer after reading this.
Set up yesterday morning on the edge of a cut corn field with a doe decoy out in front of me. I was all set up an hour and a half before dark and sat there in quiet as I could hear the deer moving in the woods behind me.
Right at dawn I let out a few quiet soft grunts and right away a small 6 pointer came out. He saw the decoy and postured his way over there. He tried to mount on the back of it and back away real quick, then he came right back over and reared up again only to run away quickly. An entertaining sight to say the least.
A few minutes late a doe and 2 fawns came in behind me. As the doe was 20 yards I tried to draw on her, and she spotted me. Game over.
Right at 8:15 I did a little rattle sequence. 5 minutes later I look behind me and a 2 1/2 yr. old 9 pointer is walking up. He walks directly under my stand and smells around where I walked in and continues on his way towards the decoy. He stood about 10 yards away for about a minute when he got nervous and started looking behind him. I slowly looked to my right and tall 8 pointer that I almost got Oct. 2 was about 10 yards away, but no shot available. He postured towards the small 9 and they clashed. And when I say they clashed I mean they were not just sparring. They were going right at it. The 8 easily pushed the 9 around and chased him right out of the field.
At 9 I saw a great buck. He was about 40 yards off chasing a doe through the woods. I waited 5 minutes and rattled again. I saw a doe coming from the direction they just went (I'm guessing the same doe) A minute or so later here came the same buck. I got a better look at him and realized he was a shooter. 10 pointer wider than his ears carrying good mass and average tine length. A definate 130 possibly going 140. He skirts just out of range and sneak over to another ridge.
I was to get down at 10 and go hunt another property for the afternoon. At I checked my cell phone at and saw it was 9:57. I took a final glance around and started putting everything in my backpack. As I put it on my back and got ready to lower my bow, I looked up and here came the 10 across the field. I quickly grabbed my range finder and got him at 55 yards...to far. He kept posturing towards the decoy as he was trying to get downwind of it. A beautiful sight of a mature whitetail walking stiff legged and his ears laid back. He came within 32 yards and I came to full draw. He kept coming so I held off the shot. Then he got downwind and bolted. I let down and realized he had stopped. I ranged him again and he was 42 yards. Still in range. Let out a bleat to stop him and put my 40 yard pin right on him.
I saw the arrow enter him and knew I had hit him high. I did think though that with the angle he was at I should be ok with the arrow angling down. I got down and found that it was a pass through. I examined the arrow and saw a lot of blood on it and some hair. I went back to the truck and called for help. After talking things over with my dad we came to the conclusion to wait a few hours. 4 hours later we were back at the stand expecting to find a dead buck. A few drops after the impact and then nothing in the field. Still not worried, because we could tell where he was going by his tracks. Hit the woods and found a few more drops, and kept following the ruffled leaves. Eventually found 4 more specks scattered about the trail and then we lost track of him around 150-200 yards from the field edge.
There are thousands of thoughts going through my head at this point. I know where my arrow hit, and though it should of been fine. We backed out again and thought it over. Waited another hour and resumed the search. I walked around for the rest of the day and into the night with flashlight in hand. I finally got home at 1 in the morning extremly disappointed. Sat in bed for an hour just thinking about if the buck is alive, am I going to find him this spring, if he's dead where else could he be.
I woke up 2 hours later (extremly tired) to hunt another stand this morning.Rattled in a small 6 that I let walk. Around 9:30 had a doe in front of me at 30 yards. I came to full draw on her and just couldn't do it. I didn't have the confidence. I climbed down as soon as she walked off and went and shot 4 arrows at 42 yards (how far the buck was standing). All 4 were right where they should be. I went back and kept searching for the buck, but no other sign.
From the sign after the hit I have to think the buck is still running around. There is still that doubt in the back of my mind that is killing me right now. I hate wounding any deer regardless of it being a doe, spike, or big buck.
Set up yesterday morning on the edge of a cut corn field with a doe decoy out in front of me. I was all set up an hour and a half before dark and sat there in quiet as I could hear the deer moving in the woods behind me.
Right at dawn I let out a few quiet soft grunts and right away a small 6 pointer came out. He saw the decoy and postured his way over there. He tried to mount on the back of it and back away real quick, then he came right back over and reared up again only to run away quickly. An entertaining sight to say the least.
A few minutes late a doe and 2 fawns came in behind me. As the doe was 20 yards I tried to draw on her, and she spotted me. Game over.
Right at 8:15 I did a little rattle sequence. 5 minutes later I look behind me and a 2 1/2 yr. old 9 pointer is walking up. He walks directly under my stand and smells around where I walked in and continues on his way towards the decoy. He stood about 10 yards away for about a minute when he got nervous and started looking behind him. I slowly looked to my right and tall 8 pointer that I almost got Oct. 2 was about 10 yards away, but no shot available. He postured towards the small 9 and they clashed. And when I say they clashed I mean they were not just sparring. They were going right at it. The 8 easily pushed the 9 around and chased him right out of the field.
At 9 I saw a great buck. He was about 40 yards off chasing a doe through the woods. I waited 5 minutes and rattled again. I saw a doe coming from the direction they just went (I'm guessing the same doe) A minute or so later here came the same buck. I got a better look at him and realized he was a shooter. 10 pointer wider than his ears carrying good mass and average tine length. A definate 130 possibly going 140. He skirts just out of range and sneak over to another ridge.
I was to get down at 10 and go hunt another property for the afternoon. At I checked my cell phone at and saw it was 9:57. I took a final glance around and started putting everything in my backpack. As I put it on my back and got ready to lower my bow, I looked up and here came the 10 across the field. I quickly grabbed my range finder and got him at 55 yards...to far. He kept posturing towards the decoy as he was trying to get downwind of it. A beautiful sight of a mature whitetail walking stiff legged and his ears laid back. He came within 32 yards and I came to full draw. He kept coming so I held off the shot. Then he got downwind and bolted. I let down and realized he had stopped. I ranged him again and he was 42 yards. Still in range. Let out a bleat to stop him and put my 40 yard pin right on him.
I saw the arrow enter him and knew I had hit him high. I did think though that with the angle he was at I should be ok with the arrow angling down. I got down and found that it was a pass through. I examined the arrow and saw a lot of blood on it and some hair. I went back to the truck and called for help. After talking things over with my dad we came to the conclusion to wait a few hours. 4 hours later we were back at the stand expecting to find a dead buck. A few drops after the impact and then nothing in the field. Still not worried, because we could tell where he was going by his tracks. Hit the woods and found a few more drops, and kept following the ruffled leaves. Eventually found 4 more specks scattered about the trail and then we lost track of him around 150-200 yards from the field edge.
There are thousands of thoughts going through my head at this point. I know where my arrow hit, and though it should of been fine. We backed out again and thought it over. Waited another hour and resumed the search. I walked around for the rest of the day and into the night with flashlight in hand. I finally got home at 1 in the morning extremly disappointed. Sat in bed for an hour just thinking about if the buck is alive, am I going to find him this spring, if he's dead where else could he be.
I woke up 2 hours later (extremly tired) to hunt another stand this morning.Rattled in a small 6 that I let walk. Around 9:30 had a doe in front of me at 30 yards. I came to full draw on her and just couldn't do it. I didn't have the confidence. I climbed down as soon as she walked off and went and shot 4 arrows at 42 yards (how far the buck was standing). All 4 were right where they should be. I went back and kept searching for the buck, but no other sign.
From the sign after the hit I have to think the buck is still running around. There is still that doubt in the back of my mind that is killing me right now. I hate wounding any deer regardless of it being a doe, spike, or big buck.
10-28-2007, 06:51 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Illinois
Posts: 158
RE: A fantastic and terrible day in Illinois
Sounds like nothing more than backstraps to me. Tough for the hunter, but the good news is that the buck is still chasing does this morning. He won't even slow down. Get back out there!
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