Pressure's off.....WAY OFF!

huntinsonovagun · October 3, 2005

This morning, I got up and got ready to hunt the Slough Stand behind my house again. Wind out of the south again....awesome. So I get ready and head out. I walk around the long way, against the west fenceline, that way I don't disturb any deer in the pasture, if there are any. I get 150 yards from my stand and realize I forgot my stabilizer! I turn around and head back to get it. By the time I'm back to the house, I'm heatin' up pretty good. It's another hot opening weekend. I got my stabilizer on, looked for anything else I might have forgotten and headed back along the west fenceline. I got in stand around 6:25AM, and BARELY see the light from the sun in the east. Perfect. Now I just got to wait another 30 minutes for legal shooting time. I get settled in, and here come the mosquitoes. FLOCKS of mosquitoes, buzzing in my ears. I figure there's no way I'll see any deer....they will either see me swingin' or hear my slapping my face. They were tearing me up!!!!

I saw a few squirrels playing, and got a few laughs from them. I'm just having a good time being back in a treestand, all except for the fact that my butt is numb because of the poor design of my homade portable treestand.

As 8:00 gets closer, I begin to doubt if I'll see anything, as I usually see deer in the 7:00 "magical hour" as I like to call it.

8:10, I catch movement off to my left....DEER. There are several and the moving fast! The passed from left to right, just as I predicted!! I had to get my bow up, stand up, and draw all before they got past my 3rd and final shooting lane. The lead doe was in my last shooting lane, the 2nd doe right in front of me (in the shootin lane). They both look about the same size, so I pick the deer in my 2nd (middle) shooting lane. "Maaant!" She stops behind some brush, so I move my bow and settle the pin on the lead doe, who is BARELY in my shooting lane. Wait, there's a leaf a few yards in front of me in the way. I moved a little bit, picked a spot, and hoped the arrow didn't fishtail and hit that leaf. I shot, and the arrow hits with a "POP!" All the deer take off, and I see my doe running with the arrow in her shoulder. I hear the group of 4 deer running off (2 doe with 2 fawns, I suspect) and I kept my eye on the one I shot. She veered off and ran straight towards the slough and I heard a bunch of ruckus. I'm 90% positive I heard her going down, but tell myself to wait 20 minutes.

I nock another arrow, and proceed to wait a LONG 20 minutes. FINALLY, I look down and see it's 8:30....I decide I can get down now. I pull my neck gaiter off my face (I use it as a face mask, since it is tight-fitting and won't interfere with my bowstring), put my arrow back in the quiver and start to reach for my string to let my bow down. More movement to the left!! They're moving fast too!! I re-nock the arrow I put in the quiver 5 seconds ago and don't even pull my facemask back up. This time it looks like there's a group of 5 deer, all slickheads. Probably some doe with their offspring again. I hesitate shooting, but since I was pretty sure I heard my first one go down, I decided I would shoot, given the opportunity. A doe enters into my middle shooting lane......."maaant-mant" I double grunted to make sure she stopped in my lane. She quartered towards me slightly, but I practice all year long and I am 100% confident in the chip-shot 22 yard shot. I put my pin next to the near shoulder and let her rip. I saw the arrow disappear into the lung of the beast as the group took off.

By this time, I'm getting pretty shook up. I realized I just shot 2 does within 20 minutes!! Now I have to wait ANOTHER antagonizing 20 minutes to go look for my deer! This is killing me!!

I don't ever plan on killing deer, as I do more 'sitting' than I do 'killing,' and I planned to go to church....not today....I have deer to find!

I waited 15 minutes and decided I could start my search for the first doe I shot. I first went and found the arrow of the second doe I shot and put it in my quiver. I went to the place I shot the first doe and started off in the direction she headed. Not far was my arrow broken in 3 places with one blade of my Muzzy 4-blade broadhead bent. Another few yards was the fletching end of my arrow with the nock missing. I keep heading in the direction, with not much blood at first.

The 2 deer crossed paths near the beginning of the bloodtrail, so I wasn't sure which one I was following. I followed one for quite a while through some of the thickest stuff I have ever walked in. Sapling willow trees are NOT COOL! The further I went, the more blood and the easier to follow. I can't figure out why this deer is still going with the blood I'm finding! I finally see the white belly ahead and go get her. She ran probably 150 yards total. Now the fun part....drag her back to my stand so I can begin looking for the other doe.....one problem though....which doe did I find? The first one or the second one? After dragging for 20 minutes or so, with SEVERAL rest breaks, I thought it through and make my mind up that this is the 2nd doe I shot...so, where's the first doe???

I get this doe close to my stand and begin looking for blood from the second doe....nothing, nada, zip! Not good. My heart is sinking, and I start a body search in some of the thick willows. I then stop to think.....I remembered hearing what sounded to be the deer going down shortly after I shot her. I decide to look in the area I thought I heard her go down.....sure enough there she is!!!!!! I'm am so excited at this point that I found them both! It was her indeed falling that I had heard after the shot. She went MAYBE 60 yards. The 'ol Muzzy was in fact Bad to the Bone!!! The head is in perfect condition!! Nothing some new blades won't fix!

I finish dragging them both to the corner post of my property, which is about 5 yards from my treestand. I am ready to take pictures, but I am soaked with sweat and feel like I'm gonna puke, even though I didn't have any breakfast!!! I was SO exhausted!! I just sat for a few minutes, reflected on the morning's events, and thanked God for the opportunity to be out there hunting and thanked him for the 2 lives that were taken to feed my family. I felt bad for taking their lives, but it will be used!

I got a couple pictures taken and then walked home to get my truck....I'm not dragging these things around ANY MORE!!

Wow.....what else can I say? I've had an awesome opening weekend, and I feel as I'm maturing as a hunter. I have seen deer both days, and taken 2 mature, lactating doe in one day!! Now it's time to hold out for Mac Daddy.

My treestand is in the tree closest to my feet, and my camera is on our corner post on the southwest corner of our property!!

October 3, 2005