bowhunterbruce
12-01-2011, 12:50 AM
after heading out two days ago to start scouting a few of my bowhunting honey holes i had it narrowed down to the point of 2 spots until this morning.
while working my way into spot 1 i bumped a muley doe and 2 spike bucks.with any muley bucks open i make the choice not to take one of them with my bow in hopes of getting 1 with a little more meat on it.
this next 10 days is when i love the challenge of trying to top off the freezer and doing it with my bow.
i back on out and after an hr on the road i get to my other spot.while working my way through the valley bottom i spotted a couple whitetail does working thier way up to thier bedding areas,as i round the corner to the trail they were on i sppot the unmistakable sight of a beautiful respectable buck comming up the trail.
dropping to 1 knee i nock an arrow and judge the down hill shot at 25 yards,(a gimme)i think.
as he clears the scrub in front of me i give him a doe bleat(vocally)he stops broadside.
for the first time in my life i got to experience the effects of a buck that jumped the string.
he dropped so low upon my release that all i did was shave a few hairs off his back.
well i back out after doing enough searching to be sure thats all i hit was hair(not a drop of blood)
all the way back to the truck i replayed everything wondering where i had gone wrong.
as i was sitting back at the truck i notice all kinds of sign around me and all of it fresh.the rubs on the trees were everywhere and as i looked closer the ground was torn up all over the p[lace as though to combatants went at it for hours.
it was at that point i realized that i didn't have my rattling antlers or my grunt tube with me.
i insidently had parked my truck right in the middle of a domminent bucks home.
there was only 1 thing to do and that was go and get the tools and get my butt back there.
forward a couple hrs later and i'm back.
leaveing the truck a mile away i walked into the bottom end of the cut block and set up downwind of all the activity.after the third rattling sequence a hear a small branch break to my right.and as if on cue its a pretty decnt buck bigger the the one i had missed earlier.
my arrow is already on my bow as i pick it up undetected i clip my release on ,as he stepped behind the only pair of decent sized trees around me i raised my bow and came to full draw.
it seamed like forever until he was in my shooting lane and once there i grunted him to get him to stop.at the same time he stopped i released and i'll be damed.
this buck did the same thing only the arrow found its mark a little high.wtf
never in all my years of bowhunting did an animal jump a string on me and in 1 day i get 2 of them.
well the arrow completely passed through and although there was good blood on it ,i new the shot was high and only hoped it had hit at least some of its lungs and didnt just pass through the "no zone"(above the lungs yet below the spine).
the buck took off like a bat outta hell and i took my now sorry butt to try and find some form of blood trail.1/2 and hr later and i had a few drops and a direction he went.
after marking the blood with some toilet paper i went back to the truck the same route i had gone in on.
well once back at the truck i give hotload a call.chit not home.leave a message.
2 hrs later i get the call and we are on our way back out there.
well he gets billie on the trail.its been over a year now since i had seen her work her magic.this dog has been put through some very tough tests and training and man oh man does she work.
well as i suspected after climbing and traversing that hill she finally found the buck and i did hit him high but had just taken off the tops of both lungs.
billie didn't quit and once we hit the snow line and we were still finding a drop of blood here and there it confirmed she was and always had been on that bucks track.
i say say enough how greatful i was to have found that buck dead,knowing where all he had gone, there was no way i would have ever found him without both rod and "billie's" help.
if any of you here in the okanagan ever lose one don't hesitate getting ahold of them and if by chance they are ooout traing then get ahold of me here and i will do my best to track them down.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/DSCF0247.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/DSCF0228.jpg
while working my way into spot 1 i bumped a muley doe and 2 spike bucks.with any muley bucks open i make the choice not to take one of them with my bow in hopes of getting 1 with a little more meat on it.
this next 10 days is when i love the challenge of trying to top off the freezer and doing it with my bow.
i back on out and after an hr on the road i get to my other spot.while working my way through the valley bottom i spotted a couple whitetail does working thier way up to thier bedding areas,as i round the corner to the trail they were on i sppot the unmistakable sight of a beautiful respectable buck comming up the trail.
dropping to 1 knee i nock an arrow and judge the down hill shot at 25 yards,(a gimme)i think.
as he clears the scrub in front of me i give him a doe bleat(vocally)he stops broadside.
for the first time in my life i got to experience the effects of a buck that jumped the string.
he dropped so low upon my release that all i did was shave a few hairs off his back.
well i back out after doing enough searching to be sure thats all i hit was hair(not a drop of blood)
all the way back to the truck i replayed everything wondering where i had gone wrong.
as i was sitting back at the truck i notice all kinds of sign around me and all of it fresh.the rubs on the trees were everywhere and as i looked closer the ground was torn up all over the p[lace as though to combatants went at it for hours.
it was at that point i realized that i didn't have my rattling antlers or my grunt tube with me.
i insidently had parked my truck right in the middle of a domminent bucks home.
there was only 1 thing to do and that was go and get the tools and get my butt back there.
forward a couple hrs later and i'm back.
leaveing the truck a mile away i walked into the bottom end of the cut block and set up downwind of all the activity.after the third rattling sequence a hear a small branch break to my right.and as if on cue its a pretty decnt buck bigger the the one i had missed earlier.
my arrow is already on my bow as i pick it up undetected i clip my release on ,as he stepped behind the only pair of decent sized trees around me i raised my bow and came to full draw.
it seamed like forever until he was in my shooting lane and once there i grunted him to get him to stop.at the same time he stopped i released and i'll be damed.
this buck did the same thing only the arrow found its mark a little high.wtf
never in all my years of bowhunting did an animal jump a string on me and in 1 day i get 2 of them.
well the arrow completely passed through and although there was good blood on it ,i new the shot was high and only hoped it had hit at least some of its lungs and didnt just pass through the "no zone"(above the lungs yet below the spine).
the buck took off like a bat outta hell and i took my now sorry butt to try and find some form of blood trail.1/2 and hr later and i had a few drops and a direction he went.
after marking the blood with some toilet paper i went back to the truck the same route i had gone in on.
well once back at the truck i give hotload a call.chit not home.leave a message.
2 hrs later i get the call and we are on our way back out there.
well he gets billie on the trail.its been over a year now since i had seen her work her magic.this dog has been put through some very tough tests and training and man oh man does she work.
well as i suspected after climbing and traversing that hill she finally found the buck and i did hit him high but had just taken off the tops of both lungs.
billie didn't quit and once we hit the snow line and we were still finding a drop of blood here and there it confirmed she was and always had been on that bucks track.
i say say enough how greatful i was to have found that buck dead,knowing where all he had gone, there was no way i would have ever found him without both rod and "billie's" help.
if any of you here in the okanagan ever lose one don't hesitate getting ahold of them and if by chance they are ooout traing then get ahold of me here and i will do my best to track them down.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/DSCF0247.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/DSCF0228.jpg