Filled My Doe Tag

[Myk]

The Jak-Hammers do drop them fast but at 30 yards I didn't get a completely complete pass though. It cut ribs on both sides but just couldn't punch through the skin with the blades. Entry hole was pretty good and I had cut hair.

The shot was my primary shooting lane, a little high and far back but not too far back. She ran about 50 yards and dropped running.

Can't find my arrow, have to go back tomorrow and look. I won't be making friends if I give the owner a flat on his ATV.

A buck started down the hill, I think it was a buck at least. It looked like the 8pt I missed early. He bedded down about 50-60 yards away. While I was watching him I caught a small doe out of the corner of my eye up above my blind. Thought she saw me but she was just playing around.

Then I noticed the one I got walking into my lane so I drew when she was behind a bush. She stepped into my first lane but her leg was the wrong direction so I waited. She took another step into my next lane and I let the arrow fly. Other than not passing through it looked like a good hit, at least as good as the one I got on the buck. I did get both lungs and with the arrow stuck it totaled one on the way out. Also sliced a good chunk off the liver. I thought it was angling forward when I shot but it was angling back. Came real close to tweaking her spine.

Amazing how much more damage another 3/4" diameter will do.

I don't know what to do now. I've never filled both tags before. Kind of depressed my season is over, almost depressed enough to go buy another set of tags. But I think I'm going to retune my bow and add a couple more pounds before I make that decision.
This was only the second time I've been out since I got that buck and it only took three trips to get him. That's not enough bow hunting to quench my thirst for a year.

[tcoop]

I know what you mean "That's not enough bow hunting to quench my thirst for a year." I have only been out about a total of 3 hrs. this year. I would have hunted a lot more but since I got one in the 1st hr. of the season, other priorities always seem to come up.

I am going this Sunday afternoon though.

tcoop

[Myk]

I've had years like that. But at least you can go. Even though by the time I get this one in the freezer it will be back to waterfowling, fox will be in and I can go out squirrel hunting, it's really odd not to have any bow tags left.

I'm not ready to hang up the bow for a year :) And I didn't even get to complain about not making some cold weather windows for my blind yet.
Although I am glad I can stink up my warm camo's duck hunting now.

She had the most fat I've ever seen on a deer.

[Myk]

Found my arrow. She bent it up pretty good but I can get it straight enough for a target arrow.

Forgot to tell about the other deer. When I shot her the buck took off. Even though I heard her go down I saw another doe milling around. Every time I'd get my monocular on her she'd either turn the wrong way or get behind a tree so I couldn't tell if it was the one I shot or not.

So I gave her a half hour. I got to the creek where I shot her at and the other doe was still there. She raised her tail and took a few hops. Still wouldn't let me get her in the monocular. So I waited some more until I couldn't see any movement. There was some snorting behind me and crashing up the hill (going to put a stand up there next year).

I continued on to find blood. When I found it I looked up and there she was. She jumped up on a higher trail than the one I thought she took which is why I didn't find the arrow.
When I was searching today I back tracked her looking for the smallest specks and figured out that had to be the way she took. Then I caught the sun shining off the shaft laying on top of a log.

[Mossyhorns]

Somehow i missed this thread Myk,Congrats.....
I don't now what i would do if i didn't have any tags left.Your right it just seems to early in the season not to be deer hunting....And the rut is still to come.I failed to bag the big boy before the rut,as i really hunted hard for him.But he stayed mostly nocturnal and just out of clear shooting lanes when i did see him.And once they picked the corn.He changed his route pattern.So i had to change stand locations.And haven't had the chance to get back out since.Friday afternnon i'm hoping to make it out,There calling for rain Sat & Sun.

[Myk]

Ahhh, that's why the deer were so thick. I forgot that they got the beans picked in the valley and most of the corn was out of the fields last week. That always drives them into the woods here and with the acorn crop this year that would be it, and with it being a major funnel every deer in the area has to know about it. It's like walking on marbles on the ATV trails.

At least I didn't spook that 8pt off or make him a night owl when I missed him. But he sure did remember the sound of the bow. I think he ran before the doe did :)

I hope next years bow season goes as good. I'll stop shotgun season if I start regularly filling my bow tags.

[tcoop]

"She had the most fat I've ever seen on a deer."
MYK, the buck I took had quite a bit of fat too. This and a couple of other things makes me think we are going to have a long cold winter this year.

"....And the rut is still to come."
Mossy, you know that I told you that all of the deer sign in my area seemed to indicate a real early rut this year? Well, in the last 2 weeks, there have been 3 deer/vehicle accidents right in down town Peoria, and one in Morton. I personally knew 2 of the drivers and both of those cases the bucks ran right into the side of their van. It is just now November 1 and I think they have been fully in the rut for a couple of weeks. Really early this year.

I'm suppose to take a buddy who is a brand new bow hunter tomorrow (Sunday). But like Mossy said, it is suppose to rain, and I refuse to bow hunt in the rain. It's not that I am afraid of the weather, but I've seen too many blood trails wash away right in front of my eyes.

tcoop

[Myk]

It started dripping after I shot this doe. That's part of the reason why even though I wasn't sure if the one that was standing was the one I shot, that I went ahead to look for blood.
When I saw the arrow didn't go all the way through I figured I had a shaft size hole and that was it.

But the entry with the Jak-Hammer is at least as big as the one with my other broadheads so I had a normal blood trail. Better than what my buck left.

I use a game tracker string if I'm going to be hunting in the rain. They don't effect my shots out to about 25 yards. I usually keep the spool in my hunting bag or bow case.

Got my bow turned up a few pounds and retuned, but not fine tuned or sighted in yet. It seems like I may have picked up a bit more speed judging from some 20 yard shots. It shouldn't take much to get me a complete pass through, the chisel point did make it through the off side and I did hit the spine hard enough with one of the blades to dent it.

I'm thinking a complete pass through with a Jak-Hammer from an elevated stand would take a downpour to wash away :)

[tcoop]

MYK,

I wouldn't know about blood trails since I started using the Jak-Hammers. Every deer I have taken with them has dropped with-in 20 yards, so no :unsure: tracking was required. :lol:


tcoop

[Myk]

I don't think my buck would've made it up the hill if I would've hit him with a Jak-Hammer.

I took my regular broadhead out of my quiver and replaced it with my spare Jak-Hammer. I'll just use the regular broadheads for fine tuning now.

[Tifford]

Good going Myk. The bow season down here has been over for a while. I didn't bow hunt down here b/c the weather when it was in was so hot. It seeems to me that they should allow bows and rifles to hunt at the same time if they want to thin the heard and the car/deer impacts.

Tifford

[Myk]

Problem I'd have with that is the blaze orange. On my normal years I don't bow hunt during the muzzleloader only season because I don't want to wear the blaze.

[tcoop]

MYK,

I have had deer walk right up to me in blaze orange during the shot gun season. The best camo there is in hold still.

tcoop

[Myk]

Me too, but it's hard to hold still while drawing a bow. :)

I've also had them see me far away while holding still in blaze. I think a lot of it has to do with the brightness of the day.