Follow Up-Letting It Fly

[Jcol6268]

So I posted yesterday in the live hunt report that I let an arrow fly but had doubts about the shot. Never gave an update because the day got long. Here’s the story. 
 

It was one of those perfect mornings. Wind some perfect for my cedar thicket stand, a stand between two thickets of bedding. Figured it would be a good spot to catch one cruising, especially with the cooler weather moving in. 
 

I got settled in about 6:30 am, and enjoyed the beautiful clear skies and the starry night. As the woods came alive, I had a Longbeard gobble on the hill above. A good sign for sure. The wind was dead calm and you could hear a pin drop. The squirrels began their games, almost intentionally walking like a deer. After about an hour on stand, I stood to throw on my heavier jacket, and with one arm into the jacket, I see a nice 8 point that we call Muley about 60 yards out and closing.

I quickly throw my other arm into the jacket and go to grab my bow that’s hanging alongside me. I look back to the buck, and now he’s stopped below a beautifully yellow tree and begins making a scrape. One of those views you just expect to see on TV. I contemplated grabbing my phone to record the interaction instead of my bow, but I suppose I’m not in that stage of my career yet, as I found the bow in my hand. It’s at least in memory that I hope is burned into my mind for a long time. 
 

The buck then walks the trail I was hoping for, heading straight for multiple shooting lanes. I have to slowly turn around to get faced towards the buck, and as I finally get turned his wayI draw and  he enters into one of my shooting lanes I previously ranged at 30 yards. The buck stops perfectly right in my shooting lane, all on his own, how often does that happen!  With a perfect broadside shot in front of me, I go through my shot sequence, peep lined up, bubble level, and as I’m about to release the buck starts to walk again. That totally threw me off mentally. As my mind said don’t shoot, I was too far into my sequence and I let the arrow fly. In the sequence I started pulling my head and hands out of the shot.
 

As I released, I heard the familiar thwack of hitting the paunch. Immediately thought gut shot. The buck runs twenty yards, hooking right and stopping. The buck stood still for a few minutes. Not moving as much as an ear on his body. I look over the body, notice the tail tucked, but I can’t see a scratch on the deer. Did I miss? It’s certainly possible the way my shot went. The buck then begins the slow walk into the thicket. I again watch him stop, not moving, and he stays there for a few minutes. The buck only walks a few more steps and then beds down. Good I thought, I know where he is. After ten minutes, he gets up again, and again slowly walks out of sight, and then I can hear him bed again. 
 

By then, I knew he was hit bad. Shaking with excitement, but literally nauseous from the bad shot. Once I calmed down, I planned on getting down and sneaking over to find the arrow. The buck only bedded about 80 yards away, I didn’t want to spook him. 
 

Before I could collect everything and get down, the local flock of long beards began making their way down the hill, into the same flat I’m hunting. Fall after fall I can guarantee a flock to be here, only to disappear come spring it seems! At least most of them, not all. So I stay in the stand for almost two hours, watching the birds sift through the fall foliage. Certainly makes waiting for follow up on a bad shot seem easier. 

The birds work off and I get down, quietly sneaking to the shot location. I find my blood drenched arrow and tons of blood at the impact sight. Deep colored blood, and no guts or smell of guys. Liver shot is my thought. I hear mixed reviews on liver shots, and call my buddy who I lean on for sound advice when I can’t think straight. He says, liver shots, did you smoke it or did you nick it? Could be 1 hour, could be 15 hours. Regardless they can’t live with a liver shot. Dead deer. 
 

I end up backing out, and returning with a buddy 4 hours later. As we got on the blood trail it took us to the first bed, and then a second bed a few short yards later. The blood trail disappeared as it entered into a huge briar patch. I figured it was time to back out and call a dog. Before that, we decided to head to a mostly dried up creek bed on the other side of the briar thicket. As I walked the creek bed it didn’t look good. I was about to head back to the truck when I said just ten more yards. Suddenly I caught the rear end sticking up out of a small hole of water still in the creek. The buck was as stiff as a board, he was dead for a while. 
 

We took a few quick pictures and got to gutting him and dragging him out as the temps started to rise. I confirmed that it was a liver shot, with a perfect broadhead hole right through the center of the liver. It was a roller coaster, but it all worked out in the end. 
 

 

[65 Chevelle]

Nice buck congrats 

[Russ 11]

Congrats , glad you found him . Nice heavy horn .  

[hunterbob1]

Have to admit I'd be a little nervous too.Oh that is so awesome nice buck good mass great hunt great story follow through great example to less experience hunters don't give up thank you for sharing the follow up

[Devil Horns]

Great buck. Nice work on the recovery. Congrats!

[Roon]

Those shots put almost as bad of a feeling in your gut as it does theirs, happy to see all work out for you and him.

Congratulations on a great deer

[Asbury24]

Congrats! Great buck and story 

[electric10162]

Love the story!! Great buck too! Congratulations 

[Recurve hntr]

Happy you got him. Congrats!

[JHbowhunter]

Congrats !  He was dead within 30-50 minutes on a center punch liver shot.  It u did the right thing 

[roy381]

Good story, congrats on a nice buck!

[Trophy8]

Congrats! Way to stick with it. 

[deerstalker420]

Congrats 

[hammer4reel]

Congrats 

[BHC]

way to go