Let an arrow fly yesterday, how about this for a blood trail (warning, a little bloody)

[JohnP]

To keep with BH's cattle theme I hunted Saturday morning and no deer movement but the beef wouldn't leave me alone.  Hunted one stand, perfect wind, and the cows camped out with me for 3 hours.  Decided to mooooove to another stand 400 yards away on another ridge and wasn't there 30 minutes and the cattle found me again.  Waited another hour or so and no deer so called it quits for the day as the Mrs. had afternoon plans.

 

On to Sunday morning.  Woke at 0500 and the rain had literally just stopped, looked at radar to confirm and it had and was moving out of the area (not a fan of hunting in the rain ).  Was up in the stand and settled in at 0545.  Sat there for 2 hours with nothing moving till out the south across the middle of the field a yearling is frantically running across it zigzagging with nothing chasing it.  About 15 minutes later he comes running back the way he came.  A buddy had texted me @ 0810 asking if I'd seen anything.  I was literally in the middle of replying to him when I see a doe standing in the middle of shooting window.  (Picture for reference of what my shot window looks like from the stand which is set back in the timber 5 yds 20 ft up a pine tree).  Also need to say I've been put on the injured reserve with a recent shoulder injury so that explains the crossbow or I'd be shooting the ol Switchback.

The doe passes the the shot window from the left to the right and then coming straight at me is what I've called "Niner" .  He stops at 25 yds facing me and just the left of the cedar branch on the right side of the window.  He turned slightly quartering hard towards me and on 2 steps I wouldn't of had a shot I'd feel comfortable taking so put crosshair in front of the front right shoulder hoping it exit just behind the front left shoulder.  Solid rest, squeezed the trigger, and watched the bolt connect thru the scope.  Well guessing he turned slightly into the shot as I hit him about 6 inches off mark up on the neck and lodged the broadhead in the front part of the opposite shoulder however the shot did drop him in his tracks. 

 

To be continued with a reply to this post as I've limited out on pics ;).

 

[JohnP]

Continued......

Unfortunately as you can see from the pic the shot didnt kill him quick and he managed to kick himself around in a perfect circle before I could reload the crossbow and get a clear shot at the vitals.  Which I did get the clear shot he gave up the ghost 10 seconds after 2nd bolt entered his chest cavity between his front legs and exited thru his back clipping the heart and center punching a lung.  Like I said he'd managed to kick himself around in a perfect circle and left a blood donut in the field.

Solid 9 point with 1 1/2 kicker off the back of a browtine.

same buck in velvet earlier this year.

[BilletHead]

Way to go John! 

BilletHead

[MOPanfisher]

Awesome!  With that amount of blood loss he was dead whether you hit him again or not.  Well done.

[JohnP]

4 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

Awesome!  With that amount of blood loss he was dead whether you hit him again or not.  Well done.

Yea but hated to see him suffer any more than he was already.  Hard to sit there and watch him with his up just staring at me ;).

[fishinwrench]

Good job, man !   👍

[Kayak_Runner]

Way to go! 

 Unfortunate that it happens but you can't account for everything. Thanks for sharing it.

Would have been puzzling to come upon that blood trail in the middle of the woods after the fact.....might make a few hairs on my neck stand up!

[Johnsfolly]

Awesome Buck John. Congrats! No tracking required! I would have put another arrow in him as well.

[Terrierman]

Good job all the way.

 

[MOPanfisher]

5 hours ago, JohnP said:

Yea but hated to see him suffer any more than he was already.  Hard to sit there and watch him with his up just staring at me ;).

Fully understand.  Have done it before myself.  But it was still an awesome "blood trail"