Post by Crysar on Sept 22, 2005 19:24:46 GMT -5
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In 2003 I decided to bowhunt in saskatchewan in the fourth week(and last)of their rifle season. I went up there with only a bow and no rifle backup. I also was going to video tape whatever I could. The first morning was very cold with light snow coming down. I arrived at my stand in the dark and settled in for an all day sit. I made myself comfortable in the plywood blind that was nestled under a spruce tree. It wasn't even light and a small buck came by the stand. Over the next couple of hours four different eight pointers or different sizes came around along with a couple of does. By 11am(it gets light around 8 )I had seen 6 bucks.At 11am a real nice 12 pointer tempted me, it was a nice basic 10 with double brows but I let it go. And I have it all on tape to prove it. At around noon a giant 10 pointer stepped out from behind a spruce. I decided right away to shoot. Off in the distance I could see another big buck and I knew the buck in front of me was going to have a reaction to him. I drew my bow back and aimed at the quartering away buck, which was 21 yards away. Right when I released the arrow the buck saw the other buck and swung his head around. The arrow struck the deer right behind the shoulder and took off. I radioed my guide and told him to come. It was all on tape. I watched it but the screen was small and I couldn't tell much. It was snowing pretty good and it had been a half hour so we got on the blood trail. The arrow was gone, it passed through and went into the snow. There was lots of blood plus tracks to follow. After a while the blood lessened. At times I was just following tracks. The deer kept going and going and the blood dried up. I was leading the search and I wanted to get the deer so bad. I started plowing through brush until I severely scratched my eye. We were miles into the bush before it became true that I knew I wasn't going to get that buck. I was heartbroken with a scrated eye.When we reviewed the tape we could see that I aimed behind the shoulder when I should have aimed a little farther back for the quartering away angle. Plus the deer turned its head around right when I shot which caused the arrow to slide into the area behind the shoulder but not into the rib cage. The outfitter decided that this deer probably wasen't going to die. It was probably 160+. That night my eye was hurt so bad that I couldn't open it. It turned red and dripy and sensitive to light. I couldn't get a ride to town until maybe weds.(very far into bush country). I couldn't even sleep good. I woke up the next day and decided to suck it up and go hunting even though I could barely see. I got to my new blind a little late and the sun was already up. If I looked out into the snow with the sun shining on it my eye would hurt and tear up. I picked up my bow and pulled back and decided that if I squinted just right I could see my pin and shoot. I spent most of the morning with my eyes closed and just listened and glimpsed out side once and awhile. I saw one buck mid-morning, not a shooter. In the early afternoon I saw a nice buck, he was real cool looking with a g3 that had 3 little stickers on it. I kind of passed him up and as he was walking away I decided that I was stupid for not shooting him after all I still felt like I needed to see a doctor cause I don't want to lose vision or some thing just cause I didn't get it checked. So about an hour later the buck was back in my sights lured in by a bunch of does.I got the same exact quartering away shot as I had yesterday. This time the deers head didn't turn and this time I aimed a little further back. And here's what I got, a 130 class 11 pointer with that cool g3!( and on film!and my eye healed!) Thinking about that big one that got away still brings a tear to my eye. P.S.- I had all I could do for opening my eyes for the pic, if you look close you can see my right eye is red
In 2003 I decided to bowhunt in saskatchewan in the fourth week(and last)of their rifle season. I went up there with only a bow and no rifle backup. I also was going to video tape whatever I could. The first morning was very cold with light snow coming down. I arrived at my stand in the dark and settled in for an all day sit. I made myself comfortable in the plywood blind that was nestled under a spruce tree. It wasn't even light and a small buck came by the stand. Over the next couple of hours four different eight pointers or different sizes came around along with a couple of does. By 11am(it gets light around 8 )I had seen 6 bucks.At 11am a real nice 12 pointer tempted me, it was a nice basic 10 with double brows but I let it go. And I have it all on tape to prove it. At around noon a giant 10 pointer stepped out from behind a spruce. I decided right away to shoot. Off in the distance I could see another big buck and I knew the buck in front of me was going to have a reaction to him. I drew my bow back and aimed at the quartering away buck, which was 21 yards away. Right when I released the arrow the buck saw the other buck and swung his head around. The arrow struck the deer right behind the shoulder and took off. I radioed my guide and told him to come. It was all on tape. I watched it but the screen was small and I couldn't tell much. It was snowing pretty good and it had been a half hour so we got on the blood trail. The arrow was gone, it passed through and went into the snow. There was lots of blood plus tracks to follow. After a while the blood lessened. At times I was just following tracks. The deer kept going and going and the blood dried up. I was leading the search and I wanted to get the deer so bad. I started plowing through brush until I severely scratched my eye. We were miles into the bush before it became true that I knew I wasn't going to get that buck. I was heartbroken with a scrated eye.When we reviewed the tape we could see that I aimed behind the shoulder when I should have aimed a little farther back for the quartering away angle. Plus the deer turned its head around right when I shot which caused the arrow to slide into the area behind the shoulder but not into the rib cage. The outfitter decided that this deer probably wasen't going to die. It was probably 160+. That night my eye was hurt so bad that I couldn't open it. It turned red and dripy and sensitive to light. I couldn't get a ride to town until maybe weds.(very far into bush country). I couldn't even sleep good. I woke up the next day and decided to suck it up and go hunting even though I could barely see. I got to my new blind a little late and the sun was already up. If I looked out into the snow with the sun shining on it my eye would hurt and tear up. I picked up my bow and pulled back and decided that if I squinted just right I could see my pin and shoot. I spent most of the morning with my eyes closed and just listened and glimpsed out side once and awhile. I saw one buck mid-morning, not a shooter. In the early afternoon I saw a nice buck, he was real cool looking with a g3 that had 3 little stickers on it. I kind of passed him up and as he was walking away I decided that I was stupid for not shooting him after all I still felt like I needed to see a doctor cause I don't want to lose vision or some thing just cause I didn't get it checked. So about an hour later the buck was back in my sights lured in by a bunch of does.I got the same exact quartering away shot as I had yesterday. This time the deers head didn't turn and this time I aimed a little further back. And here's what I got, a 130 class 11 pointer with that cool g3!( and on film!and my eye healed!) Thinking about that big one that got away still brings a tear to my eye. P.S.- I had all I could do for opening my eyes for the pic, if you look close you can see my right eye is red