Rancid Crabtree
21-01-08, 05:08 AM
Friday Oct. 27
At 4:00 I headed back to hunt where I had shot a doe 2 weeks earlier. As I got to the farm I saw the old farmer (who’s name is Art) He was working on some farm equipment. I told him that I was back to see if I could get rid of another deer for him. He smiled and said “kill every one of them rats that you see” He had just picked (the day before) the soybeans from the field that I was hunting near. I told him I would do my best.
I got to the tree and attached my climber and while I was going up I noticed a couple of small scrapes about 10 yards behind my tree.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_scrapes-1.jpg
I sat without hearing or seeing anything until 5:00 so I took out the grunt tube and gave it three blows. The sun was warm despite the cold temps and there was very little wind so I’m sure the sound carried well into the swamp. 15 minutes after I called, I saw movement in the swamp. I could see legs pawing at the ground. As the deer moved towards me I could make out a small rack. The buck moved to within 15 yards of my tree. He was facing me the whole time and sniffing and pawing the ground. I figured that he was headed towards the 2 scrapes behind me and when he jumped a small deadfall tree and started walking towards the scrapes, I drew back. He was behind a bushy Hemlock tree and walking so I make a grunt sound which stopped him at under 10 yards away. He had a few hemlock boughs laying against his side that I figured were to close to him to have any effect on my arrow. I placed the pin on his shoulder and released. The buck did a high kick and ran forward but he didn’t seem to run to fast. He was making high leaping jumps as he ran straight away from me. The areas he was running in was very wide open with a lot of light colored leaves on the ground and as he ran I could see blood spraying from his side. The buck turned and I could no longer see him but I heard him crash and fall. I looked at my watch and it was 5:18. I lowered my bow and climbed down to look for my arrow. It was pretty easy to find with the white fletching and crest. I was pretty easy to see that I had a good hit by looking at the arrow.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_arrow.jpg
Once again, the Muzzy Phantom did the trick and is no worse for wear. This is the third deer with the same head.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_muzzy.jpg
Most of the time, when I shoot a deer with an arrow, I have to go a few yards before I find the first blood, this was not the case with this buck. I found blood within a foot of my arrow. Of all the deer I have shot, this was by far the easiest blood trail I have ever had. I never saw a deer bleed so profusely. I was able to stand and track the deer for a long distance just by looking ahead. Every tree and weed was covered with blood as the deer was bleeding from both holes and it’s nose and mouth. The blood was almost fluorescent it was so bright red and full of small bubbles. I was finding blood 3 feet high in the trees.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_blood.jpg
When I lost sight of the buck, it had turned to head back into the swamp where there is a lot of tall dry grass. This made my tracking job even easier.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_blood2.jpg
I looked ahead and could see the rear end of my deer sticking up into the air. It fell with it’s front end in a low depression and it’s back end was leaning against a small tree. This is where the deer crashed and you can see the exit wound
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3pointdeer_down.jpg
I flipped the buck over to see the entrance wound. The hole looks high but the deer was so close and I was 18 feet up.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_entrance.jpg
I dragged the deer to the edge of the picked soybean field and went back for my truck. I set my camera on the bumper of my truck and took a field pic. It was still quite early and bright out.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point1.jpg
It is not easy getting a deer into the back of a tall Dodge Ram pickup but I managed to get it in. I drove back to Art’s place and he was still outside working. He said “that didn’t take long” I smiled and said that I had gotten rid of another “Rat” for him. He looked into the bed of my truck and said “that one will be good eating.” We talked for about 20 minutes and he told me of all the deer he has been seeing. I told him that I would be back on Saturday evening to see if I could fill another doe tag. I took the buck back to my parents farm so I could drop the guts and wash it out. My dad was in the yard and helped me hang the deer to cool.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/meanddad.jpg
At 4:00 I headed back to hunt where I had shot a doe 2 weeks earlier. As I got to the farm I saw the old farmer (who’s name is Art) He was working on some farm equipment. I told him that I was back to see if I could get rid of another deer for him. He smiled and said “kill every one of them rats that you see” He had just picked (the day before) the soybeans from the field that I was hunting near. I told him I would do my best.
I got to the tree and attached my climber and while I was going up I noticed a couple of small scrapes about 10 yards behind my tree.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_scrapes-1.jpg
I sat without hearing or seeing anything until 5:00 so I took out the grunt tube and gave it three blows. The sun was warm despite the cold temps and there was very little wind so I’m sure the sound carried well into the swamp. 15 minutes after I called, I saw movement in the swamp. I could see legs pawing at the ground. As the deer moved towards me I could make out a small rack. The buck moved to within 15 yards of my tree. He was facing me the whole time and sniffing and pawing the ground. I figured that he was headed towards the 2 scrapes behind me and when he jumped a small deadfall tree and started walking towards the scrapes, I drew back. He was behind a bushy Hemlock tree and walking so I make a grunt sound which stopped him at under 10 yards away. He had a few hemlock boughs laying against his side that I figured were to close to him to have any effect on my arrow. I placed the pin on his shoulder and released. The buck did a high kick and ran forward but he didn’t seem to run to fast. He was making high leaping jumps as he ran straight away from me. The areas he was running in was very wide open with a lot of light colored leaves on the ground and as he ran I could see blood spraying from his side. The buck turned and I could no longer see him but I heard him crash and fall. I looked at my watch and it was 5:18. I lowered my bow and climbed down to look for my arrow. It was pretty easy to find with the white fletching and crest. I was pretty easy to see that I had a good hit by looking at the arrow.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_arrow.jpg
Once again, the Muzzy Phantom did the trick and is no worse for wear. This is the third deer with the same head.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_muzzy.jpg
Most of the time, when I shoot a deer with an arrow, I have to go a few yards before I find the first blood, this was not the case with this buck. I found blood within a foot of my arrow. Of all the deer I have shot, this was by far the easiest blood trail I have ever had. I never saw a deer bleed so profusely. I was able to stand and track the deer for a long distance just by looking ahead. Every tree and weed was covered with blood as the deer was bleeding from both holes and it’s nose and mouth. The blood was almost fluorescent it was so bright red and full of small bubbles. I was finding blood 3 feet high in the trees.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_blood.jpg
When I lost sight of the buck, it had turned to head back into the swamp where there is a lot of tall dry grass. This made my tracking job even easier.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_blood2.jpg
I looked ahead and could see the rear end of my deer sticking up into the air. It fell with it’s front end in a low depression and it’s back end was leaning against a small tree. This is where the deer crashed and you can see the exit wound
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3pointdeer_down.jpg
I flipped the buck over to see the entrance wound. The hole looks high but the deer was so close and I was 18 feet up.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point_entrance.jpg
I dragged the deer to the edge of the picked soybean field and went back for my truck. I set my camera on the bumper of my truck and took a field pic. It was still quite early and bright out.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/3point1.jpg
It is not easy getting a deer into the back of a tall Dodge Ram pickup but I managed to get it in. I drove back to Art’s place and he was still outside working. He said “that didn’t take long” I smiled and said that I had gotten rid of another “Rat” for him. He looked into the bed of my truck and said “that one will be good eating.” We talked for about 20 minutes and he told me of all the deer he has been seeing. I told him that I would be back on Saturday evening to see if I could fill another doe tag. I took the buck back to my parents farm so I could drop the guts and wash it out. My dad was in the yard and helped me hang the deer to cool.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/bow_Oct28th/meanddad.jpg