Buck #1 was harvested Monday Oct 23rd. 4 pointer. Had a doe and two fawns come by the stand just at daybreak, then this guy about 15 minutes later. He was out of range, in the field 25 yards from the stand location (which is located inside the woods). He looked like he was leaving across the field, so I broke out the grunt tube and he responded, coming to investigate. He looked around inside the woods for about 5 minutes, but was behind a big tree, so didn't present a shot. He decided it was time to leave after not seeing the source of the grunts, but then out of desperation I gave an aggressive grunt sequence. He immediately turned back around and came to investigate AGAIN! This time he meandered a bit deeper into the bush, and presented a shot. You can see it in the Bow cam footage at the link below. Quartering towards shot at ten yards - pounded the lungs and heart - went about 30 yards. Called our little helper to come assist - it's great to have the kids out to have these experiences. Plus he didn't mind missing the morning of school either!
Buck #1
Buck #2 was harvested on Sunday Oct 29th. Small 6 pointer. Same stand, same arrow! My other son was setup in a stand just west of my location - and told me only to shoot and use his tag on a buck - so I agreed!
As daylight broke, I decided to do a grunt sequence to entice some action - but did it ever happen fast! After a few grunts on the tube, this fellow came in to investigate within 5 minutes. He caught me off-guard as he was within 25 yards working straight at my stand before I even knew he was there. I had a tough time moving with him intently staring in my direction, looking for the buck who was working in his area!I managed to get the bow cam turned on and the bow flipped around to a shooting position as his head was behind a tree. He then turned around and began heading away after not seeing the source of the grunts. He made it to a good opening in the trail at 20 yards, and I gave a little 'bah' to have him stop. I squeezed the trigger - but nothing! Crap - In the fast-paced action of turning the bow cam on and swinging the bow around, I'd forgotten to remove the safety! I quickly snapped it off, regrouped, and held the crosshairs solidly on the engine room as I released. Those 380's are quick little bows, and these old eyes have a tough time following the bolt throughout its course, even with a lumenok. I'd thought it was a decent hit, and witnessed the fateful 'donkey kick', but still waited 30 minutes before going to find this guy. He only ran about 50 yards before piling up in the swamp. I love it when a plan comes together! This shot is also on the second half of the YouTube link below (a little darker clip since it was earlier in the morning - looks better on a full-size computer monitor).
Buck #2
Now time to enjoy the jerky and tenderloins that await! Good luck to all for the remainder of the season.
YouTube Bow Cam Footage (could not Hyperlink for some reason - copy/paste to your browser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2U4gadpTzA&t=
