Luck. A little goes a long way.

Crossbow Hunting

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DuckHunt
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Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2006 2:07 pm
Location: Harpers Ferry, WV

Luck. A little goes a long way.

Post by DuckHunt »

Since my buck hunting is over for this season, I've resorted to alternatives. This morning on the last day of the muzzleloader season I accompanied my adult daughter and brought along my Micro to try and fill a doe tag. It was plenty cold enough, but apparently the full moon had them bedded early this morning. We only heard three shots all morning. About 8:45am we were about to call it and I had two deer run off of a hill behind me and stop in a thicket just over 50 yards away. They were both looking back behind them. I kept hoping it was two doe and a big buck would stroll out. My daughter is set up about 100 yards away and is primed and ready to punch a buck tag.

After they settled down I eventually came to the realization that the larger of the two deer was a spike buck. He was acting all antsy and it all became crystal clear then he started chasing the doe. Only then did I take a much closer look and see the small spikes. The doe came through a very thick area and was heading on a route that would have given me a 40 yard shot that would have been questionable due to small brush. As she got close enough, the spike ran down after her and herded her like a sheep dog. He turned her right back toward me and they both ran within 20 yards under and past my stand back up into the thicket stopping just past 30 yards.

Since they were behind my stand, I had to turn around and lean out away from the tree to get a shot to my back right. After ranging the doe and waiting for a clear lane, I tried to squeeze the arrow through a small opening and failed. The arrow glanced off the edge of a small sapling just a few yards in front of the doe and zipped under her. Both deer ran a few steps and froze. Slowly, and I mean very slowly, I was able to get my Micro into a position to recock it with both deer within 35 yards. The whole process must have taken five minutes. Getting an arrow from the detached quiver with one hand was no cake walk either. Eventually I was reloaded and had the doe at 32 yards. The area was thick, but I had a small window about 24" round that provided a view of the front half. I settled the scope and squeezed the trigger. Thwack! :eusa-doh: I hadn't leaned far enough back away from the tree and the tip of my Micro limb made contact with the tree trunk when I shot. At best, I assumed a complete miss. Both deer took off and ran under and past me. Surprisingly, it appeared that I had hit the doe almost exactly where I was aiming! My luck appears limitless this season. :eusa-dance: The hit appeared to be right in the point of the arm pit. The exit was just behind the diaphram. The doe stopped and eventually laid down at 30 yards. After 15 minutes, she still wasn't down hard but brush prevented a clear follow up shot. More than 20 minutes after the shot, she got to her feet. That was my opportunity. Now if I had only reloaded while she was bedded. :roll: I quietly reloaded and placed the 30-yard shot in the 10-ring as she stood quartered away.

She bolted down hill with the spike on her heels destined to see how far she could get down in the ravine. She made it more than 100 yards spewing blood everywhere. My daughter had her binoculars out and got to watch the whole sequence transpire. When we got down, there was plenty of blood from the first hit so I'm quite surprised that the doe lasted as long as she did. The near shoulder in the picture has an entrance behind it, and an exit in front of it. She was quite the hardy ole' doe.
Image
She made a perfect donation to Hunters for the Hungry.
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SEW
Posts: 1745
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:55 am
Location: NE Arkansas

Re: Luck. A little goes a long way.

Post by SEW »

The good year continued. Glad the Micro is ok.
xcaliber
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:35 pm
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Re: Luck. A little goes a long way.

Post by xcaliber »

Congrats on the doe, and donation! Very kind of you, and hopefully it makes a few holidays better. :thumbup:
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Owl Creek
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Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:25 pm
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Re: Luck. A little goes a long way.

Post by Owl Creek »

Congrats
Great story thanks for sharing.
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mr meat
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Re: Luck. A little goes a long way.

Post by mr meat »

Congrats
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