724wd Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 As I turned from the pavement to the gravel road leading to my destination, I couldn't help but be awestruck at the sheer number of whitetails in the alfalfa field. Between 100-120 bucks, does and fawns milled about the 20 acres. Directly behind the NO HUNTING signs. Sigh. This is my first year as a bow hunter, and I've been chasing whitetails on 60 acres with a trail camera for a little over a month now. The Human Resources Manager where I work has kindly offered to let me stumble around through the woodlots and pastures on her familial compound in a secret location north of Spokane. I turkey hunted there a couple of years ago and found that while there were birds present, they were especially call-shy and nervous. I've yet to bag a NE WA turkey. I blame their wariness, but in truth, it's probably as much my ineptitude at calling and sitting still that has kept my shotgun clean. But now I'm on the trail of deer, and there is no shortage of them in the area. The alfalfa field I mentioned is less than 300 yards away. Every time I'm in the area, I see deer. I even managed to catch a 4 point and a spike on the trail camera I set up, along with numerous does and fawns. So the density of deer will not be cause if I fail to connect with a whitetail this year. But I seem to be putting myself at a disadvantage with every step I take, at least to most modern archery hunters. I will be hunting from the ground. Nothing against those that utilize tree stands, but I honestly don't think I can sit that long. I've been a gun hunter for so many years, I find the prospect of watching a deer leave the area just outside of range and not being able to try for an ambush maddening! So, for this season at least, I'll be on the ground. With whitetails. With their excellent vision. Sigh. Now this should get a chuckle from a few of you reading this: I shoot aluminum arrows. Some fletched with feathers! "Buy yourself some carbons," you say. I have a dozen Beeman ICS Hunters. Never liked them. Not sure why, but perhaps it's my urge to be "different," or the inexpensiveness of XX75's that has pushed me away from carbons. I also like the flexibility in choosing an arrow that exactly matches my bow ("A Martin?! Get'cha a real bow, sonny!") you get with Easton's extensive array of aluminum tubes. Have you seen their list of arrows lately? There's a shaft for every weight and every style! Plus, they work. Cheap, matched to my bow, and they work. What's not to like? So, I've been shooting my Martin with 2215's all summer. I can USUALLY hold 6-8 inches at 60 yards. 30 yards is my nemesis. Let's just say I need to keep practicing at that range as much as possible before Sept. 1st. I plan to keep a journal of sorts, to share with you, fine reader, as I attempt to take my first bow-killed whitetail. From the ground. With a Martin. And aluminum arrows. With feathers. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdanh Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Best of luck to you! I know you'll take the limit and have plenty of pictures to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Good luck and I am right there with ya! Three weeks to go before opening day of urban bow season here in Indiana. Wahooooo! I have a 2 year running fued with an 8 pointer at my cousins place who has managed to elude me. I got a shot off last year and sailed it over his back in of my famous "fire, ready, aim" moves. Hopefully he did not get gunned down during firearms and if he is gracious enough to offer a third sighting it might be a charm. I bargain shop cause I have too and just learn to adapt what I have and make it work. Practice, practice, practice is the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 attempted to broadhead tune today... should be a slam dunk, right? HA! i had given myself an hour, as we had to head to costco for a dinner tomorrow with my dad and step mom. I had done my research. work the broadheads and field points to impact together using the rest. then adjust the sights. broadheads are impacting left and low. so i moved the rest 1/16th" right. broadheads are close to center, but field points are 5 inches right! UGH! and of course my mediocre shooting complicates matters... dang it! 4 days and counting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 If your broadheads are on target consistently after tuning then get your effective shooting ranges sighted in. See if they hold groups then your set. What type of broadheads, fixed or mech? Have you paper tuned to see if your rest is off center and not necissarily the sights. If you have mech they will fly more like broadheads. if fixed you can get a very wide range of flight characteristics depending on the planing surface and your balance point. I prefer fixed to remove the Murphys Law probablity, but they do affect how they fly especially at that middle range of about 25 to 35 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 we're not allowed mechanical broadheads in washington. so i'm tossing G5 Montecs. it's just the one that flies funny, so i swapped it out late last night and am trying different shafts. at the moment, i can shoot the broadheads with some accuracy, but my field points are way off, so practicing is tough. i'm using DOC on archerytalk's method to get them impacting at the same spot moving the rest, then adjusting the sights to match. that should give you the best result when switching from FP to BH. Because the broadhead point of impact didn't change as much as the field point, i'm going to tryh going back the other way and getting the FP's to impact where the broadheads impact, instead of the other way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 How goes the archery? Just going through serious hunting withdraw. 11 more days to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 went out opening day. saw some does and fawns (and a handful of 140-150 class bucks in the alfalfa). got rained on. frank's barn was blown over by a cyclone wind (i thought it was a tree!) and had a great time! wasn't able to get out last night or this, but 4:30 will find me out there again. i guess deeann's brother saw a nice little 4x4 and some fawnless does behind the house. might give that a shot. dont worry too much about it... 11 days is nothing! =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted September 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 my first archery deer season has officially ended for me. saturday night this guy came in and presented me with a broadside shot at 20 yards. as you can see in the first pic, i hit him WAY too far back. i dont know if he took a step or i just blew the shot, but the result was a solid gut thwack and i watched him run 200 yards off. being it was working on getting dark and i knew i made a bad shot, i walked out after finding just a bit of blood. i played the shot over and over all night. sunday morning i started back on the blood, following the trail for about 150 yards. Barret, the landowner's son came out to help and together we found a spot where the deer had laid down under a tree and bled for some time, but when he departed, he had clotted or plugged up, as there was no more blood. we circled and searched for 2 hours, and even dogs couldn't find the trail. it was time to call this one lost. i sat down, disgusted with my poor performance and tried to think like a wounded deer. i'd head downhill, maybe to water. and i'd lay down in some nasty thick brush and die. barret and i wandered down the trail very slowly, looking for anything that looked out of place. another 150 yards down the road, barret found a puddle that looked a bit like blood, a bit like urine, and smelled like gut! INTERESTING! we fanned out again and kept looking. barret shouted "OH! here it is." the buck was laying five feet of the 4-wheeler trail, behind a log the same color as his hide. he almost put his foot on it before noticing what it was! so, that ended the mystery. i'll lose a bit of meat due to spoilage around the entry/exit holes, but thanks to the low temperatures, everything else looks good! overall, this deer traveled around 500 yards and had almost circled back to where i shot him. must do better next time! my first bow kill! oh, and he's a 6x3 (broken). 2 brow tines on the right and 4 points, and it looks like he got caught up in something during his horn development, then broke the forward portion off while rubbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenden Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Nice buck. Looks like decient mass for a younger deer. I'd be happy with that for my first! I killed a couple does Friday evening during our one week season for a bow. It was miserable hot, but a guy i know needed some deer meat for his mom. My bow is in the shop, so I used the magnum long bow. It did the trick. I'm sitll one up on you, killed a huge eight point with my car a week ago. Brenden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Great Job on the buck! Good lookin fella too. Feels good doesn't it! I get to try for two bucks this year so I will be back out October 1st. Can't wait. What did he dress out at? Estimated live weight? Man I know what it is to have a bad shot and lose a buck. Happened to me during 2007 season on a decent 6 pointer. I hit too far farward and high taking him right in the shoulder blade. Broke my arrow upon impact and he pulled the remaining 9 or so inches of arrow out with his teeth after running a 60 yard half circle. I watched him do it. My uncle and I spent several hours the next morning combing the woodlots and we kicked him up! He wasn't moving very fast for a deer, but he wasn't really hobbling. Decided to leave him be. I sure hope he survived that winter. Not a warm fuzzy feeling when you do something like that to such a magnificent animal. Brneden - Does are just as cagey if not more sometimes. A bow kill is never easy. I plan on taking my quota of antlerless tags this year for the freezer. Shooting for three. Good luck and hunt on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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