Main Discussion Area > Around the Campfire
Hunting with the Hedge 2021
JB G:
Wind direction is everything when yer into selfbow hunting where your doing most the take under 30yds. If you not studying the wind and how it acts during diurnal shift time, your success often depends on how that milk weed fluff travels the drift. Good selfbow hunter knows when the jigs up before that whitetail ever does. Sometimes getting up high can delay they the result…. Cold Air sinks hard, upon shift it will often waver before the cardinal wind direction starts as sun move above the equator.
In some regions in the world with herd animals in tough terrain where evening to day time temps are vastly different you either learn quickly or you dont eat. One puff and the entire drainage will blow out. That early cool air is your Allie, if ya study the terrain and keep your quarry above you. The reverse is true in day if the cardinal wind of day is not to strong.
HH~
JB G:
18 Oct 21
41 Degrees, sw wind 0500
Went and hunted Post today. Early morning and a purty good hump with everything to get there. Had not hunted this spot in over two years. great area mature forest with oaks on higher ground and on edge of post a big cornfield. Very good hunting and good bucks that run this area all the time. Had a heck of a time getting in there in dark crossing Raccoon Branch. Lots of blow downs from an old storm. After a bit I recognized the terrain in the dark. Actually found my old stand site and got up right before first lite. Bumped a bunch of deer on way in.
First few hours were slow but I had a feeling the late moon these deer would move into a large cedar thicket to bed up. 0845, I saw a line of deer moving behind me heading directly for the cedars. I could not see them well but bits and pieces and away they went. fifteen minutes later I heard a deer coming behind my tree and its four bucks and one is a nice one. They fed away toward the herd that passed thru. I was able to doe grunt that nice bag over to me but he came to within 20yds but right behind my tree. he could see there was no deer in these mature woods. he made a scrape and then got his hind legs and hit a licking branch.
I pulled out a 1000hrs and check the cornfield and was very pleased to see it was sewed in wheat maybe 2-3 day ago. This place will be swarmed with deer after Thanksgiving and its 5-6yrs since they put wheat in there. Great news.
Came home and went out at my place for a evening sit. Got setup at 1600hrs just off creek in a thick logged off area with a good trail. nice evening as it was a very nice morning. A deer came in around 1715hrs and it was already get grey in this thick area. Deer came in and turned and hit a persimmons that was dropping. It was 26-27yds I figgered and had to shoot sitting in stand to get over a limb then under a big limb. I stopped him and hed a small window to frame the shot (would have to be perfect). I drew, hit anchor and settled the shaft right on is backbone and loosed the arrow. Flew like a laser and at about a yard from impact I said "I shot over", the wheeled and tore out like it was late for supper. Thats when i heard the shaft slapping the brush of the place I call Little Cambodia. Waited a bit and went to look at the blood spore. This was not what I was thinking it would be. I eased out and will hunt this location in morning and then get on the spore. I followed a few yard thru a thick spot where I thought arrow would have snapped off. But No Mas deer is likely schich kibabbed with arrow out both sides at that range.
See what the morning evolves into?
HH~
JB G:
19 Oct 21
44 Degrees, south wind 0600hrs
Went back in to where i was last evening and too the long shot. I range the spot the deer was standing upon the shot. 29-30 yds straight line distance with down angle 28-29yds. I was up a ash tree and double yoke and was from stump 21-22ft. The deer was up on a bench about 6 feet higher and back up hill a bit.
Hunted out the morning had seven deer go by left and right and one young buck just walking up stream in the creek. Good morning to be out. Steady wind direction but not much and with the cool air sinking hard it drew to creek behind me as planned. Deer came in to these two persimmons and when the mature doe go to the first blood on trail from last evening she got all birdy and stiff legged. She wanted no part of cimimg any further on trail. They back out after that.
Got down and policed up my gear, left my climber and headed out on blood spore. Very little and spotty. Often had to get on hands and knees. Found half the arrow on edge of Little Cambodia and almost into what I call Laos Border area. She could not have picked a worse spot to go. Lots of blackberry, wild roses, saw briers, etc. Found where she stood for a while. Lost blood, then was walking on two track found a good puddle. Made a wide circle and came back into the area and checked the low side and there she lay. Never bedded just fell over.
Probably the tuffest selfbow shot I ever attempted. When I looked on ground from impact site back to where my stand was up the tree I could not even see where I was lock on! So, we have bantered around about selfbows killing effectively from 30yds and getting good penetration. I can say now there is no issue with this from a 45lb selfbow and a sharp BH. Arrow had about 25" of penetration and it bounced a little off spine on its way thru nicking one kidney. She was prolly dead within 10 minutes. The window I had was about an 8" square and it was center about in middle of body. Arrow went a tad left as she was quartering into me a bit. That, I never saw but it worked to my advantage here. I really thought I had shot over until I heard deer tear out thru brush rattling that 50-55 spine arrow like a baby rattle. Nice to see that flight of an arrow for that distance and making it count and that 190grn two blade doing what it was designed to do. . . .Penetrate.
HH~
BowEd:
Excellent kill/shot and retrieval HH.You earned it.Nice set-up too.She looks a little stiff.There's no doubt in my mind these bows 45 to 50 pounds will kill consistently 40 to 50 yards if one can consistently put it in at least the 9 ring 4 out 5 times.
Allyn T:
Great job Shawn, good story too
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