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Hunting with the Hedge 2021

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BowEd:
There's still plenty of them out there.They're not all bred by any means yet.Congrats on your head shot there.
It's a good stick.Holding up very well.Target practicing with it while shooting it in I told Robin that I pitied any deer getting within range of me.
I usually can rely on others across the fence to spook the deer to me too.This year that won't happen supposedly till late december with late season muzzle loader season,but I can never tell for sure what and when things go on over the fence.I'll have a tag for that then too but an antlerless tag.It'll feel like shooting fish in a barrel like in the past.
Trying to put together at least 200 pounds of deer meat for us.We love it.The price of good beef is just outrageous.Pork chops are ok too but good back straps are the best.

JB G:
01 Nov 21

32 degrees, N wind 1-3MPH 0530hrs


Got in on creek bottom along an old osage grove in a big hackberry tree. Got up hung my bow and pack. Sat until about 0645 no deer movement thru the thicket in dark. The wheat fild behind was covered in low spots with frost. Very still morning. I stood up just before 0700 and rechecked my harness and sling leg, all good. Was looking around tree to my left and checked the 65yds to creek. Was running pretty good could here it rushing around a blow down in water. I slowly turned my head to left and caught movement hard right coming up my back trail into my stand. Turned some more and saw a large bodied deer with head down coming hard from right to my left. I looked away to my bow hanging a quickly grabbed it turning back to right. Im up about 18-19 feet and buck had already past thru my first window. My right hand found this string as i turned and presented and bent over toward the buck. I have a soft “baaaa” as he stepped into my primary widow on his path. He stopped as i tightened up string tension. As I got just short of anchor he dropped his head to ground and started to continue on his way. I hit full draw and have him a louder “baaaa” and stopped picked up head. Put the shaft just under his belly behind left shoulder and pulled thru. Could tell instantly i did not get all the string i could have.

The arrow flew the 12-13yds very well and hit him high above spine on steep dow angle. Upon impact he spun a 180 with 20 of the 30” sticking almost straight up. After spinning i could see his from legs buckle slightly and he sped out the direction he came. He scrambled to edge of wheat field as he did i saw the arrow snap and the nock fly off. He ran straight into middle of wheat and out of sight. I reached for a new arrow and knocked it and hung bow back up.

I took a seat and thought about the 19-20” of arrow i saw break off and the angle of it. It was in correct area (forward of diaphragm) but did it reach deep enough on this big bodied deer? I thought on in a few minutes and decided to go get the broken shaft and just how far in did penetrate. I sized it with a good arrow. Confirmed what i saw 10-11” of penetration. I

I then went back to the tree 30yds away and got my gear. I was resigned to fact right away there would be no blood to follow. I found his tracks where he was bounding in wheat but could not see where he knocked frost off the 6” tall wheat. I said “ok, i will check the field but would beat brush if i could not find him this soon after shot. Walked his general azimuth he was on up the rise in field. Reached the top and scanned the 200yds to far side and saw a large brown gray blob on far side. As i continued i could it was indeed the buck and he was down.

Was relieved he ran this direction the 250-300 yds from the shot location. Not a drop of blood except on the arrow shaft. If he had jumped into the creek bottom it would have been a long day. Upon looking him over it was clear i had got one lung at a minimum.

He is a 4.5 or 5.5 year old deer. Will know more when i take his lower jaw off. Wind was correct for that stand and few things must go right to fool a mature buck into selfbow range. Then, it does not hurt to have a few breaks fall your way. Him running into open and the broad head missing spine and deflecting off rib straight down thru lung and into off side flank.

Sweet indeed November is chasing whitetails.

Good Hunting

HH~

PaSteve:
Congratulations Hedge. How about some pics?

BowEd:
Short morning for you.Congratulations.Things happen fast.Hackberrys' are great trees to use for stands.Your shooting combo did it's job.Enough of the shaft got deep enough.Should be plenty of meat on that old boy.It's a lot easier for me to age these bucks by sight than these doe's.Size does'nt always mean everything with them.
I had practically the same thing happen last year only the big doe stopped running after 50 yds or so.Stood there with me just being able to see her head over the brush on the far downside crest of a hill.I watched her disappear after a few minutes thinking the deer walked on.I knew there would be no bloodtrail or very little on this one.Turned out she had dropped on that spot with about half of the arrow still sticking almost straight up in the air out of her yet good enough to use again.

JB G:
02 Nov 21

Well, my back is toast. Pulling that buck up and over tailgate has wasted the middle of my back. Sat on heat pad last nite and sukd my thumb. Had my wife rub the area with some good fish oil. Little better this morning. JBG was at work and they were swamped, couple other guys I tracked for this year could not give up any work time so it was the Hedge to get this large deer into truck. Finally got him in any I had to leave the tailgate down.

I caped him out yesterday as well. I won't mount him but a I have a large one at Taxidermist and he is always looking for big capes because lots he gets have hair slip. So, if they are down correctly they worth $100 trade material. He does have a purty good mule head of him as his eye/nose measurement was right at 7". Not the biggest I have seen here but very respectable. The big one my good hunt buddy Mark who past shot a super mulehead last year and I took it to get him done, he was 7 3/4".

Still looking for the big bully 3x3 to take out off this farm. He a 250lb buck and I will enlist help to get him gone. He's 6.5-8.5yrs old. Still have some doe thinning to do and have a two buck tags left. So, see how the rest of the season plays out.

HH~

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