Kingcreek
Member
Windy, gusty and cold in west central Illinois. (note to hunters- area almost completely lacking shootable deer, try indiana).
5:15pm 2 tags in my pocket and an empty freezer at home. Corn crop being harvested across the creek to the east. Standing corn next to my timber edge. Large doe and goodsized yearling appear. They absolutely will not stop moving, jumpy, lots of head up, looking around. finally the doe stops but the 16" diameter tree in which I perch, is tossing some. I release my gold-tip shaft with the Montec broadhead. It was 18 yards from my Mathew's Legacy to the doe. I knew I had a hit but I couldn't tell how well and she ran straight towards the secondary road 150 yards behind me. No more than 15 seconds later I hear a truck brake real hard while downshifting. Dang. I tried to listen but all I hear is wind in the trees and corn stalks rattling. I looked at my watch and 3 minutes later I hear a truck door slam and the motor rev away and I think, crap, somebody just grabbed my deer! I'm stewing on this, but I figure there is nothing to do but stay put and keep hunting.
5:45 the corn explodes in front of me. I don't know how I didn't see or hear him coming thru the corn. This rather nice buck busts out of the standing corn. shakes the cornstalks off his headgear, and stands there all proud looking. pround and broadside, and standing directly over a football sized rock that I had previously lazered at 20 yards.
I couldn't risk any movement until he turned and licked at his opposite flank. I forced myself to concentrate on my hold and not the antlers I could see over his back. When he brought his head back up, my 20 yard pin was just behind his shoulder and so was my arrow.
I waited 15 minutes and decided to go out quietly and call for some help. On the way out, sneaking in a direction away from the other deer, I walked up on a 6pt and a 4pt feeding within 30 yards. had time to pull out the rangefinder and lazer the distance before the 6 picked his head up and saw me.
I got ahold of my tracker/helper who agreed his new garage door opener could wait and we started soon after dark. Found the mature 140 pound doe first. (maybe the truck hit the yearling?, spilled his coffee? dunno)
The found the 11 point, 215 pound buck where he had bulled his way into the middle of hell's acre, an almost impenetrable mess of vegetation, and ravines about 150 yards from where I shot him. I've never had a double lung shot deer go so far but the bloodtrail was good. We should have brought a chainsaw, but we managed to get the honda rancher within 50 yards after doing some chopping and sawing. trussed him up in a poly tarp and dragged him to the quad. Finally got him out and loaded up next to the doe in the truck before midnight.
He is going to the taxidermist and I'm butchering all weekend. Then I gotta help a guy with a garage door opener. I'll pick up 2 more tags and keep hunting until January 11. resident tags are 2 for $26 and Illinois allows 2 antlered and unlimited antlerless. must be a revenue thing as there are hardly any deer worth shootin around here.
Good hunting Y'all!
5:15pm 2 tags in my pocket and an empty freezer at home. Corn crop being harvested across the creek to the east. Standing corn next to my timber edge. Large doe and goodsized yearling appear. They absolutely will not stop moving, jumpy, lots of head up, looking around. finally the doe stops but the 16" diameter tree in which I perch, is tossing some. I release my gold-tip shaft with the Montec broadhead. It was 18 yards from my Mathew's Legacy to the doe. I knew I had a hit but I couldn't tell how well and she ran straight towards the secondary road 150 yards behind me. No more than 15 seconds later I hear a truck brake real hard while downshifting. Dang. I tried to listen but all I hear is wind in the trees and corn stalks rattling. I looked at my watch and 3 minutes later I hear a truck door slam and the motor rev away and I think, crap, somebody just grabbed my deer! I'm stewing on this, but I figure there is nothing to do but stay put and keep hunting.
5:45 the corn explodes in front of me. I don't know how I didn't see or hear him coming thru the corn. This rather nice buck busts out of the standing corn. shakes the cornstalks off his headgear, and stands there all proud looking. pround and broadside, and standing directly over a football sized rock that I had previously lazered at 20 yards.
I couldn't risk any movement until he turned and licked at his opposite flank. I forced myself to concentrate on my hold and not the antlers I could see over his back. When he brought his head back up, my 20 yard pin was just behind his shoulder and so was my arrow.
I waited 15 minutes and decided to go out quietly and call for some help. On the way out, sneaking in a direction away from the other deer, I walked up on a 6pt and a 4pt feeding within 30 yards. had time to pull out the rangefinder and lazer the distance before the 6 picked his head up and saw me.
I got ahold of my tracker/helper who agreed his new garage door opener could wait and we started soon after dark. Found the mature 140 pound doe first. (maybe the truck hit the yearling?, spilled his coffee? dunno)
The found the 11 point, 215 pound buck where he had bulled his way into the middle of hell's acre, an almost impenetrable mess of vegetation, and ravines about 150 yards from where I shot him. I've never had a double lung shot deer go so far but the bloodtrail was good. We should have brought a chainsaw, but we managed to get the honda rancher within 50 yards after doing some chopping and sawing. trussed him up in a poly tarp and dragged him to the quad. Finally got him out and loaded up next to the doe in the truck before midnight.
He is going to the taxidermist and I'm butchering all weekend. Then I gotta help a guy with a garage door opener. I'll pick up 2 more tags and keep hunting until January 11. resident tags are 2 for $26 and Illinois allows 2 antlered and unlimited antlerless. must be a revenue thing as there are hardly any deer worth shootin around here.
Good hunting Y'all!
