I went back home to southern Indiana to spend some time with my family for an early Thanksgiving this past weekend, and to also get a chance to fill a tag or two. The weather was COLD to say the least with highs in the upper 20's/lower 30's and it dipping down to lows in the 14's or so, and surprisingly the deer weren't moving much. It was the second weekend of firearm season in Indiana so that may of had something to do with it. Although I was only home for 3 days, I decided to stick to my trusty Mathews Drenalin and see if I couldn't stick a deer or two while I was home.
I flew in to Louisville, KY on Friday and arrived around noon back home in Indiana just in time to pack up my stuff and make the short drive to our 160 acre cattle farm. There was a very cool NW wind that proved to bring nothing except for a few rabbits and a bunch of doves near my stand as I waited for dark to settle in so I could escape from the stand and head back home for the evening.
The next morning came quickly and I found myself settled in a home-built stand 20 some feet up in an old sycamore tree overlooking one of our best food plots. The wind had shifted overnight to the southeast, yet the temperature didn't seem to want to let go of its stranglehold on the area. I was skunked again that morning, but had the pleasure of watching around a dozen or so squirrels meander around the stand and cause a lot of ruckus most of the morning. After heading back home after an unsuccessful morning, we (my father and brother) headed to the local archery shop to shoot the new Mathews Reezen. Let me tell you, that thing can shoot. Anyways, back to the subject, I ended up laying down for a quick nap after getting back to the shop and that is when it hit me. I had been up 20 out of the last 24 hours and it got the best of me, no hunting for me that evening, so it would just have to wait until my last day on Sunday.
When Sunday morning rolled around, I decided to ditch the video camera to try and mix up my luck, and luckily it worked! The woods were pretty quite until around 8:00 that morning as an occasional squirrel made their presence known. I saw my first deer from the stand all weekend around 8:30 when a doe cam barreling in from the North. I stood up to get ready as I figured a buck would be hot on her trail. I listened and could hear her making her way back too me through the thick brush. As she made her way back to the opening I first saw her, I drew back (realizing she was alone and acting crazy) and made the "meh" to try and get her to stop...about 3/4 of the way through the draw, my arrow goes flying off in front of her because I had accidentally hit the release on my shoulder as I drew back since I wasn't standing perfectly square to my target. I sat there in my stand upset as could be as I watched my firenock glow a mere 23 yards from my stand. Luckily it was a clean miss, and I settled back down in my seat and waited out the morning. About 35 minutes later I stand up to see if I can see anything just out of my view (and to give my rear a break from sitting all morning) and I notice a flock of 7 tom turkeys coming up the ridge my way. They fed to 35 yards away as I watched them feed off into the brush. I after they were out of sight I looked to my left and noticed a deer was making its way to me and heading towards my shooting lane and a tree that I had ranged earlier in the morning for 25 yards. He hit the shooting lane, I grunted to stop him, and I let the Aftershock Hypershock 125 fly. I could see the entrance hole and the arrow barely sticking in him as he took off towards the thick cover behind me. About 10 seconds later I hear a crash and it was all over. I put a perfect double lung shot on him, nicking the top of the heart and he only made it 60 yards before expiring. I have passed on many bucks in my short "career" as an archer, but eating tag soup last fall, the shot opportunity, and the fact that my father, brother, and sister were all out hunting on our farm at the time made it that much more enjoyable. I didn't get any pictures with them with me, but I now wish I had because they had been there with me the day I shot my first archery buck
Aftershock Hypershock 125 grain 2 3/4" exit hole
My first archery buck
And just like my first NC whitetail, we have pictures of this buck on trail cam as well
After looking the buck over, we noticed that he had actually been shot in the neck sometime earlier in the week or on opening weekend, but it was healing over quite well. He had lost a lot of weight already, but the wound was looking much better. You can see how the hair is matted on the side of his neck in this picture from the wound...
congrats on your first