Critter is skinned and ready for me to chop up after I get a bite to eat. I thought the kill was a slam-dunk, but not the way it worked out. Luckily in the end everything came together.
Friday night I took off work a little early and headed to my blind. Things were pretty slow and I decided to leave the blind a little early and have some dinner before camping for the night. Here is a view from my blind about a 1/2 hour before I was getting ready to leave. Foreshadow; my critter was in the far right side of this picture a little later in the evening.
I got out of the blind and took a sneakee-peek over the hill behind my blind. Crap, does and fawns headed to water. I threw the pack back in the blind and got ready. Within 5 minutes the does were coming in for a shot when all the sudden a buck appeared and spooked the does. He then went to the corner of the pit, but changed his mind and went to another spot which was right at 30 yards from my position.
I wasn't sure about his size, but figured he was big enough for me. He was angled away from me, but more straight on then I would have liked. Figured I was still good and took the shot. I never saw the arrow, but heard a solid hit. He whirled and walked away from the pit. I put the glasses on him, but could not see where he was hit as he walked angling away. This was not a good sign. When he went over a small rise, and out of sight, I hopped out and tried to see where he was headed. Good sign, he was laying down. I ranged him at 74 yards and though I thought I could get another 20 yards closer, I decided to just sit on him. Ten minutes later he was still there and it was too dark to risk pushing him. I headed home.
Slept like sheet, but knew I would find him first thing in the morning. Axl and I showed up to watch the sunrise, but couldn't see my buck. As I waited for more light to glass the flats, I snapped one of my hunting partner. He just wanted to find ducks in the waterhole and didn't seem too interested in finding my prairie goat.
I glassed for some time and saw nothing. I finally found where he bedded and found blood, good blood at that. Went back to the waterhole and found my arrow and it was good red blood as well. I followed the trail for about 300 yards before it disappeared. The first three hundred yards had been pretty straight, so I looped around and checked out some coulees. Found a few lopes, but none that belonged to me. On the third one, I spotted one and when he stood up, I could see blood on his legs. He trotted about 100 yards and stopped to look at me. I could see he was having a hard time keeping his head erect, and I was relieved to say the least.
He bedded down again and I snuck within 30 yards, but when I rose to my knees for the shot, he was up and running. He went about 50 yards, stopped, began to lose his balance, then fell to the ground. I walked up to him and he tried to get up again, so I put another arrow through his lungs.
Here is a pic that shows the entrance wound. Only got one lung and am thankful I was able to get him.
Here is a shot of him cleaned up a little bit.
Another view. Really wasn't as cold as my jacket suggests, but helped keep those blood sucking 'skeeters from sucking me dry.:BLEEP:
Of course I had to include one of the Ax-man. Pretty sure he doesn't get this 'lope thing, but he did find me a lope sheath that must have been shed last year.
Good luck to those chasing lope with the bow. I still have a doe tag and might try it again in the morning.
Friday night I took off work a little early and headed to my blind. Things were pretty slow and I decided to leave the blind a little early and have some dinner before camping for the night. Here is a view from my blind about a 1/2 hour before I was getting ready to leave. Foreshadow; my critter was in the far right side of this picture a little later in the evening.
I got out of the blind and took a sneakee-peek over the hill behind my blind. Crap, does and fawns headed to water. I threw the pack back in the blind and got ready. Within 5 minutes the does were coming in for a shot when all the sudden a buck appeared and spooked the does. He then went to the corner of the pit, but changed his mind and went to another spot which was right at 30 yards from my position.
I wasn't sure about his size, but figured he was big enough for me. He was angled away from me, but more straight on then I would have liked. Figured I was still good and took the shot. I never saw the arrow, but heard a solid hit. He whirled and walked away from the pit. I put the glasses on him, but could not see where he was hit as he walked angling away. This was not a good sign. When he went over a small rise, and out of sight, I hopped out and tried to see where he was headed. Good sign, he was laying down. I ranged him at 74 yards and though I thought I could get another 20 yards closer, I decided to just sit on him. Ten minutes later he was still there and it was too dark to risk pushing him. I headed home.
Slept like sheet, but knew I would find him first thing in the morning. Axl and I showed up to watch the sunrise, but couldn't see my buck. As I waited for more light to glass the flats, I snapped one of my hunting partner. He just wanted to find ducks in the waterhole and didn't seem too interested in finding my prairie goat.
I glassed for some time and saw nothing. I finally found where he bedded and found blood, good blood at that. Went back to the waterhole and found my arrow and it was good red blood as well. I followed the trail for about 300 yards before it disappeared. The first three hundred yards had been pretty straight, so I looped around and checked out some coulees. Found a few lopes, but none that belonged to me. On the third one, I spotted one and when he stood up, I could see blood on his legs. He trotted about 100 yards and stopped to look at me. I could see he was having a hard time keeping his head erect, and I was relieved to say the least.
He bedded down again and I snuck within 30 yards, but when I rose to my knees for the shot, he was up and running. He went about 50 yards, stopped, began to lose his balance, then fell to the ground. I walked up to him and he tried to get up again, so I put another arrow through his lungs.
Here is a pic that shows the entrance wound. Only got one lung and am thankful I was able to get him.
Here is a shot of him cleaned up a little bit.
Another view. Really wasn't as cold as my jacket suggests, but helped keep those blood sucking 'skeeters from sucking me dry.:BLEEP:
Of course I had to include one of the Ax-man. Pretty sure he doesn't get this 'lope thing, but he did find me a lope sheath that must have been shed last year.
Good luck to those chasing lope with the bow. I still have a doe tag and might try it again in the morning.
