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Diablo 2016 buck

Diablo54

Senior Member
7,082
126
Outside
2016 started off great. With a lot of shooters on one property. However the other properties seemed to be lacking. In early October I shot a big 10 point that I never recovered. I'm still not sure as to what happened because the shot looked great. Just little to no blood for 200 yards until it slipped away to almost nothing. 2 weeks later I was given a shot at a doe at the same angle and distance. I Hit her well and she made it 60 yards. That was the first deer with this zipper. My 2 week vacation started on November 6th. I had a lot of great hunts and on Thursday morning I had a hot doe bring one of the bucks I was after right to me at 8 am. At 20 yards I drew and released. Clean miss. I did not pick a spot. I was too excited and forgot the one essential thing. He continued to chase his doe and came back to 30 yards a few times but I would not take the shots. The thoughts and frustration rolled over me. I wanted to give up the recurve. That was the 4th shot I had blew since my last buck. I was wondering if I should even be out there with the recurve anymore. And Was seriously contemplating compound hunting. After shooting my bow when I got home I decided that I would try one more shot before I gave it up. Several sits later the first week was over and I had only taken my bow off the hanger one time in 14 sits. The next week rolled around and I moved around from spot to spot. Camera checks revealed that I needed to be spending time in one spot. So I did. 3 consecutive sits in one tree including and all day sit. When I was there he wasn't. And when I would go somewhere else he would be there. That's how that goes. Friday morning I sat in the same place until 11. At 8 am I had 3 does bust through the brush to me and I stood up. Behind them was a nice 8 pt. He stopped at 25 yards and turned the opposite direction and cruised over the hill looking for different does. at 11 It was getting hot so I elected to climb down. Around 2:30 I moved to a different farm and setup in my climber. At 2:45 I had a spike under me. 20 minutes later a big 9 cruised by just out of range infront of me. 30 seconds later I could hear another deer coming, it looked decent so I stood up and grabbed my bow. He was walking the same way the previous buck had. However when he got right in front of me he turned my way. I could tell he had decent mass and it looked like a decent spread. I knew he would shrink but I elected to shoot and try to get redemption and some confidence back if he gave me a good shot. Next thing I knew he was at 10 yards but quartered to me. A second later there was a noise down in the ravine behind the buck. And as he turned his head and body to scope it out he had left himself broadside infront of me. I drew slow and picked a spot behind the shoulder. Holding my anchor i stared at the tuft of hair and the arrow slipped through my fingers. As soon as the arrow hit him it fell back out. I wasn't sure what to think. And as he sprinted away he stopped at 50 yards and turned his head in my direction. My heart sank as I knew I had just shouldered the buck. That's when he flipped over all in one motion. After gutting and checking out the arrow we saw that it hit the offside shoulder and bounced back out. Taking both lungs and the top of the heart on its way. He is not a giant by any means but after 14 days straight in the stand he made my heart pump and that is why I do it. I climbed down and slowly walked the blood trail. Once I got to him I layed my bow down on him and sat for a minute reflecting. The most rewarding thing about this buck is making the shot I did. It does wonders for your confidence. I couldn't be happier and will be waiting for dad and Kayla to hopefully kill their bucks this year.



 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,738
274
North Carolina
Nice recap Taylor... Congrats on a fine buck and kudos to sticking with the stick bow... You'll always have my admiration for doing what you do buddy....


 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
Great write up Tay! Way to redeem yourself and making a clean quick killing shot on a very nice deer! :smiley_clap:
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,629
234
Licking Co. Ohio
Great Job Taylor! I do respect your persistence to stick with it when all looks grim. Doing it the hard way is never easy~~but it is rewarding! Congrats on a good deer!