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Joel 2016

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Missed a pretty good buck the other day. Happy it was a miss instead of a bad hit.

I've only been out a couple times other than that and have been seeing a couple deer every time. Pretty soon it'll be getting cold so I'm switching tactics for the rest of the season. IMG_1028.jpg
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I'm done hunting now unless I take my daughter out to shoot one. She has been saying she wants to, so we'll check the camera and see if it might work. I ended up tagging 3. The button buck that was wounded on the side of the road, a nice big doe and then my buck.

Since the last update I only hunted a few times and got skunked except for the day before muzzleloader. I went for the last 2 hours of daylight and saw 4, one was a buck I wanted to shoot but never had the chance. I passed several easy shots at different does.

I went back the next day with Matt, the guy that had never deer hunted before this season and was still waiting to see one after 3 other hunts. We got settled in the blind just after 3:00pm on opening day of muzzleloader season. We were sitting in the blind that's in the picture above looking at that corn pile.

It was about 10 degrees and a moderate west wind. I turned the little buddy heater on and we waited. I had my crossbow and Matt had my muzzleloader (that I bought off Huck a couple years ago). We talked about "the plan" on the way there. I told him I was hoping a shooter buck would come out so I could fill my tag and I'd shoot him with the crossbow. After that, hopefully a doe would come in and he could shoot it then we'd throw them in the back of the truck. Sounded simple enough! He was probably thinking I was nuts since I drug him out in the cold three times and we got skunked. I was thinking just seeing a deer would be sweet and maybe he'd even get a shot at one.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
We sat there for almost 2 hours and I was starting to wonder. I leaned over to look at where I thought the deer were coming from and saw movement. A deer! Lol

I told him they're coming get ready. He was asking where and I just said get your gun ready! I leaned back in my chair and got my crossbow that was leaning upside down. I wasn't really expecting to use it. About the time I got my crossbow on my lap he whispered "it's a buck". I clicked the safety off and looked that way just with my eyes. The buck stepped into my view and I knew instantly I would shoot him if I got a chance.

When he stepped into view, he was probably 12 yards in front of me. I tried to control my breathing and flipped the safety off. He was cautiously working towards the corn and taking a few small steps then stopping. He'd looked up ahead, behind him and around but he never really looked at the blind for more than a second. Smoke and evercalm. He was very close and broadside but I wanted to wait until the cross crossbow was lined up better with a window since I have shot poles before!

I could hear Matt breathing like he had asthma all of a sudden. You could tell he was freaking out and I was probably just as bad lol. Finally he stepped where he was still broadside and my crossbow was in the middle of a big window. The buck paused in a perfect spot but his left leg was facing me and it was back covering his vitals. Finally he put that leg forward and paused. As soon as he did, I squeezed the trigger.

I tried to pay attention to the deer so I could see how he was running and where he went as best as possible. I gave Matt a high five and took a few deep breaths with a huge smile. I looked back out the window into the snow to see if I could see blood. I didn't see much but then noticed a tree close to where he was standing during the shot and it was covered with blood. That was a nice site and I was feeling pretty confident. I almost texted chad or Rick but I wanted to wait until I found the deer.

We sat tight and I told him we needed to wait and let him shoot one. We sat there another half hour or so and the heater shut off. I was feeling bad thinking I just shot the only deer he was gonna see all season. He suggested leaving and just going to get my deer and leave but I really wanted him to get one. We were already there, wind and temperatures were perfect and that deer came in by himself. I told him we really needed to sit until dark.

I almost called it a couple times but kept telling myself to be patient. At about 5:40 with maybe 10 minutes of good enough shooting light I heard something coming in the same direction the buck walked in. I told Matt to get ready and you could tell he heard the noise too. One stepped out, again maybe 12 yards away as he was putting the barrel out the screen I cut. I told him to pull back the hammer but wait until I tell him.

I was watching the doe's body language and wasn't concerned about her bolting so I wanted to wait for her to stop at the corn and put here head down. When she got there and put her head down she was 15 yards from him and I said "shoot". Matt fired as I said shoot and the doe did a flip and took off. She tripped and fell a couple times and then I lost sight of her. I told him that was a good shot and let's go get the truck.

We went after his doe first and found her pretty quick. We each grabbed a leg and drug her back towards my truck then went to look for the buck. He was easy to track in the snow too and went about 40 yards. We left with two deer in the back of my truck, one for each of us. Got them both skinned and quartered and called it a night.