1.) Ar-mink - 12/23/2013

Just wanted to share my 2013 bow buck and the story behind it.

I first seen this buck on camera in 2011 as a descent little 8 point. We named him Joker in 2012 because of his broke off main beam.
[url]http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/armink2/E5485CC7-3F94-4202-AD65-50B8C36E0CC0_zps1zvkcat7.jpg[/url]

Never seen him in person in 2012, but I was glad to see he made it into 2013. I'm pretty sure someone was spotlighting this property in late 2012. he was the only "good" buck that returned from 2012 and we had atv tracks everywhere plus lost 4 trail cams to them. Being the only good buck I was seeing on my 1 cam I had left i set out to kill the Joker.
[url]http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/armink2/12D8C3EF-58C9-49CD-A58F-CF4CD5C5DDAA_zpswmsu2wm6.jpg[/url]

On the first Friday in October I set in a stand between his bedding area and a pond hoping he would get up thirsty that evening. With about 25 minutes of light left I seen him arise from the dry creek about 70 yds away. It took him at least 15 minutes to close the 45 yards walking straight at me. If he'd stayed his course he would have walked 15 yards in front of me, but as you know they rarely follow the script we have made up in our heads. Joker started slowly south, and finally offered me a shot at 24 yds just before he walked out of my sight. I squeezed the trigger, felt good about the shot and seen blood spray as he whirled around and headed back where he came from. I texted my hunting buddies and waiting for them to make it to me after dark. I walked to the place where I shot him found blood but no arrow. After the initial blood there was very little blood and lost the trail not very far from where I shot him. Normally I would have backed out but there was a huge T-storm coming in that night so we stayed at it. About midnight we had tracked him about 100yds finding good blood in spots then not finding anything for the next 15-20 yds. We finally lost the trail in an old food plot and decided to go in as it was starting to rain. To make a long story shorter I looked Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and finally Tuesday after work I went again. By this time I was just walking areas looking for crows and buzzards. I made it back pretty close to were I had 1st seen him when he walked out that night. And then.... I smelled it, not 20yds away there he was or what was left of him. For some reason when he made it into the old food plot he made a hard right turn and headed back towards the stand where I shot him from. Wasn't much left that the yotes didn't eat, but here he is.
[url]http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/armink2/F00F1E9A-8440-49FE-86E7-B6DF5F553978_zpsac8l9bjg.jpg[/url]

I really hated his meat going to waste but felt a relief when I finally closed the book on the Joker.

2.) billy b - 12/23/2013

It happens, sounds like you did everything you could, sorry you lost the venison, nice deer.

3.) Bob Peck - 12/23/2013

Maybe it's just the close up of the pic or you posed the head for the pic but normally one does not just find *only* the head and antlers. At the very least there is hide or pieces of fur and/or a skeletal remains like rib cage, legs, hooves, etc. It's true that parts get scattered to all points of the compass. Just curious more than anything.

4.) Ar-mink - 12/23/2013

You are right Bob, I cut the rest of the skeleton off before I brought it home. The head was the only place it had any hide left. That picture was taken in my yard after I brought him home.

5.) Triton Rich - 12/23/2013

[B]Nice buck. Didn't go how you wanted but that's how it goes sometimes. You put in the effort to find him at least.[/B]

6.) Ar-mink - 12/23/2013

Thanks, I was almost sure I put a fatal shot on him. When I went out that last day I told myself i was going to move on if I didn't find him. I examined the skeleton thinking I would find my broad head lodged somewhere but couldn't tell where I hit him.

7.) Go Bucks - 12/24/2013

It never ceases to amaze me how resilient, crafty, and unpredictable these supposedly predictable creatures can be.

8.) Triton Rich - 12/24/2013

[QUOTE=Ar-mink;14006] ....I examined the skeleton thinking I would find my broad head lodged somewhere but couldn't tell where I hit him.[/QUOTE]
[B]I was gonna ask if you could tell what happened but I figured you would have told us. That's a shame, it would sure be nice to know exactly what went wrong. [/B]

9.) Ar-mink - 12/24/2013

[QUOTE=Triton Rich;14012][B]I was gonna ask if you could tell what happened but I figured you would have told us. That's a shame, it would sure be nice to know exactly what went wrong. [/B][/QUOTE]

I "think" I hit him in the shoulder, we found half my arrow about half way through the track job. He only traveled around 150-200yds after the shot. Just didn't. Bleed all that much.


In case anyone wanted to know I was using rage 2-blade and victory vaps.