This is a bit of a long one, but I think the community might enjoy hearing the events of this hunt.
I was fortunate enough to arrow a nice PA whitetail doe on Wednesday morning. The events after the shot left me scratching my head. I don't have many hunting stories worth sharing but this is one. First, a little background...
I hunt public land around a pretty big lake. The spot I hunt is a heavy trail that swings in about 20 yards from the water. I take my jon boat in, and sit in a tree on the waters edge. The trail goes right to left in front of me at about 20 yards. Also to my right is a cove about 100 yards away, which the deer typically skirt around, then through some brush, and end up in front of me. The lake level is about 2' low, leaving about 20 yards of mud from the old shoreline to the current shoreline.
At about 8am, I see a doe trotting along the shoreline on the opposite side of the cove. Behind her is a spike, obviously pushing her my way. I sent the arrow through her as she crosses in front of me, the signature "whap-POP" of a lung hit. She bounds off the way she came, but through the woods. I sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and the morning sunshine. I thought I had hit both lungs.
About ten minutes later, I look across the cove to where I first saw her, and noticed a doe run out from the woods and bellyflop in the water. It was about 6" deep, just covering her white belly. Out from behind her steps a very respectable 8 point. Through my binos, I could see both deer are panting. I assume that he had been running her down and she needed some water and rest.
He starts sniffing around her rump, and tries mounting her in the mud. She stands up to shake him off and all of the water dripping off of her is blood red. Its my deer. I thought "how the hell is she still alive?" I thought the shot was perfect.
After another attempt to prevent another mounting from the buck, she decides she's had enough of his shenanigans, and begins to swim across the lake (about 300 yards). The buck has a "Oh no you don't" moment and swims after her. He finally catches up to her about half way across, and tries to steer her back the way she came. She does her best to get around him, but he clearly wants to finish what he started.
They tread water for about five minutes, swimming in circles around one another like the worst game of tag you've ever seen. She starts to really slow down. The buck then, I suppose out of frustration that his plan isn't working, decides its time for one last try right there in the water. He comes up from behind her, and tries to mount her in the water. Not a bright plan, as he winds up forcing her under. There's a struggle for about five or ten seconds, and he rolls off. She pops up again, but now she's flailing. Another 20 seconds of her bobbing up and down, and she stills, head underwater. The buck keeps circling for another couple of minutes as I climb down from my tree.
I run to my jon boat and race out to her as fast as my little trolling motor will push me. At this point, I'm still a little uncertain that its my doe. I casually pass the eight from a little distance, who is now swimming back the way he came (its illegal to shoot a deer in the water here in PA). I get up to the doe, and immediately see a single bevel hole in her shoulder blade. Thats my girl. It took my fat ass a minute to get her in my little rickety 12' jon, and I may have pulled muscles that I didn't know could be pulled, but I got her home.
I knew rutting bucks got aggressive, but drowning your girlfriend? Damn... I learned a lot that morning.
Side note: later, while contemplating my shot, I can only deduce that as I released, she started to turn from broadside facing left, to quartering to. My arrow went through her shoulder blade, one lung, through an opposing side: full pass though. I wish it had been a better hit. And I also think that if it weren't for that buck, I may not have recovered her that quickly.
I hope you all enjoyed this story. Cheers to better shots!
I was fortunate enough to arrow a nice PA whitetail doe on Wednesday morning. The events after the shot left me scratching my head. I don't have many hunting stories worth sharing but this is one. First, a little background...
I hunt public land around a pretty big lake. The spot I hunt is a heavy trail that swings in about 20 yards from the water. I take my jon boat in, and sit in a tree on the waters edge. The trail goes right to left in front of me at about 20 yards. Also to my right is a cove about 100 yards away, which the deer typically skirt around, then through some brush, and end up in front of me. The lake level is about 2' low, leaving about 20 yards of mud from the old shoreline to the current shoreline.
At about 8am, I see a doe trotting along the shoreline on the opposite side of the cove. Behind her is a spike, obviously pushing her my way. I sent the arrow through her as she crosses in front of me, the signature "whap-POP" of a lung hit. She bounds off the way she came, but through the woods. I sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and the morning sunshine. I thought I had hit both lungs.
About ten minutes later, I look across the cove to where I first saw her, and noticed a doe run out from the woods and bellyflop in the water. It was about 6" deep, just covering her white belly. Out from behind her steps a very respectable 8 point. Through my binos, I could see both deer are panting. I assume that he had been running her down and she needed some water and rest.
He starts sniffing around her rump, and tries mounting her in the mud. She stands up to shake him off and all of the water dripping off of her is blood red. Its my deer. I thought "how the hell is she still alive?" I thought the shot was perfect.
After another attempt to prevent another mounting from the buck, she decides she's had enough of his shenanigans, and begins to swim across the lake (about 300 yards). The buck has a "Oh no you don't" moment and swims after her. He finally catches up to her about half way across, and tries to steer her back the way she came. She does her best to get around him, but he clearly wants to finish what he started.
They tread water for about five minutes, swimming in circles around one another like the worst game of tag you've ever seen. She starts to really slow down. The buck then, I suppose out of frustration that his plan isn't working, decides its time for one last try right there in the water. He comes up from behind her, and tries to mount her in the water. Not a bright plan, as he winds up forcing her under. There's a struggle for about five or ten seconds, and he rolls off. She pops up again, but now she's flailing. Another 20 seconds of her bobbing up and down, and she stills, head underwater. The buck keeps circling for another couple of minutes as I climb down from my tree.
I run to my jon boat and race out to her as fast as my little trolling motor will push me. At this point, I'm still a little uncertain that its my doe. I casually pass the eight from a little distance, who is now swimming back the way he came (its illegal to shoot a deer in the water here in PA). I get up to the doe, and immediately see a single bevel hole in her shoulder blade. Thats my girl. It took my fat ass a minute to get her in my little rickety 12' jon, and I may have pulled muscles that I didn't know could be pulled, but I got her home.
I knew rutting bucks got aggressive, but drowning your girlfriend? Damn... I learned a lot that morning.
Side note: later, while contemplating my shot, I can only deduce that as I released, she started to turn from broadside facing left, to quartering to. My arrow went through her shoulder blade, one lung, through an opposing side: full pass though. I wish it had been a better hit. And I also think that if it weren't for that buck, I may not have recovered her that quickly.
I hope you all enjoyed this story. Cheers to better shots!
