Happy To Report: Doe Down at Willow Slough

I just wanted to say that I made a 40 meter shot on a doe quartering very much to me and seems like a perfect shot, she was really quartering to me. I took the shot with my Hoyt on Friday, the day before Muzzleloader opener.

I looked at the heart and there was a single slice of a blade in addition to the exit wound still having 2 ribs to go before hitting the no-go area (guts). Any further forward would have hit the shoulder blade and would have risked a non-penetrating shot. This has happened twice in my life and I lost both deer because of it. Any further back and it would have totally missed the heart and would have hit the guts on the way out, not to mention a long tracking job and a slower death.

Luckily this shot was perfect and the doe stayed within eyesight after she hobbled off. 40% luck, 60% practice, 20% watching videos. I believe it takes more than 100% to get a deer on public hunting ground in NW Indiana.

I put my 30 yard pin just over her neck and 40 yard pin on her heart. (I estimated distance 35-38 meters). Thwack, POP!!

She hobbled back down the trail and laid down about 40 yards away from where she stood. Her friend came back to check on her, then walked away slowly 5 minutes later. I felt sad for that doe.

I was half-way down the tree in my Summit SD climber (I totally Modified it up with expanding foam and camo stretchy tape to keep it quiet and stealthy), three does noticed me and quickly blew and reversed direction. That equals 5 does in 10 minutes in this area. I like it!!

I usually place my stand similar to saddle hunters (Cat Man Outdoors, The Hunting Public, DIY Sportsman). This means I hide behind the tree instead of the traditional front-facing set up since I do not believe that 15 feet up a tree is high enough for public land. In this case, I was totally correct. I stood almost the entire time and simply peaked around the tree. 95% of my body is hidden behind the tree. She never saw me, though she would have easily seen me if I set up in a traditional way. I like to be hidden.

I will leave this spot for 2 weeks and return on the last weekend of Muzzleloader Dec 22nd.

I think there is a perfect tree a bit closer to all 3 trails where deer have traveled every day and don't seem to spook due to scent. They walked down the same trail I used to walk in the woods and they could not have cared less. With a 2 week break (at least from me), I will likely get a decent shot.

If not, I'll spot and stalk my way through the 100 acres of this section and hopefully with my CVA Optima and Konus Scope, I'll get another doe or even a buck in 2018.

In the meantime, I butchered the doe myself and had 1 egg and 2 tenderloins for breakfast this morning.

I believe she was 1 1/2 years old. Definitely not a 6-month-old and she didn't have any milk lactating. To me, this equals 1.5 years old. Her pelvic bone was well developed but not impossible to get through. There was a gentleman at the parking lot that thought she was 2.5 due to her head size, but she would have milk, right?

*** I dragged her 1,080 meters *** That's quite a distance. I put my Summit Safety Vest Tether through the front legs, looped it through itself and attached to my summit safety vest and dragged her behind me. Genius!

Congrats ... I took a 105lb Doe Saturday afternoon at JP .... I'm now done for the year.... both archery tags filled... 1- 164lb 8 pt and the Doe ... time for bunnies and Coyotes ... not out of realm for a 1.5 yr old to have Fawns ... mine had milk and I'm think she was a 1.5 and no more than 2.5 yr old

Very cool congratulations! I hunt a few spots in JP near the nature conservancy. Not this year though.

Congrats on your public-land success!

Good stuff. Congrats!

Cool!

Congrats!

congrats! Deer on the public ground are earned!