Frank, Dale and I got on the trail early and after 30 minutes, we spotted my
buck on a hillside, alone. I told them to go ahead and leave me with a cell
phone. I could check in if I needed them and Dale could continue hunting with
Frank. I moved on the buck and found myself within 50 yards. Two other bucks
had appeared as well.
I closed the distance several times, including once to within 15 yards, but
I just could not get a shot. There was always something in the way, a tree,
some brush. Since he was wounded, I decided that even if I had a longer than
usual shot - I would take it. After playing cat and mouse with these deer for
ninety minutes - I had my chance. The buck came out of the trees and gave me
a hard quartering-away shot - but a long one. I figured it to be forty yards.
I pulled back and shot the deer - but my shot was not vital. I waited a half
hour and began trailing the deer in the snow. The blood trail was profuse as
can be seen in this picture. I was confident that the deer was going down quickly.
I was wrong.
I spotted my hit deer and moved to intercept him. As I readied
for a shot my buck came out of the trees and headed straight at me - just 30
yards away! He angled down a hill then out of sight. I moved to get a shot as
he passed me on the hillside to finish him off.
But instead of cotinuing on his path, the buck had dove into
a pine tree bed. He spooked as I approached. I should have been more careful
but never expected the buck to bed down so quickly. He tore out of that bed
and ran across a meadow. I could plainly see my arrow still in him. I decided
to back off. The conditions for tracking were great and the deer was leaving
good sign.
At 11:30 AM I took up the trail again and was surprised to find
that my buck was moving a good distance. The trail took me over 3 hillsides
to this point. As I approached the 4th hillside I noticed 3 small bucks in a
meadow. I figured that my deer was probably around so I spent some time glassing.
Within thirty minutes I found my buck, he was bedded 100 yards downhill from the others.
At this point he was probably 1.5 miles from where I shot him - I was worried.
At one point, a sparring match between two of the other bucks made my buck attempt
to stand up. But he couldn't and just crashed over. I figured the end was near
- but I was wrong again.
Here's a picture after finding my hit buck several
hours later
While waiting him out, the wind shifted and carried my scent to
the other bucks. They spooked and bounded past my buck - taking him with them.
I couldn't believe he had the strength to follow - but he did.
I tracked him over two more mountains but the blood had slowed
to a trickle and to make matters worse the snow had melted on the south facing
slopes. I had to rely on tracking footprints in the soft mud. I moved quickly
up the last thick hillside and caught up to the group of deer. My buck wasn't
with them. I knew my buck had to be between this point and where I last saw
him, two ridges back, but I needed help. I called Frank. It was 3:00 PM when
Frank arrived both us scoured that hillside. But with no blood, no tracks and
over a mile of thick country, we just couldn't find anything to go on. We checked
out the usual places, thickets, streambeds, etc. Finally we gave up the trail.
Frank and I figured out that I had tracked this buck over 3 miles. I crossed 6 drainage's and spent ten hours after him. If there is an upside to this sad story it's knowing that I gave 100%
to recover this deer - but sometimes things just don't work out the way you
hope they will.
Despite the blood loss, there is a chance this buck can survive
both hits. Neither hit involved any organ and the deer was seen climbing a steep
mountain hours later. It was approaching darkness when Frank and I headed back
to camp. Thankfully, Steve had a better story.
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