Deer Hunting Day 13 - Friday, Nov 2 - Deer #2

Kathy and Alex showed up around 3:45 pm this afternoon.  We loaded up and headed to Marshall / Boyd / Neal.  It was 5:00 (about) when we headed out:  Alex to the old stand (W on Neal), Nick to the new stand (E on Neal) and Kathy to the fence line on Marshall / Neal.  I walked the almost fully picked cornfield to the first ravine on Marshall.

The Gang in front of now almost gone corn field.

It was 51 degrees F with a 10 mph wind coming from the NW, or off to the left in this picture.

I had not been standing for 5 minutes when 3 deer, mama and two babies, came walking down the ravine across from me heading SE.  It was too long of a shot with a stick and string.  In fact, I would have needed a gun to get them today.  They walked until mama winded me and snorted.  They ran around for about 5 minutes, not knowing what to do.  I finally got fed up with them and waved my hands to scare them away - but not before I got a picture of one of the yearlings.

You have to look closely, inside the red circle, the head is behind a tree - walking toward right.

I walked to the creek and then stood on the hill.  I watched a buck chase a doe across the creek on to Harold Vice and then back again toward Kathy.

Nick started to rattle, grunt, and bleat.  He called a buck right by Alex and downwind of himself.  After winding Nick, the buck ran toward Kathy.  Nick also saw a coyote, so had all but given up on deer.  However, this small 8-point buck came running to the rattling bag.

It bypassed Kathy and came down the stream toward me.  I was busy watching the buck and did not notice the three doe behind me.  They spooked at the buck's noise and my stink.  However, the buck walked right down the path to me.  He stopped broadside at 20 yards in the open.  I aimed twice and let the arrow fly.

He ran N along the creek, up the other side of the ravine and died - rolling back down toward the creek.  I texted everybody and told them to meet me at the creek:  Nick and Alex with the truck and beer; Kathy walk to me and help drag.

Along the way, I found my arrow - always a nice sign when tracking deer.

Bloody arrow - shot from Horse Bow.

Kathy helped me drag the little guy up the creek and out to the tree farm.  We waited for Nick and Alex to join us.  They drug him back to the truck.

Nick and Alex dragging deer.

We took him back to Grandpa Jerry's to gut.  We skinned him and cut out the loins.  That will be lunch tomorrow.  We will butcher him ourselves.  I used the new Indiana on-line check in process.  Seems to be pretty painless and hopefully I'm 100% legal with my tag now.

As you can see, he is a small basket rack 8-point - the same one Nick rattled to himself.  Thanks Nick!

This is the first kill for my Horse Bow - a gift from Kfir.

Kinda hard to take such a small buck - but also kinda nice to have more meat in the freezer.  I have no regrets.  He's one of them, and will taste pretty darn good.

One final shot of Alex heeding nature's call....

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