Hunting with the Hedge 2021

[GlisGlis]

persistence pays off.
very nice arrows
well done 

[JB G]

The new one.

This was a 26yr old stave, very wavy and twist on both ends. Took heat about ten times. Put some reflex in outer half only due to many corrections on the inners. 68" 49@28" but its a few pounds over that and when fully shot in it should be very close to that? Shoots identical with bow Im hunting with now with a 50-55 spine, 30" with 190grn up front. make a really nice hunter or target rig for a guy who likes heavy arrow setup.

HH~

[JB G]

more

[JB G]

21 OCT 21

68 Degrees, SW winds @ 5-10mph , 1600hrs

Went back into Raccoon Branch yesterday afternoon. Stripped to Tshirt carrying my gear in. walked slow as to no lather up. Meandered my way along the GVT boundry and Private. Found a nice deadhead rack that I put up on a overturned root ball. be back for it at some point. Was shorter going in this way but after dark on way out I go the long way around on edge of corn field.

Saw a few deer right where my stand location is they were up wind of me and just moved back up wind somewhat. Got in to sit out the evening about 0345. Not much action until 1745hrs and family group of doe went right by me feeding on white oak acorns. I still am set back how small these deer are here when 20 miles away or less they are full sized. These doe were I would guess 75lbs on hoof and the yearlings were no more than 40lbs.
I have shot a few doe here and just forgot how small they were. Time was and light was fading and I was way up a Sweet gum tree to where a white oak leafed limb was leaning on it. I looked down in fading light and saw something white and as it came into focus, "Yes that's a good shed". Sure when I got down and walked over and it was a nice 4pt shed from last fall.

Walked long way out and the wheat/corn field had a herd of deer on it, all doe. Could not tell how many but over 20. They had found the new wheat that was just coming up. When the finally saw me I was no more than 30yds from them. Looked like jack rabbits running all over. They were sized about jack rabbits it looked too. This place was stocked in the 40's with deer with double white neck patch from Texas. Why these deer are so small. They have bigger deer here its just that the Texas strain is more dominant on Post.

So, now bucks moved with this large Hunters Moon. I really only walk way in this place to hunt for a good buck. Its four trips in and out if you harvest in here. With a creek crossing so, I think i will only bend the string on a decent mature buck in here. This Raccoon branch has great Arrowhead and native tools along it. I have found some nice stuff hunting here when we had permission to hunt the Private side on the creek.

Very pretty nite on the stand. Im sure it was across the country last nite.

Good Hunting
HH~

[Allyn T]

Did you get your dead head? How big is that piece of public?

[JB G]

Fort Campebell…..? Its prolly 35 miles by 18-20 miles wide. Purty good chunk of dirt. Lots of deer and turkeys.

I left that deadhead on up turned rootball. Pretty sure a bowhunter shot him and tealized that it did not meet point or size restriction and left him for coyotes.
 Got to know what yer doing hunting there.

Saw a guy right near me in a tree there a bunch of years back. I was there in tree in morning, this fella comes in at 1500 climbs up. I knew about 30 deer would be filing out in this White  Oak bench alway To be followed by some good bucks. Well, right during majik hour, here they come with a spike will 6” horn  leading about 25 deer. The line is about halfway by when i hear the loud crack of a Kickstand Wheely bow go off. They guy shot the lead deer!!

I quickly shot a doe in middle of herd. Guy never heard my bow. This kid climbs down and goes to his deer. I say from my stand “that was nice ling shot you made”. He nearly jump out his britches. I get down walk over to him and he looks like he green in the Gills! I says you ok? He dont say much back. I says “ you thought that deer was a doe, is that it”? He dont say anything. One buck limit on Post! I knew right away what he was gonna do!!! I got my doe and retrieved my deer cart i stashed on walk in. Then put my stand, deer and bow on cart and left. When i got to truck this guy was already there. Had an AL plate and just drove away. At check station on post i asked Fed Fish Cop “ you know how many were huntin my area tonite? He says yep and their vehicles”. I gave him the report of evenings events. We went , found deer and the Fed fish cops pinched him when he logged in to hunt area about a week later. I happened to be there coming out when they did it. Same Area
Always a floater in every punchbowl!

HH~

[Allyn T]

I'm glad you did that hedge. Poaching isn't right

[JB G]

23 OCT 21

48 degrees, S wind, 5-8mph 0530

We had three guys hunting this morning on about 350 acres. We drove in to edge of property where a nice 4x4 was under two big white oaks under the moon eating. While we were parked with lights out a very nice buck passed the truck at 75yds. The weather was to warm rapidly so we figgered it was going to shut down early. Hunted 3.hrs we saw between all of us 10 deer 4 doe and six bucks. No one had a shot as the group was all Trad hunters. Great morning but we need some cool weather. Will be 80 here today with south winds again. May go out and sit under a persimmons in afternoon til dark but thats only if the winds stay up as it is only 100yds to creek. See how today goes.

HH~

[JB G]

24-25 OCT 21

warm. . . . . South and west winds.

Hunted last nite, very warm and high south winds. Nothing moving.

This morning a thunderstrom lins came thru 0500-0630 moving fast. Went to skinning shed got my gear and planned to get wet for an hour or so. Figgered it was going clean fast and deer would move directly after up to about 1000hrs even with warm temps. Got in and shimmied up a small sycamore in the river bottom and rain slowly stopped. Did not matter much as I was wet just walking in. Got up and hung my bow and waited it out as it cleared. Right at 0930 a small buck came off the bluff ran right down next to my stand. He walked under and around me for about 5 min. he looked like he had taken an arrow right above shoulder blades across back. He was soaked so I got a good looked at it as he walked straight away from me. Did seem to bother him. 1.5yd old 3x3 just out checking the bottom out and way he went back up hill.

Got down and looked at the river to see how rain we got. It was up a good bit. I looked across the gravel bar and a pair of bald eagles were watching the rapids over the gravel bar. They were sitting on a big old cottonwood snag limb. They were mature birds and this pair has been here for 10yrs. They have a next upstream a bit in a huge Sycamore tree that leans directly over the river.

Good morning but still to warm for good deer movement.

HH~

[JB G]

26 Oct 21

41 degrees 0530hrs N wind 5-12mph

Leaves are coming off now. Walnuts dropping in bunches, white oaks have all dropped and reds are starting to drop in wind. 

Went in rather early this morning sat in tree full hour before shooting light or a bit more. Wind was right for this spot and i knew the construction on top of hill would start at 0700 which would push deer on low side by creek where I was sitting. This is a big double ash tree that is clean up to 30 feet. I climbed up and went up til I looked down with red lens and saw my bow and quiver were 5 foot off ground. My carry climber is a API platform with a summit open shot upper. I like the big platform.

Well, about 0700 i saw a deer pop out of brush under these two persimmons which are holding drops still. She went around and went off to my right. She had a limp on her right front leg. At 0730hrs another doe came out in same place and checked the persimmons drops. She went off same as other deer. After a long lull I heard a noise behind my tree and creek, looked around back of tree and a 3x3 was walking by on a steady walk. I stood and looked around left of tree and another buck was following the first. They passed along and jumped in creek, splashed around and then sparred for a few minutes and went along up stream.

After, a few minutes a gave a few blind soft doe grunts and I saw movement where bucks were. Soon I saw a big doe working the brush in behind me and coming straight up wind toward me. I stood and grabbed my selfbow with a 50-55 spined 30" arrow tipped with a 190grn two blade. She came in to about 13yds but in tight brush. If she turned my way she would be in my primary lane if she turned on deer trail and walked away I thought i could get an arrow into her vitals since I was 25ft up from a hard down angle. As fate would have it and a good nose she turned away from me whan she hit the deer trail. She looked to 20yds when I had a window to shoot and I stopped her with a soft  "baaaa". I line up the shot thru the the hole, at 20yds i need to be about 8" low of my point on. So, I put the arrow right on her on the steep angle and pulled thru. The arrow tipped a big leaf at about 6-8yds and flew a smidge high after. I watched the arrow fly in and saw the impact and deer roll over. I said to my self "good lord I hit her right between the ears in back of head. She thrashed a moment the she went still. I was not sure if my eyes saw what i thought but upon getting down and pacing the distance she was 18yds and sure enough the broken shaft and broad head was buried deep in her nokin in skull.

This is my 45yr of bow hunting and never had a deflection result in a clean kill. Learned long ago if there's anything in way its better to pass the shot. A good friend said this morning "its better to lucky than good sometimes" or maybe the other way round. Either way I was happy for the clean harvest. That bone is with out doubt the hardest on a deer and the HedgeHunter 48@28" put that broad head over and inch into the skull. Never kept a doe skull for an American mount but this one will be a hunt table conversation piece i am sure.

HH~

[BowEd]

Yee ow!!That's one for the books.Congrats.No arrowhead holes to sew up on that one.I've spined them before with a instant put down but not dead on the spot.It's like they say dead is dead.
A friend of mine from the ground this year shoots a doe.The arrow goes through and hits the fawn in the head standing behind here killing here too.Quite the deal there too.

[Allyn T]

Well I'll be darned, that's a interesting kill shot. I heard if you head shoot deer you need to drain the blood cause it doesn't pump out, is that true?

[JB G]

27 Oct 21 That is what I had to do. Give it the knife in neck. Crazy things happen. I never saw a double kill with bow but have with a shot gun. was on a early morning track with my friend. He arrowed one at last light. hot was high and back, very little blood. We stayed on what we could then started cutting small then big circles and we got him. Nice 4x4 160-175lbs on the hoof i would guess. Went up over a hill and piled up on the backside in some old grown up cattle pasture.

HH~

[JB G]

27 Oct 21

Took the Doe skull and cleaned it up. It is the Epitome of selfbow penetration. No wonder she went down like she was hit by a bolt of lightning. Purty interesting table top skull. I kept the lower jaw as well. Looks like she was a 4.5yr old doe. She came down wind and was really looking hard in this old logged out brush sapling infested creek bottom. Good example why heavy arrows get it done.

So, my pull up string is 25ft, my bow was 4 ft off ground when I pulled it up. The line is tied to my seat bar of my climber. For this problem i just used 26ft as my height in stand but was prolly 2ft above that standing shooting. So, leg A of triangle 26ft, leg B was 54ft/18yds and I will assume its a right triangle. Makes leg C about a 60ft shot with the angle at my bow is 60+ degree down and the deer incoming angle is around 30 degrees.

With this angle I figgered if i put it in middle of spine from above it pop out between front shoulder or I spine her,  get down and give her the drop point in the neck. That's the way my mind saw it when the shot was presented. I just needed a little lower hold and not tipped that big elm leaf.

Gave the deer to a buddy after I boned it out. He had lost his home right before Covid hit and a bad 2020. He hunted with me once so far this year but does not have much time as he trying to work his way outta a bad hole. Should be a tasty long legged bean eater.


HH~

[Allyn T]

That is super cool looking Shawn!