Insanity
11-02-2008, 08:51 PM
Hunted down on the ES Thursday - 10/30. Uneventful in the morning but the afternoon hunt proved to be successful. Hunted a property that usually gives up big Whitetails but this year our club has seen more and more of the "elusive" sika deer. One buddy shot a hammer 6pt sika during the early blackpowder season there.
I was set up in the stand by 3:30pm overlooking a woods clearing that my dad usually hunts. Found a good tree with lots of natural camo. About 4:30 I had a red tail hawk stop by at about 25 yards, then 15 minutes later I had one of those big wood peckers (red head/pilated) hammer two or three trees not 15 yeards away. SHould of had the camera again.
At 5:30pm I heard a sika bugle about 200 yards away in a cutover. He let out 4 cuts in a row. At 6:15 the woods got quite (squirrels gone) and I heard something sneaking up. I turned to look and saw the shape of a very large dark deer. It wasn't dark yet but there was not much light. Seeing the darkness of the deer I had a good idea that it was a sika and since he came in down wind I had a hunch it was a buck. Once he got direclty downwind (at 20 yards) I thought it was game over, but he never smelled me. He kept coming.
He came all the way behind the tree and presented a 15 yard shot. I'll be honest, I still could not be sure it was a buck or not, because now it was about 6:25pm - very low light. On this property I plan on shooting any and all sika's as I believe they run off the whitatails. I drew back while turned and facing the tree and had to make the shot kind of leaning around the tree. Let the arrow fly and heard a tremendous whack. The deer took off and ran straight for what sounded like 75 yards or so. Then he turned and walked away for another 75 yards or so that I could hear. Since I couldn't see exactly where the arrow hit him. I waited about 10 minutes and decided to get down quietly and just look at where i shot to find the arrow. Didn't find the arrow right at the impact spot but found it 15 yards away. Found some small specs of blood for the first 50 yards, thn he opened up and I was able to find him after a 150-175 yards track.
Imagine my surprise to see one half of his rack with the flashlight - 3 points on one side...could it be a 6pt sika. Ran up to the deer and grabbed him....guess what? There was a fourth point on the opposite side....7pt sika. Called my dad, uncle and two cousins from the woods excited as hell. He dressed out at 97lbs....what a trophy. Another buddy at the club took the pics but he has not sent them to me yet. When I receive I will post.
I was set up in the stand by 3:30pm overlooking a woods clearing that my dad usually hunts. Found a good tree with lots of natural camo. About 4:30 I had a red tail hawk stop by at about 25 yards, then 15 minutes later I had one of those big wood peckers (red head/pilated) hammer two or three trees not 15 yeards away. SHould of had the camera again.
At 5:30pm I heard a sika bugle about 200 yards away in a cutover. He let out 4 cuts in a row. At 6:15 the woods got quite (squirrels gone) and I heard something sneaking up. I turned to look and saw the shape of a very large dark deer. It wasn't dark yet but there was not much light. Seeing the darkness of the deer I had a good idea that it was a sika and since he came in down wind I had a hunch it was a buck. Once he got direclty downwind (at 20 yards) I thought it was game over, but he never smelled me. He kept coming.
He came all the way behind the tree and presented a 15 yard shot. I'll be honest, I still could not be sure it was a buck or not, because now it was about 6:25pm - very low light. On this property I plan on shooting any and all sika's as I believe they run off the whitatails. I drew back while turned and facing the tree and had to make the shot kind of leaning around the tree. Let the arrow fly and heard a tremendous whack. The deer took off and ran straight for what sounded like 75 yards or so. Then he turned and walked away for another 75 yards or so that I could hear. Since I couldn't see exactly where the arrow hit him. I waited about 10 minutes and decided to get down quietly and just look at where i shot to find the arrow. Didn't find the arrow right at the impact spot but found it 15 yards away. Found some small specs of blood for the first 50 yards, thn he opened up and I was able to find him after a 150-175 yards track.
Imagine my surprise to see one half of his rack with the flashlight - 3 points on one side...could it be a 6pt sika. Ran up to the deer and grabbed him....guess what? There was a fourth point on the opposite side....7pt sika. Called my dad, uncle and two cousins from the woods excited as hell. He dressed out at 97lbs....what a trophy. Another buddy at the club took the pics but he has not sent them to me yet. When I receive I will post.