I am really dissapointed right now. I just got back from one of the best hunting trips of my life, not only because of the great deer woods but because of the time spent with Robert and Dave. Dave put us in some of his honey holes and set us up on deer. It was a fantastic time, with one tragic flaw.
This year I switched to the 3 blade rage. Heard great things about them, and that they had worked out their deployment issues. But Ihad some. Thursday afternoon I shot a doe, it was about 40 yards and I hit her low right behind the shoulder. Whack! She ran about 20 yards and bedded down. Yes! I decided to stay in my stand until dark since I didn't want to get down and ruin Robert and Daves hunt, because they were near me. Finally came down, went to where she had been, and she was gone. Picked up the blood trail, followed her for about half a mile, and jumped her. Four hours after being shot, she jumped up and ran. We backed out and decided to give it the night. I came back the next day and found her not far away, and on dressing her, found that it was a perfect shot, blades just didn't open. Oh well, I got her.
Friday night didn't go quite so well. Dave put me in a good stand, and it wasn't long before a buck caught my eye. e knew something was wrong, but he was slowly coming. Few steps, stop, wait, few more steps. I couldn't believe he kept coming, I prayed that I would see a buck, and here I WAS ABOUT TO GET MY FIRST BUCK WITH A BOW! I can't tell you how excited I was! When he stepped behind a tree at 25 yards I drew. He stepped out from behind it broadside, froze, and stared straight at me. I let fly. WHACK! Right behind the shoulder and a little high, I watched my luminok dissapear into his chest. Knees were shaking, he wasn't a big buck, but he was my first bow buck!I gave him a half an hour and climbed down. When I went to where I last saw him, I was stunned. Three little drops of blood on a leaf, and no trail. No arrow. Nothing. Dave and Robert came and helped me search, but we never found any more blood. We finally gave up for the night, but I spent the next day scouring those woods and never found a sign of him. My excitement has turned to heartache, and what should have been a wonderfull chapter in my hunting book is spoiled. I of course second guess myself: should I have waited? Did I hit to high? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know I shot a rage through two deer's rib cages, and neither one should have made it 100 yards. The rage didn't open on my first deer, and it did nothing on my buck. I'll get over it I guess, and I hope my buck does too. But I won't carry rages into the field again, that is for sure.
This year I switched to the 3 blade rage. Heard great things about them, and that they had worked out their deployment issues. But Ihad some. Thursday afternoon I shot a doe, it was about 40 yards and I hit her low right behind the shoulder. Whack! She ran about 20 yards and bedded down. Yes! I decided to stay in my stand until dark since I didn't want to get down and ruin Robert and Daves hunt, because they were near me. Finally came down, went to where she had been, and she was gone. Picked up the blood trail, followed her for about half a mile, and jumped her. Four hours after being shot, she jumped up and ran. We backed out and decided to give it the night. I came back the next day and found her not far away, and on dressing her, found that it was a perfect shot, blades just didn't open. Oh well, I got her.
Friday night didn't go quite so well. Dave put me in a good stand, and it wasn't long before a buck caught my eye. e knew something was wrong, but he was slowly coming. Few steps, stop, wait, few more steps. I couldn't believe he kept coming, I prayed that I would see a buck, and here I WAS ABOUT TO GET MY FIRST BUCK WITH A BOW! I can't tell you how excited I was! When he stepped behind a tree at 25 yards I drew. He stepped out from behind it broadside, froze, and stared straight at me. I let fly. WHACK! Right behind the shoulder and a little high, I watched my luminok dissapear into his chest. Knees were shaking, he wasn't a big buck, but he was my first bow buck!I gave him a half an hour and climbed down. When I went to where I last saw him, I was stunned. Three little drops of blood on a leaf, and no trail. No arrow. Nothing. Dave and Robert came and helped me search, but we never found any more blood. We finally gave up for the night, but I spent the next day scouring those woods and never found a sign of him. My excitement has turned to heartache, and what should have been a wonderfull chapter in my hunting book is spoiled. I of course second guess myself: should I have waited? Did I hit to high? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know I shot a rage through two deer's rib cages, and neither one should have made it 100 yards. The rage didn't open on my first deer, and it did nothing on my buck. I'll get over it I guess, and I hope my buck does too. But I won't carry rages into the field again, that is for sure.
