Doe down

[HogBiologist]

Well I have had quite the season so far. I have been hunting several times without even seeing a deer. I have made 3 bow hunts and 2 gun hunts before yesterday. My kids were disappointed each time I came home empty handed. The only deer I have seen was the one my wife and I saw when I took her bow hunting. I was lucky enough to stick a coyote on one of the bow hunts. Well this past Saturday started Arkansas' Private Lands Modern Gun Antlerless Only Hunt. In my zone it runs 5 days (Oct 11-15). I had hunted Sunday afternoon and mid-day yesterday. I was down to yesterday  or today.  Unfortunately yesterday I had meetings across the whole western half of the state. I had to leave early this morning to make a 10 AM meeting in Little Rock. The meeting lasted until almost 2, and I had to leave early to make another meeting at 4 PM in Southwest Arkansas. 2 Hour drive later I was at that meeting. The meeting was scheduled for 4, but started at 4:30. By 5:30 we were done. I still had about an hour drive home. I was looking at the sunset table, it said 6:41. My Garmin said I would be home at 6:18. Plenty of time to walk to my stand and make a hunt. As I was almost to my house I glanced in the hay field across the road from me and saw a huge 10 point standing 50 yards from the road. I knew the deer would be moving. I pulled in the drive and left all my stuff in the work truck. came straight in and grabbed my orange, gear bag, and rifle, I grabbed 4 of my 130 grain Hornady SST shells and headed out the door. I was in my work blue jeans and camo work shirt. Didn't even spray with scent away spray. I made it to the tree line where my stand was and saw the white flag at 200 yards run off. I walked up to the pop up blind and settled down. I texted my wife, at 6:29, that there had been a deer at the feeder. At 6:33 the deer was back. I saw a twitching ear in the tall golden rod. She was facing to the left. I waited to see if she was going to step out in the open again. She turned around and looked like she was about to walk off. I knew this was it. I put the cross hairs on her and let the .270 bark. There was a huge cloud of dust and bark that appeared as I shot. There was a small pine sapling in front of my blind. I was eye balling the tree to make sure I didn't hit it. No marks on the tree. The shot was at around 200 yards. I marked where she was and headed over to the spot. I found a spot of lung blood on some weeds. I looked to the left and about 10 feet away was a spot of blood that was about 2 foot in diameter. I knew that was the spot she was standing and the first spot of blood I found was the direction she ran. I followed blood for 10 yards and it was good. I then came on an area that had no ground vegetation. There was no blood anywhere. I made a big circle in the surrounding weeds and found the blood again. 20 yards later I was seeing an ear in the weeds. Nice 1.5 year old doe. Kind of small, but average for this area. Nice to take off the pressure for the rest of the season. My kids were excited.

[Spring Creek Calls]

Congratulations, that should be some fine eatin'!

[jblackburn]

backstrap bonanza!  Congrats!

[Gooserbat]

Good eat'n right there.

[trkehunr93]

Nice!  Got a shot off on a doe on VA's bow opener but no luck since.  Congrats, she'll be fine eatin' for sure.

[mgm1955]

Congrats!!!

[tomstopper]

Congrats

[beagler]

 

[scoot12]

congrats.  Scoot

[surehuntsalot]

congrats

[Gold Spur]

Congrats!!!

[TrackeySauresRex]

 

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Awesome!