Lone Star Bowhunters Association

Hunting has been hard this year at the lease. I have not seen a doe at my setup and very few bucks. We finally had five days to try to get meat in the freezer. The weather was hot when we arrived and for three days, I saw NADA, not even my regular javelinas came in.

I decided to try and set up by the pond on the other side of the lease. After the morning hunt on Sunday, Bobby and I went and found a well traveled trail and lots of sign of deer and hogs by the water. We built a brush blind that was on a sloping area with thick brush behind me. Our sendaros were cut before the season, so there was lots of downed brush to use. It turned out to be a pretty neat blind with lots of room, plus I was sitting down a little lower on the slope, so it helped to conceal me better. We corned out the road and I planned on hunting there that evening.

I left for the blind earlier than usual, so I could get rid of any limbs that blocked my shooting lane. I parked the four wheeler a sendaro up from where I was hunting, hoping to increase my odds. The wind was blowing fairly hard and I found that my blind was not quite as sturdy as it should have been. After a few minor repairs, I was ready to hunt. Most of the corn was gone from the sendaro, so that was a good sign.

Because of the wind and trail direction, I had not concentrated as much on the back side section of the blind. Of course, that is the direction that a doe made her appearance. We sat eye level about three feet from each other. She never quite made me out, but certainly knew something was not right, so she turned and walked into the brush behind me. Later that evening, I had a deer come out on the sendaro about 30 yards from me, but it was too late to make out exactly what it was and it was getting too dark to shoot. The coyotes sounding off around me made for a long trip back to the four wheeler.

The next morning was going to be cold sitting in the open blind, but the long walk to it gave me time to warm up. No corn was left on the ground from the previous day; I had a good feeling about this spot. That morning I saw a spike come in from the pond and briefly stopped to eat, but walked the opposite way down the sendaro. With only two days left to hunt, I was getting a bit frustrated, but, at least I was seeing game at this spot.

I decided to forego my afternoon New Year's Eve hunt and spend it with Ty and Hunter. We went into Three Rivers for a Dairy Queen meal. Back at camp, we decided to see if we could find a rabbit for Hunter to shoot with her bow and Ty brought along his video recorder that he received for Christmas. I think the rabbits have gotten word that Hunter is on a quest for them, because none were to be found. We decided to grab the predator call and try to get a yote or a bobcat to come in to it. We found a downed tree that made the perfect ground blind for all of us. It was fun for us, but no varmints. Ty recorded a narrative video on the way back to the cabin which replayed the day's events. We popped some New Year's Eve fireworks to celebrate the coming of 2008.

The morning hunt was again uneventful. After the hunt, Ty, Hunter, Bobby and I went and checked out some old abandoned houses that are still on the property. The kids really enjoyed see some of the antiques that were still in and around the houses.

I went back to the pond brush blind for my evening hunt. I spread some corn along the sendaro and got positioned in my blind. At 4:15, a doe appeared around the corner of the sendero eating the corn towards me. My arrows were tipped with a new Slick Trick that I had received to try and I was anxious to see how they would work. It seemed like forever before the doe finally made her way into shooting range. She would eat and look towards the pond and then in the opposite direction. I was afraid that she was going to bolt at any time. At 20 yards, she briefly gave me a broadside shot, but I chose to pass on it and wait until she came a little closer. After eternity had passed, she was eating broadside at 12 yards. I drew, positioned my pin and let her fly. THWACKed at 4:46!

With the overcast day, I knew that it would be getting dark fairly soon and wanted to at least find blood before that time. I had hit her in the vital area and figured it to be a lung/liver shot. I waited 20 minutes and got out of the blind. I had gotten a complete pass through and was surprised at how far the arrow had actually gone afterwards. I had good blood on it and I begin to search for the path she had taken. The area is pretty thick and cacti are abundant! I searched for 30 minutes with no trace of blood. Finally, as I was walking back to the sendaro to start over again, I found blood on a different trail then I had previously taken. It was not what I was expecting and the trail proved difficult to follow. It was getting dark and I only had a small flashlight with me. It is funny how all the cacti start looking the same after awhile. Once I had found my way back to the sendaro, I headed to the cabin for reinforcements.

It was in the upper 30s when Bobby, Ty and I headed out. Despite the colder temperatures, Ty wanted to go on his first blood trailing experience. We followed the trail that I had marked and began to search for more blood. At times, I would find myself with the sick feeling you get when you think that a recovery may not be made, however, I was confident with my shot. Finally, at 8:45, Bobby found her. Unfortunately, he was not the first. It looked like the yotes had just started in on her, so we were able to salvage most of the meat. It really is a bittersweet to find your trophy after it has been molested by predators. Ty and I carried her out while Bobby went to get the four wheeler. She had gone about 100 yards after the shot. The pic quality is not the best because of the doe's condition when we found her.

I also have to say thanks to Bobby for helping me find my deer. He is one of the best trackers that I have seen. I've learned a lot about reading signs, other than just following the blood trail, from him, but I have a long way to go.

Thanks for reading!

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