Me too. Lost a good buck years ago pike that. Had blood trail just like yours. He made it to a creek, came out the other side, never found him.
My hunny and I went a week ago, rode down early afternoon to check stands for wasp nest, saw 5 deer in 2 plots. Went back home, got hunting clothes and rifles. Got back in the stand about 4:15. Wound up seeing 5 more, a tall spike, young wide 4 pointer, a nice doe and these 2 smaller does. Fog rolled in early too. They were 15-20 yrds from stand. I used my phone and binoculars to take this picture It is 250 yrs to the end of this plot 200 yrs to the end on this one... Hope to go this weekend, bucks are chasing does everywhere. I like to had a big buck hood ornament the other evening going home from work, about 7:15PM...
I like your hunting location. I'm heading to PA to meet up with a friend for a hunt today in Bucks Co. I havent been to this particular SGL in about 10 years. I'm going in blind so my plan is hugging the food plots there and see what happens unless I come across some really good sign in the timber. The best part about hunting so far this year is the late time change. This whole week has been 7:30am sunrises, which I prefer. Next week we move back an hour so I'll have to get up earlier to get in the woods before sunrise.
Did my first all day hunt yesterday.... I never see deer in the afternoon, but I have always hunted up in the U.P. of Michigan. With a farm to hunt down here in S.E. Michigan, I took the day off and did an all day hunt. Had three different bucks come in at different times (one at a time): 10, 11, 12. Only one was a shooter. The first two winded me as they stayed up on the driveway instead of coming down to the river bottom as they usually do. I drew back on the shooter but he was moving too fast and did not come into my shooting lanes. He just kept moving with his nose the ground (into the soybean field) looking for does. Switched stands for the afternoon. The farmer across the road was taking off corn and I moved to a closer stand to see if any ran from the corn. Saw a dozen or so different deer that evening but were across the field 700 yards.
I havent posted every kill this year, actually only the one. I have a rather large mature stag I whacked with the bow, and two other WT does with the bow as well as the above WT. you cant win them all…. But since this is a firewood site, I guess the weird deflection off of a twig which ended up way off course and embedded in this tree is fitting LMAO… the bad part, I think those lighted nocks last a while… I hope it goes out soon enough so I dont get reminded of this fub up too easily LMAO!! Incase your wondering, she clearly made it out unscathed hahahahahahaha
We went again Saturday morning, didn't look to promising, as it was pretty windy. But we did see see 7 deer, does, yearling and small buck These 2 fed for 1 1/2 hrs My hunny got cold with the wind...she's under there somewhere He's laying in the grass, close to the pine straw...made about a 200 yd shot on a young coyote...
This morning I hit a nice 8pt way high with the bow. He ran about 50yds then stopped and walked away like nothing happened. Originally I thought I hit him just under the spine but after looking at my arrow again I believe I hit him above the spine. No blood on the arrow, just some meat and fat. I looked for blood for about 100yds but not a drop. I'm very hopeful it wasn't a fatal hit and he'll stick around. It really looked like he was more startled then hurt.
Well good news is I saw him again about 7:15 this morning alive and well. Bad news is he was hanging with a group of does and one of those does decided to let the whole woods know something wasn't right. Off they went . Luckily he didn't seem spooked. He just walked off in the direction the does went.
Been a weird season here. Hot and cold on activity. One day you are covered up with deer, the next you don't see any. I know 5 different hunters in the woods last night and they saw a total of 5 deer. I'm hoping to get out Friday for morning and evening hunts...gun season starts this weekend.
After a week of long hrs in the stand it finally paid off! Got both lungs and he dropped after 25yds.
