Due to a house being built where I had my tried and true Ravine Stand set up over the last decade I was forced to find a different stand location this year. I hung a new stand at the head of a ravine up by the landowners’ house not far from his driveway where he says that he has seen deer cross from time to time. I was a little reluctant to put a stand up there because of the numerous ravines that traversed the hillside. My thought was that if I did shoot anything that it would surely end up down in the bottom of one of the ravines.
On my first morning hunt a doe and two yearlings came up from one of the ravines behind me and busted me. Although disappointed that I was caught off guard I was encouraged that the area showed signs of deer movement. October 30th was my fourth sit and I was willing to shoot a doe or the first buck that showed up since our freezer has been empty of venison because I didn’t tag any deer last season. Also from past experience, I know that this property does not hold a lot of deer and I can’t be choosy on taking a buck. I just haven’t seen that many bucks over the years.
Around 7:35 I caught movement across the lane that led to the driveway. In the early morning light I could tell that it was a deer with a big body. As it crossed the lane and headed into the woods above me I made a few grunts with my grunt tube. Seconds later I could hear the deer walking down the hill towards me. I grabbed my Excalibur Micro crossbow off its hook and got into position for a possible shot. It was a buck and he stopped 25 yards down the hill from me when he heard the landowners’ garage door open. I had the time to determine that it was a young buck and decided to take him when he presented me with a shot. At first his vitals were obstructed by a sapling but when the landowner drove out of the garage the buck took a step to see what the noise was and exposed his vitals.
I pulled the trigger and watched the lighted knock sail towards the buck and stick in the ground. The buck took off and headed through the honeysuckle covered hillside towards the ravines where I lost sight of him. I never heard him crash. I waited about 10 minutes and eased down out of my stand and went to check my arrow for signs of a hit. The arrow was covered with blood. It was a pass through. I then went back to my vehicle to unload some gear and got organized to begin the search for the buck.
Instead of following the blood trail I decided to go to the area where I had last heard him running. I soon spotted him hung up in some honeysuckle and saplings on the edge of a ravine. He didn’t go 60 yards. After making a few phone calls and checking him in I field dressed him and headed back to the landowners’ garage to get his quad and the Jet Sled. Once I got back to the buck I wrestled him into the sled and had to pull him by hand up an incline until I got him on somewhat level ground.
The hard part was over. I was telling myself all I had to do was drag him back to my vehicle with the quad. Since the quad didn’t have a ball on the trailer hitch I attached the rope from the sled to the back rack. I then hopped on the quad and proceeded to slowly drag the deer along a path that would take me back up the hill to my vehicle. As I was easing along in 1st gear I came across a log or some kind of obstruction that laid across the path. This is where the details get a little blurry.
I eased up to the obstruction and at the first try I didn’t go over it, I then gave the thumb throttle a little more pressure and the next thing I know the front end jumped off of the ground and the quad started to flip over backwards. I felt the left brake lever area smack me in my left eyebrow as the machine rolled to the left. I either put my left foot down or it got caught somewhere and I felt my lower leg/ankle go. Next thing I know I was being slammed to the ground by the now upside down quad. I landed on my back with a thud. After that I don't know what happened.
When I gathered my senses the quad was above me, straddling my body, with the handlebars and the back rack resting on clumps of honeysuckle. I was in a slight depression with the handlebars inches from my face. I looked down at my left foot and it was pointing to the left, not a pretty sight. I looked to my right and the buck was an arm length away. I was fortunate that I didn’t land on a log or a rock or get impaled by anything. After somewhat gaining my composure, with my right leg I scooted out from under the quad.
I then got my phone out of my cargo pocket in my camo pants and called the landowner to let him know what happened and where I was located. I then called 911 and told them what had happened and the street and property where I was located. Meanwhile the landowner, who was now at work in Columbus, called his dad who was at the far end of the property. He was at the site where the house is being built, by my old ravine stand location. His dad eventually found me and after checking on me he went up to the lane to direct the squad to my location. I was on the phone with 911 for a little over 12 minutes and hung up when the squad from Waynesville showed up.
They put me in a neck brace and on a back board and shot me up with some drugs. I could hear people up the hill above me clearing a path as they worked on me. They eventually got me into some kind of sled and winched me by cable up the hill through the woods to the lane. It was a smooth and steady slide.
They took me by ambulance to the ER at Miami Valley Hospital South where they tried to reset my ankle before sending me to the main hospital in Dayton There they made two more attempts to realign my bones before admitting me into the hospital. The next day I had surgery where they placed a plate with several screws and put my ankle into an AO splint. I am not to have any weight bearing on my left leg for 6 weeks. I was dismissed the next day. I was extremely lucky. Besides the broken ankle and the cut above my eye I only had a few minor scrapes and bruises.
Oh, I almost forgot, the squad also pulled the buck out of the woods and the landowner was able to take him to the local processor.
Be safe out there everyone and good luck with your season.
On my first morning hunt a doe and two yearlings came up from one of the ravines behind me and busted me. Although disappointed that I was caught off guard I was encouraged that the area showed signs of deer movement. October 30th was my fourth sit and I was willing to shoot a doe or the first buck that showed up since our freezer has been empty of venison because I didn’t tag any deer last season. Also from past experience, I know that this property does not hold a lot of deer and I can’t be choosy on taking a buck. I just haven’t seen that many bucks over the years.
Around 7:35 I caught movement across the lane that led to the driveway. In the early morning light I could tell that it was a deer with a big body. As it crossed the lane and headed into the woods above me I made a few grunts with my grunt tube. Seconds later I could hear the deer walking down the hill towards me. I grabbed my Excalibur Micro crossbow off its hook and got into position for a possible shot. It was a buck and he stopped 25 yards down the hill from me when he heard the landowners’ garage door open. I had the time to determine that it was a young buck and decided to take him when he presented me with a shot. At first his vitals were obstructed by a sapling but when the landowner drove out of the garage the buck took a step to see what the noise was and exposed his vitals.
I pulled the trigger and watched the lighted knock sail towards the buck and stick in the ground. The buck took off and headed through the honeysuckle covered hillside towards the ravines where I lost sight of him. I never heard him crash. I waited about 10 minutes and eased down out of my stand and went to check my arrow for signs of a hit. The arrow was covered with blood. It was a pass through. I then went back to my vehicle to unload some gear and got organized to begin the search for the buck.
Instead of following the blood trail I decided to go to the area where I had last heard him running. I soon spotted him hung up in some honeysuckle and saplings on the edge of a ravine. He didn’t go 60 yards. After making a few phone calls and checking him in I field dressed him and headed back to the landowners’ garage to get his quad and the Jet Sled. Once I got back to the buck I wrestled him into the sled and had to pull him by hand up an incline until I got him on somewhat level ground.
The hard part was over. I was telling myself all I had to do was drag him back to my vehicle with the quad. Since the quad didn’t have a ball on the trailer hitch I attached the rope from the sled to the back rack. I then hopped on the quad and proceeded to slowly drag the deer along a path that would take me back up the hill to my vehicle. As I was easing along in 1st gear I came across a log or some kind of obstruction that laid across the path. This is where the details get a little blurry.
I eased up to the obstruction and at the first try I didn’t go over it, I then gave the thumb throttle a little more pressure and the next thing I know the front end jumped off of the ground and the quad started to flip over backwards. I felt the left brake lever area smack me in my left eyebrow as the machine rolled to the left. I either put my left foot down or it got caught somewhere and I felt my lower leg/ankle go. Next thing I know I was being slammed to the ground by the now upside down quad. I landed on my back with a thud. After that I don't know what happened.
When I gathered my senses the quad was above me, straddling my body, with the handlebars and the back rack resting on clumps of honeysuckle. I was in a slight depression with the handlebars inches from my face. I looked down at my left foot and it was pointing to the left, not a pretty sight. I looked to my right and the buck was an arm length away. I was fortunate that I didn’t land on a log or a rock or get impaled by anything. After somewhat gaining my composure, with my right leg I scooted out from under the quad.
I then got my phone out of my cargo pocket in my camo pants and called the landowner to let him know what happened and where I was located. I then called 911 and told them what had happened and the street and property where I was located. Meanwhile the landowner, who was now at work in Columbus, called his dad who was at the far end of the property. He was at the site where the house is being built, by my old ravine stand location. His dad eventually found me and after checking on me he went up to the lane to direct the squad to my location. I was on the phone with 911 for a little over 12 minutes and hung up when the squad from Waynesville showed up.
They put me in a neck brace and on a back board and shot me up with some drugs. I could hear people up the hill above me clearing a path as they worked on me. They eventually got me into some kind of sled and winched me by cable up the hill through the woods to the lane. It was a smooth and steady slide.
They took me by ambulance to the ER at Miami Valley Hospital South where they tried to reset my ankle before sending me to the main hospital in Dayton There they made two more attempts to realign my bones before admitting me into the hospital. The next day I had surgery where they placed a plate with several screws and put my ankle into an AO splint. I am not to have any weight bearing on my left leg for 6 weeks. I was dismissed the next day. I was extremely lucky. Besides the broken ankle and the cut above my eye I only had a few minor scrapes and bruises.
Oh, I almost forgot, the squad also pulled the buck out of the woods and the landowner was able to take him to the local processor.
Be safe out there everyone and good luck with your season.
. Awesome you still get to enjoy the meat from the harvest.
