Skin a Deer Destroy a Phone

As you can see in the video, I'm a happy guy.  I just got my new electric hoist,  I got a deer hanging (not one I shot-- it was donated) and I have my beautiful wife in the barn with me ready to record my very first YouTube Instructional video. Unlike many other instruction videos on the web, I was going to make mine quick and to the point.  All was going well until the end of the video...   The golf ball shot out and we had to stop the shoot--- unfortunately you cannot do second takes on a project like this.   I intended to start back up after tying the ball back in the hide, but my wife had a different plan.   After laughing at my deer skinning failure (her snort is the last sound you hear before things go black),  she set my phone on the back of the truck and ran inside to check the kids.   Well... the phone took the same route as the golf ball except it didn't bounce quite as nice.  So...... what you see is what you get.  The rest of the skinning was flawless, although it happened without quite as big of a smile as the first half.

FIRST

I've been pretty quiet so far this hunting season, and with good reason. Unless of course you wanted me to re-tell the stories of Bryan and Andrews successful hunts from my perspective which was from 90 yards away in another tree stand. I had to watch a nice six walk in front of me during the early doe season, and ever since then it's been almost nothing but bird watching. The good part is that I have my 5 year old in my tree stand with me this year so the time in the woods is well spent even when the deer don't show.

Tonight I decided to give it a try again after Elijah and I almost got to poke a little spike in the rain yesterday. (He is a common visitor to the area, so I think we should give him a name........Larry) This time I was going solo, no Eli and no bro's as 90 yard spectators. (in case you haven't figured out already, our tree stands are very close which provides one of the best HD Hunting Shows possible.) I climbed in the stand at 5:30 and took my hat off to say a little prayer. Within 20 minutes 4 deer were moving in. Spike (Larry) , Momma Doe, Baby girl, and Button Brother.  Larry was chasing the doe hoping for an early score but Momma wasn't having any.  Anyway, they made there way in while I put my hat on and stood to grab my bow. Some how I remained undetected, and was able to come to full draw.

This part of the story will only be understood by bow hunters..... I had a PERFECT broadside 20 yard shot. I took my sweet time finding all my anchor points. I had to hit Momma Doe perfect so we could maintain our 100% recovery rate for the year. Also it was Deer #1 for the new Destroyer Bow and I wanted to make a good first impression with the Ottawa County deer population. Anyway, I had already set in motion the steps leading to the trigger pull. It all happened within that second... Lustful Larry tried at Momma again, Once more she denied the man and quickly wheeled around. At that exact moment my series of “trigger pulling” steps had just completed and I watched my arrow fly into the dirt where Momma was standing only a second before.

The deer scattered, but Momma held up about 30 yards out in some thick cover and waited for her children to reconvene. Then the most amazing thing happened, a dejected, sad, defeated hunter made a last ditch effort. I grabbed for my trusty deer call and gave it a most desperate grunt. I'm pretty sure the doe just felt bad for me, because she turned around and walk right back to me. I already had my number 2 arrow knocked, I was at full draw for the second time in only a few minutes.  She came it to 15 yards, almost facing me I put my pin on her chest right along the shoulder...................... Flashback. I've been here before. The shoulder is hard and won't allow a pass through, the brisket is thick and full of fat, the deer would probably die but it would likely wander too far and would leave almost no blood trail. I could see the look of disappointment on Bryans face after losing the blood trail and having to admit that I stuck a deer in the chest again.

So I waited until she gave me a decent quartering shot. It only took 10 seconds, but for me ten seconds of holding a pin on a deer guarantees that the shaking has already escalated to seriously bad level. I let #2 fly and it it ripped through her upper shoulder through both lungs and didn't slow until it was dripping blood and stuck in the mud. Momma ran about 60 yards, and left a blood trail that I could have followed with my eyes closed.

I am very grateful for this deer! I know some people aren't going to be happy to know that I shot a mother doe. Just understand that I am not out there to kill for a thrill. As George W. Bush would say “I'm putting food on my family”. (pull up a youtube video of George's funny lines and this will make more sense to you). Here are the details

80 Lb. Doe

Taken October 19 2012

Upper “Killer Stand”

Shot with Easton Axis Arrows and Montec Broadhead

15 yards

double lung

recovery 60 yards

This should probably be a separate post. But I just wanted to quickly show you my latest project. It's a CVA Wolf for my kids. Hoping to get Elijah's first deer this year. I cut down the barrel and the stock. It seems to fit him really well. A 200 grain sabot and 50 grains of white hots should do the trick.

If you don't believe me, watch last weeks episode of Michigan Out of Doors.

Rage in the Cage

Friday October 12, Chrixus and I decided to head down to Hastings and try our luck at getting a deer.  Turns out it would be the night that I get my first deer on the Hastings land that my buddy Chrixus is allowing me and Chad to hunt with him this year. 

I had only been in the stand for a half hour when I recieved a text from Chrixus letting me know that there was a doe heading my way.  It came into some thick brush, but after 15 minutes of walking around it stepped into a shooting hole through the brush about the size of a basketball.  I took advantage of the opportunity and let the arrow fly.  The lumenok worked this time and I instantly knew I had a good shot.  I sat the rest of the night in the stand hoping for a chance at another deer.

Once it was dark and Chrixus and I were done hunting for the night, we got on the blood trail.  I was a fairly easy trail to follow.  After about 80 yards we came up on my deer.  To both of our surprise, it was a yearling.  I did it again.  It bothered me at first that I still can't tell the difference from a yearling and a mature doe, but after thinking about it for awhile, I must say I am still happy to have had the rush of the hunt and some nice tender meat for the family. 

My first deer in Hastings and my first deer with a Rage Broadhead.  I reported back on my last deer that I took with the Bloodrunner Broadheads which I was pretty pleased with, and I must say I am equally pleased with the Rage Broadheads.  The entry hole on the Rage broadheads was much larger, but the exit hole was smaller.  The blood trails were about the same for similar shot placements and both were pass through shots.  As for right now, I have to lean toward the Bloodrunner just because it is $29.00 for a three pack versus $40.00 for a three pack of Rage.

Entry hole at 1 1/2" to 1 3/4"

Exit hole at 1 1/2" Max

Stats:

Weapon - Hoyt CRX 35

Broadhead - Rage

Shot Distance - 13 yards through a small hole in the brush

Arrow - Carbon Express Maxima Hunter

Sex - Female

Weight - 60 lbs :(

Shot Placement - Perfect double lung

Nock - NockTurnal lighted nock that actually worked this time



Dads Doe Show

Dead eye Dad took out this doe with a shot that will make us all forget about his former arrow slinging adventure. Although this deer was taken with a muzzle loader, it's not always easy to put a bullet EXACTLY where you want.
Krack Boy Outdoors does not want to be known as a bunch of cold hearted killers, nor do we want to be too descriptive or gory when it comes to stories or pictures. But on this occasion I want you to see a picture of this deers heart. It must have taken a very direct hit, I think we can assure you that this animal did not suffer. (See Photo Below)
Another part of this story has to do with the "clean up". I'm talking about field dressing and gut piles. Not every day in Krackville is a day in paradise, typically we all get along very well. Unless a couple of thoughtless guys leave a big ole nasty stinky gut pile 15 yards from a tree stand that Old Bro Krack is intending on hunting the next day. All is well now, but it did bring up some interesting conversation about gut piles. PLEASE COMMENT and let us know how you think gut piles affect deer behavior.


Shot Placement: Heart
Distance: 40-50 yards
Weapon: Knight 50 cal. Muzzle Loader
Bullet: 245 grain Powerbelt hollow point (90 grains black powder)
Location: Lower Stand
Date: November 17, 2011
Weight: ??

Banking'em At The Bank.

October 22, 2011 – Saturday morning, it is the first time this year that all the Krack Boy’s would be in a stand at the same time.  It gave me hope knowing that all three stands would be occupied.  The odds of someone getting a deer were in our favor. 

I took the “Killer stand/Hotspot/Upper stand”  (I think we need to nail down a name for this stand).  Dad took the “Poison Ivy Palace, and Chad was in the lower stand. 

My last encounter with a deer was in the Poison Ivy Palace (PIP) where I shot a nice eight or nine point buck.  The reason I’m not sure how many points it was, is because we never found it.  I hit just a bit too high.  We had good blood for about 100 yards and then it shut off.  It was very disheartening to say the least.  That was two weeks ago and every hunt in between then and now I ended up getting skunked. 

Now that you know that story, you can understand why I got so excited when two deer came walking in this Saturday morning after only sitting for probably 45 minutes.  I was out to redeem myself and prove that I can hit what I’m aiming for.  My heart was racing and my legs were shaking.  The deer came in so fast that I had no time to stand up.  The first deer pasted over the bait pile without giving me a shot, but the second deer came in right behind and was not as lucky.  I drew my bow from sitting position and took a perfect 20 yard shot.  It was a money shot! 

Because it was so early in the morning and Chad and Dad were still hunting, I decided to just continue to sit in my stand.  About 45 minutes after the last excitement, a doe and two button bucks came running in on the same path as the earlier deer.  I could tell the story but it would sound like I was repeating what I just said.  The only difference is that these deer were much more wary and I had better shooting light.  It took a bit longer for the mamma to give me a shot, but it finally happened, and it was a shot that most hunters are not proud of.  I spine shot her.  I shot another arrow and finished business.  It’s sad, but it is true what they say, “you spined it, you find it”. 

Two deer in one morning was very exciting, but some of that excitement quickly faded when we found the first deer and shot and discovered it was a button buck.  I’m a baby killer.  I thought I was done with these days.  I could make a bunch of excuses, but the reality is I shot a button buck and I have to man up to it.  I need to get better at judging the size of deer from my stand......

Or I am going to have to get used to taking the abuse from the other Krack Boys.  They are not going to let me forget this one.   

Funny stuff guys!!!

Deer #1 Stats:

Shot Distance - 20 yards

Dressed Weights - 63 lbs

Shot Placement - Double Lung

Sex - Male

Deer #2 Stats:

Shot Distance - 20 yards

Dressed Weight - 92 lbs

Shot Placement - Spine

Sex - Female

Meat in the Fridge

October 4, 2011 - It was a Tuesday night hunt, the temprature was in the mid 70's, and I had already been skunked in the "killer stand" during the firts two times out since opening day of the regular season, so I decided on trying the "lower stand".  I got in my stand around 4:15pm (plenty early considering it gets dark around 8:30pm). 

By 7:00pm it looked like I was in for another night of being skunked when out of no where a couple of deer showed up to the north of me.  With all intentions to harvest another doe because of the low inventory of venison in my freezer, I prepared for a shot.  The deer came in to about 10 yards in no time at all.  She looked as if she may have been a little on the small side, but I knew it was not small enough to be a yearling so all lights were green to take the shot.  I drew my bow and followed her as she walked to the backside of my tree stand.  Just as she gave me an open shot, I realized my bow was tangled in the bow holder on the side of the tree.  I quickly cleared my bow of the holder while still at full draw, crouched down below it, and took the shot. 

It was a double lung shot and the deer was down only 20 yards away.  Andrew came in to help me drag it out despite of his allergic reactions.  We didn't have a great camera or any lighting so sorry for the poor picture quality.  Thank you Andrew and sorry about your puffy, red eyes.

This makes two doe for the year already so the pressure to fill the fridge up with venison is off, and I can hold out for the big boys now.  Did I mention I love bow hunting!