Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Al Dogs The Tales of Otis and Shelby Lou

We arrived around one o’clock and the dogs quickly picked up the trail and took us around 500 yards to where the deer was bedded. That’s where Otis went on bay but by the time we moved in the deer bolted. I could tell by the way Otis was slowly pushing it and barking at it that the deer was probably hurting pretty bad. Being bow season though I was skeptical that we could finish him off. After pushing him a few hundred yards through some nasty thick undergrowth we pulled off of him for a moment and regrouped. I told the hunter we may have to let this one lay for a while longer but we would push him just a little farther to see what happened. Fortunately for us there was a pond just up ahead and that was where the buck finally gave out. After swimming across the pond he seemed to be wore out but still alive. We formed a game plan for the hunter to sneak around the pond and put another arrow in him while I kept his attention. It all worked out and the hunter was able to put a finishing shot on him. The buck jumped and ran after being hit but quickly went right back down within 100 yards and that was the end of it……….

BTW……I must have misunderstood the hunter and he said 16 inches instead of 6 because he had ¾ of his arrow broke off inside the deer from front shoulder all the way to the hind quarter on a “quartering to” shot. I have no idea how this deer was even still alive much less able to swim a pond. If you look straight below Shelby's collar you can see the broadhead pooching the skin out.