Long Range Crossbow Hunting - 3
My backup plan was to submit an official inquiry (email) to Zeiss Sporting Optics' technical team to see if their engineers could help me calculate which magnification level is the sweet spot. A week or so later, I received a call from one of the Zeiss Sporting Optics engineers. The engineer was sincere at attempting to figure out what I was trying to do, and I conveyed my success with the 4-14x40, but at the end of the conversation the engineer disclosed that the Zeiss Ballistic Calculator was only capable of calculating rifle ballistics.
A bit surprised that the engineer was unwilling or incapable to do the math based on the data of the PSE TAC 15 that I provided, I attempted to convince the engineer that figuring out the Rapid Z reticle for the ballistics of the crossbow would open up a whole new sales market for Zeiss. The engineer agreed and further disclosed that the company just let him buy a crossbow to test in the field to help unlock the ballistics, simply based on my inquiry. But that didn't help me much. As we ended the conversation, our conclusion was that field testing was the only way to arrive at the answer. I knew that I was in for a couple long days at the target range.
After spending three days at the range testing various 6x though 24x magnification settings from 20 to 100 yards, I found the ballistic sweet spot for the Zeiss Victory Diavari 6-24x72 is on 8x zoom. On 8x zoom the Rapid Z 1000 ballistic reticle works nearly perfectly for the PSE TAC 15 to shoot out to 100 yards. But that is not the limit. When using the elevation turret, I'm able to make manual adjustments and shoot out to 130 yards (note: One click actually equals four ticks on the elevation turret).
105 yds = (+ 5 clicks)
110 yds = (+ 10 clicks)
115 yds = (+ 16 clicks)
120 yds = (+ 22 clicks)
125 yds = (+ 33 clicks)
130 yds = (+ 44 clicks)
My assessment of the PSE TAC 15 is that it is capable of shooting further, but the range of elevation turret of the Victory Diavari 6-24x72 is maxed out at 130 yds (+ 44 clicks).
STEP 4: FIELD-CRAFT: There are a host of topics to potentially discuss applying effective tradecraft to be successful in the field, e.g. assessing the terrain, recognizing signs, selecting the proper hide/stand, wind-estimation, effective camouflage, use of shadows, limiting movement, animal behavior, reaction time, ceasing opportunities when presented, and extraction with minimal footprint. But this would take a whole article in-and-of-itself to cover adequately. The main point I want to get across in this section, is that you need to apply what you've practiced at the range in a field environment. And I'll do that by illustrating two successful situations in which I've harvested mature whitetail bucks.
As mentioned previously, I've selected the PSE TAC 15 crossbow for use in archery season to maximize my success potential. One of my favorite spots overlooks a 50 to 75 acre soybean field and offers shots exceeding 500 yards. In this spot, whitetail deer will routinely come out to feed in the twilight hours just as the light fades into darkness. The brush at the edge of the field offers an adequate hide for concealment in the prone position and provides opportunities for deer matching the maximum range of my crossbow. Wind and scent control is mitigated both by distance and elevation of the terrain. In this position, I can apply the techniques I've practiced at the target range for a successful engagement in the field.
SCENARIO # 1: SUCCESSFUL 80 YARD ARCHERY HARVEST.
Archery season runs approximately three months in the State of Maryland. Midway through the season, around mid-October, I was hunting around the edge of a soybean field that had recently been harvested by the local farmer. Despite the recent soybean harvest, deer would continue to graze into the field just before nightfall to look for any remaining soybeans the farmer had overlooked. It was the time of year in which bucks began to pay more attention to the does, but yet the full rut had not kicked in.
I had hunted this area for several weeks and began to pattern a mature buck who would visit the soybean field nearly every other day. But given the field was roughly a hundred acres, it became difficult to pattern a location that offered an opportunity within range of my PSE TAC 15 crossbow. A couple of weeks had passed with the cat-and-mouse game and I was ready for a more aggressive approach. I decided to make a high-risk decision and setup my hide/stand on a trail where I had observed deer enter the field on a consistent basis. I knew the risk in doing so may result in spooking the deer with my scent before they even made it into the field.
To attempt to mitigate the risk, I took extra precautions to maintain scent control with gear and strategic spot choice. I also entered the area well before the deer arrived. The aggressive approach worked, but nearly failed when the first arrived.
I've observed the social behavior of deer for quite some time. One behavioral trait that I've began to consistently pattern is when a group of deer are traveling together, the first couple deer that lead the herd are often the most alert. If the first couple of deer detect no sign of danger and enter an area, the remaining deer enter much less alert and with little to no regard for danger. Thereby, the last remaining deer to enter an area essentially trust the instincts of the first couple of deer. And once in a field, each of the deer seem to singularly lower their guard and then collectively as a herd rely upon each other's instincts to detect danger. But there is an additional behavioral factor which compounds matters further.
It seems that when multiple deer are vying for the same source of food, competition ensues. In this social setting, deer seem to lower their guard even further and make consuming food their main priority. On a couple of successful hunts, I've used this to my advantage.
This hunt was one of those situations. On this particular evening, I found myself staring toe to toe with a small buck and a dominant doe. They both seemed to serve as tip of the spear for a much larger herd that approached the field. Both of these two deer sensed that I was there (potentially seeing a slight modification in the brush they were familiar with seeing day-after-day, or picking up a small hint of human scent that they were not familiar with). Both deer were less than ten yards away from me. They moved their heads from side to side and stomped their feet to try to get me to flinch.
I didn't move a muscle or breathe for what seemed like a half hour. Both deer circled me as the rest of the herd watched curiously from a safe distance. The two most alert deer eventually passed by, seemingly satisfied that they had inspected me enough and determined that I was either not a significant threat or they were too hungry to worry about me any longer. They eagerly grazed out into the field. The rest of the herd quickly followed.
There were a few one-and-a-half year old bucks in the herd that I observed for quite some time. But I knew there were more mature bucks in the area. As nightfall quickly approached and light dwindled, the younger deer seemed to serve as natural decoys to attract older, more leery, bucks into the field. As I had expected, just before dark I caught movement at the edge of the field approximately 90 yards away. It was the mature whitetail buck I was looking for. I didn't waste any valuable time visually measuring up the antlers. Instead I immediately began moving into shooting position while measuring the distance with the Swarovski Laser Rangefinder. The distance was approximately 95 yards and closing as the deer grazed further into the field toward my direction. From the prone position, while peering through the scope, I set the Zeiss Rapid-Z 1000 crosshairs on the "9" ballistic mark. I patiently held this position and kept watching as the mature buck slowly grazed closer toward me. Light continued to fade. As the window of opportunity began to close, I knew it was now or never. With the Swarovski I ranged the distance one last time at 80 yards. The buck turned broadside. I set the Zeiss Rapid-Z crosshairs on the "8" ballistic mark, re-secured my anchor points, patterned my breathing, and slowly began applying pressure to the trigger of the PSE TAC 15 crossbow. The crisp trigger snapped and sent the arrow flying. Shortly thereafter I heard the familiar, audible, thud which indicated the arrow had hit its mark.
The herd of deer immediately scattered in all directions. I watched as the mature buck disappeared just inside the wood line and into the darkness. The successful shot caused my excitement to build and adrenaline to surge. I used the extra burst of energy to begin moving my tight muscles that were stiff from remaining still for quite some time. I listened carefully and could hear the mature buck crashing in the dry leaves. And then silence. I gathered my gear and made my way toward the point of impact. When I reached the spot where the mature buck was standing, I found my arrow. Even at eighty 80 yards the PSE TAC 15 crossbow had enough foot pounds of energy to deliver the vital blow.
Buck: 8-point
Spread: 18 ¾ inches
Base circumference: 4 inches
Weight: 135 pounds (approximately)
DOH: 15OCT11
Time: Evening
Distance: 80 yards
Scope: Zeiss Conquest
It was a clean pass-through. Also the NAP Spitfire MAXX broadhead did its job well. There was a clear trail to follow in the direction of the deer. A sense of accomplishment began to sink in as I approached the downed buck. While not the biggest buck I had ever encountered, the sense of achievement resulted from how everything came together, e.g., the aggressive decision to change spots, the close encounter with alert deer and the efficient performance of the equipment and skill set for the long range shot. It is experiences like this which drive me to hunt.
A bit surprised that the engineer was unwilling or incapable to do the math based on the data of the PSE TAC 15 that I provided, I attempted to convince the engineer that figuring out the Rapid Z reticle for the ballistics of the crossbow would open up a whole new sales market for Zeiss. The engineer agreed and further disclosed that the company just let him buy a crossbow to test in the field to help unlock the ballistics, simply based on my inquiry. But that didn't help me much. As we ended the conversation, our conclusion was that field testing was the only way to arrive at the answer. I knew that I was in for a couple long days at the target range.
After spending three days at the range testing various 6x though 24x magnification settings from 20 to 100 yards, I found the ballistic sweet spot for the Zeiss Victory Diavari 6-24x72 is on 8x zoom. On 8x zoom the Rapid Z 1000 ballistic reticle works nearly perfectly for the PSE TAC 15 to shoot out to 100 yards. But that is not the limit. When using the elevation turret, I'm able to make manual adjustments and shoot out to 130 yards (note: One click actually equals four ticks on the elevation turret).
105 yds = (+ 5 clicks)
110 yds = (+ 10 clicks)
115 yds = (+ 16 clicks)
120 yds = (+ 22 clicks)
125 yds = (+ 33 clicks)
130 yds = (+ 44 clicks)
My assessment of the PSE TAC 15 is that it is capable of shooting further, but the range of elevation turret of the Victory Diavari 6-24x72 is maxed out at 130 yds (+ 44 clicks).
STEP 4: FIELD-CRAFT: There are a host of topics to potentially discuss applying effective tradecraft to be successful in the field, e.g. assessing the terrain, recognizing signs, selecting the proper hide/stand, wind-estimation, effective camouflage, use of shadows, limiting movement, animal behavior, reaction time, ceasing opportunities when presented, and extraction with minimal footprint. But this would take a whole article in-and-of-itself to cover adequately. The main point I want to get across in this section, is that you need to apply what you've practiced at the range in a field environment. And I'll do that by illustrating two successful situations in which I've harvested mature whitetail bucks.
As mentioned previously, I've selected the PSE TAC 15 crossbow for use in archery season to maximize my success potential. One of my favorite spots overlooks a 50 to 75 acre soybean field and offers shots exceeding 500 yards. In this spot, whitetail deer will routinely come out to feed in the twilight hours just as the light fades into darkness. The brush at the edge of the field offers an adequate hide for concealment in the prone position and provides opportunities for deer matching the maximum range of my crossbow. Wind and scent control is mitigated both by distance and elevation of the terrain. In this position, I can apply the techniques I've practiced at the target range for a successful engagement in the field.
SCENARIO # 1: SUCCESSFUL 80 YARD ARCHERY HARVEST.
Archery season runs approximately three months in the State of Maryland. Midway through the season, around mid-October, I was hunting around the edge of a soybean field that had recently been harvested by the local farmer. Despite the recent soybean harvest, deer would continue to graze into the field just before nightfall to look for any remaining soybeans the farmer had overlooked. It was the time of year in which bucks began to pay more attention to the does, but yet the full rut had not kicked in.
I had hunted this area for several weeks and began to pattern a mature buck who would visit the soybean field nearly every other day. But given the field was roughly a hundred acres, it became difficult to pattern a location that offered an opportunity within range of my PSE TAC 15 crossbow. A couple of weeks had passed with the cat-and-mouse game and I was ready for a more aggressive approach. I decided to make a high-risk decision and setup my hide/stand on a trail where I had observed deer enter the field on a consistent basis. I knew the risk in doing so may result in spooking the deer with my scent before they even made it into the field.
To attempt to mitigate the risk, I took extra precautions to maintain scent control with gear and strategic spot choice. I also entered the area well before the deer arrived. The aggressive approach worked, but nearly failed when the first arrived.
I've observed the social behavior of deer for quite some time. One behavioral trait that I've began to consistently pattern is when a group of deer are traveling together, the first couple deer that lead the herd are often the most alert. If the first couple of deer detect no sign of danger and enter an area, the remaining deer enter much less alert and with little to no regard for danger. Thereby, the last remaining deer to enter an area essentially trust the instincts of the first couple of deer. And once in a field, each of the deer seem to singularly lower their guard and then collectively as a herd rely upon each other's instincts to detect danger. But there is an additional behavioral factor which compounds matters further.
It seems that when multiple deer are vying for the same source of food, competition ensues. In this social setting, deer seem to lower their guard even further and make consuming food their main priority. On a couple of successful hunts, I've used this to my advantage.
This hunt was one of those situations. On this particular evening, I found myself staring toe to toe with a small buck and a dominant doe. They both seemed to serve as tip of the spear for a much larger herd that approached the field. Both of these two deer sensed that I was there (potentially seeing a slight modification in the brush they were familiar with seeing day-after-day, or picking up a small hint of human scent that they were not familiar with). Both deer were less than ten yards away from me. They moved their heads from side to side and stomped their feet to try to get me to flinch.
I didn't move a muscle or breathe for what seemed like a half hour. Both deer circled me as the rest of the herd watched curiously from a safe distance. The two most alert deer eventually passed by, seemingly satisfied that they had inspected me enough and determined that I was either not a significant threat or they were too hungry to worry about me any longer. They eagerly grazed out into the field. The rest of the herd quickly followed.
There were a few one-and-a-half year old bucks in the herd that I observed for quite some time. But I knew there were more mature bucks in the area. As nightfall quickly approached and light dwindled, the younger deer seemed to serve as natural decoys to attract older, more leery, bucks into the field. As I had expected, just before dark I caught movement at the edge of the field approximately 90 yards away. It was the mature whitetail buck I was looking for. I didn't waste any valuable time visually measuring up the antlers. Instead I immediately began moving into shooting position while measuring the distance with the Swarovski Laser Rangefinder. The distance was approximately 95 yards and closing as the deer grazed further into the field toward my direction. From the prone position, while peering through the scope, I set the Zeiss Rapid-Z 1000 crosshairs on the "9" ballistic mark. I patiently held this position and kept watching as the mature buck slowly grazed closer toward me. Light continued to fade. As the window of opportunity began to close, I knew it was now or never. With the Swarovski I ranged the distance one last time at 80 yards. The buck turned broadside. I set the Zeiss Rapid-Z crosshairs on the "8" ballistic mark, re-secured my anchor points, patterned my breathing, and slowly began applying pressure to the trigger of the PSE TAC 15 crossbow. The crisp trigger snapped and sent the arrow flying. Shortly thereafter I heard the familiar, audible, thud which indicated the arrow had hit its mark.
The herd of deer immediately scattered in all directions. I watched as the mature buck disappeared just inside the wood line and into the darkness. The successful shot caused my excitement to build and adrenaline to surge. I used the extra burst of energy to begin moving my tight muscles that were stiff from remaining still for quite some time. I listened carefully and could hear the mature buck crashing in the dry leaves. And then silence. I gathered my gear and made my way toward the point of impact. When I reached the spot where the mature buck was standing, I found my arrow. Even at eighty 80 yards the PSE TAC 15 crossbow had enough foot pounds of energy to deliver the vital blow.
Buck: 8-point
Spread: 18 ¾ inches
Base circumference: 4 inches
Weight: 135 pounds (approximately)
DOH: 15OCT11
Time: Evening
Distance: 80 yards
Scope: Zeiss Conquest
It was a clean pass-through. Also the NAP Spitfire MAXX broadhead did its job well. There was a clear trail to follow in the direction of the deer. A sense of accomplishment began to sink in as I approached the downed buck. While not the biggest buck I had ever encountered, the sense of achievement resulted from how everything came together, e.g., the aggressive decision to change spots, the close encounter with alert deer and the efficient performance of the equipment and skill set for the long range shot. It is experiences like this which drive me to hunt.
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