splatek
UAEC
Last season was my first ever hunting season after receiving a free CrossBow and Compound bow. I had never shot a CrossBow previously and had ever only shot a compound one time. I practiced with both a lot. The season brought me 3 does; 1 on the xbow and 2 on the compound bow. After a lot of reflection after last season, I decided to start shooting a recurve. At first, I thought that the concentration and focus would help me become a better compound bow archer. I don't have great eye sight and those dang pin sights just don't feel right in my brain. I shot the recurve just about every day. At least 50 arrows a session at distances that started at 5 yards and eventually worked up to 25-30 yards. Shooting the recurve felt more..."natural" to me than the compound bow. I didn't pick up the compound all summer, figuring with sights it should be a breeze to get back into the swing of things. What I also learned over the course of the off-season was that I am left-eyed dominant, just like I am left hand dominant and I had killed those animals last year shooting a right handed compound. It WAS free, afterall. So, figuring it was the eye dominance thing that made the compound feel so strange, I picked up a used version of the bow I had been given in left-hand orientation. I took it to the local bow shop to get tuned up and I was ready to shoot. On the second shot out of the bow, she blew up. String whipped me in the chin and the arm, cam bent over like a hotdog bun, and the limb was demonstrably torqued. I took that (coupled with the fact that I didn't have the $money$ for a new compound with a new baby boy on the way) as a sign to stick with the stick bow. I practiced, a lot. My neighbors probably think I am some crazy person out there shooting arrow after arrow on the side of my little subdivision house, but I did not want to injure an animal with a bad shot if I could help it.
Anyhow, this season started out rough, with a few close encounters. Opening weekend I was in bear camp and on day two I had a very close encounter (11 yards) with a large black bear that decided not to follow the script and thus did not get arrowed. About a week later I had another close call with a bear, but he was just too dang far for my effective killing distance (~15-20max). And even though it was bear rifle hunt on this particular WMA, I brought the stick. I have also had a few close encounters with does, but none of them would give me a good shot opportunity. On my last hunt I bumped a mature buck out of his bed. When I was going to see which direction he had gone so I could setup on the area I was run up on by two wild dogs barking and hollering at me. Rather than stick them, I eased off and scouted another area figuring those dogs had pretty much ruined that spot anyhow. Later while hiking to another spot I had a standoff with a skunk. Thank goodness the wind was to my back; I again found myself easing off giving him his space. He popped out of some ferns near a creek and startled me; as I started him. Tail up. But he did not spray me, thank goodness. I thought for sure that was a sign I was going to get skunked this season.
Well things changed tonight. I arrived at a spot I wanted to hunt about 3:30. Short hike in and I was ready in a ground blind by 3:55/4:00pm. I hadn't been on my butt 5 minutes when I hear, crunch, crunch, crunch of some dried leaves. Sounded bigger than a squirrel, but I have learned all too many times that them squirrels bulk up during hunting season, HAHA. Sure enough, it was a deer rolling in, browsing on an alternating mix of new growth vegetation and dropping acorns. I was set up atop a small knob/lead on 1 of three "fingers" that become the beginning of a creek bottom. The point lead was really steep, almost vertical and I had never seen a deer on there. The other two leads were gradual and joined at a well defined creek crossing at the headwaters of this creek. The wind here can get squirrely at times, but today they called for a west wind, which would put my scent right over the finger and in my face so I could (hopefully) intercept something as it trotted down the far lead and onto mine, which is what I have seen them do previously and where the largest, most beat down trail was located. Today the prediction for the wind was spot on. This deer was following the script. Came in almost just as expected, but was very cautious. Took him 20 minutes to get from the creek bottom to the area of the lead I was hunting, a distance of only 35(max) yards. But he got there. He was spooked by anything, even acorns dropping had him looking around in fright. Now I just had to wait for a shot opportunity. Like the other deer I've seen this year, this one wanted to play "hide the vitals behind the oak trees." He did that for about 15 minutes, but it seemed like forever. Each time he dipped his head to eat or turned to look over his shoulder I moved my bow into striking position. I was ready to draw when he gave me the opportunity. IF he gave me the opportunity. He would occasionally look right in my direction and having learned last year on a mature buck: Do not have a staring contest with a deer, so I would gently and slowly close my eyes. Then slightly open one eye to see if he was still looking or had gone back to grazing or if he had disappeared. After about a dozen of those eye closing experiences he was at 8 yards quartering to me. He dipped his head down for an acorn and this caused his head to move behind a tree and out of sight of me, or at least out of sight of my face and eyes. Something about the whole situation just said - it was time. I raised the bow, drew back to my anchor, tilted my head to look down the arrow of the shaft, and released the arrow. The whole time I was saying in my head: "back tension, anchor, breathe, release, follow-through." <-- I know that sounds strange, but it helps my jitters.
The 549 grain (total arrow weight) Victory Vforce topped off with a 200 grain grizzly samurai sailed perfectly through the vitals. He kicked and ran about 15 yards and collapsed into the creek bottom. My heart was pounding with excitement.
Even though this is a small buck, this deer represents my first kill of this season (the skunk if off), my fourth deer ever (first buck), and my first (but hopefully not last) critter killed with traditional archery gear. I waited a few minutes to go retrieve him, half thinking I did not want him to run off and the other half thinking, I wonder if a few does might stroll by. I was texting a few buddies and one said, "You're ruined forever now" - I think he's correct.
He was heavy, or it was just dragging him out of that creek bottom, the hill which now seemed vertical was tough. Gutted him, packed him with ice and I was on my way home. At home, in the driveway, I quartered him up while my girl and new little man and one neighbor watched. Tossed the meat (except the one inner tenderloin I shared with my neighbor) on ice and will finish the processing (grinding and what not) today. I know he's no trophy, but man what a thrill getting something with a recurve. Thanks to the folks on this subforum for all the help with trad shooting and general support for this type of hunting. Personally, I am not sure why anyone would hunt any other way...
Anyhow, this season started out rough, with a few close encounters. Opening weekend I was in bear camp and on day two I had a very close encounter (11 yards) with a large black bear that decided not to follow the script and thus did not get arrowed. About a week later I had another close call with a bear, but he was just too dang far for my effective killing distance (~15-20max). And even though it was bear rifle hunt on this particular WMA, I brought the stick. I have also had a few close encounters with does, but none of them would give me a good shot opportunity. On my last hunt I bumped a mature buck out of his bed. When I was going to see which direction he had gone so I could setup on the area I was run up on by two wild dogs barking and hollering at me. Rather than stick them, I eased off and scouted another area figuring those dogs had pretty much ruined that spot anyhow. Later while hiking to another spot I had a standoff with a skunk. Thank goodness the wind was to my back; I again found myself easing off giving him his space. He popped out of some ferns near a creek and startled me; as I started him. Tail up. But he did not spray me, thank goodness. I thought for sure that was a sign I was going to get skunked this season.
Well things changed tonight. I arrived at a spot I wanted to hunt about 3:30. Short hike in and I was ready in a ground blind by 3:55/4:00pm. I hadn't been on my butt 5 minutes when I hear, crunch, crunch, crunch of some dried leaves. Sounded bigger than a squirrel, but I have learned all too many times that them squirrels bulk up during hunting season, HAHA. Sure enough, it was a deer rolling in, browsing on an alternating mix of new growth vegetation and dropping acorns. I was set up atop a small knob/lead on 1 of three "fingers" that become the beginning of a creek bottom. The point lead was really steep, almost vertical and I had never seen a deer on there. The other two leads were gradual and joined at a well defined creek crossing at the headwaters of this creek. The wind here can get squirrely at times, but today they called for a west wind, which would put my scent right over the finger and in my face so I could (hopefully) intercept something as it trotted down the far lead and onto mine, which is what I have seen them do previously and where the largest, most beat down trail was located. Today the prediction for the wind was spot on. This deer was following the script. Came in almost just as expected, but was very cautious. Took him 20 minutes to get from the creek bottom to the area of the lead I was hunting, a distance of only 35(max) yards. But he got there. He was spooked by anything, even acorns dropping had him looking around in fright. Now I just had to wait for a shot opportunity. Like the other deer I've seen this year, this one wanted to play "hide the vitals behind the oak trees." He did that for about 15 minutes, but it seemed like forever. Each time he dipped his head to eat or turned to look over his shoulder I moved my bow into striking position. I was ready to draw when he gave me the opportunity. IF he gave me the opportunity. He would occasionally look right in my direction and having learned last year on a mature buck: Do not have a staring contest with a deer, so I would gently and slowly close my eyes. Then slightly open one eye to see if he was still looking or had gone back to grazing or if he had disappeared. After about a dozen of those eye closing experiences he was at 8 yards quartering to me. He dipped his head down for an acorn and this caused his head to move behind a tree and out of sight of me, or at least out of sight of my face and eyes. Something about the whole situation just said - it was time. I raised the bow, drew back to my anchor, tilted my head to look down the arrow of the shaft, and released the arrow. The whole time I was saying in my head: "back tension, anchor, breathe, release, follow-through." <-- I know that sounds strange, but it helps my jitters.
The 549 grain (total arrow weight) Victory Vforce topped off with a 200 grain grizzly samurai sailed perfectly through the vitals. He kicked and ran about 15 yards and collapsed into the creek bottom. My heart was pounding with excitement.
Even though this is a small buck, this deer represents my first kill of this season (the skunk if off), my fourth deer ever (first buck), and my first (but hopefully not last) critter killed with traditional archery gear. I waited a few minutes to go retrieve him, half thinking I did not want him to run off and the other half thinking, I wonder if a few does might stroll by. I was texting a few buddies and one said, "You're ruined forever now" - I think he's correct.
He was heavy, or it was just dragging him out of that creek bottom, the hill which now seemed vertical was tough. Gutted him, packed him with ice and I was on my way home. At home, in the driveway, I quartered him up while my girl and new little man and one neighbor watched. Tossed the meat (except the one inner tenderloin I shared with my neighbor) on ice and will finish the processing (grinding and what not) today. I know he's no trophy, but man what a thrill getting something with a recurve. Thanks to the folks on this subforum for all the help with trad shooting and general support for this type of hunting. Personally, I am not sure why anyone would hunt any other way...
