ASH556
Senior Member
I was blessed to take my best bow buck so far this morning. My journey in bowhunting started in 2006 with a borrowed bow. I had a pair of does walk under me opening morning and I passed them thinking, "It's opening day, I'll wait for a buck." That decision would haunt me for 10 years until I finally got my first bow kill in 2016. Initially I was so committed to bow hunting that I went "bow only" from 2006 until November of 2009, when I finally gave in and took a rifle at my wife's behest. She's a wise woman and I took my biggest ever buck with a rifle that night. One thing that made this period difficult is that buck was only my 4th deer ever. You might say I was an idealist. Once I "broke the ice" with that buck, I hung up the bow for several years, maybe hunting with it once or twice in the early season, but certainly not committed. Even after my first in 2016, I still killed several more with a gun and it wasn't until 2019 that I got bitten HARD by the archery and bowhunting bug again. I killed deer 2 and 3 with a bow that year including my first archery buck, a spike. Since 2019 I've focused HARD on archery and bowhunting and it's had its ups and downs. For the 2021 season I lost the hayfields and hardwoods in Athens I'd hunted since 2005. I was blessed with access to a new place in East Hall, closer to home, but totally different terrain. Mountains. Mountains with seemingly never-ending hardwood ridges with creeks in the bottoms, but no pines, no fields, no easy ways to predict patterns and movement. I was blessed that one of the other 2 gentlemen that hunted here had done so since his childhood, and he showed me a few places to focus on. I had a few opportunities and loosed 2 arrows in 2021, both earning blood, but neither a dead deer. The steep terrain was playing havoc with my shot placement and I kept getting low brisket hits rather than the heart shots I was aiming for. Early in the 2022 season I was able to break the streak with a nice doe, but I was a little "gunshy" about continuing to bow hunt this property and I took a buck with a rifle later in 2022.
I continued to enjoy shooting my bow and included my boys with their own bows. While I had my Mathews V3 31 I'd gotten new in January 2021, I also had the bug to pick up the bow I'd wanted to get back in 2006 when I started: A Mathews Switchback XT. I started trolling eBay, Craigslist, and other classifieds sites to find one in good shape and in my draw length. Finally in October I found one. I got it all set up with new strings and cables and tuned up by the good folks at the Outdoor Depot. I'd taken a velvet spike in September with the V3 and then a large doe with it a couple weeks ago on a different property I got invited to hunt with a friend. All along I kept gathering the pieces for the Switchback XT and got it all setup, sighted in, and ready to go. I wanted to keep the setup "period correct" so to speak, so I put an older Spot Hogg Real Deal 5-pin sight, an old Limbsaver modular stabilizer, a Mathews T3 quiver and Muzzy 100gr broad heads. I shoot Swhackers and Exodus' with my V3, but, again wanted to keep it "period."
Anyway, I got the text a couple weeks ago that the place in East Hall was being sold and the last day to hunt it was 12/3. I ended up not having to serve at church, so I headed to the woods. I didn't really expect to hunt. I mostly went to pull down a ladder stand and camera from the property, but figured if I was going to go, I might as well hunt first. As usual, I took my climber and the Switchback XT. I got there just as the rain quit and eased quietly to a tree on a ridgetop logging road where they usually cross. At 8:15 I had a doe sneak in on me. She was so quiet on the wet leaves and there was still plenty of sound from water dripping off trees that I didn't hear her until she was out of the thicket to my left and standing 20yds away. We had a bit of a stare down and she kept trying to wind me, but despite the swirling wind, she never spooked and eventually eased off. Then around 9:15 a 6pt came out just where the doe had. This time I was on higher alert and saw him before he got out of the thicket, but could tell he was not a shooter. He made his way off and I was contemplating getting down to tackle the work ahead of me when at 9:40 I saw a much bigger buck come from where the others had. I managed to stand up and grab my bow before he got out of the thicket. He worked his way through the thick into the open hardwoods and I thought he was going to step into the road bed giving me a 25yd broadside shot, but he turned and started coming straight back my direction, just on the other side of the road bed. He got to within 10 yds, not exactly facing me, but quartering hard to and stopped and put his head down. I couldn't believe this was all happening and so close. I was already at full draw and when he stopped and put his head down I let him have it. I watched my arrow bury into his chest leaving about 6" and my white vanes sticking out. He whirled and took off about 35 yards down the side of the ridge and CRASHED! He tried to get up and thrashed a bit, but that was it. Man, I tell you what, my heard was racing and I starting shaking uncontrollably. I had to sit down for about 5 minutes and get composed. I climbed down and started blood trailing him and then found him about 60yds from the shot. The Muzzy cut through the top of the heart, a lung, and ended up in the stomach. I'd rather not gut-shoot a deer, but if the broadhead cuts through heard and lungs on a 10yd shot at that angle, so be it.
I'm thrilled to have shot this deer. I'm thrilled with his size. His body is huge. He's got the most mass of any deer I've ever killed. he doesn't have much for tine length, but the older guy that showed me around the property says he's had the deer on camera for 6 years. So, to have killed a 6y/o mature whitetail, with my "vintage" Switchback XT, at 10yds, on the last day of opportunity to hunt this property...MAN, what a blessing!
I continued to enjoy shooting my bow and included my boys with their own bows. While I had my Mathews V3 31 I'd gotten new in January 2021, I also had the bug to pick up the bow I'd wanted to get back in 2006 when I started: A Mathews Switchback XT. I started trolling eBay, Craigslist, and other classifieds sites to find one in good shape and in my draw length. Finally in October I found one. I got it all set up with new strings and cables and tuned up by the good folks at the Outdoor Depot. I'd taken a velvet spike in September with the V3 and then a large doe with it a couple weeks ago on a different property I got invited to hunt with a friend. All along I kept gathering the pieces for the Switchback XT and got it all setup, sighted in, and ready to go. I wanted to keep the setup "period correct" so to speak, so I put an older Spot Hogg Real Deal 5-pin sight, an old Limbsaver modular stabilizer, a Mathews T3 quiver and Muzzy 100gr broad heads. I shoot Swhackers and Exodus' with my V3, but, again wanted to keep it "period."
Anyway, I got the text a couple weeks ago that the place in East Hall was being sold and the last day to hunt it was 12/3. I ended up not having to serve at church, so I headed to the woods. I didn't really expect to hunt. I mostly went to pull down a ladder stand and camera from the property, but figured if I was going to go, I might as well hunt first. As usual, I took my climber and the Switchback XT. I got there just as the rain quit and eased quietly to a tree on a ridgetop logging road where they usually cross. At 8:15 I had a doe sneak in on me. She was so quiet on the wet leaves and there was still plenty of sound from water dripping off trees that I didn't hear her until she was out of the thicket to my left and standing 20yds away. We had a bit of a stare down and she kept trying to wind me, but despite the swirling wind, she never spooked and eventually eased off. Then around 9:15 a 6pt came out just where the doe had. This time I was on higher alert and saw him before he got out of the thicket, but could tell he was not a shooter. He made his way off and I was contemplating getting down to tackle the work ahead of me when at 9:40 I saw a much bigger buck come from where the others had. I managed to stand up and grab my bow before he got out of the thicket. He worked his way through the thick into the open hardwoods and I thought he was going to step into the road bed giving me a 25yd broadside shot, but he turned and started coming straight back my direction, just on the other side of the road bed. He got to within 10 yds, not exactly facing me, but quartering hard to and stopped and put his head down. I couldn't believe this was all happening and so close. I was already at full draw and when he stopped and put his head down I let him have it. I watched my arrow bury into his chest leaving about 6" and my white vanes sticking out. He whirled and took off about 35 yards down the side of the ridge and CRASHED! He tried to get up and thrashed a bit, but that was it. Man, I tell you what, my heard was racing and I starting shaking uncontrollably. I had to sit down for about 5 minutes and get composed. I climbed down and started blood trailing him and then found him about 60yds from the shot. The Muzzy cut through the top of the heart, a lung, and ended up in the stomach. I'd rather not gut-shoot a deer, but if the broadhead cuts through heard and lungs on a 10yd shot at that angle, so be it.
I'm thrilled to have shot this deer. I'm thrilled with his size. His body is huge. He's got the most mass of any deer I've ever killed. he doesn't have much for tine length, but the older guy that showed me around the property says he's had the deer on camera for 6 years. So, to have killed a 6y/o mature whitetail, with my "vintage" Switchback XT, at 10yds, on the last day of opportunity to hunt this property...MAN, what a blessing!
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