I decided to walk around the food plots a little early before dark. As I walked around the back side of plot #2 I thought I saw a little cedar tree in the middle of the plot. But we don't have cedar trees in the plot.
It was a small non-legal buck. As I started to back out some to get a better look, out came grand-pa. I learned a lesson today for the humteenth time. I should have just sat right down at that very spot. Instead I tried to walk around a thicket. Even on all fours at times with my crossbow on my back. I had about 15 minutes of light left.
I got within 20 yards, but the little buck had jumped into the thicket, and grand-pa held his ground.
As I pulled up the bow to fire, a large poof was heard with a squeal, and then the deer was gone. What a great adrenaline rush and experience.
I could have launched a bolt from 45 yards when I first saw him come out into the field, but that would have been careless and unethical. Old boy lived another day and won the battle.
I am glad we had that encounter. He has been seen for 4 years on the farm, and that was the closet anyone has got to him. If it had been a gun day, he'd be on the wall. Man, that was awesome.
It is funny how defeat can have such a humbling outcome. I am not sad, mad or sore about it. This bow hunting experience has really got me rethinking how I harvest deer. Don't get me wrong. I will still hunt with a gun when I can, but the effort and games that are played on the hunt is much more exciting. I haven't even killed with a bow yet, and I am pumped about the experience.
I know my bows limitations. It is an older Horton. It is what I could afford over the summer, and I have shot it a ton. It is only 150# draw, and is noisy. 20-25 yards is my limit on the shots I feel comfortable with, and is what I feel is ethical for the bow for a good clean accurate kill.
Come Christmas if grand-pa is still around, I'll have my muzzleloader, superblackhawk .44 Mag or a 12 gauge slug, but until then....It is me and the bow on the up close and personal.
Happy hunting, fellow hunters.
It was a small non-legal buck. As I started to back out some to get a better look, out came grand-pa. I learned a lesson today for the humteenth time. I should have just sat right down at that very spot. Instead I tried to walk around a thicket. Even on all fours at times with my crossbow on my back. I had about 15 minutes of light left.
I got within 20 yards, but the little buck had jumped into the thicket, and grand-pa held his ground.
As I pulled up the bow to fire, a large poof was heard with a squeal, and then the deer was gone. What a great adrenaline rush and experience.
I could have launched a bolt from 45 yards when I first saw him come out into the field, but that would have been careless and unethical. Old boy lived another day and won the battle.
I am glad we had that encounter. He has been seen for 4 years on the farm, and that was the closet anyone has got to him. If it had been a gun day, he'd be on the wall. Man, that was awesome.
It is funny how defeat can have such a humbling outcome. I am not sad, mad or sore about it. This bow hunting experience has really got me rethinking how I harvest deer. Don't get me wrong. I will still hunt with a gun when I can, but the effort and games that are played on the hunt is much more exciting. I haven't even killed with a bow yet, and I am pumped about the experience.
I know my bows limitations. It is an older Horton. It is what I could afford over the summer, and I have shot it a ton. It is only 150# draw, and is noisy. 20-25 yards is my limit on the shots I feel comfortable with, and is what I feel is ethical for the bow for a good clean accurate kill.
Come Christmas if grand-pa is still around, I'll have my muzzleloader, superblackhawk .44 Mag or a 12 gauge slug, but until then....It is me and the bow on the up close and personal.
Happy hunting, fellow hunters.