Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Skipmaster1 on November 15, 2009, 08:51:00 PM
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This is my first trad only season and it's been full of ups and downs. I am used to hunting with the compound and usually take 20-30 deer a season. I have taken 3 deer with trad gear over the last 3 years. I realized that those deer meant more to me than all the does and big bucks I have shot over the years with my compound. I also knew going into this season that it was going to be humbling and I hoped i had the strength to not reach for the compound. i made it through all of turkey season and managed to take 3 long beards!
Deer season started out great with a 3pointer on opening weekend. From there it's been rough. Hunting almost everyday and even passing some really nice bucks, looking for does or a big boy. I finally had a few chances on does and didn't settle down and pick a spot........missing. I did manage to settle on one doe, but she took a step as I released. I hit her back but she was quartering away and the Snuffer did it's job. she fell within 30yds. I was still second guessing myself though as the shot wasn't that great.
Then the dry spell set in and I couldn't get a deer into 20yds. 10 daysin a row of morning and evening sits and no chances at anything. not to mention how many morning sits before work( I work afternoons) I was feeling discouraged. I was very tempted to grab my compound, but i didn't. I decided to take the next deer that would offer me a shot and just have fun with it.
Saturday morning was calling for heavy rain and 25mph winds. I braved the weather and left the house at 4:45am. Sitting in my stand in the pre-dawn darkeness with wind rocking my tree like it was on a spring and a steady drizzle coming down, with my longbow in hand.......I began to question my sanity. As dawn started to break the wind died and the rain turned to a mist. I heard something over my shoulder and could see a dark blob with lighter antlers on it's head moving about in a thicket. It was still too early and dark to shoot but things were looking promising. As daylight finally reached to forest floor I could still hear him in the brush. I hit the "Can" call 3 times and he came running in to 8yds or so. Offering me a slight quartering away shot. The only problem was my stand was 25' high, but i felt confident as I reached my anchor and picked a spot.
The arrow disapeared exactly where i was looking and the buck took 3 short bounds and stopped and looking back. I couldn't believe what i was seeing. I know I hit him..........didn't I? I nocked a second arrow and the buck began to sway, staggered a few yds, fell and rolled down the hill! He was down not 30yds from the stand and 20yds from the shot!
I started shaking so hard that i had to sit down and stay that way for quite some time. I knew this was the reason i stuck it out with my longbow, the feeling that can only be achieved through so much time and hard work, a harvest with traditional gear.
He sure isn't the biggest buck in the woods or even the biggest buck to walk past my stand, but he was amazing and he was going home with me.
I still have a lot of tags and plenty of season left, but this has already been my best season ever. To top it off the shot was perfect taking out 1 lung and the heart. I used a Woodsman Broadhead and it passed through so fast the buck never knew he was hit.
This is my tree with the deer and cart in the backround
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1344.jpg)
where he fell
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1347.jpg)
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1355.jpg)
Entrance
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1357.jpg)
Exit
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1358.jpg)
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Turns out he was a fighter too!
Freshly torn ear
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1360.jpg)
Fresh puncture wound
(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/skipmaster1/IMG_1361.jpg)
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Perfect shot placement!! Nice Buck
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Nice job!What bow are you shooting?
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I'm shooting a 49# Super Shrew Deluxe, Beeman MFX 400, 100grain brass insert and a 125 grain Woodsman
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Congrats man! I was stoked when I got the call, and Im still smiling for you now. Nice deer, heck of a shot.
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great buck, awesome spot. I love being able to hunt near my home also. I can see the house from most of my stands!
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Originally posted by Altiman94:
great buck, awesome spot. I love being able to hunt near my home also. I can see the house from most of my stands!
I live and hunt in suburbia so looking at houses is part of the game. This happens to be the land owners house who lets me hunt there
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good job!!! way to stick with it
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Good shootin!!
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Perfect shot!! The Woodsman womped him. Congrats on a nice buck.
That landowner has a big house too.
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Great job Greg.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Congratulations! :clapper: Great shooting
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20-30 deer a season??? I'm lucky if I even SEE that many deer!
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:thumbsup: :clapper:
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Nice bow, nice deer, nice shot!
Allan
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where can u kill 20-30 a season? good job by the way
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Originally posted by razorsharptokill:
20-30 deer a season??? I'm lucky if I even SEE that many deer!
we have 60-80 deer per square mile in many areas and almost unlimited tags if you shoot does. i also hunt in Ct and used to do town cull hunts and pretty much unlimited tags there as well. It helps that between the two states I don't have to compete with gun seasons and can hunt pretty much every day from sept 15th to jan 31st
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Dang - that's lots of deer. Grats on your latest!
:thumbsup:
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I'm just curious why would you shoot that many deer a year?? Either way great job and awesome shot!!
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Originally posted by Throop:
I'm just curious why would you shoot that many deer a year?? Either way great job and awesome shot!!
Mostly because it really needs to be done. That many deer per square mile is not healthy in the least. All the towns around here are looking for solutions from cull hunts using local bowhunters to hiring snipers. The landowners who give us permission want deer shot as well and if we don't we'll lose permission. Now 98% of these deer we take are does. In the areas we have been doing this the results have been great, a healthier number of deer and more bucks on the move. All of the deer are eaten as well. I put about 10 in my freezers, give a few to friends and family and help out some less fortunate families i know. The remaining few go to HHFH. Remember this was with a compound where long shots were no problem and i would spend over 100days a season on stand. All the deer were tagged and legal. Fill a doe tag, check in the does head with the state biologist and get another tag.
I start NY with 7 tags and Ct with 6 tags, before i turn any over and in NY 2 doe tags can be signed over to me by someone else. So thats 15 tags before I turn any over.
I;m sorry i mentioned this at all. I really wanted to just focus on getting this buck with my longbow and switching not only my choice in gear but my frame of mind as well for the entire season.
I understand the questioning though and thanks for the congratulations everyone!
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Nicely Done!
:thumbsup:
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Nice job! Congrats!
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I'm certainly glad you are having more fun with your longbow, but doubt you will keep up your normal kill tally!
I'm very happy for you either way. Great job on the buck!
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Very nice :thumbsup:
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Great buck, great story, and great pics! Well done.
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Congrats bud! Nice shot :thumbsup:
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Congratulations!
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:thumbsup:
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Congrat :clapper:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Congrats!
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Greg i also hunt a area that is over run with deer and when i was shootin a compound there were several years i killed over 15 deer with my bow. One year when i was in college and hunted everyday i killed 27 deer with my compound. All the deer were given away and i also had a freezer full of some fine meat.
This is my first year to hunt trad and so far i have killed one nice 8 pointer and have missed 3 other deer, shot over all 3. I will never go back to a wheel bow this trad gig is just way to much fun.
Congrads on a very beautiful buck and a high five for such a great shot.
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Awesome Awesome Awesome All the way around!
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That's just awesome, Greg. What a nick buck, to boot... :thumbsup:
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Thank you everyone. This isn't my biggest buck with trad gear, but for some reason this buck made it really sink in that I AM a traditional hunter. I finally feel like I'm not just playing around with my recurves and longbows during the season and instead actually relying on them for the entire season. I feel like I am actually "one of you" now and it feels great to be amongst the greatest group of people around.
I have met so many great people through this site(you all know who you are) and am proud to call them friends. without so many of you here I wouldn't have learned half of what I know now and I wouldn't have had the encouragement to stick it out and just "hang up the wheel bow". Thank you all for having me at your campfire.
-Greg
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Greg,
Glad to see you stuck with it.
Last I saw you was at FAS in Carmel with an old recurve!
Looks like there's no reason to go back to the "Dark Side".
Hope to see you again at FAS.
Tony
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Super shot! Congratulations.
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You usually take 20-30 deer a year? In NY?
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Wow that's great Greg. I know what you are talking about in regards to all the great people here on the site and around my part of the country. I wouldn't have been able to get going near as fast and figure out all this stuff so quick without them.
I think you need to organize a Trad Gang group hunt. Sounds like you have plenty of deer. I must admit I am a touch envious.
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Originally posted by hayslope:
Greg,
Glad to see you stuck with it.
Last I saw you was at FAS in Carmel with an old recurve!
Looks like there's no reason to go back to the "Dark Side".
Hope to see you again at FAS.
Tony
yeah I stuck with it and am finally feeling like I "have it". This is my 6th deer in 3 years and with almost 2.5 months of season left I'll keep at it and won't be joining the "dark side" this year. I'm at FAS quite a bit still, was just there today actually getting some new rain gear I ordered. My girlfriend bought a house in somers and am spending most of my time there.....pretty close to you. we should get together sometime and shoot or somthing.
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Excellent shot placement.
Live it up my friend...live it up!!! :thumbsup:
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Good buck and a nice shot. Doesn't get any better.
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Nice deer. Looks like just having fun works.
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CONGRATULATIONS Greg....and, In my opinion, You don't have justify anything, to anyone. As long as you feel good about it and it's Legal, It's your choice....A lot of people don't have the opportunity to attempt to take this # of Deer, so I think human nature is to question it......I suspect a lot of people would jump at this opportunity if it was presented to them......AND I would bet that Greg is "cool, calm, and collected" at the moment of truth. To be good at taking animals with a bow, you've got too take animals with a bow....Just my opinion, Don