I was invited to my friends ranch near Bowie to ring in the new year and maybe do some hunting. After filling feeders all morning (36 bags of protien) I was able to slip on my Sticks and Limbs camo and venture out. I've never been very good at stalking into bow range and after having been busted by some does I recalled the threads here about if there's been a decline in woodsmanship over the years. Now I'm trying to move even slower but still find myself moving too fast so after 2 hours and not seeing anything I decided to take a seat on the pond dam and just look around. 20 minutes go by and I see a small dark blur on the far side of the pond some 300 yard away. With the help of my binos I make out it's a Catalina goat and he's feeding towards me but at his current speed he won't make it to me before dark.
I quickly hatch a plan to sneak down under the dam and high tail it over to his direction and possibly ambush him at some pecan trees about 100 yards from his current position. It only took me around 5 minutes to cover the ground, stopping along the way to make sure he was still on the other side and wouldn't see me. As I neared the trees I was trying to figure out which side to go around for the best opportunity. My debate was that the right side would keep me in the shadows but the wind might bust me or the left side where my long shadow might alert him to my presence. I decided to go left and take my chances, I've learned the wind doesn't play fair. After going only 15 feet left I look to the right and here he comes feeding from the shadows I wanted to walk through. I'm standing out in the wide open with absolutely nothing to hide behind and he's gonna be broadside to me in a few seconds. All I could do is neal down and try to hide my short 5'5" body in the 10" tall grass. As soon as he was perfectly broadside at 30 yards I drew back to anchor, he must have seen me because he started a quick trot. I aimed at the front of his shoulder thinking he would walk into the arrow and released. As soon as the bow thumped he stopped and I hit him right in front of his right shoulder. Luckily for me he only ran 70 yards and stopped broadside again. Now I would never attempt a first shot at this distance (I don't even practice at this distance) but I had only wounded his right shoulder and felt obligated to finish what I'd started. I drew an arrow from my Arrowmaster quiver, drew back to anchor, aimed at the top of the tree he was standing beside and let the string go. The arch of the arrow was a thing to behold and it felt perfect as soon as I released it. Unfortunately I didn't acount for the wind and it hit about 20" right, right through the paunch. The arrow passed through and he didn't know what had happened so he went another 30 yards and laid down. I waited for nearly 30 minutes and snuck in to finish him off, at 10 yards I was able to put an arrow in his heart and he jumped from his bed but died in a few seconds.
I've been trying to come up with a name for my new bow since I got her, it's official now.
Her name's CATALINA
#46 at my 29" shooting GT35/55 with 350 grains out front.
Topic: Kanati makes meat (last day of 2011) (Read 527 times)
