Let me start off by saying that Traditional Archery is one of the toughest things a hunter can do. It takes dedication, hard work, patience, and a whole lot of self discipline. That being said, I love it!!! This whole season has had some big ups and downs for me. It's my first season using Traditional Gear and I have had lots of interesting things happen. Yesterday in particualar was a day I will never forget for the rest of my life.
I had been nearly every available moment since the start of the season back in the first week of October and had no luck to speak of. I had football after school and school during the day, plus on the weekends we would have practice so I might only get to go out twice a week if I was lucky. Like I said this was my first year switching to Traditional Gear but my Dad still shoots compounds and for the last two years we have enjoyed harvesting several does each and he shot a nice buck each year. I was comfortable taking 30-35 yard shots with my compound and I could get deer, but this year I was struggling to have a deer walk into my range of twenty yards or so and present me with a good shot. I was frusterated. I wanted to get a deer with my recurve so bad! I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it so I decided not to give up even though I was half tempted.
I woke up with a stuffed up nose and a headache and I didn't really feel like going out hunting. Yesterday on our day off of school so I just went to help my Dad with some errands he had to do. We decided we would hunt in the afternoon on a farm where neither of us had even seen a deer the last 4 times we had been there. Why? I don't know, call it fate I guess. We sprayed off and went to our treestands, his about a half mile away from mine. There was a pretty strong breeze right in my face when I sat down, but I knew that the deer all would be coming from behind me through a creek that seperated a bean feild and a corn feild that had just been picked maybe and hour earlier. It was overcast and cool out. The conditions seemed perfect to at least see some action. The only issue was the breeze and sure enough not longer than 5 min after I sat down I heared a deer snort behind me to the left and take off. "Busted."
Just as I was about to hang up my bow and wait for dark to meet my Dad back at the truck, I hear a really low grunting and trotting hooves coming fast from my left down a grass path seperating the creek from the bean feild. I turned my head and nearly swallowed my tounge. There was a huge buck just trotting down this path sniffing the ground without a care in the world, and he was coming right at me! He walked in front of my stand and I stopped him and ten yards. He looked up at me as I drew back the bow and I noticed a patch of dark hair right behind his left shoulder where he had licked. I stared at the mark and let the arrow go. It drilled the spot. He jumped in the air and took off through the bean feild and then ducked back into the timber 30 yards away and crashed after jumping the creek. He piled up a total of 40 yards away from where I shot him. I was estatic and so happy I nearly fell out of my tree. I called my Dad and we just looked over a real brute of a buck. He was huge!
He was my first buck ever, gun or bow, and I will never forget the day I got him. But it's more than the buck, it's the journey traveled to get that buck. The practice, the patience, it's all stuff that you Traditional guys are all about and that's why I'm so pround to be one of you. You all are testiments of what hunters should be. I have respect for you all because now after I realize just how hard it is to connect on a deer, let alone a buck. Any animal I would have taken is a trophy when I hunt with this gear, that's why I'm so happy to call myself a Traditional Bowhunter. Now I know that this is the only kind of bowhunting to do. Nothing beats that feeling of success like the one I had yesterday, and I'm so glad I could share it with all of you. Sorry to make this so long, here are some quick stats...
My Tackle: Bear Kodiak Magnum 52"- 60#@28, Magnus 2 Blade 125gr., Cedar Arrow
The Deer: 12 countable points, (he might gross 140-150 but that doesn't really matter to me), he weighed 243 lbs dressed, and here is my favorite part, his neck was 34" around! That's as big as my waist!
Once again, thanks for letting me share guys! Good luck with your seasons! -Nate
Topic: What a Buck! (Read 9363 times)
