A friend I met through a shared interest in single string archery has been learning to hunt. From what I've understood he's been making it a sincere effort to do it on his own and mostly on public hunting spots with a lot of restrictions. A couple of years ago (2018) I put out an open invitation on another forum for a pig hunt on a friends high fence operation at a discounted rate but only a couple of fellas went. One is a member here and I immediately liked that old fart. The other was a little different but as nice as anyone I've ever met.
Ronnie has killed a few animals over the decades but this other gentleman has not. He is fairly new to archery and only shot single string bows. Well that weekend he arrowed a 238lb boar making a great shot with a Tuffhead 300 grain head.
Fast forward to deer season 2018 and I wanted to get him to my lease to shoot a doe but we could never coordinate our schedules and it didn't happen. This season was a tough season. And even though I had both a hunting lease and own a small hunting ranch I only killed one deer and two pigs this season. That being what it is I invited my buddy out to my lease in December and told him prior how slow the deer activity was but he came out anyway to try. Over two weekends we had some slow hunts, some close encounters not netting a shot and some good times sharing meals, stories and drinks.
This last weekend was the finale here in Texas and although I am moving off my lease I invited him to my ranch (twice the drive for him) to give it one last go.
Through my years of work as a crew leader and supervisor I learned mentoring was crucial and brought me a sense of accomplishment I couldn't get from a paycheck. I continued that in the Boy Scouts program and with the young men who take summer jobs with me in my business including my son so in a way this was part of the same thing I guess even though my friend is in his 60s. (I'm much younger at 55
)
Last weekend was slow. Lots of deer seen out feeding but not close to our stands. Then yesterday evening that changed.
As soon as I climbed in a young doe and a nubber came by. The doe never presented a shot I was comfortable with but the nubber did. Although he lived to grow his first set of antlers this year I was hopeful.
At sunset he had a doe and fawn come in and she never gave him a shot angle. She left and he texted me saying it wasn't over til legal shooting hours ended.
Four minutes before legal shooting hours ended he text me he had shot a doe. "I think I made a good hit but it might have been a little back".
So I replied stay in the stand and I'll be there in a bit.
I gathered my gear and dropped it off at the cart parked between our hunting spots and walked in quietly as to not spook her if the shot was back. However it had been 30 minutes and we started looking. No blood for a bit, the same soil makes it tough, then after about 50 yards I found a spot. Then another. He would stay at last blood til I found another spot. Finally I could see her eyes shine in the grass. She was down but not dead however my friend put a second arrow in her to shorten her misery.
Finally he had his first archery deer. Hard earned sitting in the 20 degree mornings but he was pretty excited.
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Topic: Last minute, first trad deer (Read 946 times)
