Breaking the ice can be tough

[tradslinger]

For some, the first deer, elk or whatever is or was just crazy easy but that is not always the case. For me, I had what seemed like tons of small kills on everything from coons to rabbits and squirrels plus nearly anything found in the water. But the first deer seemed to take forever. In the early years, all that I knew about bowhunting basically came from one archery magazine that someone loaned me. So I kept holding out for the perfect perfect shot on the few deer that I ever even saw.                                                                                         
          I look back and kick myself on not taking the shot sooner. I once had a legal buck standing at maybe 10 yards. By standing, I mean on its hind legs as it reached some high honey suckle. I mean it was as perfect as it could be but no, I was going to wait for it to drop down. Yeah, wind shift and it was gone. I finally let it sink in that I knew exactly where all of the vitals were and I just needed to take out both lungs.                             
         So, I was in a climber of sorts in a tree. The climber was a homemade steel one that weighed a ton. In fact, This tree was to be the last one ever in it for me. I had found the only semi open timber (pine) with some sign in it. I used my mouth to bleat like a fawn in distress and then sat still. I did this a couple of times and then I made out some motion behind me to my right. As I watched, 5 deer, three big does and two yearlings slowly worked their way over to my spot. I remember that one yearling, a little buck got a little too antsy and one of the does kicked the snot out of it.                                             
        When I had climbed this tree, I had put some apple deer scent on a spot out in front of my tree. So the lead doe carefully checked out the area and then began to stretch out to sniff the apple scent. Well, that Bear Razorhead went in high on one side and popped out of the lower other side. All hell broke loose as they scrambled into the thicker mess twenty yards from me. I don't think that they even knew what happened because one blowed several times just out of sight. The bow was a home camo bow that I had picked up in a pawn shot for maybe $15. I had guessed it to be about fifty pounds at the time. The arrow was a Gamegetter and it got bent pretty badly and then broken off on a tree. Oh, the climber, I donated it to who ever was man enough to carry it out.                                 
            But the ice was broken, that was a long time ago and many blood trails.   

[durp]

I hear ya...my first elk was easy when I was 12 but deer were a whole nother story...took till I was 16 to seal that deal...have only had 2 deerless seasons in the last 5 decades but less than 50% on elk...guess I shouldn't have braged so much about the first one