Update
I've had the stick bow out several times in the past couple weeks. I'm hunting on the ground on public land, but I've been surprised how many deer I've had in range. I just haven't quite gotten a shot, until today.
This morning I had a doe come up within 15 yards. I'm hunting some very thick stuff. She was looking at me and I couldn't get an opening. She eventually spooked. A few minutes later I saw a pretty nice 8 pt coming, nose to the ground. He was trailing the doe, or possibly one that came through earlier. Again, the thick stuff. But, I saw him about to step into an opening, and drew my bow. Of course he decided to turn as he came into the clear spot, so all I got was a view of his butt. I let down, and he meandered around in the vines until he eventually got downwind.
After he exited, I thought, "that was a fun morning." Fifteen minutes later I saw another deer coming the same way. He stepped into the same opening, but didn't turn like his big brother. I released, watched the arrow sail through my little opening, then, to my horror, it took a hard left and hit the deer WAY back. There was evidently a vine or twig I hadn't seen. It was still early and the sun was low on the horizon and in my eyes. I heard the deer crashing through the thicket with my arrow clanking, then silence. I figured, he slowed and would lay down like gut shot deer tend to do.
So, I sat there a couple hours. Then I hoofed it out and went and got some lunch. I went back in the woods around 1:30 and just sat down near where I'd shot him. Pretty soon I saw another deer, but it wasn't as close as the others. I knew my deer was gut shot, but in my mind, it was SO far back, I was hoping I might have gotten lucky and hit a femoral artery. Anyway, rain was predicted tonight, so I gave the deer 7 hours, then crept in the direction he had gone. Zero blood, but I wasn't expecting much. After about 50 yards, I saw my arrow. It was sticking up at an odd angle. As I got closer, I realized the deer was still attached to it. I HAD hit the femoral artery and the deer hadn't gone 70 yards. He'd been dead the whole 7 hours I waited.
Anyway, I grew up hunting with compounds, got burned out, and haven't hunted deer much at all in the past 20 years. So, this is my first trad deer. It wasn't a perfect story due to the terrible hit, but I'm happy I found him.
Topic: My First Selfbow (Read 4380 times)
