I am a student in a Ministry training program at a university in Arkansas. I don't get much free time but when one of the college aged guys (I am what they call a non-traditional student which I think is code for mid-life crisis) wanted to go out squirrel hunting I couldn't refuse. It turned out that we had picked opening day for rifle season here so I loaned him my slug gun and I took my Widow out to the woods Saturday morning. We were hunting public ground, about 15,000 acres that I had spent about 2 hours walking around this summer. I had seen sign all over so I figured we couldn't really go wrong.
We got there just before sunrise and walked in on a fire road about 200 yards and then up a ridge along a tree line about 60 yards and sat down along the tree line, the area had been logged a couple of years ago and there is a large field of young trees and briars. We sat down about 10 minutes before sunrise and within 20 minutes started to here the rifles roar. I figured that the deer would be on the move but my bow hand was getting so cold I had to take a minute to warm it up. I stuck my hand in my jacket pocket and Murphy's Law took over. I saw something move out to my left and sure enough a small buck walks about 20 yard in front of me, while my bow lays at my side.
About 30 minutes later the sun peeks over the ridge in front of me. With the sun in my eyes and not being able to see a lick I decide to get up and go to the other side of the area that had been logged and walk back through it to see if I could drive a deer my hunting partners way. As I got up I felt something drop off of me. I turn and look at the ground and my side-arm has fallen off my belt in its holster. This is a new gun and holster that my dad had given me a few weeks earlier as the land I hunt on has pigs, bears and meth heads to contend with. It turns out that the clip that holds the holster to your belt essentially holds itself on the holster the same way and my backpack pushed on the handle of the gun as I stood and pushed the holster off the clip.
So in a matter of minutes I had lesson one, never set your bow down and lesson 2, get a real holster. I managed to make it through the very thick brush and briars but he didn't see anything come his way. I know they are in there somewhere though as they clearly bed down in there.
We walked around for awhile and then drove to the other end of the WMA and took another walk. While following an ATV trail we had a monster doe walk onto the trail and stop about 25 yds out. As I am sure you can guess at this point I was dealing with the same gun issue, I was tired of the holster starting to slip and having to put it back in place and was actually trying to figure out a different way to carry the gun and I did not have my arrow nocked. You are not allowed to take a doe with a modern gun so we had to watch her walk off. When we got to where she came on the path we spooked up another, unsure of sex, in the very thick underbrush not more than 12-15 ft away but couldn't even see it just heard it and saw the brush move.
Lesson 3, never un-nock your arrow and a reminder of lesson 2.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can't wait to get back out Friday afternoon. Before I do though I would like to get a bow quiver and would like your input. All I have right now are hip quivers from my target shooting days and didn't even bother to try and take one along, probably the only good decision I made. I don't have much to spend and just need to take a couple of arrows out with me. What would you all recommend?
Sorry for the long story but I had to tell someone.
Topic: First trad outing - lessons learned and question (Read 182 times)
