What was your first traditional bow harvest?

[JEJ]

About the summer of ’63 as a kid at the Fort Worth Museum of Natural History I saw a Native American diorama with what must have been a short Comanche horse bow. I thought “I can make one of those”, and went down to the Trinity River bottoms and cut a pecan limb and started whittling. The limb was green of course, and I remember weighing the bow limbs down with strings and books to make the right looking curve to match that museum bow. I now know I put at least 4” of set in it before I even shot it! I used that bow and mis-matched arrows I got from who knows where all through High School. Like many others have said, I chased Br’er Rabbit all over the Trinity bottoms as a teen. And hearing so many others mention it, I think those cottontails taught a lot of us to be traditional bowhunters. I still have that little 46 year old pecan stick with its outrageous set and pin knots all along the back. Bill Gates himself couldn’t afford to buy it from me.

[Don Stokes]

First big game was a whitetail spike buck, around 1977, taken with a Shakespeare Silver Sovereign recurve, 45# draw, and aluminum arrows with Bear razorheads. Bowhunted small game and fish as a kid in the '50's and early '60's, not sure what was first. Probably a frog or lizard.

[Brad Robins]

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/blcaktail_bow_mule_deer.jpg

Last year, first year of traditional hunting!  East Hebo, Oregon.  Blacktail Bow from Norm Johnson in Reedsport, OR

Told myself that I'd shoot the first legal, ethical shot...turned out to be a Spoon and Crockpot spike buck!

Brad

[J. Cook]

27yard perfect double lung pass through.  Missed him at 6 yards first!!!!     :rolleyes:  
Then refocused when he stopped trotting, broadside and made a perfect shot.  The coolest part was that he ran about 80 yards to the other side of a draw we were hunting and fell right in front of my Dad who let out a big "WOOOHOOOOO" in the quite woods.  Good times!

 

Oh, Bear Grizzly (don't know the year) 50#, with CX Terminators 45/60's, 100 grain inserts and 100 grain 2-blade Magnus.

[bolong]

a robin 46 years ago with a solid fiberglas 35 lb. Ben Pearson recurve and a wood arrow at about 15 yards

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Still working on it, I'll be sure to drag out the story in another post!

[ishiwannabe]

My avatar. So far, I have taken 3 cottontails, and one 4 point whitetail with traditional gear. More to come...lol.

[Ken Taylor]

Hard to remember the order since it happened 45 years ago but it went something like this:

First kills-mice, frogs, snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, sparrows, grackles, and a lot of other stuff that flew, ran, walked, hopped, crawled, or moved.

First notable "meal worthy" kill-ruffed grouse

[acolobowhunter]

1973 or 1974 A mule deer buck that was bedded below me in the trees.  I had nearly emptied my quiver earlier.  Had one arrow left and got him.  Was shooting a Herters Stika 65# recurve and fiberglass shafts and Bear Broadheads.

[Dave Bulla]

Got my first recurve when I turned 12.  First kill was a chipmunk.  That was quite a while ago...

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

Great stories! Great thread Earl!

Mudd....glad you had those gate hinges the right way. I can just see you stepping on the stand and it folding as if you were becoming the page of a book.

[Encino Man]

Grackle. Center punched at 20 yards.

[Gaff]

if i remember right, it was a chipmunk in about 1995. just dabbled in trad back then. sice then i think ive got 5-6 chipmunks, 2 squirles, and a opposum..
i didnt hunt deer till this year.no shots. oh well maybe 2010 will be the year.

gaff

[Hunter 709]

Thanks to all who have posted, I am thouroghly enjoying all the pictures, stories and memories.  I especially got a kick from the stories of youngsters that got a whoopin for their first trad kill. Keep the stories coming. Earl

[Longbeard]

8 point whitetail the first day of the PA archery season, 1975.

[TRAD101]

my first was a tasty doe.

[ron w]

Started in 1965-66....my first kill will be the next one........been along road with many turns!!

[cacciatore]

If i remember it was a hare,pretty far away,a shoot difficult also with my compounds.

[Ia Hawkeye]

Cottontail in 1948 .

[Hedge Apple]

Bullfrog, 30 years ago, with a Bear Kodiac Mag that now hangs over my son's bed.