Hey fellas.
It has been a long time between drinks. It has been 15 years since i've been bowhunting. When I say it out loud I can't believe it, but it's true. I was right into bowhunting but then got into football, work, drinking, chasing girls and a hundred other excuses that weren't good enough. I've been using the rifle to provide food for the table, but have found myself reluctant to shoot anything latley and found myself taking more pictures and video than venison.
My regular hunting mate said before this trip, "Are you going to bring the bow along?" and I thought about it and thought, 'Yeah, I think I might'. When he picked me up late friday and saw me put in the longbow, he looked at me and said "Is that all you're taking?". I said 'Yep, it's all or nothing'. And with that we were off to the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in SE New South Wales, Australia for the chance of a Fallow, Sambar or maybe a wild goat.
Arrive late, set up the gear in the hay shed, and get the gear ready for the morning. Up early and quick bite to eat and we head our seperate ways in the morning fog and frost.
The small creek we usually cross was running about 2 feet higher due to the rain early in the week. So a shimmy across a frosty log across got the result, not too gracefully, but it worked.
A bit further along, I noticed the water in the wallows looked a bit strange. Closer inspection revealed that they had frozen overnight. Maybe not a shock to you guys in North America, but it seemed pretty cold to this little Aussie.
Creeping along now where I had missed a good Fallow buck in April with the rifle, I saw a rabbit crouched. Took the judo out of the bow quiver and had a shot. I released before I got to full draw and the arrow landed a few inches short, right on line. He ran around in an arc, and propped at the base of a blackberry bush at around the same distance. I told myself to get to full draw as I shot again, that was close! He ran for the sanctuary of his burrow and I realised that he was being stopped by the arrow in him. I got him! Ran over to grab him, but it was all over when I got there.
I was stoked! My first trad kill, and my first bowkill for 15 years. The monkey was off my back, and it had also given me a lot of confidence shooting the bow.
I quickly dressed him and put him away, and with a spring in my step, moved along searching for some bigger game.....
Topic: A long time between drinks (Read 969 times)
