By request, here is the story of my traditional bowhunting harvest from this season:
Yesterday afternoon I rushed my way up to Franklin County, North Carolina to hunt. I was worried that I would not get there in time to catch the deer, it being another beautiful cool day. In fact, as I moved down the bean field to my tree stand, I smelled the deer really strongly. That means that they had been in the area recently. Then I was really worried - my hunting partner had called me that morning and told me about how perfect the weather was - clear and cool, with a north wind. And here I was, getting in to the hunt late again. Had I just wasted an hour long drive?
Well, I was a bundle of nerves. In fact, I was so worried about my late arrival that I stalked the whole length of that field with an arrow nocked on my bow. I figured it couldn't hurt - if the deer were there, I could take a shot if one presented itself. But luck was with me - no deer were present and I didn't hear any crashing in the woods as I approached the stand. I didn't have the safety harness with me, and I had learned from my earlier mistakes and was completely ready to go with scent wafers, gloves, etc. All I had to do was nock an arrow and grab my bow. I did that, and was shaking in my boots at about 5:30p.
After a while, my heart rate slowed and my breathing grew calm. I had so many thoughts going through my mind, but of course the most urgent was about whether or not any deer would arrive. A squirrel was running all around and it distracted me. I kept thinking I was hearing deer, but it was that squirrel. It perched in the tree above me and sent pine cone chips down all around me. I realized that this must mean my camouflage was working.
Eventually I decided that it was time to stand up. I stood stock still and tried to stay calm and positive. And then it happened...deer began to walk into the field below me at about 6:40p. A couple of does showed up to begin with and I watched anxiously. My hunting partner had coached me to be patient and take my time - don't rush a shot and make absolutely sure that all the deer have arrived. He said to give them a few minutes to get settled and calm, then when their heads are down to feed...that's when to shoot.
Well, these deer did some feeding but they were wary. Just before the last couple of deer arrived, I had a great shot at a big, fat doe. I actually drew my bow and I swear the deer heard the tiny creak of my bowstring. I was terrified - what if they bolted right then? I let the bow back down really carefully and stood still. A nice bodied spike buck showed up along with a baby, bringing the total to 5 deer.
It must have only been a minute or two while I waited. The deer swirled around doing their thing, but they were slowly moving away from me, down the field. I realized that I'd have to take my shot or lose my chance. I couldn't get a shot at the buck or at the biggest doe. There was a good sized doe about 20 yards away from me, quartering away from me at the perfect angle for a good shot. Somehow my brain turned off and I raised my bow, drew back and released, all without any conscious analysis or extensive aiming. This was at 6:45p.
And WHACK, I saw the arrow strike home just exactly where I wanted it to go. It looked like it had sunk in about halfway. The deer jumped and did a leg kick, then took off the way she came. The rest of the herd turned right and ran into the woods. My heart was racing and I plopped down on the seat and mechanically nocked another arrow. I thought to myself "I've done it. What do I do NOW?"
I didn't know if my hunting partner had arrived or not; he was running late and I didn't see him come in to the field. I had five million thoughts running through my mind and I honestly didn't know what to do next. I nocked another arrow because I thought I might get another shot, but then I thought that was stupid. The wounded deer wasn't going to come back and I surely didn't want to have to track TWO deer in the dark.
After about 15 minutes, I decided to get down from the stand and find my partner. First I thought I would just take a quick look and see if my deer dropped at the edge of the woods. Then I changed my mind and walked back. This is what adrenaline does to you, well at least to me, it muddles up your mind! Finally I just hustled my way down the field and I was relieved to see my partner stand up. All the while I was rehearsing what to tell him. I decided to try to play it cool and act nonchalant about it.
I don't know if this approach worked or not, but I do know I was smiling like the Cheshire cat underneath my face mask. He asked me to show him my arrows and I did - only two were in the quiver and he knew full well I started with three. Then he asked where the other arrow was and I said "in a deer". He said "where in the deer?" and I told him "right where I wanted it to go!"
I chattered on to him about how I did just like he said. I had asked him for advice about shot placement and he advised me to either take a good broadside shot just like we practiced at the range, or even better, take a quartering away shot. It's a great way to get a kill with a bow and especially a primitive bow like mine.
Now that the shot had been taken, we were at the "halftime" of the hunt, so to speak. We went and got some dinner, giving the deer time to run off and die.
Later we came back ready to track that deer. This is the dangerous part - anything can happen out in those woods at night and you may not even find the animal, which is a tragedy. We found the start of the blood trail with no problem and started to track. The deer ran right up the path from which it came, which leads to another large bean field. My hunting buddy was in the lead, and he was like a bloodhound, spotting the tiniest drops of blood along the way.
Not too far up the path, the blood led into the woods. It was really brushy and closed in, just the sort of place for deer to hang out. The blood trail took a couple of turns and then we hit a bit of a dead end. My buddy had me and our friend wait where the trail ended while he did a circular sweep of the area.
After a few minutes, he came back close to where we were standing and asked me to walk straight to him. I started walking, but took an easier route. He told me to back up and walk directly to him. And then turn around.
And there was my deer!!! She was lying in a thicket not 10 feet from where we had been standing. She was already cool and a little stiff, which means that she died quickly without suffering, which made me really happy. We all crawled into the thicket to take a look and my buddy told us a great hunting story. We took some pictures and then it was time to get her back to our friend's house for cleaning.
It was a long night, but it was so worth it. I can't really begin to express how thrilled I am. I've carried on the family tradition and I bet that somewhere, my father is pleased.
Background: my father was a bowhunter and my mother was an Olympic archer. Their first date was a bowhunt and they taught me to shoot when I was 2. I have shot only traditional and primitive bows all my life. This kill was made with my Toth Istvan mongolian horsebow, 45# at 28" (bow length is 56"). This was my first kill with that bow, and only my third hunt of the season.
So howdy! It's really great to be here and I can't wait to chat with y'all about bowhunting!
Topic: First Kill in NC (Read 3830 times)
