5 weeks to the day after a bad fall from a treestand, and I am hunting with a longbow. I couldn't believe it when it happened, how a guy who is careful, who wears a safety harness at all times could have a stand just break on him BEFORE he could get hooked up. Here is a link to the story if you are interested:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=109734;p=1 I will say I owe this site and the people here many thanks. It has been a rough 5 weeks, and I know how fortunate I am. I know there are others who can't hunt now because of injury and illness, and I want to tell you there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is full of game and you will get back there. My little sentence was light. A few pins in my fingers, a few bruises and I'm hunting again, more thankful for friends, family, and doing the things I love more than ever. So thanks to all my mates here for the kind words, pics, pms and more importantly ALL the hunting stories. They have been therapy
So I tried shooting lefty, and it hurt as bad as righty. I even bought a lefty bow...what an excuse to just feel like I might go hunting with a longbow. Then last week the hand surgeon removed my pins out of my right hand. The feeling returned to my fingers, and I shot my new bow within 2 days. Just like that I was back! Chad Holm at Holm-made has been good to me. I bought a lefty from him and decided it was a no go. He had a righty in a lighter weight and he took back the lefty and sold me the righty. There aren't many folks like Chad (or maybe there is. This is Tradgang you know). I owe him, and I see a fat Illinois whitetail in his future. After adjusting my anchor to the splint on my right middle finger I had arrows in the money from 20. Time to hunt! It hurt a little every time I dropped the string but truth be told, it wasn't injuring anything, and well, it was worth it
So I went to the tree that dumped me, climbed to the platform and counted coup on it by touching it. I am not ready to hunt yet from elevation but I wanted to let it know I was there. It has a new stand in that tree with a lifeline and prussic hitch. I will be there again...just not today. I built me a little brush blind and with the perfect wind, I laid in wait between a partly-flooded corn field and a bedding area, with food at my back door. The funnel is 80 yards wide and the deer use this hour-glass like clockwork.
I did not kill but I could have. A nice 4by4 that was bumping does walked by at 30 feet. No idea I was there, no idea how hungry I was to drop the string. Had I not killed a great 10 with a muzzleloader the week before he would have been mine. But with one buck tag left and 7 weeks to bowhunt, he got a pass. It is good to be back. Thanks my friends.
*My blind
*Backdoor funnel
*Frontdoor Food
* A Holm Masterpiece
Thanks again. Now I gotta add a hero pic soon!
Topic: Back in the saddle...a first hunt again (Read 288 times)
