My Traditional Journey...

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Great Post!  You have my attention.

[Matty]

   

[Tsalt]

Let's hear the rest of this story!!    

[Big Ed]

I'm all caught up and can't wait for the rest!

Bisch

[J.Williams]

We need more...ughhh!   :D

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by J.Williams:
We need more...ughhh!    :D  

Jeff, I agree with you lol  

[Butchie]

    :rolleyes:

[Sockrsblur]

October 19 2011

I scouted and found an old over grown logging road that had an active scrape line along it. I set up a spot ten yards below the scrape line where it seemed likely the buck would exit thick cover from. I waited for the right wind blowing from the scrapes to my set up and on 19 October I had it for an evening hunt. I came in from well below and never came closer to the old logging road than my set up. I set up my 2' high x 4' long flat blind and added a few ferns and branches to help hide some movement if I had an opportunity. I had not seen a deer until the sun set and the woods settled. I looked to my left and saw movement down the logging road, then more and more. Does were entering onto the path about fifty yards from me, milling around and eating. I wasted no time in shifting around into the best position I could for a shot, then waited... It didn't take long for them to start my way. It looked like three mature does and two fawns, I stayed low behind the blind waiting for the right moment. I would happily shoot a doe! As the group came closer to my left shooting lane they shifted and changed position like a group of casually moving deer do. It was exciting but a little stressful to have all those eyes and erratically moving and turning deer. As the first deer entered the shooting lane I moved a little raising to adjust for a potential shot. I got away with a little but then was picked off handily by a larger doe. I froze as did the deer. A little time passed and they were on the move again but the lead doe only had to travel 10 yards and she was in my right shooting lane. The lead doe looked big and I was kind of focusing on her. As she moved toward the right hand shooting lane I was able to shift around and get my bow up so I was in a better position this time. As she entered my lane she was calm but totally looking at me and now there were deer in both shooting lanes. I thought to myself there was no way this was going to result in a launched arrow. ha, I was comfortably on my knees bow forward fingers on string waiting for a chance as she walked slowly through slightly quartering away. Then I thought I'll just draw and see what happens. I started slowly drawing back and something did happen she stopped walking and turned a little more broadside to look at me better! In a thought the arrow was on its way, that big plump doe never twitched, didn't drop or move till that arrow was done slicing through the hair on the very very top of her back, harmlessly I might add! lol Deer seemed to go in every direction and I did not for a moment even think I killed her. In the logging road there was a nice clump of brown hair that remained well into shotgun season but no blood. I recovered the arrow, no blood. Wow that was awesome, but 10 yards and a miss! Yikes.

[Sockrsblur]

In practice, even with good concentration, at ten yards and closer I shoot high and I cant explain why, so I simply lower the bow for a good practice hit. That thought did not make it to my brain in the heat of the hunt. The next afternoon at camp I shot and shot. Same thing, high at 10 yards, 15 to 25 hits where I look, farther starts to drop and have to raise my bow. The ten yard thing was a real thorn to me though. Even when I remembered to drop the bow the question of how much plagued me. I wanted to be accurate and kill deer but I knew too I was just In the beginning of a process. Change takes work and I loved the free feeling of shooting a beautiful arrow through the air without a peep sight, stabilizer, seven pin sight. I still hunted with my compound on and off  through the 2011 season but I was falling in love with my longbow, it's all I wanted to really do.

[Sockrsblur]

Mean while my brother big Dan was sticking to his word and hunting his first year totally traditional. Long bow only, he had shot two raccoons from his stand but no deer shots yet. He had a nice 10 point broke off to a nine all around his stand, saw him a lot. He was at 15 yards once but Dan didn't take the shot, thought it would improve but the buck turned and walked away. His time is limited with a wife and two great boys but he was getting out as he could and sometimes even with one of his boys.

[Sockrsblur]

Brother Dan and his son Steven in a buddy ladder stand with the long bow!

[Sockrsblur]

Dans 9pt he was trying to get a shot at on many different occasions in 2011

[J.T.]

[kadbow]

Is 10-29-2013 the day you plan on finishing the story??      Great read, impatiently waiting for more.

[Sockrsblur]

Ha Ha Mark, good one            
It's a fair question!
my outline is...
-background
-19oct2011 doe hunt
-29oct2011 spike hunt
-30oct2011 Dan hunt
-07nov2011 doe hunt
-prefall2012
-04oct2012 spike hunt 1
-10oct2012 same spike hunt 2
-20oct2012 still same spike hunt 3
-29oct2012 "Hurricane Buck" hunt
-12feb2013 Reflections of time

                      "THE END"

I have been posting as I write the story.

[Sockrsblur]

Nearing the end of October my 2011 archery season was in a good grove. I had been off work for most all the season and had been in the woods at camp the whole time hunting every day. I hunted the morning, would scout back to camp, shoot the longbow every afternoon, lunch, coffee, and the evening hunt. I was seeing deer but nothing really interesting that I had managed to get on camera. I was hopeful that the rut would bring them out around the magical time of Halloween.

    On October 29 2011 I chose an evening hunt in a new spot just to mix it up a little. I had found deer using a trail paralleling a dirt road, not uncommon. However there was a spot where another heavy deer trail came out of a thick newly logged area and crossed the dirt road and the first deer trail forming a lovely little ambush site. It would have been easy to pop a tree stand up in a number of trees but this spot just looked like a longbow hunt and I wanted to harvest my first traditional deer at ground level. At the intersection of the two deer trails there was a sizable tree that fell. During the early fall I had helped the fallen tree top a little with extra brush and limbs to help add bulk and cover to my spot. The evening of the 29th I had the wind I wanted so I took the long walk into this spot. I set up my small 2'x4' wall blind even though I planned to simply lean against a large tree and remain standing  for the evening hunt but you never know what can unfold.

[Sockrsblur]

[Sockrsblur]

deer trails coming through set up

[Sockrsblur]

The evening was nice, cool, the wind cooperated and I leaned against the tree waiting for a deer. Sunset came and my anticipation heightened. I was expecting them to come from the tree top at my left for a shot of inside 10 yards so we know that didn't happen. The first movement I saw was in front of me, it was a deer walking up the trail straight toward me. As soon as I saw him my initial reaction was to hurry get ready, he was inside 40 yards. I reached for my longbow hanging close on a small broken limb with an arrow all ready on the string, ready to go. He saw the movement and stopped. I froze, he waited, looked behind himself, then continued. I was ready with bow in hand as he continued walking closer on the trail. That trail slowly veered to my left and intersected the other trail at 15 yards, I could shoot to this spot. As he continued closer I could see he was a small spike, I smiled. My shot window to the actual intersection was narrow between the two larger trees(see photos/ at triangle), but shootable.