First Trad Harvest/ Story

[CoachBGriff]

Well, this isn't from this year, but I figure I've lurked around reading your stories long enough, it's only fair that I share mine.  Furthermore, most of us midwesterners are sort of in-between seasons right now, so here goes...

 

[CoachBGriff]

I'll start by saying that there are sort of two, maybe three, story lines here.  The first is about our "farm."  Ever since my wife and I got married (and even before that) we knew we didn't want to live "in town."  She grew up on a couple of different farms, and I have always been passionate about the outdoors.  So about four years ago, we purchased 26 acres from her father to build our own house on.  

We could have bought the normal five acres to throw a house on, but we wanted to buy our own land so we felt like we had earned it ourselves, and enough that we could feel separate from the family farm.  Having grown up "in town," I couldn't wait to enjoy my newly owned property.  And my trail cameras revealed what I already knew - we had deer in them-there woods!

 

[LA Trapper]

Keep it coming Coach!

[CoachBGriff]

I say woods, but the truth is, the whole farm is mainly hedge-rows and a couple of ditches.  We have a lot of cropland.  Nonetheless, we have deer.

With fervent excitement, I hunted the farm carefully the first two years, trying not to over-pressure my humble hunting spot, but eager to harvest some home-grown venison... which brings me to my second story line.

I was a dedicated archer, determined to harvest my game with bow and arrow, but in my first two years on the farm, I had yet to discover the "true" archery experience that we all savor.  Long story, short - it never came together in those first two years.  I never harvested a critter with the almighty technology!

I continued to see deer, albeit at a declining rate (over-harvest by neighbors along with drought and EHD has decimated our local whitetail population), but I was unable to convert any opportunities into table-fare.

2011 was the first year I picked up a traditional bow.  However, I picked it up late enough in the season that I only made one attempt at hunting with my longbow, and I wasted away a golden chance late in the season as I slid an arrow harmlessly over a confused doe's back.

[CoachBGriff]

As 2012 began, I was determined harvest a critter -  with my longbow - on the family farm.  So I put the compound away and dedicated myself to honing my marksmanship with the trad-gear.  

I shot a ton that summer (I'm a teacher, so I had a few minutes in June, July, and August to practice!), and by the end of August I was confident.  

(Spoiler alert!)

Little did I know, the endeavor I had prepared myself mentally and physically for all summer would be over on the first day of the Missouri archery season.

[CoachBGriff]

The evening of September 14, 2012, we had a freshly harvested cornfield behind our house, and I suspected that the deer might be heading to it to feed at night.  So, with the wind in my favor, I slipped back to a lookout stand I had set up to glass down towards my ladder stand tucked along a ditch that runs up into the cornfield.  

I was disappointed to find the field empty at first.  However, with about 15 minutes of daylight left, I noticed three does pop up from along the ditch to begin grazing.  I decided that if the wind was right the next evening I would be in that ladder stand.

[CoachBGriff]

As it was a Saturday, I hunted opening morning at a separate location.  I saw only a small spike, and I enjoyed watching him walk on by.  Tired, I headed home for a little siesta.

When the evening approached I anxiously gathered my bow and my quiver and began the quite, 15 minute walk back to my ladder stand.  I could feel the stars aligning.  

With the first 2 and a half hours of my hunt relatively uneventful (as far as animal sightings), I just sat back and relished in the idea that I was sitting on MY property.

Then, in the last quarter of the witching hour, I saw my ladies pop up from the beds in the grass along the ditch.  They were roughly 150 yards from me, but they were definitely headed my way.

[CoachBGriff]

As they reached my position, they began to funnel into a crossing that would take them to the next (and bigger) field and right past my stand.  The lead two does were the older two of the group, and the lead doe made mistake of putting her head down to feed only 15 yards from me.  

I drew my bow with arms full of nerves, took a deep breath, and picked a spot behind her shoulder.  I'm pretty sure I quit shaking just in time to feel the string slip from my grip.  

I saw the arrow enter her side slightly farther back than I would have wanted, but fortunately I had a good entrance and exit wound.  The young doe bolted 30 yards back towards the field she came from and began to wobble within eyesight.

I knew she was down, but overcome with excitement, I wanted to make sure she had time to fully expire.  I snuck back home to get my wife and father to come help dress the doe and take pictures.  

And so it was that in one night, I harvested my first doe with traditional equipment, my first deer on my farm, and all on the first day of the 2012 archery season.

[CoachBGriff]

I used a 55 lb Bear Montana, Easton Axis 400 shafts with 50 grain insert, and 125 grain NAP Razorheads.

[Cwilder]

Awesome deal man. Congrats

[LA Trapper]

Wow, what a story and memory!

[59Alaskan]

great story!  Thank you for sharing.

Sounds like you and your wife have a wonderful place there.

[Mamba]

nice story!  congratulations on the property, you are living a dream.

[agross1]

Very cool,  gotta be fulfilling getting your first, especially on your own land .

[Lefty]

Cool!  Congrats for sure!!

[Jim Brennen]

Congrats,Good story

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats on your deer!  Thanks for the story  

[maineac]

A great first deer, congrats!!!

[tracker1]

Good deal, I hope you have many more stories to share with us from your property.

[azhunter]

Great story. I grew up in the country but after getting married moved to Arizona with neighbors all around. I still want to get back to the country at some point and have a place to hunt on my own property. Congrats on buying your own property to live and hunt on.