My first archery deer was this year my third season on November 6th. I could have harvested 2 last year but they were just small bucks and i wanted to let them grow. When was you first archery harvest?
September 15 1982 Turtle Mts. North Dakota Bear Kodiak Speical set at 70 LBS Easton 2117 arrow 125 gr Savora broadhead shooting fingers and instinctive ( no peep site ) Hunting out of a homemade wooden tree stand... 10 ft up... burr oak were pretty short trees... didn't need to worry about nose bleeds that for sure. Pm Hunt... slight wind out of the NW... had a small rain shower go through... 15 minutes before quitting time I had a buck came into 8 yards... broadside shot. Buck - 142 gross - 139 net. Dressed out at 200 lbs on the dot. Had him weighed. Made the local paper. My 15 minutes of fame. I have forgotten many things since then but I remember that hunt like it was yesterday. Tim
I don't have a pic but it was 1986 and I climbed up in a tree in a fencerow between two woodlots. Didn't have a stand or anything, I just had saw some sign where the deer were using it as a travel corridor. I sat in that tree for about four hours until right before dark about 7 does came out of the woodlot. They worked their way down to me and I shot the first one. She ran about 40yds and went down. I still vividly remember everything about that evening. Was shooting a Hoyt Prohunter with an overdraw. 23in easton tipped with a 125gr. Rocky Mtn Razor. Man I had a sore rear end after that hunt, sitting on a branch for all those hours. Blessings.......Pastorjim
Wow ,haven't thought about that one in a while. Don't remember the date but do remember my archery tag back then was only $2.50. It was my 3rd year bowhunting and I was sitting in a homemade ladder stand that I put together myself , 6ft tall,lol. shot a young doe at 10 yards. I was 13 years old.
1973, morning hunt from wooden treestand, 10 yrd shot with a Jennings Split T bow and I spine shot him, had to shoot a 2nd arrow in him. 6pt 170lds dressed weight.
Wow, these are some really cool stories guys. Good thread. Mine isn't as much of a legacy yet. This last season was my first to only bowhunt. After a ton of work I finally got a doe on 12/26. I couldn't be more happy with it. I saw lots but waited for the right one. It wasn't the greatest shot cause I hit a twig and went slightly back, but the broadhead did it's job and I could track her fairly easily.
2004. About my 4th hunt ever. Afternoon hunt on public ground about 12 ft. up in a climber. At about 330 two deer came tearing through the woods past me at about 50 yds. One circled back around and was in some thick stuff back to my left and while I was watching it the other one snuck right underneath me. I drew back and let the arrow fly. I didnt know if I even hit it as it ducked and started to spin until I saw a gush of blood come out the side of it. It ran about 30 yds then slowed down to a crawl and layed down and died about 40 yds away. Called my buddy and told him I needed help dragging out a nice doe. He got to me as I was packing up my stuff (and still shaking) and we walked over to my......45 lb. button buck I still never forget it though, I could barely dial his number on my phone I was shaking so bad. Needless to say I was hooked after that and ended up taking 2 more deer that year, as small 6 and a doe.
Wow and you made it back from the future too. How does that Delorian drive? Mine was Oct. 25, 1993. Shot a 147 lb. field dressed doe. (Actual weight on a certified scale) She was a monster nanny. I have a pic but not on this puter.
I'm not sure which I should claim. In 2009, I killed my first deer with a bow, but it wasn't a traditional bow kill. I was hunting in my stand when I heard what sounded like a possible coyote hunter on the back side of my property. After a couple minutes I decided to get down and make damn sure they weren't set up on my place. I walk to my back fence, see nothing. Decided to walk the fence to the east, then follow it north. As I was walking up the north fence, I notice a buck bedded down in a huge brush pile. He was starring at me, I stopped, raised my bow and went to full draw. After a few seconds, I realized something wasn't right, because that deer should have bolted out of there, but he seemed to be struggling. I stepped closer, and he continued to try and stand, but couldn't. I though he had broken his back. I walked to within just a few feet of him, and I could see that he was never going to get up from there. I decided to put him out of his misery before the coyotes ate him alive, so I put an arrow through his chest, and it was all over in a few seconds. I can tell you, it was tough to look into his eyes as he expired, but I believe it was the right thing to do. This year, my 4th season bow hunting, I made my first fair chase kill on 11/11/11. It was an amazing morning that I will never forget. It was nearly a full moon, and the rut had just kicked into full force. I made it to my stand and decided to put our my Boss Buck decoy. I got is set out, and also put some Tinks Doe in Estrus out around the decoy. I started back towards my stand, when I could hear the deer running in my direction. I made it to the base of my tree, and could see and hear about 6 deer, they were running, grunting, just plain mayhem all around me as I kneeled at the base of my tree. I huge buck stopped about 8 yards from me, just on the other side of the hedge row that my stand was in. I could have gotten a shot off on him, but it was too early. By the time this all ended, it was pretty bright out. I climbed up into my stand and started my sit. I saw a decent buck about 90 yards away in my food plot, and gave him a few grunts. He responded and headed my way, but he followed the timber, and never made it to me. It was about 8:30 and I caught some movement coming through the woods. I could tell that he was going to be a shooter for me, so I gave him a couple soft grunts. He crossed a ditch, and started to walk up a fence row that's about 45 yards from my stand and I thought he was just going to keep going, but he caught a glimpse of my decoy, jumped the fence and started walking right too my decoy. He actually ended up coming from the backside of the decoy and walked right up to it. At this point, I am standing and at full draw. That buck gets right up behind the decoy and puts his nose on the decoy, and I could see that he was starting to rear up, either to mount it or attack it, so I let my arrow fly. It was a slight quartering to shot, and I hit him good, but didn't get penetration trough the backside. I waited about 5 hours before a buddy and I started looking for him. There was no blood, not a single drop anywhere. I knew which way he went and where I had last saw him, so we started looking there, and he was only about 20 yards from where I had last seen him. It was a good day Here is the deer from 2009 Here is my 2011 bow kill
1987, I was 13 years old. Not sure on the date but It was around the 3rd week of September. Probably my 3rd sit of the year. I was In a home made wood portable tree stand that dad made. A doe fawn and button buck came In at 12 yards as I was sitting on the edge of a cut corn field. I chose to shoot the doe fawn. I was shooting a Martin Lynx compound shooting 1916 arrows pulling 42lbs. Bear Razor broadheads were on the tip of my arrows. I hit the doe fawn exactly where I was aiming. Problem was I aimed a little to far back and hit her In the guts. We tracked her 80 yards that night and backed off and came back the next morning. She wasn't far from where we quit the night before. I don't know who was more proud, my parents or me. I don't have any pictures of my 1st 15 years bowhunting whitetails, I lost them all some where when I moved. Pisses me off big time!! My parents have some pictures though but not all of them. Here Is a picture of my 1st deer mounted (doe fawn). She dressed out at 42lbs. I'm very proud of her. This mount Is 25 years old. You wouldn't know It as It looks as good as the day It came home. Dad said were mounting your 1st deer no matter what It Is. I plan on doing the same for my daughter.
September 14th, 2008. It was opening weekend of my second season bowhunting. The first season I got away for only 2 weekend hunts, as I was living in Duluth at the time. Spring of '08 is when I moved up here. Doe was young, traveling with a doe fawn & button. Had been very wet up until the opening weekend. 48* and a waxing gibbous moon 17yd slightly quartered away shot. She ran about 70 yards and piled up. It was the true begining of a new passion.
Mine was September 2005, Had my Brother drop me off on a little creek were I had seen a lot of does at the previous morning and decide to take one of them for some meat in the Freezer, Man my summit is comfy I fell asleep within 20 minutes of being in the stand. A sound woke me up and I looked around bleary eyed and saw a deer walking towards my stand, a nice 6 pt. I stand and come to fulldraw waiting on him to walk through my shooting lane and the treestand creaks, he thinks better of it and turns around to go back the way he came. I am searching for an opening to get a shot and find one that looked like the size of a pie plate but actually was a lot bigger, that he would walk through at 20 yards. I lean out just a lil bit to make sure I have a clean shot, grunt to get him to stop and hit him with a perfect quartering away shot. He Ran 40 yards and piled up. I then had to walk three miles to a friends house because my brother had my truck and was asleep at the house. I will remember that morning forever.
November 13, 2010. The very last day of the archery season. Even the last 5 minutes of shooting light. We hunted hard all season and my dad was lucky enought to harvest a 10 point on november 11. ( his biggest deer) This was are first year ever archery hunting. A button buck came in to 27 yards at a spot that we didnt hunt much due to a guy on disability hunting there every morning and every evening until he got his 3 deer. I made a perfect heart shot and the deer ran 35 yards. I was HOOKED
Oct 1982. 2nd year bow hunting. Southern Minnesota, edge of a cornfield. Sitting in a large oak tree much like Pastor Jim did. Just before sundown a group began to work along the edge, shot a smallish 6 pt at about 8 yds. Never had a better hunt than that day.
