My first animal with a bow was actually this past weekend, November 5th. I had went up to my uncle's house and spent the night so we could go hunting in the morning. This year he has been telling me to just kill any deer that walks into range, just to get the first one out of the way so I'm not too tore up when a big buck walks out. And honestly, I was a little discouraged going into the hunt, as I went hunting Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and spooked at least one deer every day. But it was Saturday morning and I sat in a stand overlooking a dried Creek bottom off the edge of a field. To my left was a very large oak tree. Around 8:30 I notice a crunching of the leaves that was too orderly and evenly spaced to be a squirrel. About 3 minutes later I saw him headed right toward the big oak tree. I had already decided that I was going to shoot whatever it was, so I took the chance to stand up when he was busy with his head down waking. He just took his time, stopping every 7 steps to eat a little. Until he just a downed tree into a gap I was able to shoot through. Whenever he was broadside, I pulled out my rangefinder to get a little closer look to see if anything was in the way of my shot. There was a little twig that I was scared would jump right out in front of my arrow, so I waited for him to take another step. In my mind I was wanting him to come into this opening that would give me a 15 yard shot, so it doesn't occur to me to range him where he was, which was 25 yards. When he took that extra step I was scared that he was going to keep walking and I wouldn't have another shot, so I drew back and got ready to shoot, with my pin at 20 yards.... So I took the shot, he kicked his back legs and ran to a spot about 30 yards in front of me. I tried to get another arrow into my bow, adjust my sight, put my release back on my d loop, pull back, and right when I was about to shoot, he ran. At that point I had no idea what to do, I was filled with adrenaline, shaking like crazy so I just had to get down out of the tree. I sat on the ladder to the stand for about 5 minutes just trying to come back down to earth. When the shakes had gone away and my heart slowed down, I walked over to the point of impact to assess the damage. I got the where my arrow was sticking out of the ground and I just fell to my knees crying. I was so filled with emotion that I didn't know what to do besides sit there and cry and thank god for what he has allowed me to do. I pulled my arrow out of the ground to find great, dark blood on the arrow. I was so excited, I walked over to where he stopped for a second to see how the blood trail was, it too was a great blood trail. For the next 50 minutes, I paced back and forth laughing and just enjoying the monumental experience. So at 9:30, I took up the blood trail. I had great blood for about 70 yards or so, then it started to dwindle. For the next 60 yards I was just trying to find a little blood here, a little blood there. All up until the worst thing that could happen happened. I jumped him from his bed. At that point I decided to give him more time and I headed back home. There, I rallied up an army of 4 to help look. We got to the first bed, and literally for the next 200 yards, it was just trying to find individual drops of blood. We followed what we could until we got to the last drop of blood on the edge of a field. In the field somebody had a blind set up. Which I do remember hearing someone shoot in that direction after I jumped him. In all, we looked for about 7 or 8 hours. Then we just came to the conclusion that the other guy shot him when he walked into the field. I was devastated, because I know that there will only be one first, and you can never get that back. Up until now, I haven't mentioned how big the deer was. And the truth is, he wasn't big. Most people wouldn't even think about lifting their bow at the sight of this deer. But I literally couldn't be happier if it was the biggest deer in the woods. My reaction wouldn't have been any different. Anyways, thank you for reading what seems to be my life story, if you made it this far. But I would love to hear how some of yalls first bow harvests went!
Congrats on a solid shot and first kill. I'd find out who could've been in that blind. There's hope to find out what happened or even share the meat. Also, I'd keep looking for him in case he's still out there.
11-12-2016 I have shot bow since I was about 9 years old off and on. In 2013 I got serious and bought my first real compound bow a Bear Mauler having limited success shooting but never going hunting. This year I was determined to get my first deer with a bow. Over the summer a buddy had gotten a single pin sight from cabelas and sold me on getting one. I mounted the Demon s1 pin sight and fell in love with shooting my bow again. I began shooting at every chance extending my shooting out to 70 yards. Ohio's bow season has been in and this week the rut started so I decided to hit the stand behind my house. I went Monday morning and passed up a spike at 10 yards it was hard but we have had deer as big as a 14 point back there so I wanted to see what else was moving. My yard borders a state lake and small wild life area that is hardly hunted and produces big deer. Saturday morning I got up late and by the time I got my climber up the tree it was daylight. I sprayed Buckbomb and sat down to wait. I had previously cut my shooting lanes and ranged trees from my stand. The area is a wooded area bordering the lake that is heavily traveled with 8 scrapes and 2 rubs visible from my stand. Fifteen min after sitting down I saw a large bodied buck traveling from right to left on a path 35 yards from my stand. As he moved behind brush I came to full draw and waited, as he steeped out I saw he was missing his right side of his rack but decided to take him anyway. As the buck entered my lane I stopped him with a grunt set my pin and let the arrow fly. I saw the impact and he took off with me in disbelief that I had actually just got my first bow kill. I watched him run about 60 yards along a hill and then collapse rolling down the hill into a tree. I walked up to my house to get my 4 wheeler giving him time to make sure he expired and then went to get my deer. When I got to him he was a big deer that would have been a nice 10 point but he was still a trophy to me. The sling blade did a number on his lungs and he bled like no deer I've ever killed with a gun. By 11:30 he was at the processor and I was one happy bow hunter. it may sound weird but this experience made me feel in touch with my Native American heritage and was a more primal experience than any gun hunt. I'm hooked. I also want to thank Steve Davis who 30 years ago put up with this kid that was fascinated with his long hours of recurve bow shooting and shared some tips and tricks along the way. Also Josh Sandy for rekindling the passion for shooting a bow.
I was dying to go hunting Friday evening several years back and my girlfriend (now my wife) wanted me to hang out with her instead but luckily I convinced her to let me go up behind their house and hang my climber for the morning hunt. Luckily I took my bow and one arrow with me just in case and as soon as I parked the 4 wheeler I looked down and a bear was walking out on the trail. I had the climber on my back and couldn't get my bow pulled back right so I had to drop the climber and when I set it down the bear took off. I went down to the trail it was on and a few minutes later he came back out on the trail I was on. I pulled back and put all 3 pins on his shoulder and let go and heard him run off and do the death moan. All I wanted was a doe and ended up with a bear as my first bow kill, been hooked ever since. Called my now father in law and told him I had shot a huge bear, at least 300 lbs and it turned out to be about 150 lol. Could have sworn it would have been a lot bigger than that.
I've been a lifetime deer hunter, but have never hunted with a bow, until this year. I guess 42 isn't too late I've been out in the stand a few times this year, and had a lot of luck rattling up small bucks. However, I haven't had one shot at a doe or a shooter buck. I went out this morning with the wind blowing from the north at a good clip, and low expectations. Just after first light, after seeing I had nothing around me, I rattled a sequence and waited. Soon after, I heard a buck approach behind me and was able to see he was over the creek from me, straight back, behind trees. He came in fast then started sparring with a tree. I picked up the rattle and gave him another dose. He was over on my side of the creek before I could think, and he was pissed. I drew on him and made a little "meh" "meh" until he slowed right in front of me, turning my way as he did. I should have settled but released quickly and hit pretty solidly, however it was forward, and in his shoulder. I shoot fixed blade Montec G5's in 100 grain, and it penetrated straight through one shoulder and into the other, hitting the vitals. I got lucky. He made it 50 yards and lay down for his final rest. He is a mainframe 6 with a small split, leaving him with 7. Not all the points I'd want, but he has the mass and length to make up for it. I'll probably do a European mount just to have that memory preserved. I've shot bigger bucks, but have never shaken like that before. Needless to say, I'm hooked! My attempt at a selfie in the field... After he was loaded up-
I am going to post my on thread with a detailed story in a couple of days after I finish taking care of the meat. I killed my first bow buck Saturday night. It was one lung and liver so I left overnight. Long story, short, recovery involved a canoe.
Well I was driving home one night when I was about 17 years old. When all of a sudden a deer jumps out in front of me and I hit her. I got and the poor things was trying to crawl away. I got my bow out of the back seat and put her down. No scent control or fancy gadgets.
It was early October and I was hunting in the am. 3 deer come in from behind me and walk right under my stand. I drew back on the big doe when she was walking slightly quartered away but did not give me a shot. I let up when she was behind a tree and the arrow fell and hit the ground. Of course this alerted the deer. I carefully nock another arrow and she then Comes around to my left staring right at me. She then turns and heads quartering away again so I draw back and let it fly. It her back but since she was quartering away it hit lung. She ran about 70 yards. I found no blood but found her by searching. Lots of blood where she laid. Just my luck though that I drop the arrow. Lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I started bow hunting in 2010, I started out with a Alpine Ridge runner bow I had bought when I was 16 but never got serious about bow hunting. 2010 I finally decided it was time to see what all the talk about archery season was about. After some real close encounters with some nice buck but with nothing to show for it, I was completely hooked. Still with little confidence in my bow and 2 years under my belt I decide to upgrade my bow in 2013 to a Hoyt CRX. I was much more confident with this bow. 2013 archery came around, shot a doe that I unfortunately never recovered and I was gutted for weeks until I eventually seen that same doe getting around fine about a month later. Again had some close encounters with some good PA buck, but could never close the deal. 2014 archery season rolls around, I'm practicing with my Hoyt like crazy, last thing I wanted was a repeat from the year before. I became extremely comfortable with my bow to about 40 yards. I went out a few times early in the season and saw a awesome 8 point working a scrape line I was set up on just off the corner of a field but could never get him to come within 60 yards of me. October 25th, 2014 rolls around, it was a perfect day to be in the woods, calm quit and in low 40s in the a.m.. Just as the sun came up I had a younger doe feeding on acorns right behind me, minutes later a young 6 point explodes in the woods out of the field. The doe and buck have a stare off for a minute before the buck finally put his head to the ground and chased the doe off. 30 minutes later that same big 8 I had encounters with earlier in the season did the exact same thing he had done the 2 previous times I had a encounter with him. This time I was a bit more desperate to hopefully get his attention and get him in close. After a few grunts and him seeming oblivious to me I came to the realization he wanted nothing to do with me, as I watched him disappear into some thick cover. 45 minutes past and I heard some rustling behind. I turn around and see what looked to be a nice buck tearing a small sapling to shreds. At first I thought it was that same 8 point I had seen earlier, but once it stepped out into the open I realized it was a different buck I had never seen. This buck fed on acorns for a good 15 minutes and got as close as 15 yards and never presenting me with a decent shot or even giving me a chance to get to my feet.. He eventually started walking away from me and I finally had the chance to get to my feet, as I hopelessly watched him walk straight away from me. Luckily after he got out about 35 yards from me, something caught his attention, it was a group of doe coming up over the hill, he turned and started heading towards the doe presenting me a 35 yard broadside shot (at this point I had the worst case of the shakes and knee knocking I've ever had). I let a arrow fly and made a good hit. He ran about 70 yards as I watched him pile up. Ended up being a nice 9 point with a snapped off brow tine. Sent from my XT1585 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
