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At what point did you realize...(long read)

Discussion in 'Bowhunting Talk' started by Scott/IL, Sep 8, 2009.

  1. Scott/IL

    Scott/IL Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Throughout your bowhunting career, is there a single moment, hunt, or season that when you look back on you realize at that moment you became obsessed with this sport 365 days a year.

    I start this a little off topic, as I sat in my newly finished setup this weekend I began to think back on the last few months of this summer. On May 7th of this year my dad suffered a severe stroke, and as I sat in the stand overlooking this bean field, images of him laying in that hospital bed fighting for his life for over a month ran alongside of the memories of hunting on our family farm together my entire life.

    These trips down memory lane led me to my question. I began to wonder at what point did I take the turn from just the usual, easy going kid out there to constantly shooting my bow, thinking of hanging stands, wanting to know new techniques, and willing to do almost anything to make me a better hunter. I began bowhunting when I was in the 6th grade, and my second time out I had an 8 pointer come in and with my dad over my shoulder whispering "wait, wait" I let an arrow fly to soon into a limb for a clean miss.

    It was the hunts like these that stood out to me I sat there thinking back. At the age of 14 I killed my first buck. A very solid 8 pointer that scored in the low 120's out of my dad's stand (one of which was supposed to be off limits until the following weekend but I snuck into it anyways). I was excited as could be and the next 2 years I scored on 2 more 8 pointers.

    Some other encounters came to my mind, and then tonight as I replied to LAEqualizer's thread "How many times?", it hit me. That one hunt, that one morning, me coming so close to killing 2 mature whitetails within an hour of each other, failing and still finding success and lessons learned in the hunt. I was 18 years old at the time and I have to say at this point I officially became obsessed with bowhunting whitetails. That next year I was equipped with my new Switchback, more gear than ever before, and began to use vacation days at work and skip out on a few college classes from day to day just to get a few extra hours in.

    So how about you guys? Any of you have that one special moment that when you look back at everything that changed you and the way you approach this sport?
     
  2. virginiashadow

    virginiashadow Legendary Woodsman

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    I did not really archery hunt until 2001. I grabbed my bow a few times before that and hunted with it during gun season, but not during the early season. I don;t really have any specific points that I can refer to as to why I got hooked but here is one story.

    In 2001 I hunted a bunch during the archery season. I was not able to get a deer within range until the last day of archery season. As the sun set I heard a crunch crunch crunch coming down the trail. Two bucks were walking together. I picked out the larger 8 point and let him stop at 20 yards. I shot.....and missed right below his chest. I missed! Crap. He looked around and then he and the other buck turned around and slowly started walking back up the trail. He stopped at 30 yards. I shot....and missed right below his chest again. Crap! Hooked. I loved the subtlety of the entire encounter, the quiet before the storm of the arrow was unleashed. It was analagous to my love of bass fishing with plastic worms. Patience, finesse, then bam! LOVE it.
     
  3. Live2Draw

    Live2Draw Die Hard Bowhunter

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    14 years old. old bear "Black bear" bow in my hand. I had walked and scouted this field line all summer. I was convinced there was a big buck working it. I put a 15 ft tall Orchard ladder (wooden stepladder) with a swivel seat about 10 yards into the woods. Watched a tree shake 50 yards away at a buck making a rub. Got antsy one day and walked the field to another trail, set up down from it a bit (had no idea about wind) and waited. I heard something coming over my shoulder and this little 4 point was sneakinup the hill, then booked it the way he came.First thought was "DAMN" Untill i saw a big body coming towards me. It came right out the the field edge, and i saw its nose stick out and drew. It felt like i was at draw forever with that old thing, I was shaking so bad. my Arrow jumped my Prong rest and clicked my riser. The deer snorted and tipped his head down. All I saw was Bone. And he was gone. 2 weeks later my dad was in my stand and Saw that deer. Another guy was tracking it. He went and found it for the guy. Gets a christmas present every year from him 31.5" inside spread, 190 class 9 point. Still one of the most impressive deer i have ever seen. it looked like there was a chair on its head. i was almost sick becuase of what i had missed. Then i realized, it wasnt the deer, it was the chase. And i have been an Addict ever since.
     
  4. GregH

    GregH Legendary Woodsman

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    I was hooked on deer hunting way before I was old enough to hunt. When I was 5 or 6, I started shooting a bow. When my dad and his buddies went on a hunting trip I couldn't wait for them to get back so I could see the deer and hear the stories. Of course I couldn't wait to hunt myself.
     
  5. huntin'farmer

    huntin'farmer Newb

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    A friend of mine put me in a good spot when I was 15. I saw two decent bucks my first sit, and the adrenaline shot from that has still got me going!
     
  6. kevin1

    kevin1 Newb

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    Probably the day when I realized that hunting was a hobby, not a career. :p

    I'm not obsessed with bow hunting, to me it's just two more months to hunt, period.
     
  7. HuntingBry

    HuntingBry Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Probably when I started hunting with my buddy Jack. Until then bowhunting consisted of putting on drives and shooting at pushed deer. Know where the deer bed and push them out. We didn't know any better.

    Then we started actually hunting. Learning the patterns, finding the bedding areas, finding the food sources, knowing what an edge is, watching their behavior. When I stopped just trying to shoot deer and became a student of deer that is when I was hooked.
     
  8. Germ

    Germ Legendary Woodsman

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    The day I shot my first deer and ran 3 miles down the road to get my Grandfather.
     
  9. rybo

    rybo Grizzled Veteran

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    I can't place it back to any single moment.

    Before I was even grown up enough to pull back a hunting bow I was fascinated by bowhunting. Granted back then I didn't know as much both technically & woodsmanship wise, but that doesn't mean I was any less obsessed.
     

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