I've been bowhunting seriously for about 25yrs. I really enjoy it. Shot a decent amount of deer over the years. When I started bow hunting, I spent a ton of time practicing and prepping. I tinkered with my bow, my gear, etc... all the time. I bowhunted basically every weekend, and every day off I could get. I shot my bow every day (or on a bad year, every other day), usually beginning in June or July. I wouldn't even think about going out in the woods without many, many hours of prep and practice and feeling 100% prepared. I now have 2 kids, 15 & 12. As they have gotten older, I have not had as much time to hunt as I would like. Every year has seemed to be less and less. Last year I hardly got any time to bowhunt. I did get some muzzleloading and rifle hunting in, and still killed a few does for the freezer. This year, my son plays varsity football and that is almost a full time job, (for him and me!). Based on our crazy busy schedule, I had basically written off getting any time to bowhunt this year, and had not even lifted my bow off the hanger since last season. I was ok with that... I'd just get some ML and rifle hunting done in Nov & Dec. Well, several guys touched base last week and wanted to head to our cabin this past weekend... and since my son's football team had a bye this week, we jumped at the opportunity. We planned to do some work, hang out, shoot some guns, and maybe bowhunt or squirrel hunt on Saturday. This trip kinda popped up on us, so Friday afternnon I pulled my bow off the hook and wiped off the dust (literally), and went outside to shoot. First 3 shots at 20yds were in about a 2" group. I shot about 5 or 6 more groups, out to 25yds (my self imposed limit) and was very accurate. I kinda chuckled...how much easier technology has made it now. Its like I had been shooting all summer. My bow is about 5yrs old, Bowtech Allegiance. I love it. Fast, quiet, deadly accurate. I have not changed anything on it since I set it up when I got it. My kids planned to squirrel hunt with their cousins, I brought my bow. I figured I might make it out, but didn't even bring a stand with me. We did some work much of the day, and Sat evening I decided to head out for the last 90 mins. I drove up a logging road and parked near a field. My plan was to slip across to the other side where the deer usually came out into the field in the evenings. I was easing along a brushy fenceline and noticed a doe out in the field, heading my way. I thought wow, wouldn't that be cool if she came right by. So I nocked a arrow... eased into some scrubby trees for cover, and waited. Sure as heck, she came right towards me. Within about 1 minute of seeing her, she stepped into a shooting lane about 20yds away. I was standing there in a little clump of trees drawn back and ready. I put the pin on her heart and thwack. She ran about 40yds (towards my truck) and stopped and stood there a few seconds, then did the stiff legged fall over. I had been out of my truck a total of about 5-7 minutes and killed what was my first deer ever with a bow from the ground. I smiled, thanked the Lord for my good fortune. I went and picked up my arrow and walked over to my doe. My drag was 10yds to my truck. LOL. I was thinking about this hunt yesterday. There was a time in my life that I would have come down on someone who just picked up there bow to go hunting, without practicing for months. That is not something I would normally do, but wow...technology sure has made it much easier. I also think I'm gonna spend some more time hunting on the ground...that was cool. Up until now, my 30 some kills were all from a stand. I didn't get any good pics, just the one I snapped where she fell. She had an "X" in the heart from my slick trick :D
Yeah man, it was. I've hunted from the ground some in the past, just never connected. This couldn't have worked any better...unless it was a big buck :D Funniest part about it all... I left the cabin and literally like 10 mins later I texted that pic to a couple of the guys who didn't hunt that evening and were still at the cabin. You should have seen some of the responses I got. LOL
Nice job Congrats!! I love hunting from the ground and do it quite a bit. My biggest buck to date was taken from the ground at 10 yds last year. Totally different experience than shooting from a stand or even from a ground blind. Congrats
Great story! My hat is off to you. I know how hard that it is to get one on the ground! I have been hunting since 1996 and only have killed one from the ground! Congrats!