"Thunder Chicken....Down!"

Very nice gobbler taken early in the morning in Louisburg, NC.  Gobbler had 10"

beard, 1" spurs, and weighed approximately 20 lbs.

 

2011 Spring Gobbler

It rained hard the night before, and a cold front moved in. I've got land about an hour drive from the house. I got my entire gear ready in the garage. Vest, mask, gloves, gun, shells, vest, decoys, blind (I didn't use), and flashlight.



Went to bed by 11:30 p.m., but didn't sleep well....just too excited dreaming about gobblers. Got up by 4:00 a.m., made coffee and ate a banana. Threw all the gear in the truck and headed out. It was still cool and raining, drizzly. About 52 F.

I had the windows rolled down just enjoying the weather, and the fresh smell of rain. Hand out the window planning through the air like a kid.



Got to the land around 5:30 a.m., put my gear on, and walked along the edge of the field. The grass was thick and wet, and I looked on the open muddy areas for tracks, but didn't see any.



There is a large pile of rocks about two feet high at the edge of the field I hunt. I like it because it provides cover and all the animals (turkey and deer) are used to it. It's natural cover.



I've got three decoys and I set them out 20 yards directly in front of me. I've had these three decoys since 2001. One is just a cheap foam feeding hen and I used a broken arrow to hang it on. The other two are blow up Screary's, one jake and one hen. They pivot a little in the wind, and I noticed it was very windy and blowing into my face.



I had to break out my rain jacket because it was still drizzling. I unbuttoned my seat cushion from the vest and settled in behind the rock, my Mossberg 835 loaded with 3.5' #4 at my side. I have an old box call, a slate call, and a friction call. My mouth call membrane dried up and I need to go to Wall-E World and get a new one.



I was happy to sit behind that rock because it kept the wind off of me and it was cool. I was thinking, 'I left a nice warm bed with down blankets, to sit in the rain, cold, wind, and in the middle of darkness.' It’s funny how keen you hearing gets when it's dark outside. I could hear some little noises, and wondered if it was deer, or fox, or something else moving about in the brush.



Slowly but surely it was getting light. I thought I heard some gobbling at 6:15 a.m., but it was still too dark. I heard the noise faintly again and it was some dogs barking off in the distance. By 6:30 a.m., it was light enough for me to see my decoys, so I started to call.



First I tried using the slate, but it must have gotten wet and had to put it away, so I went to the trusty Lynch box call. I called loud and aggressively to let the toms know a hen is around. They're probably still on the roost, but this would get them fired up and looking when they hit the ground.

I waited for a response...nothing. Then I start off with the friction call. It's at a higher pitch, and I would alternate the cadence. Sometimes fast...then I would slow it down. Alternating between Yelps and Clucks. Again, nothing....but then I hear faint gobbling in front of me.



The wood line is across the field and I can see it clearly now that the sun has come up a little. The woods are about 250 yards away and are a mix of hardwoods and tall pines.



By 6:40 a.m. I heard the dogs again, but it is way off. Then I hear a single shotgun go off, and it is really far out there. I'm not the only one in the woods trying to fill his tag. I call again, working both the box call and friction call. The experts say make it sound like a couple of turkeys talking.



6:55 a.m. rolls around as I look at my watch. Prime time is here I'm thinking......and sure enough, peeking over the rolling slope of the field is a little brown head. It's a hen, and she's cluck, cluck, cluck, clucking away. She sees the decoys and moves in fast, and I'm thinking this is not what I want, because she's going to make them out, and warn everyone that something is amiss.



I keep my head down as much as I could and just watched. I had this hen cluck, cluck, cluck, clucking next to my decoys for a good long while. Then off in the distance I could see a tom coming. He's about 200 yards out, but coming in fast. He didn't run, but would walk fast, then strut, walk back and forth, strut again, and then walk in some more.



The hen stopped clucking and was now feeding next to my decoys. And this just added to the realism of my set up. As I was watched the single tom directly in front of me strut and come in, at the corner of my eye to my left I saw two white heads poke over the ridge. Two more toms were coming too. They were strutting and gobbling.



The two together would gobble, and then the single one in front of me would gobble. The single one in front of me was getting more aggressive. Needless to say, my heart was pounding, and I stopped calling all together. I couldn't pick up my shotgun because it was sitting to the side and would show too much movement.



The single gobbler came in really close now, about 30 yards, and this made the two pair come in faster too. The single one got spooked and moved from right to left on me, and I felt my chances slipping because that tom knew something was up.



I decided to grab my gun and shoulder it. The one single tom was gone out of my sight, but I was able to hold the shotgun, and hit the friction call a couple more times. This sealed the deal for the two pair and they moved in quickly to 15-20 yards from my decoy in full strut. There was some limbs and brush in front of me, and when they moved from left to right into the opening, I took my safety off, put the red and white bead on his red, white, and blue head, and started yelling, 'Bock, Bock, Bock' like a chicken. I wanted him to come out of strut and stretch his neck....then 'Boom.'



He went down at 15-20 yards with a good hit. He was flopping around, and the rest of the bunch took off flying the 250 yard to the opposite wood line. I looked at my watch and it was 7:15 a.m.

I'd probably watched the whole procession for 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. It was awesome, my adrenaline was pumping so hard. It was just a great feeling when everything came together. The excitement of watching the whole play come together, having to remind myself to stay calm and cool till the last minute. Just a great way to start the season and day.

I thank God and living in a free country where we can enjoy the bounty of nature.

Semper Fi,

Sonny

Von Glimpsed 1st Wild Turkey 2011

April 15-16, 2011- It's just the boys this weekend and I decided to take my son out chasing birds with me. We went by the Wilson Wal-mart and got him an exempt big game report card, but the Wilson Wal-mart had no turkey hunting supplies at all. The didn't have shells, calls, decoys, or even face nets.



We decided to check out the Rocky Mount Wal-mart. Surely they'd have a better selection than the Wilson location. Boy were we wrong. I end up buy some high velocity steel shot #4 3' just in case. Someone told us that the new Wal-mart in Nashville had turkey hunting supplies, so that's where we headed.



The Nashville Wal-mart was nice, not as big as I expected, but they did have turkey hunting supplies. We got a hold of the last face net, I got some mouth calls, and then we had to wait 15 minutes just to get the 20 gauge turkey loads because they were locked up. It didn't make any sense at all because they had the 12 gauge shells sitting out next to all the turkey hunting supplies, but had to lock up the 20 gauge shells. So after dropping $25, we headed back home.



On our 20 minute drive back, I tried to explain to my 12-year-old son about turkey hunting in terms that he would understand. I said, 'Son, your dad likes to play a video game that only comes around once a year in a short time period. And the special part about this game is that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. We just don't know until we get out there.' Then it was like a light bulb pop up above his head, he smiled, and just got it. He seemed genuinely excited about going now.



It was getting late and 4:00 a.m. comes early. Once home, I got out the pop-up blind and checked everything to make sure that it would go up O.K. Of course I had to fix it here and there. Then I got all of our gear ready, clothes, food, pack, guns, ammo, Thermo-Cell, everything. I was hoping to see Von get his first bird and be able to video tape it. It would be so exciting to be able to do something like that. I put Von to bed by 11:00 p.m., but I didn't get to bed till 12:00 a.m. I took some time and listened to the CD that came with the mouth calls.



It was another restless night before a hunt. I tossed and turned, and then the buzzer went off at 4:00 a.m. Climbing out of bed like a tired zombie I went into the kitchen and made some coffee.

I got my clothes on, and toasted some bagels. I woke up Von and gave him my spare camo to wear. With sandwiches in our backpack, drinks, and apples, we went into the garage to put our boots on.



I accidentally stepped on and flattened Von's bagel. We laughed about it, it was wrapped up in a napkin and was still good, so I ate it and gave him mine. I think Von was pretty excited as well because he didn't get an hour nap on our ride to the land as I thought he would.

The forecast wasn't the best, but at least it wasn't raining. I'd brought rain gear for both of us just in case. Once there, we drove directly to the corner of the field and set up our blind. It makes it easier when you have the lights from the truck to work with.



After setting everything up, Von got inside and sat in the chair. I drove the truck to a hiding spot in the woods. It was 5:40 a.m., and still dark.

We got settled in and Von slept in the chair. I folded up one of the rain jackets and he used it as a pillow. Our decoys were just 15 yards in front of us. At 6:00 a.m. I started to call loudly with the mouth call, then the box call, then the friction call, and finally the slate call.



I waited, watch the sun come up, and listen to the world come alive and abuzz. Leaves were in the trees, the smell of flowers were in the air, and the birds were singing.

Then I'd call again. I sounded off at 6:15 a.m. and then 6:30 a.m. We would wait and listen......nothing. There was no gobbling at all, the toms had gone silent.



Von was getting restless, so I said we would stay here just a little longer, then move into the woods near the creek. 7:00 a.m. rolled around, then 7:30 a.m., and finally 7:45 a.m. Nothing answering, and the wind was picking up. We decided it's time to give up the field and head into the woods.



We packed our things and headed back to the truck. At the truck, we left our chairs, and drank some water. My next plan was to set up the blind down by the creek. As we walked down hill towards the creek, I could see where the wooden bridge was now replaced with a concrete bridge. We set up on an opening just to the right of the bridge.



We couldn't put our decoys out as far, so they were now around 10 yards away. Settling in and kneeling down, I started calling around 8:00 a.m. Nothing. I called again around 8:10 a.m., nothing.

Von and I sat in the blind, and I told him, 'I don't care if we see a turkey or not, I'm just happy that we're spending father and son time together.' He said, 'Thanks dad, I'm having a good time.'



Then around 8:15 a.m. I'm looking across the creek and a young Jake comes running in. I think he saw our decoys, but I also think he saw me move inside the blind because I was so excited. I got Von up and looking out of the blind, then handed him the shotgun.



Von had it on his shoulder and was looking intensely, and I wasn't sure if he could make out the turkey or not. Then I wispered, 'There, he's moving, can you see him?' Von replied, 'Yeah, I see him.' The Jake move off cautiously and deliberately away from us. He was across the creek about 30 to 35 yards away. I wanted Von to take a good close shot, around 25 yards or closer, so told him to wait, and we'll be patient, letting the young bird muster enough courage to come in a little bit closer towards our decoys.



Von was using 3' #5 and a Rossi youth model 20 gauge with a modified choke. I wasn't too sure if it would have reached out that far and figured he would have had better chances if the bird was real close.



Well nothing happened for a good long while. I continued to call, but the bird was spooked and did not return. Regardless, the wind was picking up now, and Von got to see his first live wild turkey, and had just about had enough of sitting in the blind. I asked him how did his first wild turkey look? Von replied, 'Delicious. If we would have gotten him.'



We got out of our blind, packed up, and hiked back to the truck by 9:00 a.m. Now sure we should have, and could have stayed out there till 12:00 p.m., when the hens will be on their nest and the lonely gobblers are prowling around for a little more action, but I didn't want to push things to hard. I wanted this to be a good and enjoyable experience for him, so we packed up and called in the day.



I pulled the tail gate down, and we ate our sandwiches, apples, and drank some water.

I still considered it a great day. We came, we called, we saw, and we enjoyed the morning. What else could a father ask for?

We were on the road by 9:30 a.m. and heading back to Wilson. I've got a passion for turkey hunting and want to expose my kids to it. I can only hope that they will enjoy the sport as much as I do, and know patience is a virtue when dealing with kids and birds.



Later that day around 4:30 p.m., Wilson, NC was hit by a tornado. I don't think there were any fatalities in Wilson, but heard on the news that NC had 24 fatalities.

Its quality time with the people we care about that makes everything worth while. Von and I thank our lucky stars that a twister didn't hit us, and will have a chance to go chase birds again some other day.

Sarah's 1st Deer 2011

Nov. 5, 2011 (Sarah’s 1st Deer)

I found a new route to our hunting grounds; it only takes us 37 minutes to get there now. Sarah, my 10-year old daughter, was asleep listening to NPR on the way there. We got to the land by 4:00 p.m., the weather was beautiful..cool and in the 50's. We had a slight breeze, and all the colors in the trees had changed, lots of fiery red/orange, yellows, and deep reds....just an fantastic change in the season.

We got our clothes on at the hunting grounds, Sarah wore some insulated ski pants, a long sleeve, her new camo sweater with pink piping, gloves, a harness, and a orange toboggan.

I carried her shotgun for her because it was heavy. We had to walk to the stand for about 10-15 minutes. We also had to cross a little creek, so she got on my back and I carried her across so she didn't get her feet wet, the creek was only 5' wide.

Once we got to the site, I set out some deer scent, estrus, about 50 yards in front of us. We were hunting a hard wood bottom with lots of birch trees surrounding us.

Sarah climbed up the 15' ladder stand. This stand is very stable and safe with a rail that goes 360 degree around us. It has a bench seat wide enough for two large adults.

Sarah wore a 5-point harness and was securely tied to the tree with a heavy duty strap. I had put a mesh screen all around the front to help hide movement a couple of days earlier too.

We sat and watched the tops of the trees sway in the wind, all the little leaves fluttering every now and then. The clean fresh air was refreshing, and it was nice and peaceful in the woods. We sat there side by side, my arms around her, and her head resting on my shoulder, real father and daughter time. We talked in soft whispers. I kissed her head often and told her how much I loved her.

This time I bought a cushioned pad so her but wouldn't hurt, and this was our second time in the woods together. It took practice for her not to move around too much, but being up high allowed us to see deer, keep our scent off the ground, and move a little without spooking game.
I was thinking, I'm glad that she took interest in hunting because our youth are the future of the sport.

Every now and then we would see a squirrel running across the ground. I told her to keep her ears open and listen for any rustling in the leaves. A deer will have a steady sound, shush, pause, shush, pause, shush...but a squirrel would be nonstop..shush shush shush shush, rustle...cackle squirrel bark...ack, ack, ack.

Sarah would doze off just a little, and it was a good sleep with the tree rocking ever so slightly back and forth. Sarah had her head down playing with her gloves when a huge hawk flew past us from behind just 5' from our heads and landed on a branch just 40 yards in front of us. It entertained us a little as we tried to get a good look at it through the branches.

Prime time was on us, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and I could tell that she was getting bored and a little impatient. I reassured her that the deer would come, but they don't move until it's almost dark.

Sure enough at 6:30 p.m., we see something 60-70 yards in front of us, walking towards us. It's a deer I whispered in her ear. She whispered back I don't see it.....pause, 'Oh now I see it.'

I got her shotgun up and put it on the rail, and said softly, I'll tell you when to shoot O.K., she whispered O.K. I spoke to her before about how to aim the shotgun, the red dot and white dot have to be together, and put both dots on the deer right above the front shoulder, and wait until the deer turns sideways.

It seemed like forever, but that little doe came in and stood facing us with her head down eating. I whispered wait, wait, wait, wait. I could tell that she was getting nervous, her check pressed down against the stock, eye in a squint, shotgun pointed at the deer. Sarah's breathing was getting heavy.

After about 30 seconds, the doe finally turned broadside to us and started to walk just a little. This was the perfect angle, and I gently took the safety off the shotgun for her, and said, O.K., I want you to shoot on a count of three. She nodded her head without looking up.

One, two, three....BOOM! The doe went down immediately, and I put the gun on safe again. Sarah was ecstatic...'I got it! I got it!' she screamed. She was shaking and trembling from excitement. 'That was awesome!'

I told her she did a great job and that I'm very proud of her and we high fived. I said, Thank God baby I wasn't sure if you were going to shoot, but you did it. 'Fantastic!' I asked her was that exciting...and with a grin from ear to ear she said, 'Yep, sure was!'

We unhooked from the tree and climbed down. It was a pretty small deer, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that my daughter got her 1st one, broke the ice, and had a fantastic time with her dad in the deer woods. We said a little prayer of thanks, we hi fived, and got ready to get out of the woods. Sarah was pumped.

After we got the deer in the truck we headed to the local gas station to get a refreshing drink. Lots of pickup trucks, with young and old men wearing orange baseball hats hanging around. I paid for our drinks and mentioned to the clerk, 'My daughter got her first deer today.' That's great, good job the man replied as he looked at Sarah and handed me my change.

When we got to the house, I broke out my wallet and pulled out Sarah big game report card and called the number. I let Sarah answer the automated questions, and then she wrote down the numbers for her tag.

Now she didn't kill the kind of deer that would grace the cover of a magazine, or get wows and aah's of most hunters, but it was a beautiful day....and it was a great day for father and daughter time.

I told her next time, we will wait and we'll get something with horns. Sarah was excited about that prospect and said she'll be ready to go again. 'Hanging out with dad is cool,' she said, and that put a smile on my face.

Coyote have made a significant impact on the fawns and other small game
around the property.  It is important to control them.

Mature coyote taken in Franklin County, NC.

Coyote weighing in close to 30 lbs. and measuring 44" long.

1952 Marlin 30-30 vs. Wile E. Coyote

I'd been keeping up with what people have been talking about on the site. Does scent work? Does rattling work? Do doe bleats work? Does a grunt call work? Well everything works at least once, but I've put out scent at least 10 times and have not had deer interested in it. Deer did respond to calling & 'soft' rattling, and so did this 29 lb. 11 oz. coyote.

Have you ever been busted by deer, while climbing a tree in pitch darkness? Well that's what happened to me at 5:00 a.m....deer in the woods just 100 yards downwind blowing, whoosh, whoosh, and whoosh.

I had to pick the loudest noisiest loblolly pine in the world...and the night was dead quiet (sound travelled for miles). Needless to say I was staying and climbing, too late now.

When the light started to shine on the world, I was treated to the most beautiful view...an unpicked soy bean field with early morning frost, sandwiched with hardwoods on both side.

A fine mist was rising and snaking upwards. I could see red tobacco barns on the hill tops. Rolling hills with green grass and the field was perfect, secluded from the road and measured 350 yards long and 250 yards wide. A rooster crowed and cows were mooing in the distance.

I had this feeling in my stomach, today is the day 'big daddy' will show up. My eyes played tricks on me as I thought clumps of grass were deer laying directly in the soy beans as it became light.

I decide to grunt, soft rattle, and turn the doe bleat can a couple of times. Right at 6:45 a.m., through the brush I could see movement, it was a lone deer, but I still couldn't make out if it were a doe or buck.

It made a bee-line to me, and it was a buck! But not the one I was hoping for, it was a large cow horn. He passed directly beneath my tree and walked slowly into the hardwoods. My ticker was going now (I had the crosshairs on him).....I was thinking, big boys gotta be close behind. Cow horn came in to investigate the fight sounds.

I waited a while before calling again around 7:30 a.m. Out in the distance I could see something moving FAST through the soy bean like a shark through shallow water. At first I thought it was just a fox, but then realized it was a big coyote.

It never stopped, but turned towards me, and got in the only section of my view that had brush in it. I could still see it moving, but didn't have a shot. Then it stopped and started moving away on the trail that the cow horn came in on.

I though my chances were gone and didn't have anything to lose, so I pulled out that doe bleat can and turned it over twice quickly.

The coyote stopped in its tracks and headed back towards me, but I still had brush in the way and it was moving at a steady pace.

Finally there was hole in the brush the size of a watermelon and amazingly it stopped for just an instant....long enough for me to put the crosshairs on.....and 'BAM'!

That thing took off like a rocket about 25 yards and circled back into the hardwoods. Then two seconds later, I heard the familiar sound of the death rattle in dry leaves.

I looked at my watch and it said 7:45 a.m. and my wrist was shaking. I had gotten access to this new land because the land owner said take out every coyote I see. They have horses, goats, cats, dogs, and small children around.

O.K., so Mr. Big Buck didn't show up...but 1st thing this morning I was at Pat Nicholson's, my taxidermist, and I'm getting a beautiful pelt back in 4-months.

Coyote was shot at 12-yards with a 1952 Marlin 336RC 30-30, topped with a Nikon BDC scope...a fine tack driving combo. (custom trigger job at 2 lb., I might add)

When A Miss Is A Good Thing

Oct. 1, 2011- Good marksmanship is essential to being a successful hunter. But there are times when a miss is a good thing, and can be just as satisfying as getting one. It is a humbling experience, but at least we all come back with a good story to tell. There is value in all wildlife encounters, and here is my story.

We all have very busy lives, and have to make a sincere effort to get our little bit of time in the woods. I decided to cook for my friend and his family in return for allowing me to get a little time in stand on his property. Having a personal chef whip up something delicious in the kitchen wins lots of points…trust me, it’s a fact. I love making a good meal and seeing friends enjoy it.

I dropped off my kids to play with his, and told his wife I’d be in just after dark. My friend had gone to an NCSU football game and would be back around the same time in the evening. This would give me a couple of hours to hunt. He also told me that he saw a nice buck in the front field.

The property he has is beautiful. A soy bean field 300 yards wide with a pond to the South. The field is sandwiched by hardwoods on both sides, East and West. In the middle was a small island of hardwoods and that’s exactly where I planned to climb a tree.

I got dressed at the truck, sprayed down thoroughly with no scent, strapped on my Summit climber, and grabbed my trusty old Kodiak Magnum with two home-made wood arrows.

I carefully walked around to the East side of the wooded island and found a way in. I climbed up an ash tree that was crooked at the bottom. I put out some scent and settled in.

It had rained Friday night, and the weather had cooled off significantly. There was a good breeze and that kept the mosquitoes at bay so I didn’t have to use the Thermacell. It is a great product, but I do believe deer can smell it.

There was a little creek that ran down into the pond. It went right through the little wooded island. I didn't see any deer signs, but it just looked like a place that they could enter quietly and not be noticed. This was a perfect staging areas for them to wait until it got dark.

Every now and then I would blow the grunt call. I made calls from a young buck, and then the doe. I had to take my shooting glove off to press down on the soft plastic of the call. I blew at 5:30 p.m., and then again at 6:00 p.m.

By 6:25 p.m., I saw deer moving in the field. There were too many leaves on the trees for me to see out far, so it was going to have to be very close shot. There were a couple of holes in the foliage for me to shoot through if a deer were to walk around the island.

Three does and one cow horned buck that came right in. The buck stopped at around 25 yards and I took a shot. I didn't concentrate well and didn't have my foot positioning right. The bow was so quiet that it did not spook the deer at all. He jumped, but didn't go far.

I could still see him, and his body was exposed. A limb was blocking his eyesight so he couldn't see me. I loaded up another arrow, and drew…taking careful aim this time. Again I missed, and the bow still didn't spook these deer. They came in cautiously, but it was “game over” for me….all I could do was enjoy the show.

The buck had not a care in the world and started to thrash a small bush 10 yards in front of me, and then a big doe walked right underneath me. They did not go to the scent I had set out, and they did not notice my dropped plastic bag with a scent bottle in it.

Two other does stayed in the path around the island, and the second doe looked up and saw me. She knew something wasn't right, didn't blow, but just took off trotting away.

Wow what an adrenaline rush! To be that close to deer, and have eight eyes right beneath me. It was an awesome end to the day, but no deer.

That's fine with me because I didn’t have to drag a deer out of the woods, clean it that night, and probably didn’t spook off the big one. I still had plenty of sunshine left to scout around.

I made an awesome dinner for my friend that evening, had time to play with the kids, and was able to share my story. Hopefully that big buck will still be around when rifle season is in, and hopefully I will be telling you a different story then.

Hind sight being 20/20, I should have waited a little longer and those deer would have been 10 yards closer, but I have no problems with missing deer with the bow, because sometimes a miss is a good thing.

17.5" outside spread.  Buck measured 52" long, and 42" tall from ground to back.

This is a decent 8-point buck for the areas I hunt.  We can only hunt the potential
in our areas, and if a 100 class is the best...then it is what it is.

150 gr. Federal 30-30 round taken from buck.

1952 Marlin 30-30 vs. Old Buck

Caught this buck half-stepping Saturday evening, and dropped him in his tracks with a neck shot at 84 yards. Thanks to the man above for giving the opportunity.

2011 Recurve Bow Hunting (Bear Kodiak Magnum 1968-1970

Steel Force 125 grain broad head, Port Orford Cedar Shaft.

1968-1972 Bear Kodiak Magnum 50-55 lb. recurve bow.

Everything Old is New Again (In 10 year Cycles)

I’ve been around for about 43 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is fashions and trends never die, they just get recycled every 10 years. I call it the, “Everything old will be new again theory.” So goes my first hunt, first shot, and first deer of the 2011 North Carolina season.


This was my first time in the deer woods and I dusted off my early 1970’s Bear Kodiak Magnum 55 lb. glass powered recurve. I had made two nice wooden arrows tipped with 125 grain Steel Force glue on broad heads. These wooden arrows are heavy and weigh approximately 600 grains each. Arrows were dressed out in NCSU colors, so go Wolf Pack.


The weather had cooled down significantly that Saturday afternoon. Last Thursday the high was up in the 90’s, and Friday morning I drove to work through a brisk 57 F! It had been raining, and the clouds had rolled in threatening showers for the day.


I had not been scouting, but knew this little bottle neck in the woods that was a perfect spot to set up in. I was excited and looked forward to just spending some relaxing time and self reflecting in the woods. Things had been hectic lately, and hunting is cheaper and more therapeutic than a $200/hr shrink.


We bow hunters are a ritualistic bunch and have our own little routines. We dress outside, wash our clothes in no scent detergent, and shower with no scent soap. We do everything that it takes to reduce our scent signatures. Yet with all the meticulous steps and planning, I always forget something. This time it was my shooting glove, so now I had to shoot with bare fingers.


I put out a scent wick with some 2-drop supreme a little upwind from the area I was hunting, and then I climbed up a nice straight young pine about 12-14 feet. I didn’t want to get too high because of all the leaves and branches, and the recurve was limited on range.


A beautiful red fox ran by just 30-yard directly in front of me after a mere 30 minutes of sitting. It was beautiful, with red fur on its sides, dark gray fur in the middle, and the tail was tipped with black. The wind was picking up, and it was nice and cool. I remember I did not break in sweat at all walking the 200 yards in, and knew this was going to be a good day.


Time slowly ticked by as I sat motionless, scanning the woods for movement with my eyes going from left to right. A squirrel feeding at eye level just 15 yard in front of me kept me entertained.


That little bushy tail would stand on its hind legs and grab berries and eat. Then it would hang upside down like a monkey and eat. It is funny how one passes the time watching the littlest things when you’re in the woods. I was surprised that the squirrels were not on the ground looking for food, but would rather gather something to eat up in the trees.


By 5:30 p.m. I heard my 1st buzz of a mosquito the size of a cricket. I quickly turned on my ThermaCell, and all is good with the world again. The wind must have died down a little as well.


It was now 6:30 p.m., and I saw movement directly in front of me just 40-50 yards away. It was a buck moving from right to left on a trail in front of me. He disappeared into the thick woods, and I slowly got into the standing position…waiting for him to show up again.


Then from the left corner of my eye I saw movement. There were two does walking, stopping, and feeding up a path that was to my left. They moved at a normal pace and had no idea they were being watched. Sunlight was starting to leave me fast, and I wanted to wait for that buck to come back, but hunting with the recurve is a game of opportunity. So, I had an opportunity to harvest a doe, and that’s exactly the decision I made.


The two does were walking from left to right, and when the bigger one paused long enough in an opening. I was able take a deep breath and draw my bow. She had turned completely broadside to me.


Replays of past failures flashed through my mind. I had missed on a nice doe at 15-yards last year because I thought she was out farther and aimed high. The arrow sailed over her back. Everything looks different when you’re up in a tree above 12 feet.

I kept saying BRASS in my mind, Breath, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze, just replace squeeze with smooth finger release.


I could see the arrow flying straight towards the two deer, and it looked like a good clean shot. The two does bolted in opposite directions. Looking down at my watch, it was 6:45 p.m. As always, I thought I had missed. When I got down on the ground to where the two deer where, I couldn’t find my arrow and thought it might had just buried deep in the ground. The ground was wet from all the rain.


For some reason I decided to walk and look for my arrow in the direction the larger doe ran. I didn’t find my arrow, but did find her lying on the ground just 35-40 yards from where she was shot. I was so happy, and looked up and thanked God. Taking anything with the recurve is a gift.


The entry wound was slightly above her right front shoulder, and the exit wound was well behind the opposite rib cage. When I looked at her closely it did seem like I got both lungs and grazed the heart. I’m guessing my arrow travelled around 175 to 190 fps, and she probably jumped the string a little, this was why she was hit quartering to and not a 100% broadside.


I was able to pace out the distance from where she was shot and it came out to be 23 yards. It was getting dark and I got out of the woods by 7:00 p.m.


The next morning I went out and found my arrow. It was intact and laying on the ground just 15 yards from the point of impact. It didn’t have much blood on it, but then I did remember putting about 8-12 layers of clear coat on it. No liquid would ever stick to those arrows. It must have stayed in and got pulled out as she ran.


I’d had that old Bear bow for about 10 years and have killed a couple of deer with it. It’s probably older than me. I did notice how the popularity of traditional archery is making a comeback. I’d often wondered if that bow could talk what stories would it tell, would it say to me “Everything old is new again. Although an archer may shoot a million times, every shot is a new beginning.” I don’t know, I just know that I’m very happy with my 1st hunt, 1st shot, and 1st deer of the 2011 season.