To preface this story I will say that before this bow season I only hunted with rifles, and only when I could get an invite or fly out to my uncle's place in GA. I am in no way a trophy hunter and have only taken does and spikes in the past. I am very grateful for the 1 or 2 times a year I get to go and could have never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be a part of the experience described below.
A friend of mine owns a 105 acre unfenced, unmanaged ranch out in the hill country by Harper. He and another buddy of mine had invited me to come out bow hunting with them. The only problem was that I did not own a bow. So I bought one in September -- a Diamond Razor Edge bc that is the only one I could find that would dial low enough the bowfish (I bass fish a lot and thought it would be sweet to start bowfishing), but also dial up to kill a deer. I kinda caught some snickering here and there until I showed that after one afternoon of practicing, I could outshoot them from 20-40 yards.
Well, the time came to go hunting and I took a half day from work, got out there that Friday the 9th and sat in the stand from 5:30 to dark. Saw some does come in and a small 8pt, so I practiced drawing on them to see if I could do it without being made. I did, but kept getting to frazzled I decided not to shoot that evening, but I was just amazed at the amount of deer out there. Later on we checked out the 1,998 pictures collected from my friend's trailcam and there were just tons of does, bucks, cows, hogs, etc coming in to that feeder -- including one 10-point that we named Big Daddy Kane. The last date he showed on the cam was a week before we were out there and he had made only 1 visit. I was just out there for a doe or a spike (or two) and no way I thought I would see anything like that. I was wrong.
I got in the 12' tripod stand the morning of 10/10/09 around 6:45am I believe. Well before dark. Within 5 minutes of sitting in silence, 2 does moved in and very loudly chomped on some corn left over from the night before. The feeder went off at 7:45am and like clockwork a herd of 6 does came running in -- followed by a NICE 8-point! Heart started racing as they moved in and I waited for a good 5 minutes before I even moved. I kept watching their surveillance motions and there just was never a time there wasn't at least two of them looking around. But I went for it. Drew on the 8, caught the attention of a doe right in front of me, aimed at the 8, and they were gone within 2 beats of my adrenaline-filled heart. I was a little embarrassed, but looking back, it worked out for the better.
Shortly after 2 separate groups of doe moved in -- 2 groups of 3, one of which was a mature doe, but had two yearlings with her. I sat there and watched them eat for a good 30 minutes before they finally moved on. At this point it was about 8:45am and I had the bubble guts and had to get down from the stand to lay some wolf bait, asap. I unknocked my arrow, and just as I started to climb down, I heard something headed my way, toward the feeder, from my right. All I could see was horns.
When he came out, he was coming from my right, and I first spotted him through a tree on the right of my bow sight (second pic). I thought, "holy S that might be him!" And then I thought "hey dumbass, you better put that arrow back on!" As I fumbled with that he came out in to plain view and that is when my heart started going and he could actually hear the stand shaking -- yes I had to lean forward to prevent my jacket from rapping on the back of the chair. That is when he stomped the ground and looked straight up at me for at least a few seconds and took off running… but only for a couple steps. He really wanted that corn and made his way for the trees, this time going up past that cactus, and when he went by the second tree there shaped like a Y, I drew while he was walking away from me (second pic). He turned broadside toward the feeder to the left and I took the shot using the red dot while he was still walking (very slowly). He went straight down and I had to put a second shot in him. I made my peace with him and I could barely talk for about an hour afterward and my pulse didn’t slow for at least that long!
The whole series of events took some time to even sink in and afterward I have discovered an even greater appreciation for nature, wildlife, and life itself.
Picking the euro mount up from Trey at Texas Wild Wood (see avatar) today, but once I get it back I will get an official score. For now I am keeping my fingers crossed he clears 125 so I can get in the P&Y books to complete the incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.
A friend of mine owns a 105 acre unfenced, unmanaged ranch out in the hill country by Harper. He and another buddy of mine had invited me to come out bow hunting with them. The only problem was that I did not own a bow. So I bought one in September -- a Diamond Razor Edge bc that is the only one I could find that would dial low enough the bowfish (I bass fish a lot and thought it would be sweet to start bowfishing), but also dial up to kill a deer. I kinda caught some snickering here and there until I showed that after one afternoon of practicing, I could outshoot them from 20-40 yards.
Well, the time came to go hunting and I took a half day from work, got out there that Friday the 9th and sat in the stand from 5:30 to dark. Saw some does come in and a small 8pt, so I practiced drawing on them to see if I could do it without being made. I did, but kept getting to frazzled I decided not to shoot that evening, but I was just amazed at the amount of deer out there. Later on we checked out the 1,998 pictures collected from my friend's trailcam and there were just tons of does, bucks, cows, hogs, etc coming in to that feeder -- including one 10-point that we named Big Daddy Kane. The last date he showed on the cam was a week before we were out there and he had made only 1 visit. I was just out there for a doe or a spike (or two) and no way I thought I would see anything like that. I was wrong.
I got in the 12' tripod stand the morning of 10/10/09 around 6:45am I believe. Well before dark. Within 5 minutes of sitting in silence, 2 does moved in and very loudly chomped on some corn left over from the night before. The feeder went off at 7:45am and like clockwork a herd of 6 does came running in -- followed by a NICE 8-point! Heart started racing as they moved in and I waited for a good 5 minutes before I even moved. I kept watching their surveillance motions and there just was never a time there wasn't at least two of them looking around. But I went for it. Drew on the 8, caught the attention of a doe right in front of me, aimed at the 8, and they were gone within 2 beats of my adrenaline-filled heart. I was a little embarrassed, but looking back, it worked out for the better.
Shortly after 2 separate groups of doe moved in -- 2 groups of 3, one of which was a mature doe, but had two yearlings with her. I sat there and watched them eat for a good 30 minutes before they finally moved on. At this point it was about 8:45am and I had the bubble guts and had to get down from the stand to lay some wolf bait, asap. I unknocked my arrow, and just as I started to climb down, I heard something headed my way, toward the feeder, from my right. All I could see was horns.
When he came out, he was coming from my right, and I first spotted him through a tree on the right of my bow sight (second pic). I thought, "holy S that might be him!" And then I thought "hey dumbass, you better put that arrow back on!" As I fumbled with that he came out in to plain view and that is when my heart started going and he could actually hear the stand shaking -- yes I had to lean forward to prevent my jacket from rapping on the back of the chair. That is when he stomped the ground and looked straight up at me for at least a few seconds and took off running… but only for a couple steps. He really wanted that corn and made his way for the trees, this time going up past that cactus, and when he went by the second tree there shaped like a Y, I drew while he was walking away from me (second pic). He turned broadside toward the feeder to the left and I took the shot using the red dot while he was still walking (very slowly). He went straight down and I had to put a second shot in him. I made my peace with him and I could barely talk for about an hour afterward and my pulse didn’t slow for at least that long!
The whole series of events took some time to even sink in and afterward I have discovered an even greater appreciation for nature, wildlife, and life itself.
Picking the euro mount up from Trey at Texas Wild Wood (see avatar) today, but once I get it back I will get an official score. For now I am keeping my fingers crossed he clears 125 so I can get in the P&Y books to complete the incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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