Wake up 15 minutes late Friday morning, my Dad out front, pacing by his car, waiting for me to come out. Quickly grab our gear and toss it in my truck and get on the road. Hit the farm as I feel the sun begging to burst over the trees. Hump thru the shadows, up the stand, take a deep breath and relax.
As the woods comes alive around me, I keep my ears perked and ears sharp. As a left handed bow hunter I keep an eye to my right at my "kill zone". Earlier in the year I brought my practice bag out and placed it in every possible shooting path, 360 degrees, and knew which pin to use in every possible situation.
So there I sit, looking to my right, waiting... And I hear a noise, but of course to my left. There here is, head and antlers peeking out behind a tree. 15 yards to my left. Sneaky guy. He makes a right and comes directly at me. My heart is pounding. As I stare at him wondreing if I can make a 180 degree turn with out him seeing me, he pauses, turns broadside at buries his head inside a rotten stump I had coated with some Rack Stacker earlier in the year, 10 yards away. He can't see me, time to turn. As I start my swing, making it half way and nothing my release his eyes re emerge and he continues towards me. I freeze. He does as well. A second felt like an hour, he makes a sharp left turn and starts to walk away from me, out in front of me but all I can see is tail. I finish my turn, pull my bow and hope that he'll turn and I can have a clear shot. 12 yards out, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, hoping he turns before a few large trees. 18, 19, he angles right and almost completes his turn.
He is stand within five feet of a practice shot. I choose my shot placement, put my pin on target and release. Arrow flies true, hits exactly how and where I planned. He runs five yards, arrow barley visible from his side, makes a hard left and crashes into the bush. I feel confident. I expected my shot to enter on the right ribs, hit vitals and hit inside his left shoulder. I feel good. 35 minutes later, I send my Dad a test to get over, hop down and start tracking. I look for blood on the ground at the POI, it's not there. I thought, "It'll take a while to hit the ground". Looked to my right at a small sapling, blood spray from my shoulder to my waist. Follow the very red blood trail a few twists and turns, 50 yards later, there he is.
I call my Dad in and we enjoyed the moment. This is his first year hunting. We got his first turkey together this spring, his first goose as well. And he was there for my first deer. some days are just good.
As the woods comes alive around me, I keep my ears perked and ears sharp. As a left handed bow hunter I keep an eye to my right at my "kill zone". Earlier in the year I brought my practice bag out and placed it in every possible shooting path, 360 degrees, and knew which pin to use in every possible situation.
So there I sit, looking to my right, waiting... And I hear a noise, but of course to my left. There here is, head and antlers peeking out behind a tree. 15 yards to my left. Sneaky guy. He makes a right and comes directly at me. My heart is pounding. As I stare at him wondreing if I can make a 180 degree turn with out him seeing me, he pauses, turns broadside at buries his head inside a rotten stump I had coated with some Rack Stacker earlier in the year, 10 yards away. He can't see me, time to turn. As I start my swing, making it half way and nothing my release his eyes re emerge and he continues towards me. I freeze. He does as well. A second felt like an hour, he makes a sharp left turn and starts to walk away from me, out in front of me but all I can see is tail. I finish my turn, pull my bow and hope that he'll turn and I can have a clear shot. 12 yards out, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, hoping he turns before a few large trees. 18, 19, he angles right and almost completes his turn.
He is stand within five feet of a practice shot. I choose my shot placement, put my pin on target and release. Arrow flies true, hits exactly how and where I planned. He runs five yards, arrow barley visible from his side, makes a hard left and crashes into the bush. I feel confident. I expected my shot to enter on the right ribs, hit vitals and hit inside his left shoulder. I feel good. 35 minutes later, I send my Dad a test to get over, hop down and start tracking. I look for blood on the ground at the POI, it's not there. I thought, "It'll take a while to hit the ground". Looked to my right at a small sapling, blood spray from my shoulder to my waist. Follow the very red blood trail a few twists and turns, 50 yards later, there he is.
I call my Dad in and we enjoyed the moment. This is his first year hunting. We got his first turkey together this spring, his first goose as well. And he was there for my first deer. some days are just good.
