[BOBSTER]

I started shooting a bow at around 5 years old. My oldest brother Ed (Frontloader) got me and my brother each a fiberglass bear bow for Christmas. We had no idea what was in the long and skinny box leaning against the wall. That is when I first started shooting a bow. I never put it down. I gave birds and rabbits and anything else that moved a hard time. As I grew up, all my older brothers bowhunted some. I remember my brother Dan coming back from Aransas Wildlife Refuge with a hog that he killed with his bow. I thought that was the greatest thing that could ever happen. I started getting into their archery gear and getting their old bear broadheads and gluing them onto my arrows. I was going to kill me a hog with my bear bow. Well you would not believe that I was still playing with that bow until I was 11 years old. I figured if I was really going to kill a pig, I needed something better than my little bow. Was looking at a nice recurve, when Ed told me I needed to get one of those new bows that have wheels on it. I had never even seen such thing, but he showed me one in the Bowhunter magazine and said that it would be better than the recurve. I ordered my Jennings Sidekick set at 50 lbs, and 30 inches, When it arrived, I could not even pull it back. Ed told me to try sevral times a day and that I would have it in no time. Ed got me some new fiberglass arrows to go with it and I got some more of those Bear Broadheads. I did a lot of shooting, and was ready to hunt. I was shooting with no sights, and fingers. Well, after missing a couple deer the first year, I was going to be ready for the next. Now mind you, this is 1975 and I am now 12 years old, but almost 13. We all went to the lease on the opening of archery season, and I was off to go sit at my dads stand. He said good luck to me, but also mentioned that he was glad that we were not having to depend on me for supper. I walked up to the stand, tripped the feeder on, and climbed into the tripod. It wasn't 5 minutes when a spike walked right up to the feeder. I picked a spot, aimed and let loose the arrow and hit him through the hips. Man was I happy I hit him, but really disappointed of where. I walked out, went back to camp, and everyone was wanting to know why I was back so soon. I let them know that I just shot a spike and came back for help to track it. Everyone thought I was kiddin, but finally realized that I was telling the truth, and we loaded up to go get my deer. There was a blood trail that anyone could follow, I had hit him in the main arthery and he bleed out within 50 yards. That day I was hooked on bowhunting. But like most, when rifle season came around, I would grab the rifle and make my long shots and became really good at shooting a gun. I still bowhunted every archery season, but would go back to the rifle. Then around 1994, I was after a particular buck really bad. I shot and cut some hairs on his back one time, but he never would give me another try. I would see him always, but just could not get another shot off. Finally general season came around, and I was afaird that someone else was going to kill him, so I shot him with the rifle the first time out. When I walked up to him, I could not be more dissapointed in myself than I was at that time. A really nice deer, and I could not be happy with it. I felt that the deer had beat me. The only way that I could kill him was with a gun. That was the last buck I ever shot with a rifle again. I started bowhunting the entire season from then out. I still will pick up a gun to kill some meat at times, but my heart is into bowhunting. Sorry for such a long read, but you asked. Bob