Bowhunting...

[axisbuck24]

I would like to know how you acquired the passion for bowhunting, how long have you been bowhunting and what do you find most rewarding?

[Walking_Eagle]

My real bowhunting started in Rhode Island in 1960, where I based in the US Navy.
The reason being, it was the only method to legally hunt deer at that time.
I have bowhunted 50 years.
What I find most rewarding is the satisfaction of taking an animal at a very close distance (ie: 15 yards or less).
The other is to share my knowledge of bowhunting with new bowhunters.

[Tomme]

I, like I think many others, took up bowhunting because it allowed me an extra 31 days in the woods. Note this was in the mid 1970s when the archery season ran the first of October through the 31st. I was working at Ft Hood and that year I fell in with a group of crazy guys from the Dallas Ft. Worth area. I hunted with them for years and somewhere along the line I gave up rifle hunting. Just wasn't as big a thrill. I guess also somewhere along the lines I discovered day leases: the Escondido, the Lincoln, the C ranch, the Truelove and the Martinina were some fo the early ones. With those you could still see game in late December, long after everything had been shot on the rifle leases in Central Texas.

I have to say that on the rewarding side, the 20 or so years of hunting with my buddy Jay Fulton (especially in S Texas) and also seeing my son Jonathan become a bowhunter. I'd also have to say that working through the years with LSBA have been some of the most rewarding (and also some of the most frustrating) experiences of my life (but on the whole I go with the rewards). Thirty-four years a bowhunter. What a great ride.

[axisbuck24]

Keep your stories coming. I am new to bowhunting. I have only been bowhunting for four years. I still use a rifle and I am not sure that I will completely lay it down since that is a part of hunting that me and my father both share.

My family and friends introduced me to hunting. I refused to bow hunt in the beginning simply because I was afraid of not having a clean kill. After, watching my friends shoot their bows and having the opportunity to experience nature up close in the hill country, I finally decided to give bowhunting a chance.

I am so grateful that I over came my fear and acquired the passion. I still have a lot to learn.

This past season, I experience a incredible moment which would never happened if I remained in my rifle blind. I watch a young buck proudly standing in the woods and enjoying his surroundings. With every breath he took his pride could be seen as his chest grew. I could see smoke coming from his nostrils in the cold frosty morning. He stood there simply breathing in nature for about ten minutes and then he ran off.

I felt like I was watching a wildlife scene coming to life before my eyes. As I watched him enjoy his surroundings, I realized the beauty of bowhunting is taking the time to relish the outdoors.

Bowhunting has given me an opportunity to serve my community and meet some interesting individuals. I only hope that I can give back to the sport as much as it has given me in this short period of time.

[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

[axisbuck24]

Great post Bobby but you forgot to tell me what you find most rewarding....so keep typing.

[skeeter]

I started bowhunting late in life. I was 33 years old the first time I shot a compound bow. As a kid, I always went hunting and fishing with my dad. We as kids had the old green fiberglass recurves with the white rubber grip. You know, the one that could be bought at Gemco! We shot arrows straight into the air and would run, never knowing where our wood arrow would come down! But, when it came to hunting, I was a die hard rifle hunter that vowed to never shoot a bow. Why shoot a bow when a rifle was available?

Fast forward 20 years...

when my daughter started elementary school, she met a girl in her class named Sarah. Sarah lived just down the street from us. Sarah's dad, Terry, just so happened to be a hunter. We hit it off pretty well. We traded huntin stories often. Well, come to find out, Terry was a bow hunter. I guess you could say he was a fair weather bow hunter. the only reason he bow hunted was to get an extra month of hunting in. Which, that was cool. Terry talked me into shootin his bow one day. It was an old Darton. The bow was heavy, awkward and didnt fit. But I did hit the target a few times. I thought it was pretty cool.

After several shoots with Terry, I decided to get me a PSE Nova. The whole package was $188. Bow, sights, rest, release, arrows and target. I didnt want to spend a lot of money or time on a bow if I wasnt sure if I was gonna like it or even get good enough to hunt with it. I practiced for 4 months everyday before bow season. When bow season arrived, I didnt feel I was ready to shoot an animal, even though I was shootin 1" groups at 20 yds. When Thanksgiving rolled around, I felt I was ready. After gettin busted several times and missing one deer, I finally got my first bow kill! A big ol fat doe! I was hooked!

There is nothing more exciting and rewarding to me than becoming invisible to an animal. Having deer 3 or 4 steps away from you and they never know you are there. Being able to smell their breath. Hearing noises that I never knew deer made. Being able to see flies crawling on a deers back. Being close enough to reach out and grab em! What a rush!

Bow hunting created a whole new aspect or level of hunting for me. I've shot a few deer with my rifle since I started bow hunting, but to me, it feels like I'm cheatin when I take a rifle to the stand. There is no excitement, no thrill. Just deer, bang, done. What fun is that?

I just wish I would have started bow hunting 20 years ago!

[bountyhunter]

My dad bowhunted and in those days (early 60’s) it gave him extra time in the woods hunting and more of a chance to put meat on the table. Not that we ever went hungry, but every little bit helped. I guess I was 3-4 when I wanted to try and dad would help me draw and shoot his old Indian Longbow. I was hooked at that time and for Christmas, when I was 6 (1966), I got my first bow which was a fiberglass Bear longbow. You could find me most days out at the ole hay bale slinging arrow after arrow.

I didn’t get the chance to bowhunt until 1973 when I got my first hunting bow, a Bear 76er metal riser, fiberglass limbs recurve. I missed my first deer that year, my only shot that year, but there were a many rabbits that hit the dinner table because of that bow. I never knew why but I would rather hunt with the bow even when my dad, brother and I when rabbit hunting and they carried shotguns. Most days I would hold my own with them rabbit hunting. Needless to say I was hooked on bowhunting even though I never gave it much thought of why.

The next October (1974) archery only season I killed my first deer with a bow. It was purely a luck shot and one now in my aged wisdom would never take today. I had stalked up on a group of does that were eating at an old apple tree, by moving down an old fence row. Thinking I was close enough for a shot, I eased out for a look only to find that I was a good 50 yards from the deer. Worse one of the does spotted my movement and bolted, followed by the rest. Now I had gotten pretty good hitting rabbits on the run so I drew and let an arrow fly at the last doe and caught her through the midsection. The impact made her fall and she laid there about 60 yards away. This is where I learned my second important lesson by making the mistake of running over to the downed deer and I didn’t even have a second arrow ready. When I got about 10 yards from her, I was in awe when she raised her head and looked at me. Needless to say, she was soon up running. It took us over 4 hours to track her and she covered close to a mile.

I had many other bowhunting adventures between this deer and 1980 when I joined the U.S. Air Force. During the 8 years I was in the USAF I didn’t have many hunting opportunities. In 1988 I got out of the USAF and moved to Houston to take a job as a contractor for NASA. Then in 1990 a coworker asked if I bowhunted and I replied not for years. He said he wanted to learn and that his dad has some property in Bandera if I’d like to hunt with him. I might not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but I’m not stupid either so I told him yes. The only bow I had at the time was an old Bear Whitetail Hunter that I had gotten for Christmas back in the late 70’s. At the time I didn’t even have any arrows for it, but it didn’t take me long to get some and start practicing. Come October we were in Bandera for opening weekend, and Sunday I took my first Texas deer, a nice 6 pointer. I was re-hooked so to speak, really my love for bowhunting was just rekindled with opportunity. I spent the next 6 years hunting with this friend on his dad’s place in Bandera. I bought a new compound and had it rigged out with all the new bells and whistles. I took at least 1 deer each archery season in Bandera and on year I took a spike and 2 does one weekend.

This is when it started to get a little stale for me. It seemed the challenge and enjoyment wasn’t there like had been in my youth, in other words the rush was gone. Sure there was some of a rush on every deer I took, but nothing like back in my teens. So I decided to go back to my roots, go back to the way it was in my earlier simpler years of bowhunting, go back to traditional archery and hunting. It took a bit to save up for my first custom longbow, but man was I ever glad I did. I also made a switch from hunting in Bandera to hunting public land in the Sam Houston National Forest. Going back to traditional and hunting public land sure did put a new twist back in to bowhunting. It took me three years before, I even got a shot, and then I blew the shot mainly due to the rush I had. Heck I don’t think I could have hit the broadside of a battleship. This was what I had been looking for, the thrill was back and I never looked back to those compound days. Sure I still have a compound and there are a few times when I knock off the dust and shoot or hunt with it, but they are very few and very far in between.

Why do I still bowhunt and why is it my preferred method with muzzleloaders being a distance second? To tell you the truth I cannot pinpoint a single reason. I know I get far more enjoyment and satisfaction from every bowhunt, whether or not I take an animal. It is like I’m at peace with nature and myself and this is what I should be doing, what I am meant to be doing. Words cannot properly express what I feel each and every day that I am lucky enough to spend in the woods, bow in hand.

[peon]

I started bowhunting while Duck hunting. I grew up in the Texas Panhandle and went mule deer hunting on the Texas/New Mexico border with my Dad and brothers with rifles. I don't believe I ever saw a whitetail until I was 23 or so. We took a trip to San Angelo and to me it was like fish in a barrel.

Didn't hunt much again until I was around 30, was starting a family, new job, new town, no money and no place to hunt. Then moved to Grayson County and started waterfowling around Texoma and Roberts. I had alot of fun and success with duck hunting, one day while we were leaving the lake we ran into a guy that was just getting out there. We told him he was too late the ducks have quit flying. He said he was out there to deer hunt. I said, "Out here? are there any deer out here?". He told a a couple of stories which we took in hook, line, and sinker. As we continued to leave we started looking for deer. We saw 2 doe bedded down on our way out that day. The next day I went and bought my first bow. Practiced for about a month and still not having a clue went hunting for the first time with my bow. I climbed a tree and sat there waiting. Heard a noise and a doe popped out. Heart was pounding, I had never been that close to a deer. About 15 minutes later a buck followed behind. It was the biggest 10 pt I had ever seen. I did like the hunting shows and made a grunt sound and whistled. No luck, he kept on going from right under me. Even though I didn't take a shot I was hooked. The next year opening day I took a mature doe and that permanately seal the deal for me. I've taken my kids gun hunting but I haven't been since.

Most rewarding, just the thrill of being able to out smart the animal and have the oppourtunity. On a side note it also prompted me to start volunteer teaching archery at my kids school. We have since had 2 time state champion and State runner-up teams at the State NASP tournament. So archery has been very rewarding to me.

[BOBSTER]

Originally Posted by axisbuck24

Great post Bobby but you forgot to tell me what you find most rewarding....so keep typing.

OK, now that I was albe to get some sleep.

Most rewarding? I would have to say that being out with nature, god and all of his creations. Setting there when an animal, any type of animal or bird walks within spitting distance of you and never knows you are there. Seeing things on the animals that you would not be able to see unless you were using binoculars. While you are sitting on the ground a rabbit comes and sits next to you, when the small birds sits on your arrow, and then when the tree rat circles all around you while you are sitting in the tree and he is trying to figure you out. That is what is most rewarding to me. Then is also helps if I am able to kill something. Bob

[bountyhunter]

Bob you hit the nail square on the head! Just being there during the birth of a new day, the smells, sounds and sights is reward enough. Making a kill is like the cherry on top of a chocolate sundae.

[axisbuck24]

Originally Posted by BOBSTER

OK, now that I was albe to get some sleep.

Most rewarding? I would have to say that being out with nature, god and all of his creations. Setting there when an animal, any type of animal or bird walks within spitting distance of you and never knows you are there. Seeing things on the animals that you would not be able to see unless you were using binoculars. While you are sitting on the ground a rabbit comes and sits next to you, when the small birds sits on your arrow, and then when the tree rat circles all around you while you are sitting in the tree and he is trying to figure you out. That is what is most rewarding to me. Then is also helps if I am able to kill something. Bob

I agree 100%. I believe that is the passion that drives us to carry our bows to the woods. Being able to get a harvest is a blessing from the man up above.



I appreciate everyone's posts. Thanks for sitting around the campfire and sharing your story. Hope to read some more post.

[skeeter]

nothin better than being in the woods or on the water when the world wakes up in the morning... gun, bow or rod!

[axisbuck24]

Originally Posted by skeeter

nothin better than being in the woods or on the water when the world wakes up in the morning... gun, bow or rod!

Yes indeed! The anticipation and excitement of opening day of archery season is starting to build.

[biggen]

Originally Posted by axisbuck24

Yes indeed! The anticipation and excitement of opening day of archery season is starting to build.

Even for gun hunters!!