Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting One of those nights...

Had one of those nights last night. Went for my first sit of the year. I've had a goal to take a deer with my longbow for the last couple of years but between a broken arm last year and my wife and I haveing a baby the year before I just haven't gotten it done. Last night had a beautiful 140 class whitetail stroll by at about 40 yards. That was a hard pill to take as it would have been a chip shot with my old wheel bow. Then had a little doe come right under the stand and shot over top of her back. Should have waited on her as the shot was almost directly between my feet. But all in all it was a fantastic evening! Can't think of any place that I would have rather been and can't wait to get back out there. Something about those traditional bows. If it wasn't a monsoon outside right now I'd be shooting, Lord knows I need the practice!

Sometimes we hunt for the meat, sometimes for the experience. I enjoy both very much. And the reason for hunting often chooses the tool we use for us...

The buck will be back, and if its that important you'll realize it and adjust as needed. Time takes care of all the rest.

Jeff

I threw away the training wheels almost 20 years ago now. Accept the "shortcomings" of traditional and never look back. It's a higher high when it all comes together. It's the time in the woods, not the sag of the meat pole.........

I guess I'm getting old or mature or seasoned or something. Had him standing out there in the open, was at full draw and I just let the bow down and smiled. To nice of a deer to be just flinging arrows at. 20 years ago I'd of been flinging everything I could get my hands on at a deer that size! Anymore I'd just assume shoot every dink doe that walks by and leave the big bucks to the guys worried about that stuff. Unlimited doe tags make for a long and fun season where I'm hunting, I've got about enough antlers on the walls...floor....basement...etc.

Yep, figure the does eat better for us anyway. But then again I'm still on the trail of some bigger ones, but figure if it never happens, no big deal. Doesn't matter that much anymore, but i"m not at the point in my life yet to let a big one walk, but I've never risked a risky shot and let some deer go even by rifle that I just wasn't comfortable with.. including an over 200 inch muley NT that was killed a few days later.... no big deal, I'd rather not wound him, and I sleep well with those decisions.
Though as noted I'd still like to shoot a buck larger than 109 current best I have.... though inches don't really matter to me...

Whenever I get time to run the recurve again, I'll be back to that, just no time these years.

Good luck! Jeff

You missed a doe at a couple yards, just my opinion but I think you either need to practice a bit more or go back to wheels. I know that a longbow or recurve sounds nice and romantic but most people can't hit the broad side of a barn with one.

You paint with a awful wide brush........

I usually shoot pretty well with the old longbow. But I was literally shooting right between my feet in a very awkard position. Not something that I've practiced before, but I will certainly try and figure out a way to simulate it now.

Sorry if I paint with a wide brush but that's just taken from years of experiance watching traditional archers shoot. I've been to quite a few of the national IBO and ASA tournaments in the past and watched the recurve guys shoot scores that were so low it was embarassing and they were shooting from their own stakes that were 25yds and under IIRC.

I've also seen people who were simply amazing with them, but not many of them.

Seen folks miss with a compound too. FWIW my track record with both wheels and non wheels involves over 100 kills of big game and there are not many misses involved in that track record, probably less than 10. Thats good enough for me.

I've passed up more shots than I've ever missed.

I sleep well at night and could give a ... less on some others opinions.