I started archery hunting 2 seasons ago. The first season I tried to get an antelope with my bow in Wyoming, but never got one with my bow (I went up later and got one with my rifle). The next year I did the extended archery season here in Utah on the Wasatch front and never got one there either.

I shot this buck last night at about 30 yards right before legal shooting light was over. We tracked his blood trail for about 2 hours until we could not find blood anymore. We went back up this morning and finally after 2 more hours we found him. I had never tracked anything before. He wasn't bleeding a lot and I was pretty nervous we weren't going to find him. We would find only very tiny drops here and there. He ran a total of about 5-600 yards. He isn't very big, but I'm happy that I've finally gotten something with my bow.

The bow is a Matthews Mission Craze and I was using Shuttle T-lock broadheads. The arrow did pass completely through.

Every bow kill is a trophy! Congratulations!

Nice, after 8 years I finally got my first bow kill last season with a cow elk at 20 yards. Any bow kill is an event to be remembered.

Nice, after 8 years I finally got my first bow kill last season with a cow elk at 20 yards. Any bow kill is an event to be remembered.

Nice job.

And thanks for persisting in looking for the little guy. Makes him even more of a trophy in my eyes.

Congrats!

Geno

+1

Nice shooting and great tracking job.

Way to go! It took me a lot longer than two years to get my first one with a bow. Way to be persistent in searching for him as well. Sounds like you did a fine job of tracking for your first effort.

whitetail with my Jenning Shooting Star

Congrats!

Hate to tell you, but you look just like your brother...

Well, that's a hella good tracking work. I know that area well and it gets dry from the low humidity and the wind in a hurry. Blood seems to vanish in a few hours in this dusty dry habitat.

Finding that deer that far away is a testament to your determination. Few folks continue on after a couple hundred yards assuming a non lethal hit. Fewer yet make it to 1/4 mile and beyond 600 yards, even I begin to wonder about the outcome!

You have good gear and got a pass through, tell us about the hit because a double lung is a 100-150 yards max, Heart shots are even less distance. So the distance he went means a single lung or no lung. What was it that caused the slow bleed out? Do you know?

You should be proud that you were relentless in your tracking!

The deer was quartering towards me a bit, and the shot was an inch or two back from where it should have been even if it was 100% broadside. I believe the arrow probably clipped the liver and did not get the lungs/heart.

Excellent job.

I remember my first bow kill like it was yesterday and that was 30 years ago. Nothing tops the thrill of the first one. It took me three years to kill a buck and it was thrilling to get it accomplished.

Congrats!

Congrats - welcome to the club. Good on you for not giving up on the tracking job.

My archery first deer was in 1986 - very clear memory of it also.

I've seen low heart shots, still hit in the chambers of the heart, and not simply a muscle hit go 300 or a bit further a few times...

Nothing is written in stone.

Double lungs have been alive over 3 hours after the hit on a couple of big mature bucks.

There are theories, and averages, but until Iknow the trail means nothing dead, or I find a dead animal, I won't give up until I just can't go anymore.

A big congrats!

Nice buck

Persistence is a key factor in bow hunting. Only bow hunters hunters understand what it is to be on the same playing field as your quarry.

Have shot many many animals with rifle but my first buck, not a big one, shot with Pierson mustang recurve in 1977 still stands out in my memories

Thank for sharing wish you luck in your future bow hu ting!