first archery deer

[thomis]

Hello fellow hunters. I am stoked about my first archery deer and thought I'd share a couple pics. Last Friday evening he came through a dense fallow stand of sweet gum and pine around 6:10. I had about a 4 foot wide window to shoot and he moved into it giving me a pretty good shot. He was quartering to me a little so I knew the shot had to be right on. The arrow passed through and lay on the ground. He ran back into the thick fallow growth and I heard all kinds of thrashing.
He ended up running no more than 25 yards from the impact and was dead in 40 seconds or less. The shot was about 15 yards away.
I used a 30 year old Martin MT II Cougar bow (51 pound draw weight) with Carbon Fury arrows and a Slick Trick broadhead.
The first photo shows how he ended up. You can see the exit wound. It looks pretty far back but did not sever any of the intestines. The second pic shows the entrance wound.
He was a pretty fairly big deer for our area (Piedmont of NC) weighing 132 field dressed.
Thanks for letting me share.

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[wombat13]

Congratulations. Maybe some day I'll get into archery hunting. September and October are my busiest work months of the year. Work combined with little kids at home leaves little time to add a new hobby.

Until then, I'll keep heading out with my rifle to get a dear that the bow hunters missed.

 

[srkavanagh6621]

congratulations on your first archery kill! there isn't much that will beat a good bow kill! I have been archery hunting for my whole life and just recently started to do some rifle hunting. I think my first buck was about that size also but some words of advice from now you should let those little guys walk! That is if you ever want to shoot a real trophy! congrads

 

[Captcurt]

Brings back OLD memories.

Congratulations!

I remember every detail and every emotion that I felt when I took my first one with a bow. It was 41 years ago and at the range of 10 feet, maybe. I still don't like those long shots.

 

[jbkebert]

Congratulations on your first archery deer. I hunt with a rifle every now and again but bowhunting is my favorite method. Taking a deer from 200 yards with my .270 is great but take the same deer from 15 yards with archery equipment. There is no better feeling in the world. Once again congrats on a fine young buck.

 

[Jwbfx4]

Congrats on your first bow kill.

 

[avs11054]

How many times did you go before you got your first one?

 

[matrem]

That was one of the best hunting moments I've ever had.

Hope it was every bit as good for you, and hope it keeps you drawing a string.

Congratulations!

 

[thomis]

All- thanks very much for the grats..

I've shot them with all kinds of guns from the revolver to shotgun to centerfire... the bow kill was most rewarding.

They all taste the same though, I have to say. Except for the one I killed last year where the weather was just perfect that I could age it outside for seven days straight with the hide on. That one for some reason was the best ever. I always age'm for seven days but usually skinned and quartered in coolers. (By the way, how many quart cooler would I need to fit a whole- say hundred pound deer - anyone ever determined that size?)

avs11054-

Short answer: probably in the stand with the bow maybe 30 times before harvesting the 4 point.

Long answer: I wasn't going to get into all that but since you asked -> I hunted archery for the first time in 2008 and missed a doe at about 8 yards. It was a clean miss and I was glad for that. I didn't even attempt hunting with the bow in 2009. This year North Carolina allowed crossbows for deer for the first time ever. I decided to try and get one with my old bow and if I did, I'd treat myself to a crossbow for the 2011 season. My old bow was a gift from my Sunday school teacher when I was 13 so it means something to me. It had a sight pin but no peep and that's how I was shooting it all these years, off and on.
So I missed a deer at the first of the 2010 season. Missed it bad. So I took the bow to a bow shop and they installed a peep for me. I was shooting very well with it but had to adjust the sight pin about every 4 shots. Then I missed another deer. Then another one. And another. Then I noticed that every time I drew the bow back, the peep sight moved just a little. I took it back to the bow shop and told the guy my problem. He said well there is nothing tied on the bottom of the peep. I said well you installed it! He apologized. They were really busy that day. So he tied the peep in right and I went home and proceeded to shoot like I was part Indian. I then felt so confident with it that I told my wife not to wait up for me, that if I got a shot, I'd be out in the shed all night quartering up a deer. And yep, that evening it happened. Sorry for the long winded answer. At least I gave the short answer first.

I decided not to get a crossbow for next year and keep using this bow. I'm hitting the stand in the morning. Yep, they also allowed Sunday hunting for the first time in NC.

 

[blackops]

congrats, nothing better than a good harvest with a bow.

 

[avs11054]

All- thanks very much for the grats..

I've shot them with all kinds of guns from the revolver to shotgun to centerfire... the bow kill was most rewarding.

They all taste the same though, I have to say. Except for the one I killed last year where the weather was just perfect that I could age it outside for seven days straight with the hide on. That one for some reason was the best ever. I always age'm for seven days but usually skinned and quartered in coolers. (By the way, how many quart cooler would I need to fit a whole- say hundred pound deer - anyone ever determined that size?)

avs11054-

Short answer: probably in the stand with the bow maybe 30 times before harvesting the 4 point.

Long answer: I wasn't going to get into all that but since you asked -> I hunted archery for the first time in 2008 and missed a doe at about 8 yards. It was a clean miss and I was glad for that. I didn't even attempt hunting with the bow in 2009. This year North Carolina allowed crossbows for deer for the first time ever. I decided to try and get one with my old bow and if I did, I'd treat myself to a crossbow for the 2011 season. My old bow was a gift from my Sunday school teacher when I was 13 so it means something to me. It had a sight pin but no peep and that's how I was shooting it all these years, off and on.
So I missed a deer at the first of the 2010 season. Missed it bad. So I took the bow to a bow shop and they installed a peep for me. I was shooting very well with it but had to adjust the sight pin about every 4 shots. Then I missed another deer. Then another one. And another. Then I noticed that every time I drew the bow back, the peep sight moved just a little. I took it back to the bow shop and told the guy my problem. He said well there is nothing tied on the bottom of the peep. I said well you installed it! He apologized. They were really busy that day. So he tied the peep in right and I went home and proceeded to shoot like I was part Indian. I then felt so confident with it that I told my wife not to wait up for me, that if I got a shot, I'd be out in the shed all night quartering up a deer. And yep, that evening it happened. Sorry for the long winded answer. At least I gave the short answer first.

I decided not to get a crossbow for next year and keep using this bow. I'm hitting the stand in the morning. Yep, they also allowed Sunday hunting for the first time in NC.

Well congratulations! I am going to get a bow soon and get into archery. Not only will it give me another opportunity to get a deer, but it's challenging and everyone says how awesome it is.

 

[countertop]

That's a nice looking deer for NC.

I'll be down in Duplin County next week hunting.
I hadn't heard about the Sunday hunting change. Does that apply to rifle season too? Or just archery?

 

[smartshot]

congrats man...

 

[thomis]

c top-

It is archery only, on private lands only. I suspect after this trial year they will allow archery hunting on Sundays on game lands next year, and see how that goes. Rifle hunting on Sundays may never get passed. We are in the bible belt, after all.

 

[FLAvalanche]

Congrats. That first bow kill is always the best and most memorable.