Much Thanks to you my brothers and sisters of the bow! Wow, I am just BUZZING with happiness with getting the job done with my longbow! And TWICE in the same year, turkey in the spring and deer in the fall. And yesterday, I ALMOST harvested the largest buck of my entire hunting career! Here in Minnesota, the season starts Sept. 15 and runs until Dec. 31, so we are not far into the season. The weather has cooled a bit but we are still seeing a few days in the 70’s! Not expecting anything “rutty” to be going on with the bucks. But then yesterday morning happened!
I was sitting in my stand (lucky first longbow-deer stand spot) and not much was going on. A few deer or other animals had been walking around before sunrise, but daylight had brought no activity. The neighborhood dogs had been barking their fool heads off, me thinking maybe a deer is nearby, but not seeing any. AT 8:20 AM or so, I hear something running through the woods and turn my head to see a doe running full-bore toward me and then by me, not stopping to chat! And right behind her is a BIG deer, with BIG bones growing out of his head! And he stops at, no bull, 8 YARDS and BROADSIDE! I got my bow, gripped the string, turned a bit and focussed on the spot as he stood there not knowing I was in the world! When I got to full draw, I was looking at him through several Maple leaves and small branches. I could NOT TAKE THE SHOT for fear of a deflection. And he just walked out of my life, biggest deer I have ever been that close to, antlers probably 2″ or better outside of his ears. To be honest, when I saw this big brute running toward me, it took very little time to gaze upon his headgear, knowing that I might get a shot at the biggest deer of my life, and while I was holding a longbow, and only 4 days after I had harvested my first longbow deer! And he just walked away…..WOW! What a deer! I hope to cross paths with him again but know that may be unlikely. Let me just say EIGHT YARDS and dead-Broadside. And my practice shot out of the stand was dead on. If he had meant to be mine, he would have been. I LOVE TRAD BOWHUNTING!!
TomBow
