justbairley
Member
I got my first buck kill and first archery deer kill ever yesterday. I've been hunting 4 years, although the first year amounted to a single evening sit with a friend where I killed a doe. And the second year was me bumbling around in the woods by myself. Years 3 and 4 I really started putting in all the work, as well as incorporating saddle hunting. Last year I missed an archery shot at a buck, and made a solid shot on a doe in gun season but wasn't able to find her. This year I was determined to find some success, and it has paid off. I scouted the heck out of the public area I hunted the previous year, and bought a canoe for some deep and low impact water access.
Yesterday I went in for an evening hunt in an area that I scouted the perimeter of and labeled excellent deep swamp buck bedding. I took the canoe in and strangely the spot I put in at there is a dead buck 5 yards from the water. I determine he has probably been there several days at least, snap a picture and head further in. There are great tracks and deer sign winding through this marsh area, and I went to the first decent opening and got all set up about 3:15pm.
From painful experience of not being ready and scanning the area I'm hunting and getting picked off by deer, I have been practicing being completely focused once I'm in the tree. Because of this I saw and heard the buck pop through the brush at about 4:15pm. "Buck!" I say to myself as I slowly grabbed my bow and positioned for a 9 o'clock shot opportunity. Surprisingly to me, I was able to stay totally calm as he came in, and all I remember thinking is, this is finally happening! He came into 7 yards really quickly and I took a nearly perfect broadside shot. I watched in amazement as my arrow hit the spot I aimed for, and he tore off like hell. I watched him crash through the under brush and then heard a loud splash as he entered a pond about 50 yards away. Some more thrashing was heard and then silence.
I waited an hour in the tree, playing it all back again and wondering if I made as good of a shot as I initially thought. Thinking about the awful feeling the previous year not finding the doe that I was sure was dead. Dreading having to try and blood track this deer through flooded marsh, and maybe not finding him. Self doubt really meshes weirdly with the adrenaline and excitement. That hour surprisingly passed quickly, and I got down and walked to where I heard him crash into the pond. As I walked up I could see a submerged shape and as I got closer it was my deer!
I had to wade up to my waist to float him out of there, but I was so relieved it was totally worth it. I had about a 60 yard drag to my canoe, where I did my first gut job (weirdly close to the dead buck I found on the way in) and got him into the canoe for an easy ride back to the truck.
I'm really happy I was able to have this experience finally. I've been attracted to hunting since I was a young boy, but never had anyone in my life to teach me. Thankfully I asked a friend to take me out 4 years ago and put me on this journey. Learning to hunt as an adult is an extremely challenging endeavor. Even though my buddy took me out the first time, he wasn't in any way a mentor due to a variety a reasons, so the burden to learn has been on my own shoulders. I'm grateful for all the information that's available these days, and I'm also grateful for the challenge and the struggle of figuring out so much of this alone.
Thanks for reading,
Matt
Yesterday I went in for an evening hunt in an area that I scouted the perimeter of and labeled excellent deep swamp buck bedding. I took the canoe in and strangely the spot I put in at there is a dead buck 5 yards from the water. I determine he has probably been there several days at least, snap a picture and head further in. There are great tracks and deer sign winding through this marsh area, and I went to the first decent opening and got all set up about 3:15pm.
From painful experience of not being ready and scanning the area I'm hunting and getting picked off by deer, I have been practicing being completely focused once I'm in the tree. Because of this I saw and heard the buck pop through the brush at about 4:15pm. "Buck!" I say to myself as I slowly grabbed my bow and positioned for a 9 o'clock shot opportunity. Surprisingly to me, I was able to stay totally calm as he came in, and all I remember thinking is, this is finally happening! He came into 7 yards really quickly and I took a nearly perfect broadside shot. I watched in amazement as my arrow hit the spot I aimed for, and he tore off like hell. I watched him crash through the under brush and then heard a loud splash as he entered a pond about 50 yards away. Some more thrashing was heard and then silence.
I waited an hour in the tree, playing it all back again and wondering if I made as good of a shot as I initially thought. Thinking about the awful feeling the previous year not finding the doe that I was sure was dead. Dreading having to try and blood track this deer through flooded marsh, and maybe not finding him. Self doubt really meshes weirdly with the adrenaline and excitement. That hour surprisingly passed quickly, and I got down and walked to where I heard him crash into the pond. As I walked up I could see a submerged shape and as I got closer it was my deer!
I had to wade up to my waist to float him out of there, but I was so relieved it was totally worth it. I had about a 60 yard drag to my canoe, where I did my first gut job (weirdly close to the dead buck I found on the way in) and got him into the canoe for an easy ride back to the truck.
I'm really happy I was able to have this experience finally. I've been attracted to hunting since I was a young boy, but never had anyone in my life to teach me. Thankfully I asked a friend to take me out 4 years ago and put me on this journey. Learning to hunt as an adult is an extremely challenging endeavor. Even though my buddy took me out the first time, he wasn't in any way a mentor due to a variety a reasons, so the burden to learn has been on my own shoulders. I'm grateful for all the information that's available these days, and I'm also grateful for the challenge and the struggle of figuring out so much of this alone.
Thanks for reading,
Matt
