Tell us about your first kill with a traditional bow

[AppalachianArcher]

Do you like that Kodiak Magnum, I have been looking for one on ebay. I like the length, but have never shot one.

I love my Kmag! It's 52#@28" and I draw to 29". I haven't had any problems shooting the bow even though folks says it will have a lot of finger pinch. It's shoots so smooth for an old bow.

 

[Noonespecial]

Bear Grizzly 55 pounds, Easton axis traditional arrows with brass inserts, Magnus Stinger broadhead 4 blade 100 grain. Had my oldest son with me in the treestand, first day of archery season. Arrow zipped through her right behind shoulder and stuck in the ground 6 inches. She ran 30 yards fell over dead, heart shot. First time I ever shot at a deer with traditional bow, practiced everyday for a year before going. Instinctive shooting no aiming with 3 fingers under. Public land in an oak flat.

 

[Bigfoot522]

Me and my two older brothers used to walk down to a field behind the local K mart and walk the tall dry grass.

Our mission was to peg the elusive field mice..
To be truthful I can't remember if it was a mouse or a bull frog by the river..
He was a tricky devil,, jumped the string on the first shot..
The frog that is..

 

[Sempertodd]

My first traditional harvest was 24 years ago. I had been compound hunting with a buddy for 6 years before (itself a nice story), and I was very blessed with some great harvest and wanted to challenge myself more. At the end of the season in January, I went to library and got a book on traditional archery. About month later at a family gathering, was talking with uncle and grandfather about hunting, they just used shotgun and never got into bowhunting. That is when my grandfather asked me to come by next week. We talked and he disappeared into his bedroom and came out with a bow in a sock. It was a Bear Kodiak Magnum 50@28". He told me to take it, as he tried it but didn't want to put the time in back in the early 70's.
I was lucky again, as I found a traditional archery shop an hour from my home, and drove over and spend almost whole day with the owner (now close friend) and got set up to make Cedar Arrows. That year, I honed my arrow making, and built replaced the bowstring (another new skill learned). I practiced each day rain/shine for about 30 minutes to hour each day, I could.
With compound, I got good, won some 3D shoots, harvest a great many animals, but the traditional bow, just ignited a flame in me, and made a connection.
That Fall, my hunting buddy and me set out to harvest deer. Of course Danny would joke and poke fun at me and we had fun. He would get upset a little that I had passed on about 6 deer for next weeks, but I learned over that summer I needed to limit my range and be ethical. After all, that was the whole point of challenging myself, to be better hunter.
On the fourth week of the season, we went in and hunted that morning (we would set stand as we hunted and pull them after each hunt and hunt different location in evening). Upon letting my stand down that morning, the haul line slipped and stand hit the ground. After gathered everything I noticed that the bracket on the stand was slightly bent. Now where we was hunting was an hour from any shop and 2 hours from home. Danny my old grizzled pal, was "oh it will be okay, don't worry about it". I just smiled and said, "Nope no deer is worth any accident". Back then there was no safety harness, I had a linemens belt for ascending with steps. After scouting/stalking different area, we ate lunch and Danny wanted to know what I was going to do. "Well, I will just hunt off the ground and we will see what happens".
That evening hunt, Danny and I talked in a parking area of where we wanted to hunt. He wanted to go back in one section and I knew from experience that the wind was not right for my situation. "You go ahead, I will go on other side of the road over here, and throw stand at bottom of tree, that way I will not spoil your hunt, and we haven't been in this area yet anyway." We got our tackle and off we went. I got into the timber and followed some of the sign I could read, then I noticed a thick area, that had a break in the timber that led to a nice field that was sloped in the back. I stood there taking in the wind direction and looking at the way it "flowed" through the grass and leaves. I then noticed a nice small split tree that seemed good. I set the stand about a foot off the ground and sat enjoying the timber. About 50 minutes before last light, I noticed moved through the thicket. I watched as 3 Does worked their way out, and move to the field. They was 20 yards out, browsing slowly to the field, taking their time, as if just waking from a long slumber. I sat, wrestling with my ego and ethics, I knew if I had my "wheel bow", that meat be down, but this was beyond my limit with stickbow. I replayed conversation Danny and I had on taking the shot and limits, and decided it is not worth the chance to wound one.
As I watched the Does and their posture seem to change a little as they was looking in my direction now. "Surely, they can not see me", then I heard a faint stick snap, and realized that they was not looking at me, but something behind. I ever so slowly, moved my head to the left, as I did I noticed in my peripheral vision the Does move to the field. As my head came stopped to the left, with three quick steps, a small eight pointed came into view. He stood there, looking at the Does in the field, then glanced to his left. There was no rational thought, my bow arm came up and the string tensed back, it was as if someone else was pulling the bow. All I noticed, was the "magic V" behind the shoulder, nothing else existed in the world. Then I could see a red blur, and heard the soft twang of the bowstring. I followed the red blur as it went into the spot on the buck, then he exploded, running to the thicket.
I sat there, taking and listening to all that was happening. The Does ran out of sight in the field, the buck was in a thicket, and I heard some water splashing, sticks snapping then nothing. It became quiet, and this is when it hit me "I just shot my first deer with a stickbow". I had to tell myself this twice, before the emotions of joy ran over me. I let myself bath is the joy for few minutes, then taking lessoned from the "wheel bow", composed myself, looked at my watch and began replaying everything that happened. I kept re-seeing the entire thing with all the sounds, to lock it into my memory. The sun was setting, the magical 30 minutes after the "hit", would be after dark. I got up left my stand, and quietly moved out back to the truck.
I got everything put away and got out the flashlights that Danny and I kept in the truck for tracking and had a cup of coffee. It was about another 30 minutes of me sitting on the tailgate, when I heard Danny walk up. He slung his stand in the truck and put his bow away, as I poured him a cupu of coffee, "we tracking" I asked. "No, didn't seem a damn thing, you would think with a night like this they would be everywhere", he said taking the coffee and taking a sip. "How about you, see anything over there?", he asked pulling another sip. "Yep, I got the flashlights ready to go and the rope", as I looked at him with a smile. I told him what happened and we both agreed that it was long enough, and we trex back into the timber.
We got to where the stand was off the ground and he looked at me shaking his head. Then I directed him over where the impact was, then we began looking for blood. As usual, there was no sign but few hoof marks until we got to the thicket. Then we picked up some blood, we followed it into the thicket. Then we lost the blood for while, I noticed a creek running through and told him I was going on other side, when I seen a nice place deer crossed a lot. It was on the other side, I took 3 steps and found blood. After Danny got over, we walked about 8 yards circling for blood, then I head him say "got it". I walked up saying, "you got blood", he said "Nope just this little buck". There right in front of him lay the small buck with a cedar arrow sticking half way out with red feathers.
After the tag, dressing and drag done, we cleaned up, and began heading home. As we drove, Danny shook his head, "Killed a nice small buck, with your grandfathers recurve, with arrows you made, one foot off the ground", Buddy that is something to be proud of". I smiled and said, Yes and of all the deer I harvested this one I am most happy about.
Remember it like yesterday, sorry so long, but this is the passion that keeps me going. Been many more harvested since then, but the memories of the hunts both misses and hits are what it is about.

 

[Heydeerman]

My first traditional harvest was 24 years ago. I had been compound hunting with a buddy for 6 years before (itself a nice story), and I was very blessed with some great harvest and wanted to challenge myself more. At the end of the season in January, I went to library and got a book on traditional archery. About month later at a family gathering, was talking with uncle and grandfather about hunting, they just used shotgun and never got into bowhunting. That is when my grandfather asked me to come by next week. We talked and he disappeared into his bedroom and came out with a bow in a sock. It was a Bear Kodiak Magnum 50@28". He told me to take it, as he tried it but didn't want to put the time in back in the early 70's.
I was lucky again, as I found a traditional archery shop an hour from my home, and drove over and spend almost whole day with the owner (now close friend) and got set up to make Cedar Arrows. That year, I honed my arrow making, and built replaced the bowstring (another new skill learned). I practiced each day rain/shine for about 30 minutes to hour each day, I could.
With compound, I got good, won some 3D shoots, harvest a great many animals, but the traditional bow, just ignited a flame in me, and made a connection.
That Fall, my hunting buddy and me set out to harvest deer. Of course Danny would joke and poke fun at me and we had fun. He would get upset a little that I had passed on about 6 deer for next weeks, but I learned over that summer I needed to limit my range and be ethical. After all, that was the whole point of challenging myself, to be better hunter.
On the fourth week of the season, we went in and hunted that morning (we would set stand as we hunted and pull them after each hunt and hunt different location in evening). Upon letting my stand down that morning, the haul line slipped and stand hit the ground. After gathered everything I noticed that the bracket on the stand was slightly bent. Now where we was hunting was an hour from any shop and 2 hours from home. Danny my old grizzled pal, was "oh it will be okay, don't worry about it". I just smiled and said, "Nope no deer is worth any accident". Back then there was no safety harness, I had a linemens belt for ascending with steps. After scouting/stalking different area, we ate lunch and Danny wanted to know what I was going to do. "Well, I will just hunt off the ground and we will see what happens".
That evening hunt, Danny and I talked in a parking area of where we wanted to hunt. He wanted to go back in one section and I knew from experience that the wind was not right for my situation. "You go ahead, I will go on other side of the road over here, and throw stand at bottom of tree, that way I will not spoil your hunt, and we haven't been in this area yet anyway." We got our tackle and off we went. I got into the timber and followed some of the sign I could read, then I noticed a thick area, that had a break in the timber that led to a nice field that was sloped in the back. I stood there taking in the wind direction and looking at the way it "flowed" through the grass and leaves. I then noticed a nice small split tree that seemed good. I set the stand about a foot off the ground and sat enjoying the timber. About 50 minutes before last light, I noticed moved through the thicket. I watched as 3 Does worked their way out, and move to the field. They was 20 yards out, browsing slowly to the field, taking their time, as if just waking from a long slumber. I sat, wrestling with my ego and ethics, I knew if I had my "wheel bow", that meat be down, but this was beyond my limit with stickbow. I replayed conversation Danny and I had on taking the shot and limits, and decided it is not worth the chance to wound one.
As I watched the Does and their posture seem to change a little as they was looking in my direction now. "Surely, they can not see me", then I heard a faint stick snap, and realized that they was not looking at me, but something behind. I ever so slowly, moved my head to the left, as I did I noticed in my peripheral vision the Does move to the field. As my head came stopped to the left, with three quick steps, a small eight pointed came into view. He stood there, looking at the Does in the field, then glanced to his left. There was no rational thought, my bow arm came up and the string tensed back, it was as if someone else was pulling the bow. All I noticed, was the "magic V" behind the shoulder, nothing else existed in the world. Then I could see a red blur, and heard the soft twang of the bowstring. I followed the red blur as it went into the spot on the buck, then he exploded, running to the thicket.
I sat there, taking and listening to all that was happening. The Does ran out of sight in the field, the buck was in a thicket, and I heard some water splashing, sticks snapping then nothing. It became quiet, and this is when it hit me "I just shot my first deer with a stickbow". I had to tell myself this twice, before the emotions of joy ran over me. I let myself bath is the joy for few minutes, then taking lessoned from the "wheel bow", composed myself, looked at my watch and began replaying everything that happened. I kept re-seeing the entire thing with all the sounds, to lock it into my memory. The sun was setting, the magical 30 minutes after the "hit", would be after dark. I got up left my stand, and quietly moved out back to the truck.
I got everything put away and got out the flashlights that Danny and I kept in the truck for tracking and had a cup of coffee. It was about another 30 minutes of me sitting on the tailgate, when I heard Danny walk up. He slung his stand in the truck and put his bow away, as I poured him a cupu of coffee, "we tracking" I asked. "No, didn't seem a damn thing, you would think with a night like this they would be everywhere", he said taking the coffee and taking a sip. "How about you, see anything over there?", he asked pulling another sip. "Yep, I got the flashlights ready to go and the rope", as I looked at him with a smile. I told him what happened and we both agreed that it was long enough, and we trex back into the timber.
We got to where the stand was off the ground and he looked at me shaking his head. Then I directed him over where the impact was, then we began looking for blood. As usual, there was no sign but few hoof marks until we got to the thicket. Then we picked up some blood, we followed it into the thicket. Then we lost the blood for while, I noticed a creek running through and told him I was going on other side, when I seen a nice place deer crossed a lot. It was on the other side, I took 3 steps and found blood. After Danny got over, we walked about 8 yards circling for blood, then I head him say "got it". I walked up saying, "you got blood", he said "Nope just this little buck". There right in front of him lay the small buck with a cedar arrow sticking half way out with red feathers.
After the tag, dressing and drag done, we cleaned up, and began heading home. As we drove, Danny shook his head, "Killed a nice small buck, with your grandfathers recurve, with arrows you made, one foot off the ground", Buddy that is something to be proud of". I smiled and said, Yes and of all the deer I harvested this one I am most happy about.
Remember it like yesterday, sorry so long, but this is the passion that keeps me going. Been many more harvested since then, but the memories of the hunts both misses and hits are what it is about.

I really enjoyed that one. Good writing.