Tell us about your first kill with a traditional bow

[Heydeerman]

Give us all the details if you can.

• Bow, arrow, broadhead used
• Public/private land hunt
• Ground/treestand/saddle
• Who you shared hunt with if anyone
• How You prepared
• Anything else that is relevant and special to YOU.

I really enjoyed the why and how thread. Allegheny Tom inspired this one.

 

[always89y]

I sadly cannot remember the details of my first, but I do for my most memorable...and it wasnt even mine!
This is my son at 11 years old I believe.
Bighorn bow, pulling around 37# shooting WW broadheads
Private property
From the ground!
The whole family
He came into the trailer and asked if he could walk around the 10 acres behind the house with the bow. I said "Yep"!
This was his second deer with traditional. It was during the rut and the deer just came strolling by him while he was walking around. The reason its so memorable for me is I can specifically remember thinking "Theres no way he is going to kill anything walking around" but I didnt have the heart to tell him it was a waste of time.

 

[BTaylor]

I think it was the 1990 season. Bow was a Pearson Cougar 45# at 28". Was shooting 2016 or 2018's xx75's and bear razorheads. Private ground hunting on some smoking hot persimmons in early season. Dad and a couple of the other guys in the club were at camp that weekend. Was hunting from a Loc-on Lem and folding screw in steps. No harness or safety gear of any kind. It was a 15 yard hard quartering away shot. The arrow went in high at the last rib and lodged in the front edge of the offside shoulder. Deer made it about 70 yards.

 

[GCTerpfan]

I was 14 or 15 years old so it would have been the mid 90's. The bow was either a Herters or Shakespeare recurve that my dad had borrowed off of a guy he worked with. I was pulling around 40lbs and was shooting an aluminum arrow with a either 2 blade Zwickey or Ribtek broadhead. I can't remember which but, I remember those were the two broadheads that we shot back then. It was on private ground and we were hunting in two lock-ons. My dad was on the backside of the tree with an old VHS video camera and wanted to film my first bow kill. He stood all night long with the video camera in hand but, we never saw a deer. With just a minute or two of shooting light left he thought the hunt was over and turned around and sat back down. Within seconds of him doing that he heard me shoot. A spike walked in as soon as he sat down. I was standing with bow in hand so I saw the deer, drew and shot all within a few seconds. My dad missed the entire thing.

We gave the deer a little while and started following the string from the string tracker I was using. The area we were hunting was extremely thick so the string broke after about 20 yards but, it got us to first blood. We tracked the deer about 100 yds and realized that it had made a circle and backtracked on its same trail. We circled several times but, couldn't find where it left the trail so we backed out. My dad worked the next day but, I went back after daylight and found the deer in a bunch of green briers in the middle of the circle. we had walked around that deer within 10 yards several times the night before. When I first saw the deer it looked like it was standing up because it had jumped into a bunch of green briers when it died and they were holding it several feet off of the ground.

 

[Heydeerman]

It was a hot summer day and I was driving by a farm in Central Ohio that I had been eyeing and luck would have it the owner was sitting on his front porch. I got out and started talking with him and after about 30 minutes he gave me permission to hunt groundhogs and told me about an old railroad bed where I should go. I went to the truck to get my bow and he saw it and yelled “what are you going to do with that?”
I said “I’m gonna hunt your groundhogs with it”. He saw it as a waist of time. I took my Martin Hunter Recurve, ash arrows, with Zwickeys on the end and walked down the railroad bed. I spotted a groundhog about 30 yards in the beans and started sneaking. He saw me and headed back to the RR bed for cover. It took about an hour to get close and I shot him in the neck at about 3 feet and that Zwickey almost took his head off. I took my hog back to his house and dropped it in his front yard and knocked on the front door. He was amazed. He volunteered deer hunting permission for the fall right there before I could ask. I hunted that farm for about 15 years never saw anyone else on it hunting. A guy pulled up while I was there who had been trying to get permission and he told him if I give him permission he could hunt. The guy left. He told me then he had guys stopping all the time and he told them all the same thing. Dean Cockrell was his name. He died a few years ago and the farm is now owned by his kids. I don’t hunt it anymore but it was a good run.

 

[paradocs]

1990 or so. Private land in Pennsylvania; a farm where I did the work on the dairy herd. Broadside shot from just under 30 yds on a decent, big-bodied 8 from the ground. Shot looked a bit high, so walked back to the barn and helped the farmer finish up the milking, then we both went to look. Not much blood, but I had watched him drop down into a creek bottom before I lost sight of him. We found him in the creek; only went 60 yards or so...aorta had been severed. Cornfed; dressed at 175. I still use his rack for rattling. 63# Brackenbury recurve, maple arrow, Zwickey 2 blade.

 

[Heydeerman]

1990 or so. Private land in Pennsylvania; a farm where I did the work on the dairy herd. Broadside shot from just under 30 yds on a decent, big-bodied 8 from the ground. Shot looked a bit high, so walked back to the barn and helped the farmer finish up the milking, then we both went to look. Not much blood, but I had watched him drop down into a creek bottom before I lost sight of him. We found him in the creek; only went 60 yards or so...aorta had been severed. Cornfed; dressed at 175. I still use his rack for rattling. 63# Brackenbury recurve, maple arrow, Zwickey 2 blade.

“I still use his rack for rattling”

Classic

 

[Heydeerman]

My first deer kill was with Dwyer Longbow that Dave made for me after I sold all my compound stuff and wanted a custom longbow. It had an Ebony/cocabolo handle with bamboo/yew limbs. 68” and 60@28. Shot ash arrow with Zwickey heads. It was a beauty.

My son asked me to drop him off at a friends house so that took me past the same farm in the other post up there. I got home late so I wasn’t planning on hunting so I did. On the way back home there was about 30 minutes of daylight left so I decided to take a short walk. I had my uniform from work on which was all white. White pants and shirt and did not have a coat. It had been snowing all day but not windy so I figured I could last 20-30 minutes. I started walking and the Woods were beautiful with the fresh snow and I was thanking the Lord for the beauty and a deer walked right in front of me. As I drew I saw another looking right at me. I let loose and the doe bolted a couple steps, walked over by a deadfall and plopped down. The other deer were watching. I thought I had missed because I didn’t here the arrow hit. I stood there as long as I could and went home to get some supper. I brought my youngest son back with me and we walked up to the arrow and it was covered in blood. We followed the blood right to where I saw the deer lay down. She was dead as a hammer. I had shot here just under the spine toward the back and cut the big artery in two.

 

[swampsnyper]

Got a Tradbow with the intention just to play with in the yard. I hadn’t been hunting with a compound long but I didn’t want to put that Tradbow down. It was too fun to shoot. Then I wanted blood. Had a possum in the yard and I ran him down. Man it was different aiming at a live animal with no sights than just pointing at a target! Can you say gut shot!!!! Lol
So it was on for the next deer season. I wanted to kill one bad. Missed 2. Next season I went to the Midwest for a target rich environment. Missed another 6 or 7 that week. I was crippled with target panic on a live deer. I’m telling you, CRIPPLED! Get back to camp and smoke the target. The last day of the trip I finally got a doe. Felt like I shot a 30 pt buck! It was like my 1st bow kill all over again.
So the next step after I killed a few deer and hogs was I wanted to make a primitive arrow. I bought some wooden shafts. Filed a nock groove and broadhead groove into the shaft. Stained the shaft. I tried and tried to flint napp my own stone head but couldn't make one good enough so I bought one. Wrapped it on with sinew and pine pitch. Cut and ground some turkey feathers and put them on with sinew and pine pitch. Spun good and shot good. I was on some hogs so I had a good chance of shooting at one. Went to my stand and no hogs came but a coon was playing in the water at about 5 yards. Before it got dark, I couldn't resist any longer. It was facing me or away from me, can't remember but I shot down on it right between the shoulder blades. It didn't pass thru and it ran off into a briar patch with my arrow. I never found that coon or seen my 20 hour arrow build again! That was the last primitive arrow I ever made! lol

 

[will4554]

I paddled into a tiny section of public that I wanted to check and found some slammer beds and rubs, probably the 10th or so of October. I knew that the size of the sign probably. meant the deer that left it wasn't hanging around with me walking through the beds. But I decided to try it a few days later. Set up in a tree I picked that was in the middle of a peninsula 70 yards from the beds. The peninsula runs NE to SW, my entrance was from the NE. Pretty much a straight south wind. Hung the set twice because I wasn't happy with my shooting lane so I switched the fork I set the stand in. An hour and a half before dark this buck stood up, shot him at 15 yards, and watched him run towards my car and fall over. Had him field dressed and in the back of the Mercury before legal was up. First trad deer, first public buck, and the first buck I killed hunting beds. Then I killed two more on my Oklahoma trip. I had a solid first trad season, 2020 wasn't all terrible haha.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

(Post moved from the other thread and edited):

@Heydeerman suggested we start this thread. Let's hear your story.
My 1st trad kill was a cottontail rabbit back in 1972 when I was 14 years old. 66" 48# Bear Kodiak Special. That bow was longer than I was. I was so small and scrawny I could barely string the thing.
4 fletch Fiberglass Micro Flight arrows with target points. Shot several rabbits with that bow. The 1st one was a ~40 yard shot on a rabbit that was running straight away. Lucky shot, right up the poop chute. I can remember the exact spot like it was yesterday. Just goofing off with the neighbor kids with their "kids" bows and I had the real bow they all wished they had. We were up on the hill behind the house at the base of an old dilapidated wind mill. I wish I had some hero pics of that day.

My 1st "real" kill was in 1992. It was the 1st year that I went back to traditional...got tired of my high tech (for that era) Jennings compound. I bought a 64" Brackenbury Drifter and I made the mistake of choosing too heavy of limbs...61# @27".I developed some bad habits with those limbs, but that year a proceeded to kill a very nice 3 year old PA 9 point on private land, 1/4 mile from my home. I was shooting 2117 XX75 in that cool snake skin pattern. I was using 125 gr Magnus, 2 blade heads.
I'd seen that buck a few times over the summer and he was definitely on my hit list.
Early October, 8 am. I was in a large black cherry tree in a homemade plywood stand. We jammed these death traps in the crotch of trees and lashed them in with ropes. No safety harness for me in those days.
I saw him and grunted at him at 60 yards and he heard me but kept going. An hour later, here he comes back down the hill, I presume looking for the "buck" he heard grunting.
My 15 yard shot was a little high and forward. My broadhead clipped the scapula which limited the penetration resulting in no exit wound. The blood trail was a little sparse but not too bad. It was the kind of blood trail that keeps a guy on pins and needles...step by step, looking ahead for the next drop. He went a little over 100 yards, crossed the hard road and piled up. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him laying there dead.
He dressed right at 175 lbs...115" gross.
Not bad for a 1st trad deer.

 

[JSEXTON23]

Opening day evening 2020 in Ohio, public land, treestand on the edge of an isolated crp field. I was hunting in a very crooked hedge tree in a hang on stand.

I was shooting a Roy Hall Navajo Apache, 42#@28”, Gold Tip Trad 500s, 200 grain Cutthroat.

A group of 5 deer stepped out about 45 minutes before dark. A neighbor on a hill was doing things in their yard, gearing up for a bonfire. Well, the group was walking diagonally across the rectangular field away from me. Just my luck! Then all of a sudden, the neighbor sparks the bonfire. They must have had a lot of Boy Scout water on that pile because it lit the hillside up in a bright orange glow in the diminished daylight. The deer retreated to the near corner, then made the fateful decision to follow the hedge row up towards me. The biggest doe got to 12 yards, turned quartered away and I loosed an arrow. I blew through both scapulas and buried the fletch in the near side blade.

Now, this is where I got to share the hunt. The doe died in a 7 foot tall native grass prairie. It was impossible to find her. So I brought my 11 month old beagle to the field and he found her in 5 minutes.

This was my first trad deer, first public land deer, and Frankie’s first recovery. He’s 3/3 on the year.

 

[splatek]

Well this isn't a saddle kill story, but it is a trad story.

This past season was my second hunting season at 46 years old. After several years of being interested, but not knowing how to start, I found a mentor that led the way that first season. About 4 years prior I had inherited a free crossbow and a free compound bow. That first season at 45 years of age, I was able to take a deer with a crossbow and two with my compound. The compound I had inherited was right handed, I am left handed and left eye dominant. So in the off season I picked up a left hand version of the same bow I had inherited off ebay. On my first pull it blew up in my hand; string whipped me in the face, cams bent, etc. That off season also found me buying a traditional recurve. I found much more pleasure shooting the trad bow, it actually took practice and I practiced (still do) a lot, about every day.

My first kill was a small spike buck. I had walked in about 200 yards to my ground blind. Got there super early, because I had a buddy hunting with me and he hadn't been to his setup in a while and thought he might have to do some setting up before sitting. About 3:30 pm, I was fidgeting in my seat in the blind and was about to turn around to zip the blind closed when I heard crunch crunch crunch of leaves on the opposite ridge. I figured it was a squirrel, but curiosity got the best of me and there he was - a large bodied spike buck strolling right to me. He was following a creek crossing trail from the opposite ridge right to the knob I was sitting in. I scrambled to get my bow - a recurve - in my hand and get an arrow nocked. Once he began the ascent of the knob I was sitting on he slowed and started feeding on acorns. He was at 20 yards, then 15, then 12, each time not presenting a shot. Occasionally he would look right into the blind, when I would slowly divert my eyes down so as to make eye contact and spook him. He eventually worked his way to 7-8 yards and stopped, stared right at me. I diverted my eyes thinking this was it, he's broadside, but staring at me, he's going to scoot outta here. I listened intently for movement and heard one crunch step. When I glazed up the spike buck had began feeding again. I quickly went through my shot sequence in my head, pull with back, anchor, breathe, release, follow through. Then I executed that shot sequence, grizzly samurai tipped 640 grain victory arrow right through his front shoulder. I watched the arrow exit what looked like an area right behind his ribs. Turns out he was not completely broadside, but quartering too slightly. When the arrow left the body I saw a splash of blood that rivaled the fight scenes in Kill Bill (Spray!) He went 12 yards, began to stumble, then toppled off the side of a bluff falling about 35-45 yards into the headwaters of the creek.

My heart was racing. It was the most exciting hunt I had ever been on, granted I had not been on many. Instantly hooked. I carried a stickbow, either a mandarin duck black hunter, the laminated recurve that I built, or a 44" horsebow the rest of the season. I had several bear and mature buck encounters, but always found myself out of my effective range, until later in the season, December, when another deer found itself about 7 yards from me sitting on the ground in a laurel thicket and receiving an arrow from a short horsebow. 2 deer down with the stick, thankful, and hopeful for more.

 

[AppalachianArcher]

My first traditional kill came in 2015. I had been a compound hunter and picked up a vintage Bear Kodiak Magnum from the local archery shop. I had practiced that summer with the recurve getting good enough to possibly take a deer within 15yds with it. I had tried the first month of deer season on public land with very little success. Luckily a coworker had given me permission to bowhunt his 10ac suburban property around late October. My first sit there, I had a big doe and two yearlings come into 10yds. The big doe was on edge and just knew something was wrong. She would lower her head and feed for just a second, then raise her head just looking for anything out of place. They hung around right under me for an eternity (maybe a minute) it seemed, and my broadhead was dancing around from my nerves. I decided to let them walk considering I couldn't calm myself enough to make a shot, even at that short distance. Weeks go by and I have yet to get that perfect opportunity to take a shot. December 9th was a normal workday that year, but I was lucky enough to be hunting about 5mins from work. It was really foggy that morning and the pond on the property wasn't helping matters much. The air was dead still and the slightest movement seemed to be amplified to the extreme. The sky started to lighten up as sunrise was approaching, and I could hear the unmistakable sound of deer walking through the fallen leaves. Any other time these deer that I could hear would be visible, but the thick fog has them hidden from me. At this point my hearing felt like it was working on a level I had never used before. Tracking every step with my ears, until a dark mass appeared around 12yds away. Still moving and closing more distance, the dark mass became clear. It was the mature doe from my first sit on this property. As she moved in to a couple steps from the base of my tree, I slowly came to full draw. Once I settled, the arrow was on it's way. The loudest "Thwack" happened and the mature doe was laying dead. The XX75 shaft tipped with a 165gr Zwickey had hit the spine and continued into the heart/lungs. I was overcome with joy to harvest a deer with a traditional bow. I quickly texted my boss to let him know I may be a little late since I had to get the deer taken care of. His response was not what one would expect to receive. He replied with "Congrats! Send me a picture!" He knew that I had been hunting hard with my recurve and seemed to be just as excited as I was. So after the messaging, I was on my way to the processor and then to work. This is a day that is forever etched into my soul and it brings me joy just to share my story with you all.

 

[weekender21]

December 31st 2014 Oahu, Hawaii. Big public land sow. Black Widow recurve, Magnus stinger BH. Really cool solo New Year’s Eve hunt!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[splatek]

My first traditional kill came in 2015. I had been a compound hunter and picked up a vintage Bear Kodiak Magnum from the local archery shop. I had practiced that summer with the recurve getting good enough to possibly take a deer within 15yds with it. I had tried the first month of deer season on public land with very little success. Luckily a coworker had given me permission to bowhunt his 10ac suburban property around late October. My first sit there, I had a big doe and two yearlings come into 10yds. The big doe was on edge and just knew something was wrong. She would lower her head and feed for just a second, then raise her head just looking for anything out of place. They hung around right under me for an eternity (maybe a minute) it seemed, and my broadhead was dancing around from my nerves. I decided to let them walk considering I couldn't calm myself enough to make a shot, even at that short distance. Weeks go by and I have yet to get that perfect opportunity to take a shot. December 9th was a normal workday that year, but I was lucky enough to be hunting about 5mins from work. It was really foggy that morning and the pond on the property wasn't helping matters much. The air was dead still and the slightest movement seemed to be amplified to the extreme. The sky started to lighten up as sunrise was approaching, and I could hear the unmistakable sound of deer walking through the fallen leaves. Any other time these deer that I could hear would be visible, but the thick fog has them hidden from me. At this point my hearing felt like it was working on a level I had never used before. Tracking every step with my ears, until a dark mass appeared around 12yds away. Still moving and closing more distance, the dark mass became clear. It was the mature doe from my first sit on this property. As she moved in to a couple steps from the base of my tree, I slowly came to full draw. Once I settled, the arrow was on it's way. The loudest "Thwack" happened and the mature doe was laying dead. The XX75 shaft tipped with a 165gr Zwickey had hit the spine and continued into the heart/lungs. I was overcome with joy to harvest a deer with a traditional bow. I quickly texted my boss to let him know I may be a little late since I had to get the deer taken care of. His response was not what one would expect to receive. He replied with "Congrats! Send me a picture!" He knew that I had been hunting hard with my recurve and seemed to be just as excited as I was. So after the messaging, I was on my way to the processor and then to work. This is a day that is forever etched into my soul and it brings me joy just to share my story with you all.


View attachment 45107

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

 

[WHW]

October 1970: For my first, I was on an evening hunt set up on a ladder stand. The stand was located on a transition line between open woods and a large cockle-bur flat. I had picked one of the many deer trails that connected the two different areas. I guess I got lucky because a traveling doe got within range or what I thought was good enough for me. It was a 33 yard shot and the hit left a lot to be desired. It looked like I had shot her in the flank area near her right hindquarter. The blood trail was good at first then became spotty. I looked for about two and a half hours before giving her up for lost. The next weekend I found her with my arrow still with the carcass. It was a disappointing experience.

So, my second trad kill was actually my first recovery. It went like this; In the last light, while walking out from a hunt, I took a 25 yard shot at a yearling doe. In the low light I couldn't tell where the arrow had hit. With the help of two hunting partners we worked the blood trail for 350 yards before giving up at 11:00 PM.

The next morning we picked up where we had left off and took the trail another 70 yards before it ended. It was getting late so I thanked my help and when they left for the camp, I continued to search alone. While running search bearings a deer jumped up. As she ran off I took a 20 yard shot and watched the arrow hit behind the last rib on the left side and exit through the right shoulder. She ran about 55 yards, stumbled and collapsed.

This deer turned out to be the same one I had been looking for. It had a flesh wound where the first arrow had went in the right hindquarter and came out the flank on the same side. A small deer but a happy moment for me. My Yamaha 250cc Enduro motorcycle left a lot to be desired, for hauling a deer out.

 

[ThePennsylvanian]

It was early season her win PA 5 years ago.
I was using a Ben Pearson colt 70/70.
A doe came into 7 yards and I made a perfect shot, she ran about 85 yards and crossed onto the neighboring property. I backed out to go ask permission to retrieve, as I was hunting my inlaws property and didnt want to cause a feud for trespassing. I go knock on the door and introduce myself and tell him where I was hunting. He proceed to cuss me out and says if you step one foot on my property I'll press charges....I knew the deer was dead I could just barely see it in his field. I called to game warden and he tells me theres not much to be done.... so my first and last recurve kill I never got to enjoy ......

 

[Heydeerman]

It was early season her win PA 5 years ago.
I was using a Ben Pearson colt 70/70.
A doe came into 7 yards and I made a perfect shot, she ran about 85 yards and crossed onto the neighboring property. I backed out to go ask permission to retrieve, as I was hunting my inlaws property and didnt want to cause a feud for trespassing. I go knock on the door and introduce myself and tell him where I was hunting. He proceed to cuss me out and says if you step one foot on my property I'll press charges....I knew the deer was dead I could just barely see it in his field. I called to game warden and he tells me theres not much to be done.... so my first and last recurve kill I never got to enjoy ......

Man that’s a kick in the nads.

 

[Heydeerman]

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

I had one for a minute and gave it to my best friend Dusty. Fine bow made for killing critters. Get one about 5 pounds than your used to if you draw over 27.