Jamen
Well-known member
This all started 11 years ago. I worked for my dad’s boss that summer pulling weeds and mowing lawn. I saved up enough money to buy myself a bow. I went to the local outdoors store it’s a mom and pop type place. I had picked out a browning rage bow. Got myself a dozen arrows and I was set.
I had my ups and downs through those 11 years. I had close encounters with deer. My first year hunting I sat in an old farm yard next to some evergreens. Two fawns had walked by me they still had spots they walked about 7 feet away. I had watched those two grow up all fall. I never had the heart to pull back on one of them.
The years went on I got busy with high school and would bow hunt off and on nothing too serious. I have had a few misses in those 11 years. This summer I wanted to actually get fitted for a bow. So I went to our scheels in Fargo. I know some of you do not like big box stores for archery but there are a couple really good guys there that know their stuff. Many reviews from friends who have gone there and they really liked these guys.
I had a few different bows picked out the first one I tried was the Bowtech Carbon Icon. I immediately took to that bow. It felt great in my hand the weight, just all around felt great. I told the guy I want this one. I didn’t try anymore because when you know you know. Was hard to let that old Browning go without it ever killing anything and for a mere $75 with the whisker biscuit I let go with it. The only thing I kept off my old bow was the 5 pin spot hog I have. Practiced a lot this summer and I felt very confident up to 50 yards. My groups were very tight.
Fast forward to this fall I had missed a whitetail out in the badlands due to misjudging the range. User error when I got to my spot to sit I found out my ranger finder battery was dead. So I had a blind 5 miles from town with cameras up. There were deer there all fall. Only thing they were coming in at midnight to 4 am.
Last week a good buddy of mine who knew I was looking for new places to shoot a deer called me. He said hey I have a spot on PLOTS land where 150 deer are walking through. So he picked me up and we went out there. Sure enough there were deer all over. They were walking east and west from corn stubble to corn stubble.
Plan was made and I was going to go Friday the 30th. I went ice fishing that morning and got a limit of crappie, a walleye and two perch. The day was off to a good start and I left for my buddies place 40 miles away. He dropped me off at the PLOTS and I trudged through knee to waist high snow in some spots. I finally got to this small clump of trees where there must have been an old farm yard. It is not very big at all when you look at it from the road. I set up next to a tree where I could see both main paths the deer have made in the snow it was about 3:30.
At about 4:05 a doe and a fawn came over the hill and right down the path. With the wind in my face I thought can it really be this easy? The doe was in the front and there was a place they have been scratching at 27 yards. She stopped broadside, I was facing west into the sun and we had just got an inch of rain. All the trees were covered in ice. I pulled back and let an arrow fly. HIT! But I didn’t hit the deer I hit a branch covered in ice that was invisible from the sun hitting it. The two ran up the hill and just watched.
I thought I had blown my chance. So my feet are cold now and I am somewhat discouraged. But that is hunting so I decided to wait it out. Not even 20 minutes later 4 doe start down the other path towards the other scratch place at 27 yards. She stops ¾ broadside facing me. I pull back and calm myself and let an arrow go. Hair flies and she just trots 10 yards away and continues to eat. My buddy now is ½ miles away on the road with his spotter watching the whole thing. He said he would watch her. She walked off with no signs of any hit. He texts me no arrow or blood or any sign of a hit. Displeased with myself I almost gave up to go look for arrows. 10 minutes later a doe and fawn come down the same path where I had just gave the one a haircut. The fawn is scratching around and the doe is on edge. I could have shot the fawn 10 times over but I waited for the doe to step broadside. She did about 2 minutes later. I pulled back and pulled the trigger. Snow flew below her. Clear miss so I went to look for arrows. I found 2 of the 3. The one I gave a haircut no blood or skin on the broadhead just a little bit of hair.
My buddy came to get me and we proceeded to get his truck stuck in snow and ice. Two hours later he got pulled out. It was a long drive home thinking how can i miss that badly? I figured out what I did. I was peaking at my shot right before I released. I did this in golf a lot and a few times just practicing archery.
My sister is home from NYC with my 7 week old nephew. I wasn’t sure if I would go out on New Year’s Eve or not we had a party planned. But I decided I would go one last time while she was home. I went solo I texted my buddy I was going.
I got to the same tree at 3:15 I spooked a dozen deer or so out of a slough on my walk in. It was a lot colder this night than the previous. Deer were moving a mile away from me and it was getting dark. At about 4:30 4 yearlings started to come in. They were coming down the path from the haircut deer. This was the best way for them to go since I was almost completely hidden from them. The wind again in my favor. But one of them decided to go around and come right at me. She got to about 7 to 9 yards and bolted. I couldn’t pull back because she was on top of me so quick. I pulled back when she stopped at 30 yards but no decent shot was there so I didn’t shoot. My buddy texted me hit or miss. I didn’t know he was watching again in his spotter. I told him no shot.
Here I thought that would be the end of the hunt that day. But fate had it 4 more yearlings came in. One brave one came to the scratching spot. She knew something was where I was standing but didn’t know what. We had a standoff for a few minutes. I had my glove off and my face mask so I could feel the string on my face. I finally got stepped out and pulled back. This time I would not peak and I followed my shot through till I saw the bloody arrow behind her. My buddy called me immediately and said he had his eye on her and blood was pouring out. Less than a minute she expired.
I found my arrow soaked in blood. I didn’t know what to really do my hands were trembling so I walked back to my truck where I had brought my otter sled. I met my buddy and he greeted me with a firm handshake and a hug. We walked up I gathered my monster phannypack and bow. He knew right where she was but we followed the blood trail anyway. The closer we got the more blood there was. She didn’t go far at all. We took some pictures and loaded her up and I gutted her by my truck.
I know this got long winded but I wanted to put it down in writing. After 11 years from misses to being in the wrong place it finally came together. It is not the biggest deer out there but there was 6 days left and it was cold out. It was all smiles on my way home I called a few people and sent some pictures out. I came home to my father waiting in the garage along with my sister and my Nephew Thor in blaze orange. She said he wanted to take a picture with his favorite uncle! I can’t wait till he is the one holding the deer’s head and not me. I can finally say I had taken an animal with a stick and string! What a way to end 2016 now to go catch more fish!
I had my ups and downs through those 11 years. I had close encounters with deer. My first year hunting I sat in an old farm yard next to some evergreens. Two fawns had walked by me they still had spots they walked about 7 feet away. I had watched those two grow up all fall. I never had the heart to pull back on one of them.
The years went on I got busy with high school and would bow hunt off and on nothing too serious. I have had a few misses in those 11 years. This summer I wanted to actually get fitted for a bow. So I went to our scheels in Fargo. I know some of you do not like big box stores for archery but there are a couple really good guys there that know their stuff. Many reviews from friends who have gone there and they really liked these guys.
I had a few different bows picked out the first one I tried was the Bowtech Carbon Icon. I immediately took to that bow. It felt great in my hand the weight, just all around felt great. I told the guy I want this one. I didn’t try anymore because when you know you know. Was hard to let that old Browning go without it ever killing anything and for a mere $75 with the whisker biscuit I let go with it. The only thing I kept off my old bow was the 5 pin spot hog I have. Practiced a lot this summer and I felt very confident up to 50 yards. My groups were very tight.
Fast forward to this fall I had missed a whitetail out in the badlands due to misjudging the range. User error when I got to my spot to sit I found out my ranger finder battery was dead. So I had a blind 5 miles from town with cameras up. There were deer there all fall. Only thing they were coming in at midnight to 4 am.
Last week a good buddy of mine who knew I was looking for new places to shoot a deer called me. He said hey I have a spot on PLOTS land where 150 deer are walking through. So he picked me up and we went out there. Sure enough there were deer all over. They were walking east and west from corn stubble to corn stubble.
Plan was made and I was going to go Friday the 30th. I went ice fishing that morning and got a limit of crappie, a walleye and two perch. The day was off to a good start and I left for my buddies place 40 miles away. He dropped me off at the PLOTS and I trudged through knee to waist high snow in some spots. I finally got to this small clump of trees where there must have been an old farm yard. It is not very big at all when you look at it from the road. I set up next to a tree where I could see both main paths the deer have made in the snow it was about 3:30.
At about 4:05 a doe and a fawn came over the hill and right down the path. With the wind in my face I thought can it really be this easy? The doe was in the front and there was a place they have been scratching at 27 yards. She stopped broadside, I was facing west into the sun and we had just got an inch of rain. All the trees were covered in ice. I pulled back and let an arrow fly. HIT! But I didn’t hit the deer I hit a branch covered in ice that was invisible from the sun hitting it. The two ran up the hill and just watched.
I thought I had blown my chance. So my feet are cold now and I am somewhat discouraged. But that is hunting so I decided to wait it out. Not even 20 minutes later 4 doe start down the other path towards the other scratch place at 27 yards. She stops ¾ broadside facing me. I pull back and calm myself and let an arrow go. Hair flies and she just trots 10 yards away and continues to eat. My buddy now is ½ miles away on the road with his spotter watching the whole thing. He said he would watch her. She walked off with no signs of any hit. He texts me no arrow or blood or any sign of a hit. Displeased with myself I almost gave up to go look for arrows. 10 minutes later a doe and fawn come down the same path where I had just gave the one a haircut. The fawn is scratching around and the doe is on edge. I could have shot the fawn 10 times over but I waited for the doe to step broadside. She did about 2 minutes later. I pulled back and pulled the trigger. Snow flew below her. Clear miss so I went to look for arrows. I found 2 of the 3. The one I gave a haircut no blood or skin on the broadhead just a little bit of hair.
My buddy came to get me and we proceeded to get his truck stuck in snow and ice. Two hours later he got pulled out. It was a long drive home thinking how can i miss that badly? I figured out what I did. I was peaking at my shot right before I released. I did this in golf a lot and a few times just practicing archery.
My sister is home from NYC with my 7 week old nephew. I wasn’t sure if I would go out on New Year’s Eve or not we had a party planned. But I decided I would go one last time while she was home. I went solo I texted my buddy I was going.
I got to the same tree at 3:15 I spooked a dozen deer or so out of a slough on my walk in. It was a lot colder this night than the previous. Deer were moving a mile away from me and it was getting dark. At about 4:30 4 yearlings started to come in. They were coming down the path from the haircut deer. This was the best way for them to go since I was almost completely hidden from them. The wind again in my favor. But one of them decided to go around and come right at me. She got to about 7 to 9 yards and bolted. I couldn’t pull back because she was on top of me so quick. I pulled back when she stopped at 30 yards but no decent shot was there so I didn’t shoot. My buddy texted me hit or miss. I didn’t know he was watching again in his spotter. I told him no shot.
Here I thought that would be the end of the hunt that day. But fate had it 4 more yearlings came in. One brave one came to the scratching spot. She knew something was where I was standing but didn’t know what. We had a standoff for a few minutes. I had my glove off and my face mask so I could feel the string on my face. I finally got stepped out and pulled back. This time I would not peak and I followed my shot through till I saw the bloody arrow behind her. My buddy called me immediately and said he had his eye on her and blood was pouring out. Less than a minute she expired.
I found my arrow soaked in blood. I didn’t know what to really do my hands were trembling so I walked back to my truck where I had brought my otter sled. I met my buddy and he greeted me with a firm handshake and a hug. We walked up I gathered my monster phannypack and bow. He knew right where she was but we followed the blood trail anyway. The closer we got the more blood there was. She didn’t go far at all. We took some pictures and loaded her up and I gutted her by my truck.
I know this got long winded but I wanted to put it down in writing. After 11 years from misses to being in the wrong place it finally came together. It is not the biggest deer out there but there was 6 days left and it was cold out. It was all smiles on my way home I called a few people and sent some pictures out. I came home to my father waiting in the garage along with my sister and my Nephew Thor in blaze orange. She said he wanted to take a picture with his favorite uncle! I can’t wait till he is the one holding the deer’s head and not me. I can finally say I had taken an animal with a stick and string! What a way to end 2016 now to go catch more fish!
