# STORYTIME, PICS WELCOME!!



## Sweat

Im completely obsessed with bowhunting and have been itching all month to go but life has had other plans so far and I will not have a free weekend till the 23rd sad4sm.

SO I NEED TO HEAR SOME GOOD SUCCESS STORIES...!! 
PICS WELCOME!!

Also, I attached a video of a couple kill-shots just to start it off.

Lets hear'em boys..!!

-Sweat:texasflag


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## Sweat

C'mon guys... 211 views and no one has a story? 

Well I guess were either in the same boat or yall missed...


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## porkrind

Nice video, only shot at something once and missed.


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## Chunky

I don't have any stories from this deer season yet...I let everything walk last weekend. 

I have tons of older stories, but most have been posted before.


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## Chunky

Okay,

This is one of my best hunting stories, it is not fresh but maybe it will get the ball rolling.

Mule Deer ​ 
As I reach the position I have been crawling toward, I try to relax and take several deep breaths. I rise to one knee and make sure I am ready to shoot. I pull a couple of the more painful cactus needles out of my hide, as I have collected a fair sample of Wyoming's prickly flora, but that is not important. I am where I need to be, I think. I am perched just below a canyon rim and twenty yards above a very large rock that I believe hides a very nice muley buck. It could be the very large rock just down and left of me, but after careful consideration, I decide the rock directly below me is the right one. I do keep an eye on the other one, just in case. No matter how hard you try to plan your stalk and memorize landmarks, things always look differently when you approach them from a different angle.

The date is September 9th , 2003. The northern Wyoming morning is beautiful, clear and cool. The wind is steady and perfect for my position. The plan calls for me to wait for one hour for the buck to move on his own and provide me with a shot. If he does not cooperate, my friends and guides will move closer and closer until the buck becomes uncomfortable with their position and moves. The risk is that he will spook out at full power and not provide a shot at all; the reward is that he may move out slowly and be distracted by them, giving me a chance to draw from my position of little cover. Either way, I have done all I can for now and can only wait.

How do you spend time when you know you are within bow range of the deer you've dreamed of? Most of my hunting is done from stands or blinds in thick cover. Shot opportunities come quickly and there is not much time to "ice the shooter," as they say. I draw my bow a few times to stretch and check for limb clearance. I visualize the buck walking out from the right side of the rock and my making a perfect shot. After doing this a few times a thought creeps into my head. The shot will come, it is going to happen. This will be either a great moment in my hunting history or one of those others that haunts you and keeps you up at night. I have a nice collection of those already, as I believe most of us do that have hunted for any length of time.

If I miss, it will not be the escape of the deer that will bother me. A countless number of animals have eluded me because of an errant breeze, lack of cover, being spotted by another animal, or one of the other thousand things that can go wrong during this adventure we call bowhunting. These are beyond our control for the most part and don't upset me a bit. It's the ones where everything goes right and I don't perform at the moment of truth that really hurt. Bowhunters work so hard for that one chance and when it comes it is point blank and burned into our memories. I am not normally prone to buck fever or target panic, but with an hour to wait I decide I had better occupy my mind.

I think back how I arrived at this position. This is my third trip over the last four years trying to kill one of these floppy eared rascals. I am hunting with my guides and very close friends Jim Bob Adamson, his wife Lisa, and Bruce Ferrie of Canyon Creek Outfitters of Cheyenne Wyoming. I took a very nice antelope with them on my first hunt, but have had my heart set on a mule deer ever since. 

The first couple of trips provided lots of sightings of big bucks and a few close encounters, but no good shot opportunities, except at does and dinks. The trips were always memorable, but not always for the hunting. I was there on 9/11 and will never forget that. I have made about every mistake a mule deer stalker can make, but have also had great times and learned a lot about the deer, their habits, and the beautiful country where they live.

I love hunting with Jim Bob and Bruce for many reasons. They never give up or get discouraged. They know my limitations and the limitations of my traditional equipment. We hunt hard, but we also always make sure we have a good time. We shoot arrows at frizbees and targets during the mid day. We play games during travel like sports and music trivia. Once a year we take an afternoon off, drive to Lander and attempt to play golf. We even played a touch football game at the RV campground. There is never a dull moment with them!

This year started a little differently. Jim Bob called me and said that they had permission to hunt a new ranch in a new area. They could only take one hunter and wanted to make a good impression to ensure future hunting opportunities. He wanted me to be that hunter. I took this as a huge compliment and said that I would love to do it. 

On the first day we saw many nice bucks in the morning but none looked stalkable. About noon I spotted a real whopper bedded in a rock pile. I took my time getting around behind the pile. The wind was good and I moved toward the ridge where I would pop over and take the shot. I came to a place where the rocks were about the size of pick-up trucks. I picked a path between two of these and started to squeeze through. I was moving slowly even though I was still some distance from the buck I had spotted, because I had been warned of rattlesnakes in this area. As I oozed forward I saw velvet-covered antler tips on the other side of the rock. This buck was about three feet from me, but with solid rock between us. I could have touched the end of his antler with my bow tip. He had not detected me and I stepped back one step. As I stood there with my heart pounding, I realized I could hear the buck's stomach growling and when he took a deep breath I could hear him exhale. Wow, my trip was made regardless of how things went the rest of the week. 

I stood for a few long minutes and could not fathom a way to get a shot. The buck was situated in what could only be described as a rock room. The entrance on my side was very narrow. I could not step through with my bow drawn or even with an arrow on the string. I finally decided that my only chance would be to find another rock to climb on that would allow me to get high enough to shoot down into the buck's fort. I tried to get into position for a shot by climbing up a large sloping rock about fifteen feet to the right of the buck. I crawled up until I could see the two top forks of his antlers. I watched his antler tips and when his head turned away I rose to shoot. This was a bad plan. I only needed one second to find his vitals, but he saw me immediately and exploded out of his bed. All I could see was the biological twelve ring and, of course, could not take the Texas heart shot. He made two big bounds and was gone forever taking previously unseen bucks with him. I don't know what I could have done differently except wait for them to move or try the rock throwing trick. What a thrill, I was all smiles.

The next day I got another chance. We spotted a decent buck bedded at the bottom of a rockslide. I planned the stalk and crept to the exact location. I knew I was within twenty yards of the buck, but could not see him. He was behind a little fold in the land. I decided to wait for him to stand and give me the perfect slam dunk shot. The wind swirled and he came out of there with the afterburners lit. Oh well, another adrenaline rush and another opportunity bouncing away. 

There were a few more tries, including a mini push that almost put a fantastic buck in my lap, he came straight to me for a hundred yards, but he turned and went down hill at about sixty yards. I had another good buck at about thirty yards, but it was at last light and even though I could see the deer well, I felt like I would lose sight of the arrow and be uncertain of the impact point. I am confidant I could have taken that deer but it didn't feel right so I let down. I was having a great hunt, but not getting that one shot I needed at an animal that was in range, with plenty of light, and not already moving mach one. 

This morning we started the last day we would be able to all hunt together this year. We set out at daylight in search of an opportunity. Lisa, who was our cook and an accomplished hunter herself, spotted a buck when there was just enough light to see. Using the spotting scope she described and rated the deer including a kicker. She told me that he would do nicely. The four of us watched him for three hours. I was sure he would roll the ridge and be gone, but Jim Bob was sure he would bed on our side. He did, and we made the plan. I spent an hour getting into position. I was afraid that the wind would swirl and give me away again. I was wishing that I had asked them to move as soon as I was in range above the deer, but I didn't and so I sit and think for an hour. 

Finally, the time is up and they begin to move. I feel my pulse quicken. Closer and closer they come and I know it is almost show time. They get to a position a couple of hundred yards away. I can not believe that this buck has not yet moved. Many times this week the bucks we had seen would see a person or even the truck at a half mile and beat a hasty retreat. Mule deer are unpredictable! I see Lisa taking some pictures with my camera and I hope they come out. Suddenly I see the antler tips on the other side of the rock. He is directly below me and has stood up. He moves to the right and appears on the right side of the rock, just as I had been picturing in my mind. I bring my Morrison recurve to full draw. The buck senses the movement, stops, and looks up at me. I think, "that was a mistake" and release the string. The arrow passes completely through the mule deer's chest. He runs a hundred and fifty yards and collapses in sight. 

The next thing I know I am getting back slaps, hugs, and kisses (from Bruce not Lisa). Well, it's not every outfitter that shares so much excitement when you have success, but they are good friends, too. It will take several days to sink in that I finally got my mule deer.

I know some hunters who think mule deer are dim witted and not challenging to hunt. This is not my opinion or experience. To get within bow range of a wise old buck in open country requires skill, patience, and a good measure of luck. Because of the amount of effort and the people I shared this hunt with, this is one of my most treasured hunting memories. I got a great buck and an awesome picture also. Now if I can only draw that Wyoming elk tag...


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## Chunky

pics


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## Sweat

Great story, the pics really add to the story too! 

Thanks


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## keller bay

went to family land monday afternoon to rattle up some of the bucks my pops have been telling me about i was sitting by a tree with some grapevines running up and down it i rattled up for bucks at one time all legal but not what i want my tag to fill. as i was messing with the bucks i herd a snort and foot stomping behind me i turned slowly to see a doe bout 35 yds blowing my cover so i got mad and had to put one in the pump station. here she is the date and time are wrong on camera


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## Sweat

KB, 

I know how ya feel... those does can really P!SS ya off.. nice shot..

Ill prolly end up with one next weekend


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## Miles2Fish

Went out for my first time hunting ever this past weekend. I bought a bow earlier this year and have been practicing all year. We were going to set up a tree stand on the front feeder but didn't have time so I was a little a bummed....anyway I end up making the best out of a bad situation by making a ground bliind out of cut cedar timbers about 30 yards form the feeder. I am a little pessimistic about this blind because it does not offer much cover but decided it will be more fun to get busted than not hunt at all. Got into the blind about 6:00 AM and just like the camera had seen all week a doe came in at grey light from left with a smaller doe behind her. I let them settle into feeding and the smaller doe just won't get settled. Probably because of the racket the coyotes were making all morining just to the south of this area. Anyway she snorts and bolts but the larger doe turns follows and stops after only 30 yards. After decidingg there really is no threat she cautiously works her way back to the feeder. She is in front and two the left of me now walking towards me. As she comes back into range she is still only offering a quartering shot on her right side.....she takes four more steps then stops perfectly in range! I lift my bow, start my draw and then she lifts her head to look directly at me! Caught at mid-draw I freeze...arms shaking but not daring to move a millimeter...she drops her head and goes back to feeding. I pull to full draw and line up my 30 yard pin then whoosh and THWOP! Arrow finds its mark! She runs off to my right and away from me but not far before it appears she is down....My first hunting trip and and my first deer. Now I know why people are so obsessed with bow hunting! I have yet to take a deer with a gun but don't think I will....Bow hunting is just too darn fun!


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## gander

Miles2Fish said:


> Went out for my first time hunting ever this past weekend. I bought a bow earlier this year and have been practicing all year. We were going to set up a tree stand on the front feeder but didn't have time so I was a little a bummed....anyway I end up making the best out of a bad situation by making a ground bliind out of cut cedar timbers about 30 yards form the feeder. I am a little pessimistic about this blind because it does not offer much cover but decided it will be more fun to get busted than not hunt at all. Got into the blind about 6:00 AM and just like the camera had seen all week a doe came in at grey light from left with a smaller doe behind her. I let them settle into feeding and the smaller doe just won't get settled. Probably because of the racket the coyotes were making all morining just to the south of this area. Anyway she snorts and bolts but the larger doe turns follows and stops after only 30 yards. After decidingg there really is no threat she cautiously works her way back to the feeder. She is in front and two the left of me now walking towards me. As she comes back into range she is still only offering a quartering shot on her right side.....she takes four more steps then stops perfectly in range! I lift my bow, start my draw and then she lifts her head to look directly at me! Caught at mid-draw I freeze...arms shaking but not daring to move a millimeter...she drops her head and goes back to feeding. I pull to full draw and line up my 30 yard pin then whoosh and THWOP! Arrow finds its mark! She runs off to my right and away from me but not far before it appears she is down....My first hunting trip and and my first deer. Now I know why people are so obsessed with bow hunting! I have yet to take a deer with a gun but don't think I will....Bow hunting is just too darn fun!


Congrats man but your hooked now, welcome to one of the most addicting things ever...I am 23 years old now and have not shot at a deer with a gun since I was 14...I have passed up numerous opportunities to harvest deer that would score over 150" but decided not to shoot them because they were gun only places...welcome man


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## Sweat

Miles2fish,

Great first experience, this is exactly why I havent pulled my gun from the case in 2 years. I finally got back into bowhunting and im completely addicted after saying for years i didnt have enough patience, but i tell you.. my wife hasnt seen the patience that i have when im hunting.. haha.

Also, just a friendly tip. Next time you get busted in a draw.. go ahead and finish pulling back. It will be harder to stay still holding half draw and will cause more attention esp. if you have to hold longer than a few seconds... (ask me how i know). But go ahead and finish pulling back and if you have a shot just take it when you get the pin settled. You will def end up creating more noise and motion trying to hold half draw for several seconds rather than pulling back and having a potential shot.. 

Enjoyed the story and good luck on the next one.

Green for ya on the first bowkill!!


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## Trouthunter

*Here's one*

My son spined this one a couple of years ago.

TH


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## Trouthunter

*Another...*

Video of a doe that I shot a year ago with my then new Tec Hunter Elite...

TH


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## Sweat

*T-Locks?*



Trouthunter said:


> Video of a doe that I shot a year ago with my then new Tec Hunter Elite...
> 
> TH


Thanks for the videos, glad you posted about the Shuttle T-Locks... I was planning on trying those next..

How do you like them..??


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## Trouthunter

I love them, they're all we shoot as far as broadheads go.

TH


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## Chunky

You want another one?

Deerzilla​​ 
There is a huge ten point buck less than a hundred yards away and I am intentionally NOT watching him. In fact I am worn out, because my oldest daughter, DJ, is about fifteen yards from this deer in a pop up blind and every time the buck looks to be in shooting position, I clench all my muscles and hold my breath. An hour of this activity and I feel like I have been running a marathon. This buck has decided that this feeder and this area is his territory and patrols his domain, posturing, rubbing, and chasing off the occasional pretender. 

I have decided that something is wrong with the setup and she is not going to shoot. From where I am sitting, it seems the deer has given her every possible angle and distance for a shot. I am sitting in a rifle hunting box blind on a beautiful warm November morning looking out the side window down toward stand number one, where I should be hunting, when I hear the noise of the shot.

I should give you a little background on our lease. I hunted the Hill Country and Edwards Plateau areas for years. I wanted to see and shoot lots of deer each season. Numbers were important. I was learning to be a bowhunter and craved opportunities. After many years and many successes, I reached a point where I wanted to see some bigger deer. I wanted to have a chance take a "big buck". A friend at work was on such a lease. Over twice what I had ever paid, and tons of restrictions and rules, it had some sure enough trophy for anyone, big bucks. When a membership became available, I jumped on it. On our lease you can take a cull buck if it is three or older and eight points or less and a trophy deer if it is at least five years old. Heavy but fair penalties handed out by an impartial biologist keep everyone on the program. The managed leases under this program are around sixty five thousand acres so there is plenty of land, making the management strategy very effective. 

This started weeks before when another guy at the lease told me to hunt stand number six because he had seen a good eight point cull buck there. I set up a short tri-pod in the oaks fifteen yards from the feeder. My youngest daughter Kelby and I hunted it the next morning. We saw several bucks including an eight point that she tried to get a shot at. I sat in the box blind a hundred yards away with the video camera. With several deer around and the angle never quite right no arrow was loosed. I asked her if we should move the tri-pod, but she said no, it was in a good spot.

The next weekend was my other daughter's, turn at the lease. I put DJ in the tri-pod and sat back to enjoy the action. As it started to get light I could make out several shapes moving toward the feeder. My binos picked out a huge body. The girls carry radios when they hunt in case they need help or there is some type of accident. Because of strict rules on the lease, I want to give them the okay on trophy deer. The year before Kelby had called me to judge a nice ten point. The deer was beautiful and would have pushed one fifty Pope and Young, but was obviously only four years old. She wanted him badly and didn't take the "stand down&#8230;negative, I say again, negative" judgment call. I thought I might have to slam the shooting window in the box blind if she started to draw, but she demonstrated self control. When there was enough light to see I looked at the buck walking in to where DJ was waiting. He had a big symmetrical ten point rack with good mass and a huge neck. His belly was full and he had a little sway in his back. He is very big bodied deer with short looking legs and head. I judged him at five years old and at least mid one fifties on score.

I picked up the radio and whispered shoot the big ten, take him if you get a good shot. The deer fed, rubbed his antlers on near by trees, and finally left. I got some good video from the box blind. I was disappointed to say the least. I sort of scolded her for not finding a shot in all the time the deer was around. She fired back that I was not being the supportive father that she expected me to be, and it was all my fault that she is so picky in shot selection, as that is what I have beaten into her. I apologized and agreed that if she didn't have the right shot she was correct to hold back, but dang that was a good deer and we may never see him again.

 Two weekends in a row my daughters had been close to shooter bucks and yet no shots. DJ reported after the hunt that every time she started to draw one of the other deer would catch her. I needed to change something so I took down the tri-pod and put up a tent blind. I brushed it in really well and went home for week. Putting the blind in was a gamble as that big of a change in the area might spoil the whole location, but I decided, after a lot of thought, it was the best chance.

During that week I watched the tape and judged the deer a half dozen times. I was sure he was an acceptable deer to shoot. The next weekend was to be Kelby's turn, but Splendora HS won a football playoff game and Kelby had a commitment. She was the mascot, Willie the Wildcat, and the team needed her. This gave DJ another chance at the big deer. 

We arrived at the lease the next week. I thought it was important that we get back as soon as possible. I told DJ that any hunter that saw that deer would take him. I was wrong about that, another member named Richard, had seen the deer the morning we arrived at the lease. He told me that he had passed on the deer. I found this very surprising and asked him why. He said that he had judged the deer to be in one forties and only four years old. I told him that I thought he was wrong about the deer by at least 10 inches and that we were going to try and take him. The guys on our lease are all good hunters and experienced at aging and judging deer. This gave me pause and I had to consider the possibilities that I could be wrong. I finally decided that I had studied the deer via the tape and felt confidant of my assessment. I also decided that if I were in fact wrong and deer turned out to be four, I would live with the penalty, without complaint, and learn from it.

The next morning DJ got up and showered with out complaint. I was going to sleep another ten minutes, but was too excited. I wanted to be in blind with her and video the hunt, but she didn't want that. She thought she would be nervous enough, and really wanted to get this deer on her own with no help from me. I asked her to take the video camera, set it up early and tape the shot. She said she would try. 

With no video duties, I intended to go to stand number one and hunt for pigs, but when it came time to leave, I just couldn't. I crawled in the box blind. The big symmetrical ten came back right on schedule with a few other deer, and my torture began. 

At the sound of the shot I jumped to the window. I saw the big deer running off. I could not see any sign of a hit. I grabbed up the radio and asked DJ if she had shot. She said yes&#8230;.and that was all. I asked (screamed) did you hit him? Was it a good shot?

She answers back, I don't know. AAAAAHHHHH!!! Teenage girls can drive you craze. I asked, do you think you gut shot him and she said no. She thought the shot was either perfect or a miss just below the chest. I told her to sit and do nothing for forty five minutes. I watched down the road for the buck to cross, if he did not, we could eliminate that section of the ranch on a search. DJ offered that she heard the buck make some grunting noises just after she lost sight of him and she thought that might be a good sign. I was more than a little worried.

We had been waiting for about twenty minutes when I heard two shots from the direction the deer was headed. I couldn't help but wonder if it was someone shooting at the wounded buck and was it on our lease or across the fence. More gut wrenching tension, this was worse than hunting myself.

At the appointed time, I told DJ that I was getting out of the stand. I climbed down the ladder and started toward feeder. She scrambled out of the blind and immediately found the arrow. I could see a big smile and a thumbs up as I approached. The arrow was covered with dark red blood from tip to tip. She looked at me and said she knew the shot was perfect. I was still not sure, it didn't look like lung blood. I found the first couple of spots and started the slow and methodical tracking job that has always served me well. While I was doing that, DJ ran to the place where the deer had made those grunts and found him right there. He had only traveled sixty yards or so, but the grass was so tall we could not see him. He was a toad of buck with ten perfect antlers and a huge body. 

After pictures we got him loaded in the truck, not an easy feat, and headed back to camp. She got lots of congratulations and a few more pictures. It was a great day all around. A day neither of us will ever forget.

A few fun facts about the buck she calls, Deerzilla. The biologist at the ranch rough scored the buck at 163 gross and 156 net. He weighed around two hundred on the hoof and 156 net. He was either 4 or 5 years old.

We stopped at the HEB grocery store and I went in to get ice. The deer was in the back of the truck but his antlers were visible above the bed of the truck. When I came out she had a dozen or so people gathered around the truck and she was up in the bed giving a bow hunting seminar and letting people take pics of her and her buck.

The taxidermist told her, little girl your dad loves you, because most parents would stiff arm their kid for a deer like this.

She asked how Deerzilla compares to my best buck from Illinois, and I told her she had me beat by 30 inches or so.
Two weeks before this trip a big group of us had hunted at Baker Ranch in Rocksprings. Everyone had gotten a deer except my friend Bob and DJ. She had been trying for an eight point that she never got. When we got home Bob e-mailed pics of my deer and Kelby's deer to me. He also included a pic of an empty field and gave it a caption "DJ's deer".

Well this funny joke didn't sit that well with her, and two weeks later when she shot the big buck, she immediately send Bob a pic with the caption "Here is a better pic of my buck, now please send one back of yours" . He got the e-mail a few minutes later and called the house. He asked if he could talk to her, so I took the phone to her room. I heard her tell him&#8230; "I am glad you are giving up, but I am not taking any prisoners!"

That's my girl!


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## Chunky

pics


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## Sweat

Chunky,

You havent let me down.... another great story.

My only complaint is that those deer are bigger than im gunna see... lol!!:cheers:

Very Nice Deer!!


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## Chunky

Well, a few years ago when I got really active with LSBA, I wrote a half dozen stories for the magazine, some got printed, some never got sent in.

I have plenty of stories with misses, lost opportunities, and me shooting stuff that is small...but I figured people would rather read about the big stuff. 

It is no problem to copy and paste these, but the regulars have seen most of them before, and I don't want to seem like I am bragging or anything like that.

I am normally not even the best hunter in the truck! I have just been lucky enough to get to do it ALOT!


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## Sweat

Nah, I dont think its bragging when someone is asking for stories.. esp when your giving credit to your daughters as well!! Thats great that you can share with your daughters. I have 3 boys... wife still wants the girl..lol


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## Chunky

I am very proud of both my daughters and have lots of stories, pics, and videos of them.

I didn't have any boys, but I have no regrets.


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## Chunky

Okay here is the story from my avatar pic​​​Blue Wildebeest ​​I am wide awake and lying in my comfortable bed. There is soft light but it is not from the TV like it would be at home, it is from the small light in the bathroom. The bathroom has no ceiling and the light is making the thatch roof far above glow warmly. It is not as cool as I would like it, but there is no air conditioner and I have already opened the windows. When I did, a few moths and other flying bugs entered the room and honed in on my reading light. I turned on the bathroom light to lure them away. Something large moves past my cottage, I suspect that it is an nyala, but this is Africa and it could be anything. 

It is one of those moments that you know will be burned into your memory. It is the last night of my second African safari. Up until now, I have just been concentrating on what the next day might bring and enjoying myself. Now, I realize that my trip is almost over. I have one hunting day left. I reflect on my last two weeks. It has been a great adventure, with highs, lows, and great people.

While I don't have to kill an animal to have a good trip, and in fact some of my best memories come from hunts where I didn't, I always think about and imagine the feeling of what it will be like to hold the horns and stroke the coat of the fallen animal. When planning and waiting on a big trip like going to Africa, you have lots of time to dream about which animals you would most like to have a chance at. The animals I want most on this trip are a zebra and secondly a blue wildebeest. Part of the reason that I want these animals is that they are often used to represent Africa. The other reason was that on my first trip, I came very close to getting these, but did not close the deal. These were the ones that "got away". 

I was lucky enough to get a zebra on my fourth day. I also had added a few other nice trophies. I had not been able to get a shot at a blue wildebeest. I have seen them, oh yes, in fact they are one of the more common animals. Many times hunters get tired of them and wish something else would come by. Not so for me, they always hang back, or the mature bull is blocked by cows or presents a poor shot angle. 

The more times I come close but fail, the more I want one. As I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, I feel a little greedy for wanting more. I smile and think, I am content and I do have enough. I will not be disappointed if I don't get a chance, but I will hunt hard for a blue wildebeest tomorrow. There is no shame in hunting hard, even if you have already been blessed with a great trip. I hear distant thunder. 

Spring is coming on here. I am the last hunter of the season. They are expecting the first rains any day and it looks like it is time. The wind picks up and I hear rain on the outside of my building. For those who have never hunted watering points, rain will flat out ruin your hunt. Oh well, my wildebeest chances have just been reduced. Maybe I will stalk, I have done this a few times and gotten close enough for shots. On my first African safari I took several animals while stalking. It can be done, it is just particularly difficult to get close to the herd bull, but it is fun. If there are puddles in the morning, I will switch strategy&#8230;but I will hunt, and if I don't get one&#8230; I can use it for an excuse to come back again.


For the first time while in Africa, I sleep until the alarm goes off. Storms always seem to make for good sleeping. I get up and get dressed. I open the door anticipating the worst. It is just getting light and the weather is cool and misty. The ground is wet, but I can not see any puddles. I guess the dry African ground can soak up a good bit of rain. I doubt that many animals will come to the water with the vegetation so wet, but it's not impossible. I get a quick bowl of cereal and juice in the dinning building. My PH, Marco, arrives with the normal greetings and smiles. It is still sprinkling and I ask him if he thinks it will be worth sitting in a blind. He says we will give it a try for a few hours and if nothing comes we can switch strategies. I load my gear in the truck. My gear includes cameras and binoculars, fanny pack, small ice chest with refreshments, radio, reading materials, Sarrells longbow, and quiver full of arrows. The arrows are special. I have no hunting companion on this trip, which is too often the case. To feel like I have some friends along I have written the name of a fellow bowhunter on each arrow. With over four dozen arrows, many of my LSBA and TBH friends are represented in my quiver. 

We decide to go to the elevated box type blind where I have already shot an ostrich and a red hartebeest. It is a high traffic blind and I have been lucky here when the wind is right. I am trying to stay optimistic about my chances with the conditions. We turned the last corner to the blind clearing and see a huge blue wildebeest bull spook off and run. This is even more discouraging as it seemed like a sign. The one thing I want and he has already been to the water. While I stare up the 15 ft. ladder with my gear, it starts to rain steadily and I laugh out loud as it really looks like things are stacking up against me. Marco tells me to call if I get too wet and miserable. It doesn't appear that this should take all that long, but I am going to tough it out as long as I can.

I settle in for my wait. I start to think of the many times I have come so close to blue wildebeest without taking a shot. The day before, I had a great bull at 30 yards, and while I thought I could probably make the shot, I wanted it closer. I waited and the bull swapped ends and left. I had made the right decision, but the image of that bull runs through my head a number of times. My thoughts are interrupted by the rumble of thunder. It is not too close, but it is not too far either. More thunder and lightening and I notice that the roof of my blind is corrugated tin. I wonder if my African PH has seen enough storms to know about the dangers of lightening. There is nothing quite as exciting as sitting in the tallest thing around, which happens to be metal, in a thunderstorm, waiting for the next strike. I prioritize my gear in case the lightening strikes close with out killing me and I have to make an emergency exit.

In an hour, the crisis has passed, the worst of it missed me by a couple of miles. I relax and start looking more at the brush than the sky. I am watching a few dozen birds out the front window when something catches my eye from the side window. I look over and it is a blue wildebeest in the edge of the brush. Unbelievable, I may get another chance at the one thing I am after. All the animals that could have come and it is another wildebeest. It must be fate. He is staring at a salt block that is near the blind from about forty yards away. I get up quietly and get my bow and check the arrow. The name on it is Dennis Mulder. I haven't really judged the animal yet, but want to be ready. I have been told that if an animal comes in by itself that it is normally a shooter bull. I can only see one wildebeest so I am assuming it is a bull. The next thing to look for is that the horns are as wide as the ears and the forehead is black with no yellow hair.

The bull starts into the clearing and I make a quick look at the head. The horns look okay and I see a little white spot on the forehead, but not the yellow vee of an immature animal. At 20 yards the bull smells me. The wind is a little variable in the changing weather. I saw his head bob and he put his nose high in the air. Without changing stride, he turns to his left and starts back the way he has come. He is quartering away and walking slowly. In a smooth motion I draw, anchor, and release. Dennis is on the way and seems to fly forever. The arrow hits right where I am looking angling down and forward and buries to the noch. I was so concentrated on the spot that I didn't think about the distance, which was twenty five yards or just a bit more.

All of a sudden, there is a lot of noise and I am confused. I stick my head out the blind window and I see that this was not a lone wildebeest but a herd. The rest of the animals were still back fifty yards in the heavy cover. I had decided to shoot this animal because it was alone and thus, a shooter bull. Now I wonder if it was a cow coming in to check the water and salt for the herd. Being well above the animal makes it difficult to judge the sex. If there had been time to study the mass of the horns and body language I probably could tell, but there wasn't. I had one chance to shoot and I took it. I am glad that I have made a good shot and decide that I will be proud of the animal no matter what. Maybe if it turns out to be a cow I will do a skull mount and a full hide. I pick up the radio and make the call. I have shot something, but I don't know what&#8230;.no, I mean it is a wildebeest; it just might be a cow I tell Marco.

The truck arrives and I tell my story. Marco, the trackers, and a couple of tracking dogs take off at a quick pace. I follow a few steps behind and within a few yards we can see the dogs standing around unconcerned. This is a very good sign and Marco rushes the last 20 yards. He turns back and with a look on his face announces in a loud voice that it is a pregnant cow! Before I can react, he laughs and yells it is really a big bull. The shot was perfect and in the heart. The bull had traveled less than a hundred yards. I can't believe my good luck. I do believe I am the luckiest hunter on the planet.


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## saltyoperator

Chunky, that was a fantastic story! I felt like I was sitting right there in the blind with you! Great story! Jason


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## Boomhauer75

Here are 2 of mine from opening weekend. Love that rage 2 blade! Also shot a pig with my 22-250. Going back down there next weekend.:cheers:


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## Sweat

Thanks for all the pics and stories so far!! Only 5 more days!!


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## Jake11

Open weekend management 8 pointer. My biggest bow kill.


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## Chunky

Great job Jake and Boomhauer, congrats on your deer.


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## Colorado River Rat

Fayette County 10 point


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## Chunky

It's good to see all these young successful bowhunters.


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## Screeminreel

> It's good to see all these young successful bowhunters.


Couldn't agree more. Might even get something myself, one of these days.........


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## Jake11

My sister's crossbow kill, she beat me and my brother, Colorado River Rat
I was fishing while she was hunting, we have land on the Colorado River


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## Jake11

By the way, my brother and my picture are the ones a couple posts before this one


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## FishinNutz

Great stories, Chunky! The last one especially caught my attention because you mentioned your "Sarrells Longbow". Bob is a great friend of mine, and used to be my neighbor...he even builds some of his recurves on presses that I built. Great guy, great bows.


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## stickem

here is mine from this year. a scimatar horned orxy, and a nice sika. harvested these thankgiving weekend with my dad and uncle,and my cousin. i have alot to be thankfull for family and great hunting partners.
my best hunting weekend ever.


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## Buck Tag

Nice bow kills all!


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## Miles2Fish

*1st year hunting....*

My second deer of my first year bow hunting...a better shot and quick kill. Lots of meat in the freezer....I am loving this!


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