# First Trad Deer



## Prof. Salt (May 6, 2014)

I've been training with a longbow most of this year to strengthen my shoulder after a ruptured disc in my neck three years ago rendered my left arm nearly useless. At first I hoped the longbow would help me regain the ability to pull my compound at full strength again, but as time went on I decided to try hunting with it. Draw weight is only 40 lbs but lots of folks have had success with similar tools when they limited themselves to short shots and sharp, heavy broadheads. For those interested, my arrows have 100 grain inserts and 190 grain 2-blade broadheads. The bow weighs less than two pounds and draws smoothly, and with practice I fell in love with the simplicity of the process. No sights, no rest, no stabilizer, no peep, just a stick and string to get an arrow down range VERY quietly. Instinctive aiming is somewhat mystical and happens by "using the force" or dead reckoning. For me it took lots of practice. I missed my target often at the beginning, but now I can pretty well keep six arrows inside a saucer sized circle on the target at 20 yards. I decided to limit my hunting shots to 15 yards for tighter groups and so there was less time between the quiet "thump" and the introduction of sharp arrow to deer hide.

Recently I went out in the afternoon and climbed my favorite tree to see if I could make something happen. Ten deer arrived after a while but it took almost 90 minutes before I had one standing broadside at 14 yards with eyes and ears trained in other direction so I could draw the bow undetected. It was a fun and challenging time in the tree being so close to that many trained eyeballs and ears. Silence and stillness are the standard, and it works well to prevent being noticed. After all that time the group of deer was at ease, and as my fingers relaxed from the string, the arrow released with so little noise that the group of deer didn't even run away. The arrow sailed quietly and disappeared into her ribcage with a barely audible thump. I had hit the doe a few inches behind the spot where I was aiming, but she ran off with an obvious entry wound and showing signs of distress. The other deer resumed eating within 30 seconds as if nothing had happened. That encouraged me to stay put for a while and ensure my deer would expire before I began to take up the blood trail.

When the sun disappeared I slowly reached for my pack and dropped it to the ground. The sudden noise ran the remaining deer off and I let out a snort wheeze to ensure they kept moving. Then it was time to look for blood. Seven yards from the point of impact I found the arrow laying on the grass and noticed the first small blood drops. Evidently the arrow had failed to pass through right away but was only hanging by the fletches on the exit side as my doe ran off. The blood on the grass wasn't bubbly or bright like lung blood usually is, but as I moved forward the sign got better and better. After 100 yards I knew by the quantity of blood that the deer was out there somewhere laying dead, but it took another hundred yards to locate her. She had run much farther than I anticipated, but blood trailing has always been something I've enjoyed and the deer had run a pretty straight line as she fled. I took my time and kept from moving too far ahead without seeing blood. She had piled up in a huge clump of grass at the base of a Huisache tree and it took me a minute to confirm that it really was my deer down in there. After pushing some of the grass out of the way I got my trophy out and began the long drag back to the road and my truck.

Now I've got fresh red meat in the freezer, a few chigger bites and a little more confidence to keep improving on those shooting skills. This little bow has brought excitement back to hunting and really pushed the level of difficulty up so that it's a real challenge again. I can't hunt very well out of a box blind with it (the bow is too big for the small space), but the tree is where I am happiest so it works out. In a tree I can hear approaching animals better and enjoy the lack of cover that requires better hunting skill at all times.


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## SaltyFowl (Nov 19, 2014)

Great story congrats 


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## trout chaser (Oct 21, 2005)

Congratulations, I enjoyed reading your story. It looks like your shooting a black hunter bow.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Congratulations! Well done.


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## gulfcoastal (Jan 12, 2009)

Great read. Congrats. Keep em coming!


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