# Bowhunting First



## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

Or at least a first for me. I was in the stand Saturday morning and had a older 7 that had a legal spread come in. He circled to my right and when he got behind some cover, I stood up expecting him to come in for a shot. He didn't because once he got right over my right shoulder he laid down at 40 yards from my stand. He laid there for over an hour and I was stuck standing there totally motionless. When he did get up he moved off behind me and I never saw him after he went out of sight. Not sure if he got behind me and winded me, or he just wasn't interested in any corn or oats. All I know is I still hurt from standing like that for so long, but it did make for an exciting hour or so even if I didn't get a shot.


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## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

You must have been doing something right for him to come in and bed up right by you like that. You should have made a noise or something to get him to stand back up.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Thats why you enjoy it so much.. many different varibles come into play while bow hunting.. good news is now you got sumthing to hunt..Walker


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

Rack Ranch said:


> Thats why you enjoy it so much.. many different varibles come into play while bow hunting.. good news is now you got sumthing to hunt..Walker


I got plenty to hunt.....

I haven't told the big spike story yet.......not sure I want too either.


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## Grizzly1 (Dec 12, 2008)

BountyHunter~ Come on out with the Big Spike story, we have seen pics of him and you entered the contest at Wulf Outdoors so is he alive or dead? OR DID YOU MISS HIM? We need to hear this story.


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

Grizzly1 said:


> BountyHunter~ Come on out with the Big Spike story, we have seen pics of him and you entered the contest at Wulf Outdoors so is he alive or dead? OR DID YOU MISS HIM? We need to hear this story.


Ok I wasn't going to tell this story, but that big spike kicked my butt the second Saturday. I hunted hard all the first week but just couldn't seem to figure out when to be in the stand. Heck I had pictures of deer a half hour before I got in the stand and a half hour after I got out. Seemed like the had some under cover agents sending them intel on me or something. That all changed that Saturday morning as I decided to go out about 8:00 that morning.

It was cool out and I was worried I'd messed up again, but that wasn't the case. I'd only been in the stand for fifteen minutes when I caught some moment and sure enough here he came. I thought for sure he was going to wind me but he circled too close to my stand and my scent must have went safely over his head. He then walked right in and put his head down to get some of the oat sprouts that had just started growing. With a mouth full he looked up and around as he chewed, then down went his head again. I let him do this a few times before drawing and as his head went down I came to full draw and put my sights on him for a heart shot. As the arrow left my string time went into slow motion. He reacted to the string almost immediately, but it wasn't a duck, it was more of a front end hop and turn. My arrow cleanly passed between his legs and stuck in the ground.

He bounded away three or four hops then stoped and started looking around. He was looking at all the trees and his eyes passed by me a couple of time. He then started walking his circle again and believe it or not came right back into almost the same spot and started eating the oats again. Slowly I pulled out another arrow and got it nocked. He was eating but wasn't taking as big mouth fulls before looking around. He was not at all as claim as the first time but he wasn't totally nervous either. I let him go for what seemed like an hour but it was more like five minutes. It was then that something caught his attention and he looked dead away from me so I took the chance to draw. This time I took aim center mass, if he wanted to hop, I'd fix him. Once more things seemed to move in slow motion as my arrow left the string. I was amazed as he reacted this time even faster and dropped straight to the ground, his belly completely laying on the ground. Of course my second arrow flew over his back and planted itself in the gound not more than four feet or so from the first one.

He jumped up and ran about twenty yards then looked around again. He again started circling and just when I thought he was going to come back and give me a third shot, he headed off into the thick stuff. I sat in the stand totally drained for about thirty minutes before getting down. I ended up losing one broad head as it was planted in a root or something and the insert pulled out of the shaft. I was hoping this past weekend he would return for round three, but he didn't make an appearance.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

You use your recurve or compound, I'm guessing the compound cuz you had mentioned sights....WW


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## redduck (Jul 26, 2006)

I am so glad others have had similar experiences. But I guess that makes success even more sweeter.


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

wet dreams said:


> You use your recurve or compound, I'm guessing the compound cuz you had mentioned sights....WW


It was the compound. I was hunting with my longbow when the big 7 came and laid down, thought I bring something different to the game for the spike but he didn't come to play.



redduck said:


> I am so glad others have had similar experiences. But I guess that makes success even more sweeter.


I can tell many stories of misses, that was just the first time I had one come right back in for a second go. I've had them come back that evening or the next day, but never within 5 minutes. Lets just say I was supper hyped on the second shot, so some of the over the back might have been on me.


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## Grizzly1 (Dec 12, 2008)

Bountyhunter~ Don't worry I dont think that spike can hop or duck from a piece of lead when it becomes rifle season. I had my first encounter this year with a deer reacting to the release of the arrow. I had a doe at 20 yds standing broad side, she had just walked in and I rushed the shot a little because I should have waited for her to settle down but I wanted to draw before she got in front of me and saw me moving. So I was at full draw when she got in range and when she put her head down and started eating the corn I had thrown out I put it right behind her shoulder and released. She threw her head and front portion of her body away from me and the arrow hit her in the back of the ribs, LUCKILY the arrow hit and since she was quartering away when the arrow contacted it went from the back of her ribs thru her vitals and towards her front shoulder. The arrow did not pass through and I could feel the broadhead right under her skin. She ran about 50yards and fell dead. It really makes you think "what if" when you go to release an arrow after this has happened. The weather is nasty outside and I think I am going to the archery shop when I get off to look at the new model bows that are out, I've got the itch for a new one and maybe with a little more speed they want have as much time to react.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

A deer can and will get out of the way of the fastest bow on the market. The main reason a deer reacts is the NOISE at release, if you were to work on making it quiet it would pay off. I will say there are bows that are very hard to quiet down, >> old Dartons, Oniedas are some that come to mind. I've had some friends that shot Golden Eagles yrs back, they were known to be 1 of the slowest BUT also very quiet same with a recurve slow but quiet....WW


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

I shoot an Oneida, but it has been quieted and isn't much louder than other compounds. It is still louder than my longbow or my new recurve. I only got it when I hurt my back a few years ago and could hold my longbow drawn. I could still shoot the Oneida with fingers, that is the reason I picked it over some of the others. Now I can hold my longbow, but I kind of got use to using the Oneida from a tree stand. However now that I have a recure, the Oneida might just start collecting dust....


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I've had my share of loud bows in the past, I was always after the 'hot rods' back when I shot 3d tourneys in the late 80s. Back then before overdraws came on bows we would get one of the quickest, generally it would be the one with the lowest brace height (Dartons) and put a homemade OD on it, although it would be super quick they were also super loud. Pete Sheply came out with the first OD on a factory bow (Mach Flite) if my memories correct a few yrs later Onedia came out with 2 of the fastest bows out of the box, the Eagle got to be called a 'screaming eagle' because of the noise. I'm thinking Ted Nugent was the first to push them, I had a few friends that tried their best to quiet them down and ended up selling them because nomatter what they did the noise was still there. I shot a Hoyt Spectra up till a few yrs ago, I had a homemade OD on it, it was fairly quick but SUPER quiet, I now shoot a Mathews, I love it, to me the impact of the arrow is louder than the release BUT it is properly tuned. I don't think its much louder on the release than a recurve, its louder BUT not much....WW


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

The big key to quieting an Oneida is getting the plastic limb cups replaced with the new aluminum cups. Then it is just like quieting any compound. The plastic cups would slap on every shot if you didn't have the bow maxed out because they would flex. The new aluminum cups don't flex so you don't get that slapping noise. Still at it's quietest, it is still louder on release than either my longbow or recurve. I've been working on my new recurve all week and it is the quietest of all three of my bows now. Like you said the arrow's impact is well over 4x louder than the the release. I'm going to give them another go the end of this week, thanks to the extended bow season. Sure would like one more shot at spikey, I think he will be surprised when I take a shot with this new recurve.


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