All In The Family

My first bow when I was a small boy was a flimsy fiberglass stick with a twine string that fired wooden suction cup-tipped arrows. I can remember as I got older I pulled off the suction cup and sharpened the shaft in a pencil sharpener. I soon moved up to green and red fiberglass “flight bows” sold by Sears and Montgomery Ward. My nephew still has my first real hunting bow. It was an Indian archery duel shelf plastic-tipped green fiberglass bow of 45 pound weight. I took to the fields in chase of my nemesis the ground hog. My father was born in 1929 and he became a bowhunter presumably after the struggles of the depression allowed “frivolous pursuits” in game. His father was a big water fowler on the Susquehanna River, but doubt he did much bow hunting. My father’s bow was a tan solid fiberglass Ben Pearson takedown longbow of 60 pound pull. I can remember this bow as it was retired having had the lower limb tip ground off from years of abuse. He then purchased s Bear Whitetail compound bow and I have found memories of shooting with him in the front yard of our home. He shot with a calf hair tab and I could not get over the speed of his aluminum arrows compared to mine. My brother started killing deer with a Jennings Sidekick 3 after a few years of hunting with Dad’s Ben Pearson. I bet he was the reason for the ground off tip. He was ten years older than me. I do know he helped pick out my first compound bow in the winter of 1987. It was a browning Deluxe Nomad II wood risered beauty. I remember him telling me he was so impressed it was super light at 3 pounds compared to his all metal arrow slinger. I shot this bow with a glove and no sights and had 4 fletched 2219 aluminum shafts tipped with 4 blade Satellite broadheads. It took me many years to collect my first yearling doe and that was after missing it with the first shot from an old wooden platform nailed to a locust tree. Truly culling out the dumb ones on that hunt, but you never forget the first….especially when it was such a long hard road. My brother again was responsible for introducing me back into traditional archery after years of shooting modern compounds and releases and all the crutches and gadgets that came with it. He gave me his fist longbow after buying a custom Rio Bravo Long curve. The bow he gifted was a 60 pound @ 28 inch Earl Hoyt Jr. Sky Archery Trophy Longbow. I skeptically brought this bow on a late season January 2006 hunt. I was sitting on a chestnut oak stump as darkness started to settle when a conga line of over 15 deer soon engulfed my position. I had deer all around and one pesky fawn within 8 yards of me behind a mountain laurel bush threatened to blow the whole deal. That’s when I finally got an opportunity to loose an arrow at a mature doe as she stepped out from behind the Y of a branched trunk. I heard a solid thunk and saw her blow out with tail down! I was certain I hit her well and was as excited as I had ever been….that is until I realized my arrow with bear razorhead was embedded in the Y trunk of that tree. But I was hooked! The following September found me with longbow in hand and I have never hunted with the compound since. I hunted again from the ground on a stool when one sultry September afternoon another young button buck stepped right toward me and gave me an 8 yard shot. The shot selection was poor as he was quartering toward me. I sat there brimming with adrenaline and at the same time frustration at such a dumb shot. Then it started to sprinkle rain. Great…. Suddenly I saw an adult doe break the tree line of the firebreak I was just inside of and come jaunting by. I drew back on her with no intention of shooting. I held and held….and she was still closing in and coming broadside at 12 yards. I couldn’t take it anymore and loosed. The woodsman tipped arrow blew through her ribcage and she exploded down the hill followed by the sounds of thrashing and crashing….then silence. I found her easily enough and called my pal Brent to help me track the small one. We did not find him as rain started to come down heavy. We decided to butcher the deer we had in hand and I would go back the following morning before the heat of the day spoiled any meat. The temps were up around 60 degrees that night and I was doubtful, but I found him about 80 yards from the shot site and only the loins were spoiled from contact with gut contents. I was lucky and learned a great deal on that hunt. This was my first, “real first”, deer. I can see those events like they just happened yesterday. My brother made me promise to never sell that Hoyt bow. This year he has another in-law that wanted to switch from compound to trad, so I kindly repaid the offer and gave him the bow that started it all for me…again. That is the beauty of life and hunting…we continue to learn and start over. Each time we do and it makes things harder and then the resulting success ends up being that much more memorable. That is what it is all about. Late December my wife gave birth to our son Garrett. He will have his own path to follow in life, but I will be sure to help him along with as much of my values, ethics, and family traditions that he will accept.