Brent Becomes an Archery Hunter

I first met Brent in the mid nineties as we were both serving in the National Guard together.  He was brought up in the "hunting camp" culture of Eastern Pennsylvania and has only ever hunted with firearms.  I convinced Brent to become a two season hunter and got him permission to hunt on a small farm in Maryland where he learned to get close and hunt deer with his compound bow.  Brent started to become proficient with his new weapon system and was able to harvest a few deer a year with me.  At about this time I was transitioning to shooting the traditional bow.  At first he could not understand why I would put myself at such a disadvantage when I was so proficient at killing with the compound (this was exactly why I was doing it by the way), but he finally accepted my new obsession.  I never pushed him to traditional.  Instead he saw how much fun I was having shooting targets and stumps whenever we were together.  One day he asked me if I would sell him one of my bows.  I had purchased a Ben Pearson Cougar recurve off an auction site that was badly in need of refinishing.  I bought the bow for $50 and sold it to Brent for $60 after putting a nice restoration finish on her.  Interestingly enough, he said his father had hunted in PA a long time ago with the same model Ben Pearson.  The bow was perfect for him as it was 45#@28 inches and a good weight to learn as well as hunt some day.  After a few years of practice he started to hunt with it during the late season after he had already collected a few deer with the compound and gun.  I can still remember his excitement when he told me of a miss he made on a doe as he was sitting in some deadfall.  I knew he would continue to hunt with it.

This year approached quickly, and the day before the opening Saturday Brent asked me if he should hunt with the recurve or bring the compound.  I told him that this time of the year was much easier to get close to game with all the foliage still on the trees.  I said he should hunt early with the recurve and once the leaves fell he could use the mechanical shooter for more distance capability if he wished.  Sounded reasonable to him. 

So Saturday morning had us parked at the hunting area once again.  As we parted I wished him good luck and he made his way up the meadow to his favorite treestand.  I began a slow stalk up toward him, hoping if I pushed a deer it might travel under his stand.

I was hunting this year without any commercial camo and I wanted to stalk up on a deer from the ground just like Howard Hill used to do.  I was decked out in plaid, wool LL Bean pants, and my favorite broken in hat and Bean boots.

I slowly picked my way along as the wind was quartering toward me.  Suddenly I heard leaves rustling nearby....maybe 30 yards or so in back of this very thick vine covered and rose choked cluster.  I thought that the sounds were too "heavy sounding" to be a squirrel....maybe a turkey or a deer.  I moved like a bobcat on the stalk...slowly placing the ball of my foot on the ground and inching as slow as possible toward the intermittent rustling.  As I cut the distance in half I could start to near acorns crunching and breathing sounds.....a leaf would move here or there but I just could not make anything out through the thicket.  The deer was close now...and I was sure it was a deer....within 12 yards or so.  I moved my head ever so slightly to get around an overhanging branch when I heard the snort.  the game was over!  After a couple blows and me frozen in time, I could hear heavy footfalls as the deer bounded away.  I never even got to see it, but I knew I was in its "personal space".  It felt good!

I guess I should have waited to move until I heard the leaves again.....Oh well. Another lesson.

I progressed up the hill and after another hour and a half, I crested a small gully and spotted movement ahead of me.  At about 30 yards a doe was making her way right toward me!  I tried to get in a position to shoot as she had her head down and then everyone froze......she knew something was up.....but how?  Did she see me.... We played the waiting game and she slowly started to flick her tail...Ah, there might be another nearby.  just as this thought crossed my mind, another deer started to snort off in the thick brush.  It snorted for about 5 minutes and I figured this stalk was about over too.  The doe had moved slightly and was behind a tree trunk so I slowly sunk down to my knees and knelt.  Perhaps I can wait them out. 

I knelt for about 10 minutes when out of the corner of my left eye I spotted movement only about 25 yards away.  I looked left and was amazed a deer had come from quartering behind me and was now broadside and traveling up a trail that would have it cresting the little gully berm I was sitting on.  She was walking at a steady pace and I started to worry she would continue over the gully out of sight.  My mistake was to try to get her attention and stop her.  I hissed slightly and she stopped an looked at me as I was simultaneously drawing and coming to anchor. 

The Schulz hunter head tipped arrow was away and I could see it travel low under her and she exploded out of there with dirt flying!

 

 

I made two mistakes.  I missed low....and I should have just let her keep walking and shot.  She had no idea I was there and I risked her jumping the string.  She didn't jump the string but I think that had more to do with the quietness of the longbow and the distance.

I tried to let things quiet down and reflected on such great hunt thus far, when I received a text from Brent.  "I think I just got a buck".  I tried to call but got no answer.  I started toward his stand at the top of the hill. 

As I came near his stand he was already on the ground and hollering for me that he had one down.  As I approached I crossed a blood trail and blind man could find! 

 

 

Brent was all grins and in front of him lay his prize.

 

 

What a great day!  We took time to snap some pictures, give thanks, and recreate the shot.  Brent was using a razorhead with the bleeders and that head did the job.  He hit the spike a little in front of the front shoulder but caught enough to get both lungs and a pass through. 

 

Congratulations Brent.  You are finally a real bowhunter!

 

 

 

It felt fantastic to have helped him attain this achievement.  It was a day to remember.