The Longbow and Treestand Shooting

Since I have been away for a while, I thought I would post an update.  I was actually a bit hesitant to recount some of my successes with the hope that the good fortune would continue.  After coming home with some small game success, and no elk on my western trip, I have begun to focus on the whitetail deer population.

A late September evening  hunt brought about an interesting opportunity.  Heading out to our stand trees my hunting partner Mike and I bumped into 2 bucks.  I passed up an iffy 50 yard shot at one larger buck that was facing away.  Soon they both headed out for the hills and we set up our stands about a bow shot apart.  Mike up high on an oak flat, and I below on the filed edge.  We were not on stand long before deer started to show, and the show continued for some time as deer passed just out of range.  A horseback rider actually spoiled one approach for me.

At dark Mike scores a hit on a smaller deer he assumes is a doe in the fading light.  His shot was good, though a little farther forward than ideal on a quartering away animal.  The Ace head struck forward into the base of the neck.  Butchering revealed a carotid artery hit.  The deer ran down and around to the left of me at a sharp angle and stopped seemingly unhurt as it stood.  I released the string striking the deer high severing the backbone and dropping the animal on the spot with a cedar arrow and bear razorhead with bleeders installed.  Even with the bleeders, the penetration was almost total on the spine.  A quick follow up shot ended the drama quickly.

We caught this spike in a Sunset Hill sandwich with a rare 2 hunter follow up shot.

Later in the early parts of October we returned to the same oak flat.  This time I was set up about 100 yards away from Mike on the same elevation.  A doe and yearling came in and fed behind me before bedding down directly behind my stand tree.  They stayed there until dusk when the small one decided to stretch and start to feed.  Mom followed and after the yearling passed behind my tree I readied the shot as the big doe approached.  The shot was tough....almost directly behind my stand and I needed to hold the bow perfectly vertical.  My shot was again a bit high and to the left.  I watched them both run about 65 yards and stop. 

Darkness came quickly and as I attempted to quietly ease my climber down the tree I heard a tremendous thrashing.....then again.....  Even Mike heard it from his stand. 

The arrow indicated a paunch hit....no blood.  We both decided not to risk an immediate trail despite the crashing sounds.  We went out for a quick meal and pondered the evenings events.

When we returned after several hours we immediately found the big doe.  She had fallen down into a ditch.  What we heard was her trying to scratch her way out before succumbing to her injuries just a few minutes really after the impact.  The cedar arrow and Ace standard head severed the liver and major arteries on the way through the paunch.  Left a huge hole in both sides.  Really started to have confidence in the Ace standard!  The large doe had little fat.  Unfortunately the foxes got to the deer while we were tentative and ate a few pounds of meat out of one hind quarter.

Finally, a Saturday morning hunt had me in a small persimmon grove.  Shortly after light a nice doe passed by under my stand and I waited hoping the deer would pass out in front of me for a better shot.  It did not.  It passed under and through to my right with no shots.  After the deer departed I contemplated how I could have made that shot despite the severe angle.  Several hours later a deer appears from where this doe went and assuming it was the same doe I readied the shot.  Focusing hard as the deer passed over a log I released an arrow striking the deer and embedding the Ace head in the log on the opposite side.  The deer immediately ran and broke the arrow off.  I could see the top part of the arrow sticking up to the fletching in the deer's back as it ran only about 35 yards and stopped.  Soon I heard thrashing and a last gasp.  I could see the deer's eye through my binos and climber down after a bried calming period.  The deer was a small one.  This years.  I made a good shot and received some very tender tasting meat in return.

Hopefully there will be more tales of success this season as the rut is fast appoaching here!  Until then, I am pondering these 3 hard angle shots and the forgiveness and quietness of the Hill style bow.  A longbow is a disadvantage from a tree stand????   HARDLY.