first time out hunting and I wasn't in the tree for more than 1h.
It was a hunt on private owned land fenced on one side.
I was allowed to shoot does from 1 to 2y old and wild boar less than 60kg without tusks.
Around 9.30h I found a nice spot along a trail in the corner near the fencing and settled in.
At 11h I saw a big red fox shoot passed and that's sort of my good luck charm, I knews something was going to come round.
And 15min later a herd of around 30 animals was moving towards my shootinglane.
Lots of young bucks, some big mature does and 4 big males all very nervous smelling the air.
My heart was racing, adrenaline rush like I never had felt before.
I tried picking one through my sight but they were very close together. I couldn't risk wounding one, not on my first hunt.
So I kept my bow a full draw and waited.
One doe was slighty turned with half her killzone open on the other side, a big buck was standing behind her but he left me just enough room to let the arrow hit the dirt.
I aimed and shot a little to the back hoping one lung would get pierced, maybe two.
She bucked and kicked and the whole herd turned and ran off.
I had to try and get down the tree without falling, I was so nervous. A whole bunch of questions was racing through my mind. I had to blown a horn to let my fellow hunters now I shot and had a hit.
Then I found my arrow and saw blood, thick red blood. I knwe I had hit a little too far back but I couldn't risk hitting that buck.
There was a good bloodtrail but I had to wait for the trackers and their dogs. They arrived at my stand and told me there was lunch first and then they would go and search for my doe. I couldn't eat, I was so pumped. After lunch I started following the bloodtrail with one tracker.
The doe did 100 meters and I found her lying on her side. I fieddressed her for the first time and found I had shot her liver almost in half. Some people might say slick tricks don't bleed well enough but when you can trail blood for 100 meters with only a livershot, I think they work.
I brought her back to camp and butchered her myself.
I did another afternoon in the same tree and saw wild boar but all were more than 100kg, big males which I couldn't shoot.
By the end of the day I had another doe, stand nose up at 10 yards but she was a mature female, so I just watched her for a minute and saw her gallop away.
Since this was my first kill I had to be baptised, drink blood, kiss the doe and ask her for forgiveness, as tradition stated.
And now I'm hooked, I can't wait to get back in a tree with my bow.
I have to say that Predator's camo Brown deception worked like a charm. Even the trackers who came to get me back to camp told me they had a hard time spotting the tree I was in.
And I have to thank loads of people here on HNI for all the good advice, it paid off.
