Most favorite bowhunt?
 

What was your most favorite or memorable bowhunt?

Mine was the last deer I got with a bow. It was the day before muzzleloader season opened. And it was the only deer I had a shot at all bow season.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

They are all special. The one that sticks out the most wasn't a deer, but 2 coyotes the same evening. I shot the first one and another came running in and attacked the wounded one and I shot that one.

"Semper Fi"

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

My most memorable hunt was this past season. I've been hunting for 19 years and this year I took my 10 year old son with me on a hunt. I already had a tree stand set up and we needed to hang another one for him. On our way in we scared up a doe and had to exit and come in the back door. We had his stand set up in the same tree as mine. The tree had a split in it, so we were only a few feet apart.
My son was uncomfortable, so he sat on the base of the stand (he was strapped in). He fell asleep and was snoring quite contently! His body kept jerking and his feet were swinging over the edge of the stand.
About a half hour after he fell asleep I saw a buck coming in. From about 70 yards out it looked like a good size spike with long, curved tines.
I whispered to my son to wake up. Nothing doing! I tried whispering, talking, and had to revert to shaking him awake! I was afraid that the deer, which was closing in on us, was going to see the movement. I think what saved us was the fact that we were about 20' up.
The deer kept trying to walk off, but I kept his interest with "The Can" and a doe bleat. He eventually committed and gave me a 24 yard shot with the bow.
My son was so excited, but I'm not sure if he was more so than I. Anyway, he had a hockey game to get to and I really had to get him out of the woods. We climbed down and tried to find my arrow and some blood. Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark and we couldn't find either.
I got him home and went back with some friends to find our deer. We found him a couple of hundred yards away!
The deer turned out to be a 3 pointer and weighed in @ 126lbs. He wasn't the biggest deer I've ever taken, but he sure was my most memorable!

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RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

Like basserman said, there all special. But, one of my favorites is last spring turkey. I was bound a determined to shoot one with the bow since it had all been shotgun before. I missed one the weekend before, and we were in are honey hole. My uncle had shot a nice one the evening before with the gun, but i still hadnt had a chance. Sunday morning, an hour before we had to leave, 5 jakes come in. There 30 yards out when i see them. Im gunna count to 20 before i draw, when i get to 8 there all there at 3 yards! I couldnt get my bow drawn back, and they all got away. But, even though i didnt get one, its my favorite hunt. Also, the first deer with bow. Nothin can ever beat the first deer with a stick and string.

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

My first bow hunt ever was my most memorable. In South Texas in the early 1990's on a hog/javelina hunt I was sitting on a stool on the ground with my back to a little bush, that was only a sorry excuse to grow thorns, and heard noise behind me. I very slowly turned to see a large feral hog on the other side of the bush with it's mouth open and chomping at the air as if tasting it. The distance from my face to his was less than 18 inches. I was in full camo and didn't move though I was startled and I very slowly turned back to face forward. The hog sensed something wasn't right and moved off to the left about 12 yds. and began to eat corn that I had put out on the ground. I stood and shot him, hitting him high in the spine and dropped it right there, then knocked another arrow and shot a smaller hog that was with the bigger one. I hit the smaller one in the neck from the top and it ran off breaking my arrow in the process. I never found that hog, but 2 guys hunting about 200 yds. away came in with a small hog that was shot in the same spot and I let them keep it.

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

My favorite and most memorable bowhunt was on Sept. 30th 1991, five days before my wedding. My soon to be wife was with me. She was sitting in a ground blind which used to be my late Uncle George's shotgun blind. He had passed away on April 14th 1990 from injuries in a truck accident. He had hunted there for many years and had only managed to shoot basket rack bucks.
I was perched in my loc-on stand, 40 yards away. It was about an hour after first light when a one horn 3 pointer and a doe come in from behind me and were standing practically under my stand. I was 20 ft. up the tree. As I was looking down at them, I heard a grunt to my right towards a grove of hemlock trees. All my attention quickly focused in that direction. About that time, another grunt but I couldn't see him...yet.
Just then, here he come up out of the hemlocks walking paralell to me. I can see his beautiful 8 point rack shining in the sun like it was yesterday. Then the one horn and doe walked in front of me and towards where the big guy was headed. They all met and the 2 bucks started staring at each other, steam coming out of their noses. I thought, here we go, that 8 pointer is going to kick his butt all over that ridge. But all that happened was a stare down for a minute or two then the one horn and doe continued on and the big 8 pointer just stood there. I thought for sure he would try to take that doe away. So he's standing there, still a little out of my range, and starts walking over to where my wife is!!! He walks towards the ground blind and stops 10 yards away looking directly at the blind. My wife is hunched over afraid to move a muscle, afraid she will spook him. We had covered the blind with fresh branches the day before.
He stands there atleast a couple of minutes then turns and walks between us. I had to wait till he was completely past the blind to even think about a shot. That put him about 25 yards away. Once he cleared the blind, I drew, put the pin behind his left shoulder and released. He didn't go 40 yards when I seen him fall. WHEW!!!
I was shaking so bad after the shot, I had to sit there 5 min. before climbing down. My wife came over and she was shaking just as bad.
My wife said that when he was in front of her, she was actually holding her breath because she didn't want him to see the steam coming out of her nose!!! Well, he's a symetrical 8 point with an 18&quot; spread and dressed out 168 lbs. He is now hanging on our wall and we nicknamed him &quot;George&quot; after my late uncle. What a cool hunt <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

I got a million of 'em.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Wait for the book to come out.

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

As others have stated, they are all great! If I had to pick from this season, it would definitely be opening day of rifle season. I had a late season rifle tag so I had my bow with me this day. I had around 30 deer, including at least 12 different bucks, come within 20 yds of me during the final 2+ hrs I was on stand.

The rut was just picking up and the bucks were really chasing does. I had a definite shooter 8-pt at 30 yds making a scrape but he offered no shot. Saw another huge buck but he didn't pass by me until after dark (never did get a good look at him). The bucks were making rubs and scrapes and chasing does all around me, and I even heard a couple doe-in-heat bleats.

There is nothing like watching deer behavior during the rut. I had several opportunities to fill one of my tags but I was having too much fun watching these deer.

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

Other than the 1st deer, my favorite was in 96. 1992 was my 1st year bowhunting and was successful. Before 93 hunting season came, I got orders to go to England for 4 years. I met a friend there from TN and I got him started into archery. We shot bows together (target only, bowhunting there is illegal). In 96 we got the kitchen pass and caught a hop from England to Atlanta, and drove rental a car to TN where a farmer gave us permission to hunt. We've never hunted this area before, so we got an aerial photo and did some Sunday scouting. Monday, on a crisp Nov morning, we both connected on a doe. His 1st bowkill, my 4th. What made the trip so special was, you don't realize how much you love something untill it's taken away. The friendship, turned leaves, that fall smell, and the fact I never got to hunt for 4 years. Also scouting unknown land with success the next day. (no one held our hand, pointed where to go, had the corn piles out for the last month, etc Mr Luce.) Then we went to WV and hunted my Dad's farm where I was born and raised. Again success with another doe by each of us. We didn't get any horns. None needed. After a couple weeks, we headed back to England for another year before returning to the states. I had the greatest time........

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

Like others I have many(including a big one).
My first bowkill I'll share with you because it was such a comedy of errors. I bought a bow with way too much poundage and about 2&quot; to long of draw length. I did not know anything about bows,anchoring,broadhead tuning,spine sizes,etc. I could never consistantly group(?). I went hunting anyway on our farm ,at the edge of a woodline-pastuer with a big oak w/ alot of leaves next to me.I saw a doe crossing about 100 yrds away (going away).I pulled out a grunt call(literally the first time I had ever touched one)and started making unknown grunting noises. The doe stopped and disappeared after a few minutes.About 15 minutes later(and much grunting)she walkes out beside the big oak, behind me at only 20 yrds. I start to draw my bow(thinking ,man is this easy) and my arrow starts moving left,then pops off my rest. I decided to keep drawing and then push the arrow back on with my finger.As I hit the back wall the arrow comes off the string and slides slowly off the riser(I 'm thinking this is &quot;the agony of defeat&quot;) hits the stand and bounces(for what seemed an eternity) off the steps all the way to the ground. The doe runs to the opposite side of the big oak ,but curiousity gets the better of her and when she bolts she decided to exit out in front of me . So I pull out another arrow and draw back . I whistle at her at 32 steps and stop her. I shoot and see my arrow is about to pass harmlessly in front of her brisket. Then (as luck would have it)she ducks right into it giving me a neck -opposite shldr shot.I've come a long way since then but I was glad to get her.And it still gives me a good laugh !!The next year I purchased all the best equipment and have been hooked ever since!!Believe it or not ,I have a fried with a much funnier first deer story !

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

It would have to be the first deer I called this year. First, deer actually with a bow, a doe! I had missed the first one and she came right under the stand! It was a messed up morning like Jeff Foxworthy, from not being able to find my stand to dropping the red lens to my flashlight, to climbing the tree only to find the bow rope was wrapped around the limb and i had to haul both up to free the rope, to finding the strap of my shoulder harness not hooked! Whoa one to remember!

Der Jagd Meister
aka [email protected]

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

My most memorable bowhunts are not the most &quot;successful&quot;.

In a tight bottleneck one morning during my 2nd season (still no bowkills to my credit). I see 3 does coming in from about 100 yards out. When the largest gets within 30 yards and turns broadside I draw and whistle, she stops, I place a pin (20 yard, not 30 yard) behind the shoulder and release....sticks arrow in dirt:)

They all run back the way they came. I hit my fawn bleat and here they come running back! This time they are feeding on crabapples about 20 yards out. I wait for the prime moment (head behind tree) and draw. She freezes...............I let down, she moves I draw she freezes........I let down, getting the picture, I did this 3 times. When I see that one of the does has moved below me scarfing down apples...

I slowly draw and start aiming....my arrow falls off the string and hits about 4 pieces of metal on the way down.:) No venison that day either.

I did however learn when to draw and when not to. I also took off all pins except a 20 yarder and have killed many deer since then at 20 yards or less.

Jim



Visit me on the Web...
http://www.huntinginga.com

RE: Most favorite bowhunt?
 

Mine came 12 years ago. It was the 1st time I had ever seen a bear. The bear walked right up through the woods to the base of my tree. He stood up with his front paws on the tree and looked up at me. After a few second standoff, he got down and kept on about his business. Not frightened or anything. I couldn't say the same. I just hoped that he never started to climb the tree.