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Deer Bow Season '05

Started by ARKANSAWYER, October 01, 2005, 10:40:04 PM

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ARKANSAWYER

   

   Today, 01 Oct 05, is Opening Day of Archery Deer Season in Arkansas.  This is the begining of deer hunting for the fall of the year is upon us.  Like most Opening Days a man just has to go.  It is like a "right of passage" and those who take these things like deer hunting serious must partake in them.  Events of this nature have rituals and those who hold great stature in the community are expected to participate and set the example for those coming up in the ranks to follow.  No finer day could have dawned then this one.
   But because of the Storms of the last month and high cost of gas I could not slip off to south Arkansas to deer camp and relax for the weekend.  So much work and so behind that a person could not in good conscience indulge in such activity while so much needed to be done.  So at the break of dawn instead of sitting in a tree stand watching the day unfold from it's slumber I was working.   Like a mad man I poured my heart and soul into what my hands were doing that it was 2 pm before I looked up and my task at hand was done and I was starving to death.  While eating my meager meal I could not come up with any reason that I could not be sitting up in a tree and put the day to bed.
  With my Tree Lounge strapped to my back and LBJ locked in the house I started across the farm to the mill pond.  By 3:30 pm I was 20 ft off the ground in a red oak about 20 yards from the edge of the pond with the pasture out before me.  Tempature was in the high 60's with the wind blowing lightly from the south and the sun setting behind me.  Everything is green from the recent rains but every creature knows that fall is here and winter is coming.  Settling down with a western by Louis L'Amour time slips away for everything is right in this little section of the world.  Only the dropping of acorns and squirrels playing in the tree tops near by distract from the normal quietness of the woods.  This and long naps while cuddled in the arms of Mother Nature are what make deer hunting so grand.  But there is a task at hand.
   Seems we did not get many strawberries this year as the deer population has gotten quite large on the farm.  Mother-in-law has asked that some of the does be remove so that she can garden less and get more.  Not to much to ask.  But when the deer ate the sweet potato tops so much that they did not make the request became firmer.  For no finer Mother-in-law could ever be found I complied with the request.
  Looking up from chapter 7 I noticed several deer working their way across the pasture to the pond.  Back to reading I stayed very still and turned the pages slowly.  Soon there was several does and fawns coming up to the pond to drink and one doe had no fawns with her.  Since it is still early in the year and much to be learned from their mothers I chose the one with no fawns as my target.  Putting my book aside slowly I waited for my chance to move.  Then from the other side of the pond in the woods two squirrels got into a ruckus and all heads turned to look.  I stood, drew my bow and in an instant fired my bow at the doe standing 23 steps from the bottom of my tree stand.   The arrow passing through the doe hitting the pond bank sent the deer running every direction with tails up and snorting.  Keeping my eye on the doe I sit back down in the seat as she jumped the fence and bounded through the woods.
  After finishing chapter 8 I lowed my pack and bow to the ground and climbed down.  Securing my gear I went to look for the arrow and doe.  The arrow was red but there was very very little blood on the ground so I went to where the doe jumped the fence.  Just a few drops on the far side where she landed.  In my minds eye I replayed the shot over and over but knew it was a good shot.  The sun was sitting now as it was 6:30 pm and the light was fading fast under the trees which still held all their leaves.  Working  low to the ground I looked for any sign.  Mushroom broken and freash.  An old limb laying on the ground snapped off clean.  Fifty yards slowly streached out to one hundred with just a drop here or a leaf turned up there.  The trail was heading down hill and I found no place where the deer stood to listen for any thing coming behind it.  Then almost two hundred yards from where it had jumped the fence I found her laying in the bottom of the hollow.  The arrow had hit the shoulder blade going in and came out high on the other side and she bled out inside.  I went to the house and got my stepson Ben and LBJ to help me drag her out of the hollow. 
  Mother-in-law is very pleased and it was the end of Opening Day but a long season to follow and hopefully many more afternoons spent in a tree stand wraped in the arms of Mother Nature.


ARKANSAWYER

beenthere

Congrats!  Good hunt, and great success. You had some great temps, as it was just over 80° here today. When it cools some, hopefully next week, I will get out (just no novel for me  :) )

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Norm

Thanks for the story Arky, reminds me to see if the old bow is still tuned up. Nothing better than fresh backstrap loins over hardwood charcoal. :)

ARKANSAWYER


  I know the season opened up in MO so I was hoping to see and read more stories from other bow hunters.  Our Archery season runs from 1 Oct to 15 Feb 06 and is very long.   It is easier to hunt as the deer are in their patterns and not many folks out in the woods to stir them out of their groove.   Muzzleloading season opens in 2 weeks and that starts mixing them up.  By mid Nov the gun season opens and the rut starts and then you can see deer any where any time or see nothing at all.   Love to hunt with stick and string. (plus some cams and cables)
ARKANSAWYER

Kirk_Allen

Way to go Dave.  I only managed to get two stands replaced that had finally become unsafe to be in.  Got them hung in our usual shooting gallery and limbs trimmed.

I might hit the tree tomarrow afternoon if I get cought up.

Patty

Speaking of deer hunting...this article just cracked me up:   http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170955,00.html


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beenthere

Patty
And the mentality of the CA police officers in the subsequent article about the pig attacking - apparently those officers don't know how to use their gun or don't carry guns  :D  What a waste of taxpayers money they are.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Roxie

Did ya read all the way down about a family out fishing found an alligator in a creek, in  PENNSYLVANIA?   :o  That creek isn't real far from where I work!  Jumping Doggies!  You'd have to call the paramedics if I saw that thing in a creek!   :o
Say when

beenthere

Arky
Saw 12 deer in the field next door last evening. One was a big bodied deer, and looking closer it was waving quite a 'hat-rack' around. When (if) the temps really cool down, the bow hunt will be on. Three stands awaiting.

Read today about the 17 yr old WI boy who was video-taping from his bow stand. A 24 yr old guy came through the woods and shot him twice with a .22. Ends up the video camera kept running while this boy lay wounded and crying for help, as the shooter went to him and announced that he had a cell phone and would call for help. The youngster died, and the video camera had this on the audio. The shooter left, didn't tell anyone, attended a birthday party, then went home to play video games, and later went on to work at 8 pm.  Search dogs found the lad when he showed up missing.
Pretty sad happening, on Sept 24 near LaCrosse, WI.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Minnesota_boy

It finally cooled off enough to think of hunting, then it rained.  The next day looked better but the wind blew and it rained again.   Today it quit.  Tomorrow I cut meat.  8) 8)
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

DonE911

I have not hunted deer since the developers covered my hunting grounds with houses back in south FL. It's been at least ten years with only one or two 1 day trips in between and no deer.  My wife has gotten more deer up here than I have.  Car in front of her hit a doe and Mary brought it home ;D

Now that I have moved to GA there are thousands of acres of hunting ground right on the other side of the driveway.  I even pulled my old bow out of a box that the hurricane didn't destroy...  The string is popped and the cables kinked...  its an old Bear Whitetail.

I've been looking at bows on the net and can't believe the changes that have happened since I last looked at them.  Not to mention the $$$ involved now.   I'm gonna go to the proshop and look at a new one so I can be ready for next bow season. 

Minnesota_boy

The bow I used for this doe is the first compound bow I bought.  The newer ones are faster, have more let-off and cost way more, but this 50# draw put the arrow clean through a big doe, one of the heaviest ones I've shot.  Never want to give this bow up, it's not adjustable and only 35% let-off, but it's a wood handle bow and very quiet.  At less than 10 yards this doe didn't hear a thing until the arrow hit.
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Bro. Noble

My brother came to bow hunt this weekend.  Boy what a sorry hunter he is :D :D :D  He was up in his tree stand and got to watching a bob cat hunting.  A deer walked under his stand,  but he didn't shoot cause he didn't want to scare away the bob cat :D :D :D
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Jeff

Quote from: Bro. Noble on October 08, 2005, 10:06:33 PM
My brother came to bow hunt this weekend.  Boy what a sorry hunter he is :D :D :D  He was up in his tree stand and got to watching a bob cat hunting.  A deer walked under his stand,  but he didn't shoot cause he didn't want to scare away the bob cat :D :D :D

Thats my kind of hunter. My best and most memorable moments in the woods hunting, have turned out not to have a thing to do with killing.  :)
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ARKANSAWYER



  Mostly I just go for the naps in the woods.   I can sleep like a baby while in my deer stand.  But some times their just so noisy down there so I shoot one so they will go away and leave me alone to sleep.   :D

  I had a ole Bear Whitetail Hunter bow once but, when a big buck came running down the trail I stood up to shoot him.  My legs had fallen asleep while sitting on a small seat of the climbing deer stand and I fell and dropped the bow.  The arrow missed the buck, my bow lay busted on the ground 20 ft below me and I was dangling from my safty strap tring to get my legs to work.   I was not able to find repair parts for a left hand bow (or so was told) so I bought a new Martin Lynx. (that was 12 years ago)  It has been a fine bow and shoots well.   Some of these new ones are fast and cost twice the price of a good gun.   Been looking at having a customer of mine make me a one piece left hand recurve bow.  They are works of art and shoot so well.   If the Indians would have had compound bows and carbon shafts we would all be in England still.
ARKANSAWYER

Don K

I have to agree with you Arkansawyer, there ain't no better way to get a good nap than to climb up a tree with a TreeLounge and prop that pillow under your head. Almost as good as a recliner.
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SwampDonkey

A friend of mine living and working in the US is a fan of bow hunting. I haven't been down to his area for 4 years now, but he used to take me to all his deer stands and explore the woodlots he had permission to hunt on. He likes deer meat very well and used to hunt with his uncle and grandfather back home.
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BW_Williams

Good story Arky, was out this weekend trying to put Cameron on a buck.  We were amongst 'em Saturday but no shot.  Today I tried to nap, but Cam's just 12 and doesn't have the patience to still hunt, so we stalked for most the morning, my partner filled his doe tag at first light from his camper door!  DanG deer were sneakin' up on camp :D  Late Archery doesn't start til Nov 20, but Deer and Elk are open at the same time (cougar also)
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