Just was wondering how long did it take you guys, and girls to take your FIRST traditional big game kill? Pictures and stories welcomed. I would start off, but my first was a squirrel, and have yet to take a big game species. :biglaugh:
I can't help ya....
I started with a Cotton tail, then a Racoon, and then Beavers....
Is a 60# Beaver considerd Big game....?
I've been at this traditional thing for about 2 years and so far all I have killed is the occasional stump, pine cone, blade of grass and a rock or two.
Went back to recurve in Jan. 07. My first big game was a whitetail buck in Nov. 07. Just got my first turkey a couple weeks ago.
David
If I don't count the bows I shot made out of shoots and store string, I started shooting a real longbow (12# lemonwood) when I was six or seven. Had a twisted limb Bear recurve of some sort when I started deer hunting at 12. Shot my first deer at age 16, I believe. That would be about 45 years ago. Have killed a few more big game critters since then.
Two years with my Martin Hunter recurve. It was a perfect Oct 19 and I got out of work early for an evening hunt on public land, As I climb into my tree, I see a buck slinking away and then a bit later I see a forkhorn approaching for what will be a 20 yard shot. At the last second the buck turns in and walks under my tree. I remember looking down and left to clear my lower limb and then shooting the seven foot shot.
After a wait I follow a good trail and find my first seventy-five yards away. I come to terms with the deer and then tag and field-dress it. I have a sling back at the truck and decide to drop off my gear when I go get it. I strike off through the woods towards the truck...
I come across a terrible smell that stops me in my tracks. I catch a movement to my left... was that a whitetail? "Dooooooohhhhh", it was a whitetail, all right. A hunter was pulling up his drawers after following a nature call.
I say 'whoops sorry', 'how bout them Bears' or something like that and explain I got my deer. He offers to help drag it in and we go get it. He grabs an antler and away we go! Guy has the lungs of a marathon runner and I about die of a heart-attack before we get to my truck. We hoist it in and he disappears back into the woods, to properly finish up, I would imagine.
Cary
13 straight misses my first year then a nice 8pt my second.
This picture was taken 1/2 hour into my son's first real. He was allowed to shoot a broadhead instead of a rubber blunt.
It was his 12th birthday present. In California you have to be 12 to buy a legal hog tag.
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN3270sm.jpg)
It took his dad longer LOL!
after 25+ years with wheels I switched to traditional and on my very first hunt I got a big doe with my longbow. needless to say...I've been addicted ever since. that big fat doe was the start of something unbelievable for me. I have taken many deer since that first one and what really stands out to me is that I can fill my tags just as easy with a stickbow as I did with the wheel bow and have LOT'S more fun doing it.
I started using Traditional gear back in Sept 2005. That was opening day for Deer hunting in Jersey. I was shooting a long bow for 1 year. My first kill was a DOE at 15 yards... I got it on Video. I have a pic's I just need to find it.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/mysticguido/1doe.jpg)
Here is my First Buck, Taken this past season (2007)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/mysticguido/1stbuck.jpg)
The Date in the Pic is off by 1 year.. I forgot to reset it when I put the batteries back in.. :banghead:
QuoteOriginally posted by Bjorn:
This picture was taken 1/2 hour into my son's first real. He was allowed to shoot a broadhead instead of a rubber blunt.
It was his 12th birthday present. In California you have to be 12 to buy a legal hog tag.
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN3270sm.jpg)
It took his dad longer LOL!
Really nice, Bjorn. :thumbsup:
I shot squirrels, rabbits, and pheasants when I was young. Deer out of tree stands were pretty simple. I had a few years where I "trophy" hunted with recurves with sights and one year compounds that I didn't get anything, since then, 1974, I have shot all my deer from the ground, about one a year on average. I only hunt in Iowa, so most the time I have been limited to one in our area. I think for myself, hunting small game is where I developed my shooting abilities for deer, developing shot timing for game is critical for ground hunters like myself.
Oh geez, that's a ways back now. Think it was about an hour, hour & half maybe. I had previously whacked deer using training wheels til I got tired of tinkering with mechanical stuff. A nice 3 pt. blacktail that I had spotted & stalked to about 9 yards. Full broadside with his head turned away when I let loose. Well darn! My heart rate just increased thinking about it! I love to bowhunt!
After a few yrs of switch hitting(wheel's)I gave my wheeled bow to a coworker and told him not to give it back to me till after the season or if my recurve broke....I killed a 5pt that yr a doe the next and an 8pt after that.....sold the compound
This was my first kill
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN2192.jpg)
It probably took three years...........and like any other of life's milestones-it is the journey.
1st Buck with trad-gear Old school, but it was in color. LOL
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/big4x4.jpg)
Notice: The Bighorn recurve made by G.Fred Asbel
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/134BUCK1.jpg)
1st coyote
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/coyote1.jpg)
1st time to Santa Cruz Island
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/firstislandhunt.jpg)
Wow! Way cool!
4 years now and still haven't got a deer.
i was lucky enough to take a doe on my first trad hunt when i was 14, ive killed a few with a compound before that.
28 years ago now my friend Ms. Lannie Whiteford from Viking Archery in Houston, Texas placed a 68" 75# longbow in my hands. Didn't take 20 minutes before I was grouping consistently on their 20 yard indoor target. I hadn't shot a longbow since I was a kid but immediately came home. (You know!) Soon as I shot it I bought it (and still hunt with it today). One week later during October Archery Season, I was standing in an oak tree 12 feet off the ground when I caught 2 blurs approaching PDQ through the woods. Quick decision time; yes/no, when, where, how? They were in my kitchen way too fast to deliberate. I drew and released on the biggest javelina at 13 yards as they approached my location dead on running. The 3-blade Thunderhead struck spine nearly splitting the shoulder blades. I promptly nocked another arrow and sent it flying towards a perfect heart shot finishing the excitement. 2 action shots in less than 20 seconds exactly where I was aiming! Sold everything but the longbow. I've been happy as a fat cat in tuna salad since.
3 years to take my first deer. Dec 3 1967 Necedah Wi. 100+ in the years since.
4 years to get a shot at a deer. It was a bad choice of angles, with a good hit. Deer went 30 yards and it took me 5 hours to find him. Hap
I've killed BIG time with no regrets, on my way out the door to do it again today!
My first kill was a rabbit early 1980 , I carried it all morning through the heat and ate it that night - bloody awefull tough and stringy - loved it and was so proud >
My first big game kill ? was a small Boar that I put in an absolute blinder of a shot on , you know the ones where you see a tunnel and nothing but the spot you ARE GOING TO HIT , on the run at 25 yards - perfect heart shot .
It stopped 15 yards in front of me clicking its tusks head down glaring at me , my mate a very experienced bowhunter went to put an arrow into it as he swore I missed - I yelled to him not to shoot it was heart shot and my kill . I stepped to one side and put an arrow into the front of his chest
16 years old and pumped .My early photo's are glue to my bow rack and don't show clearly butr I often take my bows off the rack and reminese
regards Jacko
regards Perry
My first big game critter with a longbow. The pic was taken by GFred Asbell who I shared a camp with that week. We saw so few caribou, but I had one other chance at a bou. With the whole group watching, I had a huge bull come up to me on the tundra & get withing 5 steps of me, but never give me a shot. He came straight on to me & I didnt want to take a chance at wounding it.Needless to say he saw me, almost running me over & blasted out of there. I was left sitting there with my heart in my throat. I was pretty bummed out, we saw so few bou.
The last afternoon we had a group come past us at a trot. Me being pretty desperate, I took a running shot at 37 yards & hit her in the heart. GFred saw the whole thing & helped me track her. 60 yards later, we found my bou. I probably will never forget it, was a great memory, and pretty sweet revenge.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/Hallstead/image009.jpg)
First time I took it out killed a doe at 12yrds after missing on the first shot.
I always wanted to hunt traditional only, but would grab the wheels when it was time to make meat. I took my first, a hog, the day I sold my compound! Since then I've killed a 7 point buck and four more hogs. I sold my last compound July 26, 2007!
Shot trad-gear for 2 yrs. before I felt confident enough to try and take a deer...and took a small 5 pt. that season(That's him in my avatar.)Man I was hooked and sold my compound and never looked back.Been making venison with a recurve every season since.
Does a bow-killed domestic turkey count as big game? :bigsmyl:
Cuz if so, then 5 years. If not, well, still waiting...
First trad Big game kill? Doe 1965. 2nd season of bowhunting. Didn't even get a shot my first season.(only saw one deer !)
45 miniutes on opening day. :) Of course I had been shooting them with other kinds of bows for a long time so it was just a matter of shooting 3 arrows.The first 2 hit dirt but the 3rd one hit pay dirt. :bigsmyl:
QuoteOriginally posted by frassettor:
Just was wondering how long did it take you guys, and girls to take your FIRST traditional big game kill?
I double-lunged a doe the second morning of my first season with a recurve.
2 1/2 yrs shooting trad and still waiting to get my 1st harvest........got a good spot for this fall though!
Remember to enjoy the process too, it isn't all in the finish.
-Charlie
2 years a TN hog with a bear recurve i was 14. I still hunt with my compounds as well as my recurves and longbows. Depends on where Im hunting and what animal. I have a hard time shooting over 55 lbs with my stick, and cant shoot heavy arrows that good so i keep shooting wheels. I kill about half my animals with a stick and the other half with my wheels. I LOVE IT ALL!
October 1978. First year for me.
Found a place where deer were crossing a beaver dam. Windy day. Everyone said deer won`t move in the wind. Who cares?
Everyone said I needed a sight on my old Bear recurve, even though I had been shooting without one all summer. A hair pin held in position with electrical tape was my much needed "sight". About a half hour into my vigil, long after good shooting light had come, I look up to see a line of deer, almost in my shooting lane. Close range... she watched me draw my bow, and I watched my arrow fly a foot over her back. They scattered.
A ten minutes later, (several minutes after I ripped that hair pin off my bow) a sleek six point stood where the doe had escaped certain death, only minutes before. A deer was still snorting in the distance.
A summer of practice, shooting with a crushed cheek from a baseball accident, came into play.
I released my Microflite arrow, tipped with a tried and true Bear Razorhead.(file sharpened, because I read somewhere that was how Fred did it) He whirled with what seemed like all of my arrow hanging out, ran about sixty yards, stopped and fell over.
In total disbelief, I watched.
I was twelve years old. I have been "given" several deer over the years, and I accept each one with as much joy as the first.
Thirty years ago?!!!!????!!!!????!!!
Dear God....thirty more?...Please. Forty more???
Please?
First big game trad kill last October. Last season was my first year hunting with a recurve after shooting for about a year and a half. I feel pretty lucky to say the least.
(http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w264/jeff_simon13/000_0815.jpg)