It all began with a bow that sat in collecting dust. The bow was given to me from a family friend when I was five or so. It just sat and waited for the time when I would pick it off the shelf. It sat for a waiting for me to pick it up and waiting it did. My father and mentor at the time until recently had hunted with a compound bow so naturally as a child and young man I began with a compound also. I shot several of these bows for several years until my second year in high school.
Then thanks to an old copy of Traditonal Bowhunter and a photo album of my dad with pictures of my dad shooting a longbow as a young man. A flame sparked in me and the little unkown brand recurve colleting dust and I began a journey. I shot this little bow all of my sophemore year of high school and the following fall hunted with it. It had 45 pounds pull and I was confident with it out to twenty yards and so i felt I was ready to hunt with it. I hunted hard, but for the next two seasons with it I didn't connect with a deer. I made lots of stalks on mule deer and antelope, but still was a ways off from getting my first traditonal game animal. I had shot pleanty of game with a rifle so far, but not any with a bow.
Then with college begging and so I put the bow away or it seemed until I reieved a new bow from my dad as a gift and made friends with some fellow stick bowhunters. The new bow my father had bought me was a Predator Classic by Hunters Niche @ 57 pounds at 28 inches. For the next few years I hunted again but not as hard as I would have like to.
Then with taking time off of school and working for a year and half finally I got sometime to myself to really pursue a deer.
I decied after so many years to change tactics for once on white-tails, I would try using a tree stand. I hung my stand over a small drainge ditch running through a woodlot on a close friend of mine's property. It was perfect set up I had deer trails crossing in front of me and and ever directly below the stand. It seemed perfect I would sit up 13 or so feet and be able to hopefully connect on a deer.
After letting the stand sit for three or so days and let the forest about me being there I retured in the dark morning. I climbed and situated my self in the stand and waited for daylight. I had deer movement within a few minuets of shooting light. These first few deer passed by without offering me a shot or were proteceted by brush. Then about 7:30 or so a doe with two fawns headed from the field directly behind me towards the trail that I had approached it from. Wonderful I thought they are going to wind me. With luck they didn't and fed towards me. They were still 70 or so yards out slowly getting closer. Then all of a sudden another deer appeared and joined them. This deer was a yearling and joined them. Then over the next 15 or minuetes they slowly closed the gap between me and my stand.
With them now in bow range and directly behind me I had been standing for sometime. Then watching in amazement the lead fawn sniffed the steps and so did the doe. They weren't even alert. Then the demon of stands made my stand squeak. Damn I thought it's over. The fawns tail went up then like magic went down. The two older deer didn't even seem to care. These two deer contiued to feed, then on cue they moved from right to left right under my stand. The yearling steped out first and and she was the one all along I planned on taking. She was directly below me on the left. Like years of practice I drew my recurve and focused on a tiny spot between her shoulders. With instinct my fingers released and it was all over. She colapesed on the spot and expired within seconds. The shaft punctured the top of her heart. After letting my excitement somewhat calm down I climbed down from my stand. After 5 1/2 years it finally came down to these moments. This little doe will always be the as trophy hunters say a booker in my trophy book. She was excellent eating, which made it wonderful..
Now that's exciting stuff right there!
Congratulations Nathan! :clapper:
Congrats!! Very nice
Congrats, nice job. :thumbsup:
Congrats, hopefully many more to come!
Congratulations!!
:clapper:
:clapper:
GREAT
:clapper: Congratulations!
BUT.........
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/mudd57/A%20Picture%20Please/Show-Me.jpg)
God bless,Mudd
Way to go! Thats the story that starts it all. It will be easier to get up on those cold mornings, or talk yourself into going when the wind is blowing a little too hard, or the rain is spitting a little too much. Just knowing you can do it puts you in that stand on those days. Nice going and GREAT shot!
Congrats your hooked. :thumbsup:
You now have a very serious sickness. :thumbsup: :clapper:
Congrats!
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Glenn
Congrats!
congrats.
Congrats!! :bigsmyl:
Tracy
Nice! way to go (I have a predator, too)
Congrats.....
GREAT JOB !!! CONGRATS
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
Well done!
you weave a good tail... Congrats on your first deer. and a good eater to boot.... My first was 18 years ago and I can still see that arrow in fight,' the white feathers in the side of that mule deer and I can even hear her falling to the ground.....
Thanks everyone, I'm trying to post a photo of the deer at this time...
congratulations Nathan
Congrats Nathan!
Heck of a story and congratulations. I seen the picture unfold from your story.
Earl
:jumper:
Well Done! Well Told! Congrats. :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats. Where are our pictures?
:thumbsup:
Way to go sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: If you need some help with the pictures, email them to me & i will see if i can post them up for you. (cherylandrandy@bellsouth.net)
Congratulations hope there are many more for you . Thanks for sharing, good luck Jerry.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:campfire:
Well done !!!
(http://i.imgur.com/5ZPst.jpg)
And here is a picture of Nathan's deer. Great picture! Congratulations again sir!
Congratulations!!! Cool story!
Good stuff, congrats
Congrats :thumbsup:
Congratulations!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :clapper:
Good job, thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Awesome Nathan. I just harvested my first deer with a trad bow 2wks. ago.
Congrats.
Paul
Good job, Nate! Nice doe.
Stan
Now thats a trophy in my book , not to mention great eating. Congratulations
Congrats!! :thumbsup:
That's just too cool! Congrats on a great story, great deer and I suspect a wonderful journey ahead.