Hey guys i'm pretty down right now so I figured I'd tell yall what happened to me this evening.

Well it was a beautiful evening and I decided to hunt a pea patch. At about 5 30 I hear something walking and I look up and all I see are antlers coming through the woods. It is about a 14 to 15 inch wide 8 point with an even bigger one behind him. Well I stand and get ready and just as the smaller one is fixing to come into the patch at about 18 yards the wind swirls and they wind me and are gone in a flash. I cannot describe how horrible I felt since I'm only 20 yrs old and have yet to take a deer with traditional equipment.

Then to top it all off, a doe steps into the patch about 30 minutes before dark. She feeds to within about 16 yards from me and just as i'm about to draw back, a coyote howls on the next ridge over and she takes off running. I almost started to laugh then and I was scared I might just fall out of the tree on the way down with the way my luck was going. But I'm not going to give up because season has only been open 5 days but I just thought I'd share this not so happy story with yall. Good Hunting.

Caleb

Fun tho ain't it??? Keep at it, it only gets better!  

Keep your head up Caleb!  I get down about things too but I always remind myself of how thankful I am to have the opportunity to hunt!  Lots of guys don't!

Caleb, just keep your mind positive that the next time you are out will be different. It's only 5 days into season down there so you got plenty of time. Have fun and learn from your deer. When you do get one and you will it will make it so much sweeter. Good luck  

You got to see two bucks almost in range?? That is success!! I can go days with out seeing a shooter buck in position for a stalk on some of the public land I hunt. Great deal and will just add to the story when you do lay one of them big boys low.

sounds like a successful hunt to me bro.... i had a small buck at 5 yards tonight on the ground...i couldnt draw on the litle bugger and still got busted.... i could of probably tossed my bow at him easier.... Keep at it and you'll kill one...

You've got a good 50 yrs of hunting ahead of you. This is just one of hundreds of experiences that builds your hunting history. Enjoy as many of them as you can.

That to me would constitute a good day! Don't be in a hurry & enjoy your journey  

My two biggest trophies (in terms of what they mean to me, not necessarily their size) came on the two evenings that I felt like hunting the least. Had I no brother to push me, I would not have those trophies.

You will kill a deer someday with your trad bow. And on the day that happens, if you put too much pressure on yourself, you will be mad that you considered evenings like tonight a disappointment.

I was in your shoes not long ago. I remember cursing under my breath on days when I should have been singing praises, all because I didn't kill something. Now I am only disappointed in myself for feeling that way. Enjoy it all!

Persistence is invaluable when looking for success. If it wasn't, success wouldn't be nearly as sweet.

Have fun!

Caleb,

That was not "one depressin' evening," that was ONE WONDERFUL EVENING! It's all a matter of perspective.  You had a close encounter with three beautiful creatures, and an experience you will never forget.  That's a very successful night.  A successful shot would have been sweet icing on the cake!

On every hunt I attempt, I am hoping for a Close Encounter... a chance to be in the "personal space" of a wild animal without being detected. It's a wonderful thing when it happens, and some of my very favorite hunts of recent years were ones where I chose not to release an arrow (or could not).  It is a thrill to be "in amongst 'em," and THAT constitutes a win in my book!  

I was blessed/fortunate/outright lucky(?) enough to take four deer with my recurve last year.  They provided a year's worth of meat budget for my family.  My fondest memories of the year, though, were two hunts where I could have shot, came to full draw, and decided not to let the arrow loose.  It would be too long a story to explain the specifics in one post, but it was... GREAT!

It is great to kill a deer, but you can have a LOT of amazing hunts before... and after... that happens.

"I'm not going to give up because the season is only 5 days old"?  Man, I sure hope not.  You'd be cheating yourself out of some memories that could last forever!

Be patient, and keep after 'em!

Best wishes,

Daryl

Thanks alot guys... I feel much better already! Yall made me realize I do need to focus on the hunt itself more than the kill. Thanks for all your support

Caleb,
The way I see things, ya don't measure a man by the number of kills or the size of the racks on the wall. but by the love of doing exactly what just happened to you.....yuo're out there doing it and sharing it witha brotherhood/sisterhood of fellow traditionalists whom most have experienced similar things too.  Yeah, it was a close one and would have been nice "to close the deal" but it is still a fond memory doing what you love to do.
Good job getting close and good luck chasing them this year.  Keep us posted with your fine experiences.

Chupa

Don't get frustrated now.  If you keep at it, you'll be busted by swirling winds many more times.  It can be annoying, but it sure beats working.

Keep at it Caleb.

Smoke 1953-At 65 does that mean that I only have 5 years left?

Hap

Hunting is not usually like the shows you see on TV, where the monster buck comes right to you and poses, ready to be shot. Your experience was much more typical, and over time will become one of your fond memories. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.  Those of us who choose to hunt with traditional equipment are limiting ourselves on purpose; the challenge is what keeps us (or at least me) coming back.
I have been hunting the same antelope for over a month; dogging him with his does, and trying to get within bow range on flat ground. If I was shooting a muzzleloader, handgun, crossgun or wheelbow, my hunt would have been over some time ago. Instead, I have got to watch antelope and their herd dynamics at close range. Enjoy observing animals in the wild; most folks never see what we as traditional archers see. And, once in a while, we even take some animals, and that is certainly icing on the cake.

If you're not getting busted once in a while, you're probably not seeing many deer. It's frustrating but it happens to everyone. Keep doing what you are doing and when things like that happen, ask yourself if there is anything you could do differently next time? You'll have one hangin soon!!

Caleb remember to pick a spot when your time arrives-

Mr  Bill