Bow Hunting

It must have been about 25 years ago that I decided I was gonna learn how to shoot a bow. I went and bought a compound bow, a Martin Cougar 2, which I still have. I bought a sight and some arrows and headed for the range. Could not be much to this.

The range was only about 20 yards, if I rememeber right and I stood there and watched the other archers shoot. Cripe, from that range I could hit the dang bullseye with a dang rock! That is what I figured anyway.

I had actually bought the thing at the range and the guy that sold it to me was there to show me how. Man I sucked! The safest thing in that whole building was that dang bullseye! That is for sure. I was all over the place and felt rather intimidated.

I started going to the range early in the morning when few were there. It was quite a ways from my house but I worked third shift and got off at 6:30am. It opened early and that suited me fine.

I was getting so I could hit the target but rarely hit a bull and to be honest with you, when I did it was an accident.

One morning I saw there was a Excelsior bale, actually two bales, for sale. The centers had been shot out but I figured it would be nice to be able to shoot at home. I bought them and that was the last time I was ever at the range.

I had plenty of room to shoot at home but there was a problem. The only place I could put the bales, where there was a hill to back them up, as situated so I had to shoot across my dang garden. I set up the bales and went to the other side of my garden and took a shot. Geeesh! I liked to have missed those huge bales! It was just too dang far. I walked to the other side of my garden and I could almost stick the thing in by hand.

I got out a tape and measured it out. Close side was 15 yards and far side was 50 yards. I guess I could have stood in the garden but didn't want to. I figured I would just learn to shoot at 50 yards! I started practicing every day. I was using a paper plate as a bull and got so I could hit the plate almost every shot. Then I started drawing a circle on the plate and eventually hit it occasionally. I shot and shot and had a ball.

I said that I never went back to the range but I forgot, I did. I had to go by for some field tips and thought I would shoot a few and took the bow.

I went to the range and it sure looked close! I nocked an arrow and let fly. Dead in the bull. Geesh! I nocked another and got another bull. I shot five arrows and stuck them all in the black! I could not believe it. I yelled to the owner and told him I wanted to buy that bale as I didn't want to take the arrows out. I was just kidding and pulled them out and went home a happy camper. I had not realized how fine a line I was shooting, which only made sense as I was shooting a 50 yards. I was shooting good at 50 yards and it only made sense that it was transfer to the 20 yard range. I just never had given it a thought.

Well it was finally deer season and I was ready. I knew I could hit a deer and had all the gear and a great place to hunt. A friend had invited me up to to hunt and already had a ground blind set up.

I got there a day early and looked it over. My buddy had a salt block out, I don't think that was legal, and I set out to make sure the small branches were cleared from my shooting lines.

I measured the distance to the different trees and the salt block. Since the salt block was 35 yards away I figured that any dang deer that took a lick was gonna get dead.

Opening morning found me out there nice and early. I was excited as there were quite a few deer in the area, at least my buddy said there were.
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I sat there for a while and all was quiet. I could hear the squirrels rustling in the leaves and the other early morning noises. I kept very still and kept my eyes a moving but could see nothing.

Finally I took my one hundredth look at the salt block and there was a dang 8 point buck, 4 point western count, standing broad side to me and licking that block. I got me meat now I was a thinking.

My heart was a hammering and since I was setting in a lawn chair behind a blind of brush, I had to slowly stand up without spooking the guy. I would slowly start up as he dropped his head to lick the block and then freeze when he lifted his head to look around. I don't think he had a clue I was there.

It took a couple minutes to get in position, slowly easing my feet in the proper position and then raising my bow. It took a while as I could only move when his head was down.

I started my draw and I swear he looked right at me and looked me over. I stood there at half draw and froze. Man I am glad it was not a recurve!

Finally he dropped his head and started a nosing. around the ground, looking for acorns I expect. I put the 35 yard pin right on his right shoulder and relaxed. He was mine. I smiled as I could already see the arrow going in that bad boy.

I consentrated on a smooth release and let it fly. I missed that sucker by 4 inches or so, right over its back! It did not give me a second shot either.

This wasn't the story I started to write but sorta ended up the story. the one I was gonna write was about the absolutely worse shot that ever lived on the planet but that will have to come later.

Oh what the heck, I will tell it now.

This was about the same time period. I was in the locker room at work one morning and there was a booth cleaner that had a locker near me. I can not rememeber his name now but it doesn't make any difference.

I was telling someone about missing that deer and he said, "That's nothing" I asked him what he meant and he said, "Hell I went up north one weekend and missed 26 deer!" Now I was not buying that! I asked how the hell anyone could miss 26 deer on one weekend and he said the deer would come under his stand, which was a tree stand, and he would shoot all his arrows,he carried 5 arrows, go down and get them and climb up again and some more would come and he would shoot all his arrows and do it over and over. Hell that had to be six dang times up and down the tree!

I asked him how the hell that was possible and he just said he was not all that good a shot. I told him that when a deer came in he had to aim at the dang thing, not just shoot north, south,east or west. He got pissed at me and moped. Might have been my laughing.

Well I thought he was just lying to me but could not understand what his point was in doing it. A couple nights later I was talking to another boothcleaner and I told him the story. I told him that that sucker had to think I was stupid to buy that story. This other booth cleaner looked at me and told me it was TRUE! He was up there that weekend with him and he said it was dangerous to ever be in the same woods with him.

I swear that is the truth.