huckleberryhi
Member
- Messages
- 50
The last several years has been torture to me in regards to hunting. I had been in a registered nursing program since the fall of 2013, working full time, and raising three girls under 6. All of which meant no hunting for the last two years. I graduated last december and passed the boards in april of this year which led to some free time. I had been following a fellow bow hunter on youtube and Facebook, he goes by the name of Cameron Hanes and some of you may know him. I have had an interest in archery hunting for the last decade or so, yet never indulged until the inspiration of Mr. Hanes pushed me over the edge.
Since I had multiple preference points in California I figured I would buy a bow if I drew an A3/X1 archery tag. Lo and behold i received the official confirmation and headed down to the local bow shop, Predator archery in Gilroy California. (Shout out to Blake Fortuno for the help) I was hooked up with a Hoyt Nitrum Turbo in American Heritage trim and couldn't be happier. I shot the bow off and on for about a month and a half prior to the season and became quite comfortable simply due to the fact that the new bows are magic. I had never shot a compound bow with a trigger release in my life and from the moment I picked up my Hoyt it was like I had been a pro for years.
That month and a half prior to the season flew by, which made me feel that I had not practiced enough. That may be due to me being somewhat OCD and controlling about being in situations I put myself in. I feel that bow hunting is pure and puts a tremendous amount of pressure on a hunter to make the right decisions. As the season drew near I was anxious, yet developed a sense of calmness. I believe it was due to putting up a new challenge for myself and knowing that I had a tag that would support success. My goal for the hunt was to kill a legal buck and put meat in the freezer, little did I know that I would be presented with a great challenge and trophy for my first archery hunt.
I hunted the first five days of the season and saw deer every day. I decided to hunt out of a tree stand and quickly learned that i was thinking in a rifle mind set instead of an archery mindset. I had hunted this stand in previous years with a rifle and learned quickly that I was out of range with my trusty bow. I changed my game plan and started to hunt out of a ground blind situation that put me closer to the action I had been seeing. The weather was horrendous, 100+ degrees in Siskiyou county is rare and puts the deer into hiding. During that five days i never got the chance to sling an arrow although i saw a nice 3x3 in velvet. He would have made a great jerky buck for sure. I saw a mixture of does and fawns numbering in the 40-50 range for the 5 days of hunting.
My next adventure would lead me back to Shasta for another five days that would stretch to the end of the season. Over the week or so between trips I had that addiction set in, even though I never had the opportunity to draw on a live animal. I experienced a different existence out of archery hunting. Checking the weather prior to the hunt got my hopes up being the forecast showed a 60%+ chance of showers, a welcome change to the previous oven I been hunting in. Well the first two days i saw many does but nothing with horns. Friday 9/4 came around, there was no rain yet we received one hell of a wind storm and a cold front which changed the game. That evening as I sat in a ground blind the cold was significant and the winds were gusting to 40+. Dead trees were hitting the ground around me, this prompted me to get back in the truck to drive to a more protected area. As I was driving through the woods I saw fresh tracks over my tire tracks from earlier in the evening. I decided to investigate and to much of my surprise I came across four deer. Three does and a buck, which turned out to be a legal fork spike. Although I passed on this buck I was able to enact drawing back on this animal and choose to not take him. I got back in the truck and drove maybe 300 yards when I was presented with another chance. There stood a fork about 40 yards off the dirt road I was driving down. What was the chances? I was able to get out of the truck without spooking the deer and positioned myself for a shot. As I drew back on my Hoyt I had a perfect broadside shot at 30 yards. My nerves were through the roof and I was taken back to being 12 years old all again. As a I released my arrow time seemed to halt as the arrow flew over his back. This encounter would haunt me for the night and the coming mornings hunt.
I hunted the next morning and came across three does, but no horns. I finished up the mornings hunt and decided that I would head home in defeat. As a I sat at lunch I continued to repeat the phrase "keep hammering" to myself. Something I learned from Mr. Hanes. I decided to hunt one last evening and it turned out to be the right decision. That evening I decided I would hunt spot and stalk style which payed dividends. As I walked through the woods I decided to use the dirt road network since it was much quieter than walking through the woods. As I walked down the road I decided to analyze the wind and as I did I noticed movement to the left of me.
All i cold see was horns and a mature buck feeding on some brush and only presenting an ass shot. I stood there watching this buck for at least five minutes and he never presented an ethical shot. My peripheral vision became blurry as I attempted to come up with another shot. The buck finally moved and took several broadside steps to the right directly behind a pine tree.
The thoughts raced through my mind as I repositioned myself for a shot. There it was a perfect broadside shot quartering away. It wasn't meant to be due to the fact there was branches in my way. I began to sense defeat as this beast busted me. There he stood starring in my direction when all of a sudden he blew snot all over the woods, snorted and took off. I gave him a brief minute and began to track him. This lasted 35 minutes or so through tall grass, downed logs and skid trails. I continued on with the thought of defeat in my head, I then said to myself, remain persistent. Just as I said that to myself, there he stood. I was able to put the hammer down on this magnificent creature with my Hoyt turbo. I was extremely lucky to harvest this deer for my first archery buck and am now hopelessly addicted to archery hunting. Hope you all enjoy.
Since I had multiple preference points in California I figured I would buy a bow if I drew an A3/X1 archery tag. Lo and behold i received the official confirmation and headed down to the local bow shop, Predator archery in Gilroy California. (Shout out to Blake Fortuno for the help) I was hooked up with a Hoyt Nitrum Turbo in American Heritage trim and couldn't be happier. I shot the bow off and on for about a month and a half prior to the season and became quite comfortable simply due to the fact that the new bows are magic. I had never shot a compound bow with a trigger release in my life and from the moment I picked up my Hoyt it was like I had been a pro for years.
That month and a half prior to the season flew by, which made me feel that I had not practiced enough. That may be due to me being somewhat OCD and controlling about being in situations I put myself in. I feel that bow hunting is pure and puts a tremendous amount of pressure on a hunter to make the right decisions. As the season drew near I was anxious, yet developed a sense of calmness. I believe it was due to putting up a new challenge for myself and knowing that I had a tag that would support success. My goal for the hunt was to kill a legal buck and put meat in the freezer, little did I know that I would be presented with a great challenge and trophy for my first archery hunt.
I hunted the first five days of the season and saw deer every day. I decided to hunt out of a tree stand and quickly learned that i was thinking in a rifle mind set instead of an archery mindset. I had hunted this stand in previous years with a rifle and learned quickly that I was out of range with my trusty bow. I changed my game plan and started to hunt out of a ground blind situation that put me closer to the action I had been seeing. The weather was horrendous, 100+ degrees in Siskiyou county is rare and puts the deer into hiding. During that five days i never got the chance to sling an arrow although i saw a nice 3x3 in velvet. He would have made a great jerky buck for sure. I saw a mixture of does and fawns numbering in the 40-50 range for the 5 days of hunting.
My next adventure would lead me back to Shasta for another five days that would stretch to the end of the season. Over the week or so between trips I had that addiction set in, even though I never had the opportunity to draw on a live animal. I experienced a different existence out of archery hunting. Checking the weather prior to the hunt got my hopes up being the forecast showed a 60%+ chance of showers, a welcome change to the previous oven I been hunting in. Well the first two days i saw many does but nothing with horns. Friday 9/4 came around, there was no rain yet we received one hell of a wind storm and a cold front which changed the game. That evening as I sat in a ground blind the cold was significant and the winds were gusting to 40+. Dead trees were hitting the ground around me, this prompted me to get back in the truck to drive to a more protected area. As I was driving through the woods I saw fresh tracks over my tire tracks from earlier in the evening. I decided to investigate and to much of my surprise I came across four deer. Three does and a buck, which turned out to be a legal fork spike. Although I passed on this buck I was able to enact drawing back on this animal and choose to not take him. I got back in the truck and drove maybe 300 yards when I was presented with another chance. There stood a fork about 40 yards off the dirt road I was driving down. What was the chances? I was able to get out of the truck without spooking the deer and positioned myself for a shot. As I drew back on my Hoyt I had a perfect broadside shot at 30 yards. My nerves were through the roof and I was taken back to being 12 years old all again. As a I released my arrow time seemed to halt as the arrow flew over his back. This encounter would haunt me for the night and the coming mornings hunt.
I hunted the next morning and came across three does, but no horns. I finished up the mornings hunt and decided that I would head home in defeat. As a I sat at lunch I continued to repeat the phrase "keep hammering" to myself. Something I learned from Mr. Hanes. I decided to hunt one last evening and it turned out to be the right decision. That evening I decided I would hunt spot and stalk style which payed dividends. As I walked through the woods I decided to use the dirt road network since it was much quieter than walking through the woods. As I walked down the road I decided to analyze the wind and as I did I noticed movement to the left of me.
All i cold see was horns and a mature buck feeding on some brush and only presenting an ass shot. I stood there watching this buck for at least five minutes and he never presented an ethical shot. My peripheral vision became blurry as I attempted to come up with another shot. The buck finally moved and took several broadside steps to the right directly behind a pine tree.
The thoughts raced through my mind as I repositioned myself for a shot. There it was a perfect broadside shot quartering away. It wasn't meant to be due to the fact there was branches in my way. I began to sense defeat as this beast busted me. There he stood starring in my direction when all of a sudden he blew snot all over the woods, snorted and took off. I gave him a brief minute and began to track him. This lasted 35 minutes or so through tall grass, downed logs and skid trails. I continued on with the thought of defeat in my head, I then said to myself, remain persistent. Just as I said that to myself, there he stood. I was able to put the hammer down on this magnificent creature with my Hoyt turbo. I was extremely lucky to harvest this deer for my first archery buck and am now hopelessly addicted to archery hunting. Hope you all enjoy.
