Hi everyone! My name is Denny, I'm 33 years old, raised and reside in Castle Rock. I've been married for 11 years and have two great daughters ages (almost) 6 and 2 1/2. I started hunting when I was 12 with my grandpa. I killed my first blacktail when I was 12, and was lucky enough to kill one every year until 2007 (when my first daughter was born). I started bow hunting in 2008 withlots of close calls, but wasn't comfortable enough to take any shots. I got lucky in 2009, drawing one of the few Dayton archery tags. What a hunt! I passed on 14 bulls (most of which were bigger than anything I've seen before), but prior scouting told me to pass. I finally got the perfect 28 yard shot on a perfect 7x7 which was really pushing 400". I drew when he walked behind a tree, held for what seemed like minutes but was probably 5-7 seconds, and when he stepped out to where his vitals were free and clear I let my arrow fly. The sound of the arrow hitting him was sweet, the sight was even better. It was a tad back from where I would have liked but still solid vitals. He went running off through the brush and my buddy came down the hill to congradulate me. My heart was racing 1,000 times a second, we gave him 1/2 hr and started the search. The blood was good and constant, very large patches every 10 yards or so. We followed the blood for 60 yards and started getting into some leafy brush with red spots on every leaf (I still don't know what its called, but I hate it). We lost the blood trail and started circling to try to pick up the trail, finding a few more spots of blood and eventually losing sign. We circled and searched the entire area for the next 9 hours that day and from daylight until dark the next two days, never finding him. I've never felt so sick before in my life. I had to be back to work, so I came back the next weekend hoping to smell him and at least recover the antlers. Never did find him and it still makes me sick to this day.
That said my real passion is waterfowl hunting. I started when I was 16, and have been addicted ever since. I hunt nearly every weekend, and my oldest daughter is aching to get out this year. We've had some pretty epic years and each seems to get better. The one bird I haven't shot is a harlequin (my dream bird). Maybe I can get out for them this year. Sorry for being long winded, tried to compact it. Good luck this season.
