First Bowhunting shots

[RadSav]

I've told more than one bowhunter that he may be better off getting a longbow made by Remington, Savage or Tikka

[huntingaddiction]

Some great replies , but i am sad that this thread has died

Maybe you set the bar too high

Here, let me lower that bar for ya...

Missed the 1st deer
missed the 2nd deer. Twice.
lost the 3rd deer to coyotes (or wolves)
missed the 4th deer
Tracked but lost the 5th deer

somewhere in there had 3 elk in 2 years laugh at me. Loudly.

Hung the bow up and went back to bullets

Wow dude!  That sounds about like my first year!

[Jonathan_S]

You get a pretty good cast with the Remington ones 

My dad's first bowhunting shot went like this...

He was hunting with archery back in the 70s which meant recurve and old cedar shafts.  Said he had practiced out to 40 ish yards and could put all his arrows into a plate size group at about 30 yards.

I believe he was up in the timber around Bucoda, he said he'd spent a foggy morning trying to find elk in the woods.  It was early season and he'd heard the elk bugling the night before in this drainage so he pressed forward.  He said he came to the edge of a clearcut and as soon as he got there, he saw a pretty good bull trotting across it about 150 yards out 

This is back in the 70s remember before everybody "knew everything" about calling elk and he had a memory about one of his friends saying to "sound like an elk and the bulls will come in to you  "

My Dad said he tried to mew like a cow several times and the bull stopped in his tracks    then the bull charged the tree line and slowed to a trot when he got closer.  My Dad says he counted the points as the bull came in and he could hear the thumping of his hooves.  "1, 2, 3, 4, 5...6! "  of course if he'd have been in Pe Ell, he'd say...1, 2, 3, 4...and doubles" 

The bull was within 20 yards and broadside when he stopped and SCREAMED bloody murder.  My Dad steeled himself and drew back like he'd done 1,000 times that summer.  This was a chip shot and my Dad was about to put a hurting on this big Roosevelt.

To this day my Dad can see the arrow and yellow fletching stabilizing in the air and arching right to their destiny.  The razor sharp Zwickey broadhead sliced through the air between that bulls eyeguards (or fronts for those of you in Pe Ell) It was right where my Dad had been looking.

The bull set a state record...for running across a clearcut and my dad didn't kill another elk for several years.  Never a big bull.

[boneaddict]

I did pretty well on my first shot and archery kill

[Jonathan_S]

Yeah your first and last (most recent) are some of my favorites 

[Tree Killer]

September 17, 1984 I bugled in this 5pt bull in the Strawberry Mountains here in Oregon.  First year bowhunting for my brother and I and were pretty clueless about calling elk since there was very little information available on the subject back then.  I had a bugle made by Quaker Boy and one of the metal reed Jones bugles.  After several close encounters and being timid with the bulls, I decided to get aggressive with one to see what would happen.  I pursued and challenged him...BINGO!  He came down the hill and turned broadside at 17 yds...my first shot at an animal with a bow, and the only animal I've killed with a compound. 

[pd]

RT is that you?

Exactly what I thought.

You know, RT never chimed in on this thread....

[tgomez]

My first compound bow was a Fred Bear TRX-32 that I paid $120.00 for at a yard sale. I shot a spike whietail at 40 yards. :IBCOOL:My secound shot I shot at a 5×1 whitetail the next year at 30 yards, and shot right over his back. I wish I hadn't missed that buch, he was still in full velvet and I still have never seen a 5×1 to this day. That was 8 years ago!

[BOWHUNTER45]

My 1st bow kill was a chipmunk  1970 something ..I had a 25 lb fiber glass bow and many wooden arrows .. I would wake up early every morning and go on my usual squirrel hunt ..I was pretty good at it ..as I got older I moved up to groundhogs and then deer ..I wish I could relive my days as a youth . When I could hunt whatever I wanted and when I wanted ..those days will be never forgotten ..Sure many of us all feel the same way 

[RadSav]

September 17, 1984 I bugled in this 5pt bull in the Strawberry Mountains here in Oregon.  First year bowhunting for my brother and I and were pretty clueless about calling elk since there was very little information available on the subject back then.  I had a bugle made by Quaker Boy and one of the metal reed Jones bugles.  After several close encounters and being timid with the bulls, I decided to get aggressive with one to see what would happen.  I pursued and challenged him...BINGO!  He came down the hill and turned broadside at 17 yds...my first shot at an animal with a bow, and the only animal I've killed with a compound.

Cool!  Almost exactly one month later I killed my first big bull in the northwest corner of that unit.  About 100 yards from the creek and the western border meet.

[stromdiddily]

Late archery hunt in the beautiful upper peninsula Michigan 3 years ago. Cameras had a little fork and a spike coming in to the hay. Fourth day of my trip spike came in right before closing light. Only had one day left before heading home so decided he was the one. Drew back and next thing I know I hear a WHACK. He made it maybe 15 yards before piling up double lunged. Honestly have no memory of what happened between drawing the bow and the whack but clearly it worked as the NAP Razorbak broad head did a number on him

Thus far, he's the one and only buck in my short hunting career. Looking forward to chasing many more 

[JJB11B]

I missed a cow my first year archery hunting. Was a 30 yard uphill shot leaning around a few branches of the tree. Never did find my arrow. Spent a couple hours looking for blood, nothing. I think I shot over her. That was the last time I had a shot at an elk 2010....I have killed a few deer with my bow since but they were all does

[Tree Killer]

September 17, 1984 I bugled in this 5pt bull in the Strawberry Mountains here in Oregon.  First year bowhunting for my brother and I and were pretty clueless about calling elk since there was very little information available on the subject back then.  I had a bugle made by Quaker Boy and one of the metal reed Jones bugles.  After several close encounters and being timid with the bulls, I decided to get aggressive with one to see what would happen.  I pursued and challenged him...BINGO!  He came down the hill and turned broadside at 17 yds...my first shot at an animal with a bow, and the only animal I've killed with a compound.

Cool!  Almost exactly one month later I killed my first big bull in the northwest corner of that unit.  About 100 yards from the creek and the western border meet.

You must have been hunting the Canyon Creek Archery Area when it was still viable?

[RadSav]

Yep!  It was the only place left open to archery bulls during October.  Was a great hunt if you were young enough to pack them out.  We took some really great deer and bear out of there too.  I've thought of going back there to hunt the first week of the season when it is traditional only.  But Google Earth makes it look as though it has dried up a bit since the eighties.  Might still do it anyway just for reminiscing

Earlier in the season it was dang good across the river and up toward the lakes.  Were some bruiser bucks in there back then!

[coxral]

Pretty interesting reading. I feel for the lot of ya. I've NEVER missed! Always get the first thing I shoot at. I make nothing but perfect shots. Still using my original bow, arrow, and broadhead. And that brings me to this, if you're buying it, I got some prime hunting property in downtown Seattle for sale!