Biggest accomplishment bowhunting

[boneaddict]

Something to talk about in the offseason besides Off topics.   What do you think of as your biggest accomplishment as a bowhunter.   This doesnt necessarily mean biggest trophy.   This can be as simple as hitting the bullseye the first time, or your first robinhood.   I'll put mine up in a minute.  Lets hear yours.

[boneaddict]

Mine was the transition from shooting a compound and going to Alaska on a DIY hunt and to harvest a respectable bull.
It was one of my Dad's and myself last epic adventures together.   There is nothing easy about Alaska, and the thrill of hiking through the Alaskan wilderness with Brown bears and wolves at your heals with nothing but a stick and string is hard to describe.  I dont know if I have ever felt more accomplished about anything hunting related  than that trip.   

[redi]

Mine was calling in my son’s first archery bowl and helping him harvest it.

[rtspring]

Showing “coach” that all his hard work teaching me paid off.   Been very successful with my bow after being taught by a great friend. 

Archery is an amazing adventure that I missed out on for 25 years. 

[boneaddict]

Showing “coach” that all his hard work teaching me paid off.   Been very successful with my bow after being taught by a great friend. 

Archery is an amazing adventure that I missed out on for 25 years.

I'm betting one of your next big accomplishments will have something to do with those your boys you are teaching the ropes to.

[Dan-o]

Mine was the transition from shooting a compound and going to Alaska on a DIY hunt and to harvest a respectable bull.
It was one of my Dad's and myself last epic adventures together.   There is nothing easy about Alaska, and the thrill of hiking through the Alaskan wilderness with Brown bears and wolves at your heals with nothing but a stick and string is hard to describe.  I dont know if I have ever felt more accomplished about anything hunting related  than that trip.   

That us amazing. 

I can’t imagine getting close enough to that monster to take him with a traditional bow.  ....  let alone everything else involved in that adventure.

[Special T]

Mine  was having an instrumental hand it helping turn around silver Arrow Bowmen 15 ish years ago. We went from 33 rundown stawbail target buts to 50 replacing and building the target but frames out of pipe with roofs. Expanded the flat range. Got a new roof on the indoor range. We also went from 50 not so active members to 300 including many family memberships.the rejuvenation now supports several kids shooting clubs. NASP, 4H and others. I'm still only an average shooter but thousands of Archers have benefited from the club I sweated and bleed for.

[pianoman9701]

Nothing like yours, Bone. That must have been an awesome experience. Mine was shooting my first and only elk. It's been a long time ago.

[vandeman17]

I would say this is mine. Calling in a bull for my first archery kill

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,218467.msg2906257.html#msg2906257

[bearhunter99]

Mine  was having an instrumental hand it helping turn around silver Arrow Bowmen 15 ish years ago. We went from 33 rundown stawbail target buts to 50 replacing and building the target but frames out of pipe with roofs. Expanded the flat range. Got a new roof on the indoor range. We also went from 50 not so active members to 300 including many family memberships.the rejuvenation now supports several kids shooting clubs. NASP, 4H and others. I'm still only an average shooter but thousands of Archers have benefited from the club I sweated and bleed for.

That is definitely an accomplishment!  When we lived in Mount Vernon we really enjoyed having the club available and both of our younger daughters loved the youth archery club!

I would have to say my biggest accomplishment was taking a brown bear in Alaska with my bow.  An old sow that wasn't the biggest bear in the area but at 8.5' nose to tail she looked like a Volkswagon beetle at 37 yards!

[GWP]

I think mine would be ‘not taking the shot’.
Not because it was under poor conditions or an ‘iffy’ shot. Just best judgement to NOT take the shot. No regrets on the decision.

[OutHouse]

Sticking with it!

I remember after my first few seasons thinking there were many times that the hunt would have been over if I had a rifle or muzzleloader. Then you realize that that is part of the fun of archery. The close calls make for the best stories, even better than harvest stories a lot of the time.

I have seen many a archer hang it up in favor of gun hunting because its so difficult etc. I am glad to say that I have stuck with archery for almost ten years now and have no plans to revert back to gun hunting unless I have the MS tag and don't get it done in archery.

[NOCK NOCK]

My biggest accomplishment was learning to become a better tracker.
Started bow hunting seriously over 40 years ago. Rifle hunting was pretty simple, and never had a hard time finding a downed animal. Archery changes that a bit.
As an example, last years buck was a perfect downhill shot, hit him right in the pump station, but with a bit on an angle, the opposite shoulder stopped a complete pass thru by 1/2".
the buck amazingly traveled well over 400 yards before piling up. Much of the tracking was done on hands and knees.

Lessons learned in the past helped greatly with recovering this buck.
 
PS, I can proudly say that I have only ever lost 1 animal that I put an arrow in(Still not sure how that particular one went over 50') and i have put a deer in the freezer every single year.

[Wolfdog2314]

I’d consider this my greatest accomplishment with bow because it’s pretty unlikely I’ll take another cat on the ground again with a sharp stick.

I was elk hunting. Callers well behind and a pack of cats came walking down the trail towards me. Two mature adults and 3 smaller cats, no spots. I drew and at 22 yards I stuck the lead cat in the chest. This was my first year bow hunting. It made a big hiss and literally bit what was left of the arrow fletching out of its chest. Went about 40 yards out of site and died. One I’ll never forget!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jpmiller]

I don't have a photo of it anywhere I know anymore but my first archery deer, a 1x2 whitetail buck. Always hated treeststand hunting (still do actually even though I still do it) and saw four deer walking way out of range. Knew where they were going so slipped out of the tree and went to head them off. Bumped them several times but never horribly, eventually caught up with them and made a slick little sneak into about twenty yards. Any deer tag there, so picked the first one that gave me a shot (honestly thought it was a doe) and hit it perfect right where I was aiming, double lung top of the heart. Ran about fifty yards and piled up. I get buck fever REAL bad but having been around the deer for about an hour by then it had worn off. Tagged the deer and literally ran back to the cabin to wake up my wife and go find my dad. Really legitimized my skill set in my own mind and gave me a lot of confidence going forward, both in my shooting and woodsmanship.

[Tree Killer]

Mine was taking a mature blacktail buck with a yew selfbow and homemade cedar arrow. 

Ive killed lots of blacktails with my recurve, but this was my most memorable archery kill.

[h2ofowlr]

My biggest accomplishment was learning how to be stealth, utilizing the wind, etc. to be able to get down into the thick with the animals.  I never had the patience to hunt out of a tree stand, so I always did spot and stalk.  I have had way more missed opportunities than connected, but it always would get my heart racing getting into the thick with the animals and trying to wait for that right shot.  It gave me lots of opportunities to study the animals and still see that they would do the unexpected when they sensed something wasn't right.  I never used trail cams or bait, so it was a proud moment when all the stars lined up and I would harvest a nice animal.

[SuperX]

Mine  was having an instrumental hand it helping turn around silver Arrow Bowmen 15 ish years ago. We went from 33 rundown stawbail target buts to 50 replacing and building the target but frames out of pipe with roofs. Expanded the flat range. Got a new roof on the indoor range. We also went from 50 not so active members to 300 including many family memberships.the rejuvenation now supports several kids shooting clubs. NASP, 4H and others. I'm still only an average shooter but thousands of Archers have benefited from the club I sweated and bleed for.

I remember!  You did a kick ass job, T! 

[Mtnwalker]

Mine was taking a mature blacktail buck with a yew selfbow and homemade cedar arrow. 

Ive killed lots of blacktails with my recurve, but this was my most memorable archery kill.

Dang, very impressive!

[Fullabull]

I guess mine is showing my son and new son in law what hunting is about and now having them hunting with me. Best feeling ever😁

[jaymark6655]

Mine was taking my first Washington blacktail. It was legal shooting light, but because I was back in the shadows, I could not see the pins on my new compound. I have never been so happy that I spent my entire life prior to that bow shooting instinctively. Double lung, nicking the heart... almost perfect. Only animal I ever shot in all the hunting that I ever had a chance to do out there and one of only two deer that I have shot with a bow and first deer that I butchered myself. Saw plenty of game, tons of awesome stories and memories.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I can’t compete with the huge elk, AK moose, big blacktail, cougar and some of the others. Thanks for sharing guys!
Mine is probably last years mule deer. Late season special tag, any buck. Belly crawled after seeing bedded horns on skyline. Got within 80, made a few doe bleats, he fed to within 65, put the 60 pin top 1/3 on a steep quarter away shot angle.  I was proud of the shot at impact knowing it was deadly. But when I finished cleaning the buck up I was tickled to see the perfect three blade hole in the heart. The other shocker was that the arrow didn’t pass through only because it stuck his front leg so hard the bone fell apart when I cut the meat off. First deer with a heavier FOC and I like the result.

[Gringo31]

Great thread Bone! 

Speaking for myself I can't seem to think of big accomplishments.  When I try to think about the past all I can come up with is the stupid things I did in the day like how many arrows I could ruin trying to shoot rock chucks in the rock piles.  I suppose it's like fish, you remember the ones that got away....

[boneaddict]

THat reminds me of one of my early accomplishments.  One of my first "trad"bows.  It was literally a piece of yellow plastic with a soft white grip handle on it and I shot wood arrows I bought from the Merc (mercantile in Twisp).   I was to young to be solo with a gun yet.   I snuck up on a big ole fat marmot sunning himself on a rock and I smacked him good with an arrow.  He tried to get back down his hole, but the arrow was stuck across him and they couldn't disappear down into the hole.  I learned at an early age the advantage hunting with a bow versus a .22.

[pd]

@Rutnbuxnbulls

I’ve got one of those.

[GASoline71]

My biggest accomplishment was actually just committing to it and harvesting a deer.  My stepson got me into shooting compound bows and i really enjoyed it.  The following year I bought my first archery deer tag.  We were hunting in an "any deer" unit in September, and it was really warm that year.  Being a rifle hunter it was weird to be hunting in a T-shirt and light pants. 

We hadn't seen anything for a few days, and just as I was thinking this I'd made a mistake buying and archery tag, and I really didn't want to be out here.  A Blacktail doe stepped out, and she was a decent size, and offered me a 25 yard broadside shot.  I'll never forget the "doe fever" I got as I slowly raised and drew my bow without her seeing me.  She finally stopped moving, and it seemed like an eternity at full draw.  I had the pin just behind her left shoulder, and let loose.  She only went about 50 yards and fell to the ground.  I was drenched in sweat and I hadn't even relly done anything yet! 

When I gutted her out I got a shot directly through her heart.  Man, that was one of the coolest things I've ever done as a hunter.  One day I'm hoping to repeat that with an elk.  This bowhunting stuff is pretty damn fun!

Gary 

[steeleywhopper]

Killed a grouse at 40 yards with a blunt arrow for my first kill with a bow. It was that moment that I knew bow hunting for big game would be easy.

[Norman89]

I got 2 moments that tie for the top spot. One I patterned a forkhorn black tail and was well hidden inside a black berry patch and had him at 40 yards he hung up. A doe with him walked to within 3 yards of me, what a rush I knew I was so well hidden they didn't know I was there. I could see the broad head I had sitting in the whisker biscuit shaking with my pulse and buck fever and the doe finally spotted that after about 2 minutes and boogered out taking the buck with her

Same year I located a heard of elk deep in the timber and slow stalked to within a hundred or so yards. When I started seeing movement I got into a thicket of black berrys and short cedar trees and suddenly realized I had got inside the herd somehow. They were all around me cow calling looking around and the brush was so thick all I could see was legs from the knees down as I was on my chest trying to stay concealed. Felt like an eternity I was there I could hear my pulse in my ears, I could see the steam coming from their breath and the stench of rain soaked elk was so potent I was almost choking on it. Then some other hunters up the hill bugled and the heard went dead silent, I never saw anything and they just vanished. I have no idea what way they went just flat out vanished!

But they never knew I was there. I never released an arrow either time, but easily my most successful hunts ever, 2 weeks apart

[ridgefire]

I have always wanted to call in a bull, arrow it, break it down and pack it out by myself. I finally made it happen this year. 28 yard shot and it ran about 20 yards before it went down. It was a lot  of work but I loved it.

[lewy]

Dedicated my season to killing each of these two old boys archery, both of which I had history with.

[Sundance]

Peak rut, he was grunting, and snort wheezing while tending a doe. Walked out at 7 yards with a full Flemish lip when I shot him. On the ground, spot and stalk hunt, I found him by hearing the vocalizations. The next chapter is ditching the training wheels and going trad, I’d really like to take a buck with with some arrows spun up by Treekiller.