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First Archery Tag!

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Willibow:
Thanks for the encouragement and humor everyone. I've got a scouting trip scheduled for the weekend of the 10th of June. Hopefully I can find where they hang out in my area.

I've also got to get a new bow built and a set of arrows by the first week in August. Lots to do!

I'll try and remember to take some pictures so the story can go up, either way :-)

crooketarrow:
  Same way here in WV. here we can also buy all kinds of exture tags. Antelope with a self bow thats a perty good step for yor first hunt. GOOD LUCK

JW_Halverson:
Driving across South Dakota today, I saw a decent antelope buck.  His horns were not particularly long, maybe 13 inchers, but he had big ol' cutters spading out from the main beam.  I grinned to myself and thought of you, brother. 

Every day is a day closer!

Willibow:
Hey gang,

I hunted for a week, from August 1 to 7 last week. Did all spot and stalk hunting, no blind or decoys used. 

Opening morning was the closest I got to one of those speed goats at about 10 feet. He was bedded down under the same juniper tree me and my buddy were going to for shade. It was a downhill slope and I saw his ears and horns as we approached over a Mormon tea bush. We stopped and I drew an arrow from my homemade limb quiver. That's when I learned one of those lessons that stay with you for life...

My limb quiver holds three arrows. I grabbed from the broadhead-end and pulled on it. Of course this caused the feather end to move. Those feathers touched ever so slightly and rustled. At about ten feet, any sound was too much sound and he bolted!

I never did get as close again. I managed to sneak to 50-60 yards several times on different bucks and groups. I even managed to get sub-30 yards on one group of 11; too bad it turned out to be all does and fawns!

Long week, but tons of fun. My season ends the 20th, so I took this Friday off to go out for one more weekend. Hopefully I can make it happen! I sure have learned a lot in the week I've hunted these speed goats!

Also, I've gotta' say I'm 100% hooked on archery hunting. It's so much more personal and deliberate. Really a game of wits, trying to outsmart the prey much more than I ever had to with rifle hunting. So much fun!

I'll post some pictures up next week after the season is over. Hopefully I'll have some of an animal, but even if not it's been the most fun I've ever had hunting; hands down!

JW_Halverson:

--- Quote from: Willibow on August 12, 2015, 01:23:04 pm ---Also, I've gotta' say I'm 100% hooked on archery hunting. It's so much more personal and deliberate. Really a game of wits, trying to outsmart the prey much more than I ever had to with rifle hunting. So much fun!



--- End quote ---

More personal and deliberate. Boy howdy, did you ever say a mouthful. I know a guy that quit because it was a little too personal and he could not take it.  You will understand that for your first kill, but not until.

And a game of wits?  And we show up virtually unarmed, LOL!

I saw a monster of a buck this last week at Custer State Park here in South Dakota.  He was head down and grazing on a little swell of ground on the edge of a prairie dog town.  I drove past until out of sight and pulled over.  I trotted thru the potbellied tourist attraction fat-rats and up the hill.  I had the wind right at my back blowing up and over to him.  One prairie dog after another gave the alarm call and it was echoing back and forth across the prairie. There was no way this mature speedgoat buck could not know I was coming his way.  But as I crested the hill, the first thing I saw was his withers!  Head down and puttin' on the feedbag at under 20 yds!

I crouched over and duckwalked a little closer until my foot kicked a stray rock and his head came popping up.  I was at about 15 yds with him quartering toward me.  Not the best archery shot in the world, but it was not season and I had no bow AND I was in a State Park! 

They are a little goggle-eyed to begin with, but his did the Warner Brothers Cartoon thing and popped outa his head!!!  He lit the afterburners and scorched the earth for 20 yds.  I hollered "KEWWW!" and he pulled up short like someone had stood in the stirrups and leaned back on the reins.  Apparently he was suddenly interested in looking for the boss doe shouting warnings at him. 

I had a good chance to look him over at a broadside view at 35 yds.  Either he had record short ears or me may have gone as much as 17 inches with narrow but long spades.  I was sweating and shaking and laughing, dang I miss hunting them things. 

Looking forward to the pics and the stories.  And next time, have arrows ready, pilgrim!

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