Five years after we got a bow deer season we were going to have a gun season finally. Not being particularly into hunting with a firearm yet I was ready to go.
I along with most of the Hickman County Bow hunters, Later to become the "Bayou de Chein Bow hunters." Bayou de Chein meaning, creek of the dogs. Anyway we took off a week to hunt during the early part of a split season so we could get a head start on the gun season. We planned to meet at my house for coffee before going to our respective hunting areas.
I had a good spot located and had my stand up several days ahead. I knew there was a decent buck in the area from the size of the sapling he was rubbing to remove the moss.
On the first morning I was in my stand well before daylight. About half an hour after sunrise I decided to have an egg sandwich and a cup of coffee so I laid my bow on the rack I had built for it and proceeded to eat breakfast.
With my sandwich half eaten I spotted slow movement in the distance. It was a nice buck. I very very slowly moved my hand to set the sandwich aside and just as slowly retrieved my bow.
He kept moving in my general direction but he gradually moved to where I knew I would not get an open shot so I decided I want this one and I am going to stalk him.
Slowly I got out of the stand and started moving parallel to the trail he was on. My uncle and grandfather had always told me that when stalking move slowly stopping occasionally to take a leaf of a bush between my fingers in a fist and twist and pull sharply and freeze. Mimicking a browsing animal, I did this and observed a noisy squirrel eating pecans ahead and much closer to the path of the deer than I was now on. My thought was, if I can get under and past the pecan tree without alerting the squirrel he will cover any noise I make.
Several yards past the squirrel tree was the edge of the woods and then open ground so I knew I was running out of time. I worked my way still stop and go until I was at the edge of the field and woods. I looked and the deer was nowhere to be seen.
Then all of a sudden he popped out into the field and was moving pretty fast and stopped and looked in the other direction. A bluejay was raising a fuss at something on the other side.
While he was distracted I took careful aim with my 48” Indian recurve, released the arrow and zap he did not just fall, he collapsed backward on his hind endl. As I had been taught I waited for several minutes and no movement.
When I got to him he still lay motionless and as usual the eyes were open. Normally I would stick a shaft to the eye to see for sure of death but I was so confident that I grabbed ahold of his left beam.
Well let me tell you I have never moved as fast in my life. He jerked his head and I landed 12 feet away. I retrieved my bow and dispatched an arrow to finish him off.
When I field dressed him the arrow propelled by 60# thrust had gone all the way through. Not his chest where I aimed but his neck and it had completely severed his spinal vertebrae rendering him helpless but still very much alive.
One of the most satisfying feelings is to stalk an animal until getting a shot. I had practiced many times hunting ground hogs with the bow and arrow.
Now came the disappointing part. I killed my deer on the first day and we were to meet at my house each morning for pre-hunt coffee. Well let me tell you the next morning they made big of the fact that I was through for the year.
Immediately after they left I got my bass fishing gear out and finished the day fishing. Not to mention catching a limit of some really nice bass. What a week to remember. We really had a great group of friends in the bow hunting club. Now most are gone but they remain in my heart and my memories of wonderful times.
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