Back in June, in a blog I posted entitled ” I Wait No Longer”, I wrote of the delivery of my newest longbow, the coveted Arrow Inlay Thunderstick longbow. I promptly named this bow The Mistress. Since then, The Mistress and I have been inseparable, every shoot I attended, any time I feltthe need to unwind and fling some arrows, its been with The Mistress.
This October, when the time came for archery deer season, you can bet your best dozen arrows that we were in the woods together. It was my desire to initiate The Mistress by taking a worthy whitetail deer with this awesome shooting longbow. In preparation for the season, I built a couple dozen wood arrows. I don’t believe in shooting no ugly arrows, so these were complimentary to the bow from which they flew./ we attended several 3D shoots, along with basement and backyard practice, as well as trips in the woods stump shooting. By fall, we worked as a team, The Mistress and I.
Come opening day, we started our quest. Without replaying our entire season, lets just say we had an incredible season. Several close opportunities came and went, and before I knew it, the firearm season was just 2 days away. Yet, we had not fulfilled our quest.
The evening of Nov13th was the beginning of the Hunters Moon, a cool evening with fair winds and partly cloudy skys. The Mistress and I found ourselves perched in a ladder stand between an overgrown wild apple orchard, and the edge of the woods. This place, known to those of us who hunt here, is called The Production Line. This stand has been a regular producer over the years, including several bucks.
About 5pm, I heard movement in the woods behind me. Turning slowly, I spotted a buck working towards me. I reached and The Mistress was in my hand, poised and ready . A lot could happen before the buck gotto my shooting lane, adn I hoped he would not spot me. When he turned up the trail that would brinmg him to me, I felt my pulse quicken, and my breath seem a little harder. I closed my eyes and breathed in a few deep calming breaths. The buck closed the distance, oblivious to my presence. He stepped behind the apple tree, and I raised my longbow, and slowly drew the string to my cheek. I focused hard on a spot behind the bucks shoulder, and silently offered my prayer- Lord, a clean kill or a clean miss is all I ask. Amen.
The buck stepped clear of the last branch. I squeezed my back muscles together, and felt, if only for an instant, my finger touch the corner of my mouth. It was at this instant, that allthe practice, all the preparation, and the dreams of a season all came together. Time slowed to a crawl, and I watched my arrow, fletched with the feathers from a wild turkey, split and ground by by own hand, bury tight behind the bucks shoulder. The razor sharp broadhead undertook its sole purpose, to bring a quick death to the buck. He dashed through the orchard, and was down in less than 15 seconds.
It is always with mixed emotion that only a hunter can understand, the feeling after takingthe life of such a magnficent animal. The whitetail deer is as challenging a quarry as one can pursue with the stick and string. It will provide many a fine meals for my family, 100% natural, lean, healthy venison, free of any of the miriad of chemicals found in store bought meat.
As is my practice, as I affixed my tag to this buck, I said a silent prayer of thanks for the food he will provide, and the lessons learned from a difficult hunt leading up to taking of this buck. Hunting the hard way, with a simple stickbow, and a wood arrow. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
