Archery Talk

This and always this.. especially in this sacred group of TW @PacoDevo

@rtkbowhunter and @Buzzbait said it about as perf as it could be said. We will always support and respect individual decisions but will forever push one another to keep trudging despite the lessons thrown our way or tribulations shoved down our throats by the powers at be

I hope offense was never taken and if it was, you can see that we respect and love the decisions we all make as sportsman’s

or.. that the advice was merely coming from fellow rednecks and cannot be respected for that very reason

 

To everyone out there - I have taken NO OFFENSE towards anyone's comments about me likely giving up bow hunting for good. I understand where you all are coming from, which is one reason I posted my thoughts/intentions here. If I was concerned with the reactions/responses I would get, I never would have posted on here.

On to gun season in 2 days!!!

 

good for you sir, as my fatass sits, it is opening day here in murrilin for gun season, but alas, after all my prep for this season of hunting, I cannot physically be out there due to a severe rotator cuff tear, but my youngest son is out there with a friend that he grew up with, who has never hunted deer before...but he is using my 12 gauge, so at least a piece of me is out there...

 

I have blown shoulders. Left shoulder was a train wreck. Had it "fixed" 2 years ago and it never came back. Permanent nerve damage. Can't ever hunt with my compound any more let alone pick it up, so it's been crossbow since 2015. So be it, at least I'm still in the game.

 

oh i WILL be fine next season, i had an option for a shot, but i would have to wait 3 months after, before surgery, gone under on 12/19 get my shit together in time for prespawn, early spring feeschin, full bore next year huntin...

 

Helped my father-in-law with a few odds-n-ends then set up the ground blind for Monday's gun opener. Saw this about 75+ yards walking back thru their woods - wasn't there last week.

 

moar like $19.95 man.....

 

One time I was hunting fish, and lost one. Ended up throwing all my guns in the water out of rage. Don't have a single one anymore


@PacoDevo I'll go against the grain here. If you're wanting to hang it up on bow-hunting, take the break you want to take. You can intend for it to be for good, and maybe it will be, and if so, we all hate to see it come to an end. But, you obviously have a deep respect and love for hunting and deer, and if you ever start to lose that passion and joy for doing it, or if it brings you more anxiety than happiness to take the bow, you'll eventually resent hunting altogether, and we all know thats not the goal. The bow is just a tool, a gun is just a tool, and the end product is the same. As long as you're still getting out there to gun-hunt, I can't be too upset about it. We obviously would love to see you continue using the bow, but hunting is supposed to be enjoyable. I don't wanna encourage you to push through it, and it result in another unrecoverable deer, and you hang it up on hunting altogether. While pushing through hardship can have monumental positive outcomes, failing again can be just as devastating. You've probably encountered that more times than me since I've only hunted a few years, but I've seen that to be true in all areas of life, not just hunting. You know what the heart wants, so listen to it. If this is it, you had one hell of a ride my friend. My only encouragement that differs from your plan is keep the bow. Or if you do pass it down, buy yourself another. You don't have to hunt with it, but keep it for shooting targets. Smoking a deer isn't the only enjoyable thing about a bow and you can still absolutely enjoy it at home shooting targets. So take the break/hang it up/whatever you wanna call it, and if you come back around, awesome. If you don't, you're not ending on a bad note. That skillset brought you many a joys and successes. All good things don't have to come to an end. Sounds like you got a boy that would love to learn the skillset, and who better to teach than you. If ending your archery career revolves around a "passing-on" to your son, hats off from me brother. Thats better than any deer on your wall I can guarantee.

 

Getting to hunt in a little snow.

 

Opening day of deer gun season in Ohio today. Cole (25 year old son) who hasn't hunted much due to school (grades were more important - GREAT KID) and work/life since was with me in the ground blind. COLD!!!! Windy and snowing - wind chill was in low 20's all morning. Anyway, around 8:45 he says "dad" and nudges me....I look and see 2 ass ends running through the thick shit about 50 yards out. A few seconds later I see a 3rd deer - "it's a buck, Cole" - the mostly-opened window and corner fabric were blocking his view, so he only saw a body and ass as it also went into the thick shit. I never picked up my pistol from on my pack on the ground as I followed the buck's path and kept trying to point him out to Cole. Unfortunately, he never got a good look for a shot as the buck never really slowed down even though I bleated several times. Was too interested in the first 2 deer (likely does). So, the buck lives! I told him if he wasn't there I would have shot, but I kept hoping the deer would stop and he could have gotten a shot - my PRIORITY is to get him another buck.

Tomorrow is another day - supposed to get an inch or of snow overnight but be in the low 20's temp wise with wind chill in the low teens!!! I AM GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS SHIT!!! Gonna break out the heated boots tomorrow - already got the batteries charging!

 

Man I look forward to those days with my kiddo

 

I was ready to call it a day before he was!!! Both of us had cold toes in spite of Merino wool socks (he had 2 pairs on) and insulated boots. Otherwise it was tolerable, but not necessarily 'fun' except when we saw the deer and a flock of turkeys.

 

you can take me, i'll be yer kid for a day !!

 

Meet ya in texas?!

 

I went with oversized (size 14, since I wear a 13) insulated Lacrosse boots. Oversized so I can stuff a mega hand warmer down in the toes

Works about 75% of the time. Threshold seems to be around 5-10 degrees when the hand warmer just cant keep up

 

Oldest daughter was with me in ‘99 when I shot a nice 5pt. She was 10 at the time and PA had no mentored youth at the time. Was sitting next to my son in 2012 when he shot his first buck, an 8pt. In 2016 I was in a stand 15 yards away when he took his first deer with a bow. Watched her for 15 minutes before she was in position for a clean shot. Went 40 yards and piled up. Of my 50 years of outdoor memories, those are my favorites.