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1996	Spike Buck	Lancaster, SC	Bow	Afternoon	10 yards
Bowhunting, while extremely fun, has been frustrating for me. I've seen so many deer while bowhunting, and have consistently missed every deer that I've shot at. I can honestly say that I've probably missed 20 deer in the years that I've been bowhunting. However, in 1996, having already taken two big deer and thus having a freezer full of meat, I decided to give bowhunting another shot, so to speak. I hunted in Arnold's middle field, which was full of wheat and was bringing in the deer in the evenings on a regular basis. I sat quietly in the stand, with the wind in my face, for a good two hours before I heard the soft crunch of a deer walking through the woods toward the field. I stood and prepared myself for the shot. When the deer appeared, not 10 yards from the stand, I drew back my bow, aimed the arrow, and fired. The shot went wide, missing the deer by a good 3 feet. The doe jumped, then moved off toward the middle of the field to continue feeding. Since she was now out of range, I sat back down and watched her eat, feeling a huge sense of frustration. As I sat watching, I soon heard another deer approach. Again I stood and made ready for the shot. The deer soon appeared in the same spot as the first. It was a very young buck, having only two small antlers emerging from its head. In my frustration, I decided that I had to shoot, regardless of the size of the deer. Again I drew back the bow, and again I shot. This time the arrow made a loud whacking sound as it caught the deer in the neck. He ran off into the woods where he came from, and I heard him crash into the leaves. I heard the deer thrashing around, so instead of waiting the requisite 30 minutes, I got down from my stand and went over to where it lay. I nocked another arrow and fired at close range to finish the deer off. I missed yet again, cursed, then finally managed to put a shot into his heart, which immediately ended his life. This was a very small deer, and had I not had such frustration with bowhunting I never would have shot it. However, I do not regret it, since it did end up being my first deer taken with a bow.

1996

Spike Buck

Lancaster, SC

Bow

Afternoon

10 yards

Bowhunting, while extremely fun, has been frustrating for me. I've seen so many deer while bowhunting, and have consistently missed every deer that I've shot at. I can honestly say that I've probably missed 20 deer in the years that I've been bowhunting. However, in 1996, having already taken two big deer and thus having a freezer full of meat, I decided to give bowhunting another shot, so to speak.

I hunted in Arnold's middle field, which was full of wheat and was bringing in the deer in the evenings on a regular basis. I sat quietly in the stand, with the wind in my face, for a good two hours before I heard the soft crunch of a deer walking through the woods toward the field. I stood and prepared myself for the shot. When the deer appeared, not 10 yards from the stand, I drew back my bow, aimed the arrow, and fired. The shot went wide, missing the deer by a good 3 feet. The doe jumped, then moved off toward the middle of the field to continue feeding. Since she was now out of range, I sat back down and watched her eat, feeling a huge sense of frustration.

As I sat watching, I soon heard another deer approach. Again I stood and made ready for the shot. The deer soon appeared in the same spot as the first. It was a very young buck, having only two small antlers emerging from its head. In my frustration, I decided that I had to shoot, regardless of the size of the deer. Again I drew back the bow, and again I shot. This time the arrow made a loud whacking sound as it caught the deer in the neck. He ran off into the woods where he came from, and I heard him crash into the leaves.

I heard the deer thrashing around, so instead of waiting the requisite 30 minutes, I got down from my stand and went over to where it lay. I nocked another arrow and fired at close range to finish the deer off. I missed yet again, cursed, then finally managed to put a shot into his heart, which immediately ended his life.

This was a very small deer, and had I not had such frustration with bowhunting I never would have shot it. However, I do not regret it, since it did end up being my first deer taken with a bow.