2002-2003 Bow Season
Update: January 2003 - The Streak Continues!! I've harvested at least one deer a year with a bow for the last 13 years, however this season I didn't harvest a deer with a bow before gun season opened. I hunted hard several times in December and January with a bow to try and continue the streak. It finally paid off on January 16th as I harvested a spike. I thought the unlucky number 13 might be plaguing me ... I'm glad to finally put a bow deer in the freezer this year - I hope next year I don't have to wait until January to accomplish the task :)
August 2002 - I bought a new bow this year. I've shot a Hoyt for the last 11 years and decided to buy a PSE. It's a sharp bow and shoots well. I've shoot a ton of arrows through it and it's on the mark. I hope to get some shots hunting this season. I've harvested at least one deer with a bow for the last 12 years - I hope to keep that streak alive this year.
September 2002 - It's raining acorns!! Tons of acorns are covering the ground this year. If love to hunt oak trees, get ready to have some fun. That's my favorite way to hunt deer - white oaks rule!! It can be tough hunting with so much food in the woods, however it's good for the deer's health and I'd rather have too much food than not enough.
November 18, 2002 - It's been my toughest bow season ever! I've seen 1 deer on our farm in Morgan County while hunting close to 20 times!! The last few years have been very tough hunting in that area. For the last 10+ years, I've kept track of the total deer I've seen while hunting on that land. Until 5 years ago, I'd see 80-100 deer during hunting season - of course that's hunting almost every afternoon and many of those deer were seen more than once. It's started a steady decline over the last 4 years, down to 50 - then 30 - then 22 last year and now only 1 during bow season. Last year, I saw 6 deer during bow season. I'm hunting in different locations on the farm, which is close to 2000 acres total. We have a 12-acre soybean field that was to wet to pick until last week. I haven't seen a single deer in that field all year - how can deer resist soybeans in November with the temp in the 30's? It's been a very depressing season so far and with the amount of deer sign ... I don't see it getting any better.
Deer Sightings through November 19, 2002:
Morgan County - 20+ Hunts - 1 deer
Wheeler Refuge - 2 Hunts - 4 deer
Hale County - 5 Hunts - 7 deer
Critter Sightings:
Morgan County - 5 turkeys - 8 raccoons - 3 hawks - 1 owl
Wheeler Refuge - Owl catch squirrel
Hale County - a truckload of turkeys
November 20, 2002 - I'm hearing rumors of the deer movement really picking up around the area. I saw 3 deer yesterday. I'm seeing a lot more sign so maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Date: January 16, 2003
Deer: Spike
Weapon: PSE Bow
Arrow: Beman Carbon ICS Hunter - 300
Broadhead: Muzzy 115gr.
Treestand: Summit Cobra
Range: 8 yards
Distance Traveled: 40 yards
I'm as proud of this deer as any I've harvested. I hunted hard for quite some time to try and harvest a deer with a bow this season. It seemed like every time I would see deer, just as they were getting into bow range something would go wrong. The persistence finally paid off on January 16th. It was a very cold and windy afternoon. The forecast was for snow all afternoon and hazardous travel overnight and into the next day. I was sitting in the treestand with snow falling all around. I hadn't been sitting there long and saw this spike walking right to me. I was sitting down and didn't dare try to stand with him walking straight on. I started thinking, "Here we go again ... I'm not going to get a shot." He walked all the way to 10 yards and stopped. He looked back and I drew the bow just in case he turned broadside. I was at full draw, stilling sitting down, and he turned broadside to walk off. I released the arrow and it hit him perfect threw both lungs. He only traveled 40 yards. I just set there for a few moments to collect my thoughts and within 5 minutes a doe came by and offer a perfect 20-yard broadside shot standing still - Then another spike came in and did the same. Where have all these opportunities been all year? Even though it would've been legal to have shot the doe - I just let her go and was thankful for what the spike.
Hunter: Jim Childers
Date: October 19, 2002
Deer: Spike
Weapon: High Country Bow
Arrow: Beman Carbon ICS Hunter - 400
Broadhead: Muzzy 115gr.
Treestand: None
Range: 42 yards
This is an interesting story. Jim and I were scouting for a location to hunt one afternoon. We were standing in the edge of a food plot and heard some deer coming toward the plot. We knelt down and waited. He asked me if I had my release and I said it was in my fanny pack. He had his release in his pocket and got it out. He was beside me on the woods side and I could see the deer in the woods. I could see the deer coming to the plot and told him that a deer was going to walk out at 20 yards. So we waited ... then I saw another deer about to walk out farther down the plot. Just as the deer started to walk out, I said he's over 20 yards ... I wasn't sure how far but this was not the deer at 20 yards. Jim was drawn and ready. The deer looked the other direction first and gave Jim just enough time to get a shot off. I had a front row seat and could see the arrow in flight. At first, the shot looked to low ... then the deer hit the deck to get out of town and the arrow hit him right in the heart. At impact, I could see a blood spot the size of a volleyball on his side. I told Jim ... heart shot. We got out of there and came back after dark to retrieve the animal. No problem finding him ... heart shot ... Rodney, Jim and I walked right to him and had him on the 4-wheeler in less than 10 minutes. It was exciting to be a part of! For the last couple of years, Jim has put me on a buck that I've harvested ... it was nice to watch him shot this deer off the ground.
On an interesting note - the deer laid over so far ... the arrow went in at the heart level and came out much higher up near the spine. That's the first deer I've seen that had the exit hole higher than the entry hole with an arrow.