First was a buck with a tall spike horn on the right side and just a fugly looking knarled stub of a horn on the left side. I was up a tree on the edge of a green patch and he came out and started eating about 28 yards in front of me. He was quartering hard away from me. I shot him between the last two ribs on his right side and it lodged in the shoulder joint of his left side. I was using a Steelforce broadhead and a Mathews Q2 bow. He tore out of the patch and ran into the woods on a side where there was a deep ditch. I heard a real loud "WHOP" not long after he entered the woods. When I got to him he was lying in the ditch. Looked like he had tried to jump it but didn't have the legs left by then to make it across. Needless to say I was tickled. Nothing like killing one with a bow.

Sept 17 1992 at Ft Bragg, NC. Decided to go with a bow and shot 3D's all that spring/summer. 10 days into the season, a spike in velvet browsed his way within range at 30 yards. I drew back once when he was behind a tree and he stayed there too long. I let down and my arrow came off the string and fell to the ground. He alerted for a bit and then went back to browsing. I nocked another arrow and he was at 28 slightly quartering away. Without thought, the arrow was on it's way and it seemed it took forever to get there. It hit right behind the shoulder and he ran about 40 yards and plowed nose first into the ground DRT. When dressing it out, the heart had a perfect 3-blade muzzy hole right through it. Killed 2 more that year and never picked up a gun (ML) again for over 20 years.

My first was in 2003 after I finally bought a good bow (Mathews LX).It was a 70pound doe,she came out on a green field on a powerline.I was in a lock on,up a big white oak on the edge of the p-line.When she turned broad side at 25 yards I let the arrow fly,she ran probably 50 yards and piled up.It was a awesome feeling and I prefer a bow over a gun if I have plenty of time to hunt.

It was a dark and stormy night...... Wait a minute that's something else.

I had a doe walk in front of me and I was so nervous I could barely stand. I put the 20 yard pin just behind the front shoulder and either I moved or the arrow hit a limb and it hit her in the "groin" area of the back leg. There must be a major artery there cause she ran 20 yards and collapsed. The blood trail was 6-8 inches wide. No tracking needed.

Here is mine...

https://youtu.be/X3hMFzAWXJc

Fall of '88 Ben Pearson Mach 1 with metal sight pins and full length aluminum arras with original Wasp 4-blades...shooting fingers, no release no tab. Rambo didn't have chit on me .... spined a basket rack 6 @ 15-20yds. I remember thinking dang this bowhunting thing is wayyy too easy. Mmmm hmmm, only took me another 18yrs before I killed another buck with a bow. Very humbling.

Old doe on a Laurel oak flat. Right at dark, could see her body through the sights, as I drew back, she caught me. She started bobbing her head trying to figure what I was. I put the cross hairs on her shoulder and let the muzzy fly. Centered her forehead and she dropped like a ton of bricks. Only thing I can think of is she had her head in front of her shoulder when I hit the trigger on my release.

2002 in a huge oak on an old fence line with a climber. I couldn't get more than about 8 ft high due to the first limb that was as big as my leg. 5 doe came in and the lead doe spotted me. She was coming from my left and was facing straight at me. I flung one at her chest with the Ben Pearson 44one. I saw the arrow bury up to the fletchings and thought she would be laying just out of sight. After what seemed like a 2 mile track (probably 700 yards)with little to no blood mostly up an old road in thick cut over I found her still kicking. What I thought was a good shot placement turned out to be one of the worst I have made yet. She jumped the string and lowered her head to spin around and the arrow entered by her left nostril and exited right behind her right ear. It did bury to the fletchings just not where I thought. She expired just a few seconds after we found her. We were able to follow what appeared to be drag marks mostly.

i was in a tripod on the edge of a greenfield and a big hardwood bottom. Had 3 does feeding towards me as soon as I sat down. Waited til they got to about 20 yards and put my top pin right behind the lead doe's shoulder. Let it fly and they took off running. Thought I missed til I got down and saw blood everywhere. Turns out my arrow went in front of her shoulder and through her neck. Hit the jugular and there were buckets of blood dumped out for about 50 yards and there she lay.

I didn`t start bow hunting until well after I began hunting. I don`t remember the year but it was my 1st time ever in the woods with a bow. Had 3 spikes come out right under me. Shaking so damn bad I could hardly aim but I managed to kill one of them.

Shot a doe when I was about 15, hit her a tad low and in the liver and she proceeded to run from the top of the mountain to the bottom, one of the worst drags of my life. Missed a ton before her and have successfully missed a bunch more since!

I was hunting on a creek crossing and had two does and a couple of yearlings come through. I let the arrow fly at the first doe. I heard the whack sound and she took off. The others just stood there wondering why there friend took off running lol. Well I got to thinking I might have missed so I notched another arrow and lined up on the second doe when I heard the other doe behind me coughing and then I heard a crash. I let off on the other doe and waited for them to walk on before I got down. When I went to the spot that I shot the doe it looked like someone had poured out a bucket of blood. It was probably the easiest blood trail I ever followed. After cleaning the deer I decided if I had to choose I would rather be shot with a 30-06 than a NAP Spitfire broad head lol.

Only killed 4 deer with a bow. 1st one was a doe I shot on a food plot in Elmore county probably 25 years ago. Spine shot her at 25 yards and she dropped in her tracks. Had to do a follow up arrow to kill her.

Dr. B

Last year, a doe walked in and I shot her. She died. And she was delicious.

2010 my wife bought me a trip to NW Missouri. We left around 2300 on October 31st and drove the 14 hours. 140 inch minimum and saw deer each sit, but none in range on 1st pm and next a.m. sit.
We looked at trailcam pics at lunch and there was one deer(2 yr old at 150+ inches) that he said he would like to see at 3, but was within the rules to shoot.

Two hours later, deer are getting chased from behind me and a doe runs literally under the lock on. I stand up and get ready. One minute later all is see is horns running on the same path. I grunt and he stops at 12 yards. I draw and realize it is the big 12 and let down my arrow. Told my buddy who was friends with the owner and he had no idea I had never killed a deer with a bow. Owner apologized and said I could shoot any 8 I saw or the 12.

Next morning, I rattled in a 140+ from 300 yards and had to watch him for 20 minutes. I ranged the wrong tree top where he would be crossing. Slung an arrow at 52 when I thought it was 32(max distance). Hit a limb and watched arrow hit his back ham. He bolted and I saw arrow pop out after two leaps. Tiny specs and knew he was fine.

Next a.m. rattled in a young 8 and a 120 8 came in to fight. 20 yd quartering away and made the perfect shot. Ran about 100 yards. I will never forget that sound. Killed a few does in Bama.

It was a cool, crisp morning, the dew was shimmering like a waterfall on the corn pile ....



In all seriousness, it was exhilarating to stick a doe that came thru the head of woods that morning; I'd done the typical trail cam stuff & had a pretty good idea of what time they'd be passing thru... The Bear Truth II didn't fail me...

Well, since the statute of limitations has run. My first was a young doe...........very young, might have still had spots on it. I was so impatient I didn't wait an extra two minutes for her mother to show up. The arrow pinned her 30 pound body to the ground. We ate the entire thing for lunch that day.

It was my first season really hunting. I'd been taken by a friend before, but all this was on me.

First (thus far only) bow kill

My dad had allowed me to build a platform off the back of his barn in Madison county. I had worked really hard to put a food plot next to it, and it was growing well. Trail camera had picked up deer in the plot. I'd been busted drawing by a doe on opening day in Jackson county and I hadn't seen anything within range since. It was Sunday, November 9 2014, the first cold day of the season. I'm pretty bummed as I hadn't seen anything, or heard anything by 0800. The dogs up at the house start losing their collective minds barking. The barn is between myself and the house which is about 150 yards away, so I can't see what they're barking at. A small deer comes bouncing through from the West. It stopped long enough for me to say "that's a little guy", then it looked behind and then took off again. Mama comes walking through in no hurry about 15 seconds later. She stops broadside of me about 25 yards away. I had been able draw when she walked behind a big poplar tree. I let it fly. She tore out of there like she was on fire. I could see my lighted nock stuck in the ground. My first thought was, damn you practiced for 9 months and you missed. (Got the bow in January. I started keeping track of the arrows fired in April, more than 3,000 shots total that year for practice) I Then noticed the bright red swath of blood dripping off the brush she had blown through to get out of there. I nearly fell off the platform. I got down still shaking, checked my watch and said I'll give it 20 minutes. I went and got my arrow, and it was covered in blood. Fixed broad head was covered in tissue, blood, and bone fragments. I made myself walk up to the house, get a glass of water and anything else I could think of to make myself wait on tracking the doe. The last thing I wanted was to bump her. That 20 minutes seemed like 4 hours. I finally went to look and found her 40 yards away with a blood trail Stevie wonder could have followed. I cut her open and examined my hit. I nicked the Aorta and cleanly through both lungs. The processor said he was quite sure that the doe was 4 or 5 year old and that was a hell of a deer to be your first.

I regret not taking more pictures.

I never could figure out where they came from as the west is nothing but houses. It's possible they came from the North, jumped the fence and then came through my food plot, but I doubt the little guy could have jumped the fence.

late afternoon, opening day of rifle season. other guys in the club thought I was crazy for bowhunting on the opening day of gun season.

ladder stand in an oak flat overlooking intersection of 2 trails. about 45 min before dark, 2 "does" came in crossing behind me from right to left, NOT where they were "supposed" to come from. As soon as they were directly behind me, with the tree hiding me from their view, I got up and turned around and grabbed my bow. Couldn't draw on them because the strap from my harness (before I changed to a Rock Climbing harness) was over my shoulder and preventing me from drawing. Slowly spun around so the strap was over my other shoulder and had to squat about halfway in order to draw. at this point they were about 25 yards, quartering away. I drew on the bigger doe, only to realize it was actually a 1-horn spike. Unfortunately for him I was already drawn and there was no going back. arrow entered right behind his last rib and exited around the far side front shoulder. ran about 50yds and piled up.

none of the other guys in the club even saw a deer that day, much less killed one.

I am old and can't remember my first, but my most memorable was this one. It was my first year using a release, and my first hunt with a release. I go to get out of the truck, and I have no release with me. Left it at camp. I decided take your bow, but just watch.

About 4pm a rack buck came two steps from my stand. I drew with bare fingers, and let him get out to 8 steps. I let it go, and I stuck him almost straight up and down next to the spine. He ran off with half my arrow sticking out of his back.

I felt sick thinking no blood trail on this one. I immediately got down and went straight to the camp and got the house pet. I put him on the spot where the deer was standing, and he took off. I thought he is not on this deer because the deer was 20 yards to my left. Well I let him go, and finally realized he must be winding the deer. He took me under a bent tree and my flashlight shined on the ground where a massive puddle of blood.

The deer was not very far from there.