Thanks Todd for posting and Thanks for your and RG’s congratulatory comments!..:>) Tis hunt’in season and time for share’in photos and stories,I am remiss for not sharing before but in a weak attempt to defend myself, I have bee a wee bit busy..:>)
I’ll start this story back in late spring when a friend “challenged” me to go to a “traditional” archery shoot. I had no bow other than an old abused “home camo’ed” recurve that a good friend had given me to bowfish with….well at this shoot I met Kevin Brown, a gifted bowyer, and his lovely wife Becky, the owners of “Herway bows”.... In a conversation that followed about my “ratty” old bow I asked if he would consider “refurbishing” it for me…he agreed and in a few weeks delivered the “resurrected” Bear Kodiak Hunter…I was impressed…..even more impressive was that with some practice the bow was putting arrows “where I was look’in” :>). Now Ya have to consider that I have shot compounds with sights for years and, to me, this was a little kin to taking the sights off a rifle and try’in to shoot it accurately….add the fact that instead of a release aide I was using fingers to draw and release the arrow made it even more difficult and foreign to me.
Anyway, summer moved along and I found myself shooting and enjoying the old bow more and more so I made myself a challenge to try and become proficient enough to hunt with the old recurve.
I had practiced enough to feel confident in my shooting and one evening after a loooong day I felt like I just HAD to be in the stand… so I grabbed my gear and headed for the woods. This was not a particularly good evening to hunt but as I climbed into the stand and hoisted the old bow up to me I felt a bit of excitement I cannot explain….as I sat in the stand I had a doe pass by, not presenting a shot and another small 5 point taking about the same route…then I heard a subtle noise behind me and turning in my stand I could see a fair set of antlers (with deer attached..:>).) coming through the heavy brush toward a predefined shooting lane….I have taken larger deer but regardless, there was no hesitation in deciding that I would take the shot….The deer, passing by me and stopping at around 17 yards broadside… I drew, focused on a spot behind the buck’s shoulder and released…..the arrow hit right where I was looking! The buck made a short run of about 50 yards and piled up in a brushy drain……I was shaking from excitement!...almost like this was the first deer I hade ever taken!
So, there Ya have it ……almost, There is more to the story…. A short while back my wife and hunting partner Ruth called Kevin and Becky and contracted a custom bow built for her. They delivered the bow yesterday evening and it is a beauty!.....we can hardly wait to start next years 3D tournaments!
Take Care All and have a safe, fruitful hunting season…..and make lot'sa MEMORIES!!!
-H
Oh, Randy….those are not UGLY plastic “vanes” but are in fact are feather fletching…the reason for shooting them instead of the shield cut “natural barred” is another long story..:>)
