As a little appetizer for archery season which is rapidly approaching, this is the buck that initiated me to bowhunting.  After a couple of weeks of extremely dry weather in October, a cold rain really got the bucks moving.  I was only in the stand for 20 minutes or so and I had my first visitor.  This gnarly little 8 pointer came and fed within 20 yards before hopping back over the barb wire fence and continuing on his way. 

Not long after he disappeared, a couple of does drifted out of the overgrown field I was hunting and worked into range.  I was getting awfully tempted to arrow the biggest doe when I looked up and saw 2 more bucks walking in my direction.  They were over 200 yards away, but I could see that one buck looked almost as wide as his ears. 

10 minutes later and I was shaking in my boots…gripping my bow handle harder than I ever thought possible, I came to full draw with the buck standing only 8 yards from the bottom of my tree stand.  Thwack!  I got good penetration up to fletchings as the buck dug his hoofs into the ground and rocketed back out into the brush.  I felt confident about the shot, but decided to wait until dark to follow him up. 

When I wrapped my hands around his antlers it was unlike anything I had experienced while rifle hunting…something more personal, more intense, and more satisfying.  It definitely confirmed what I had already thought…bowhunting is the real deal.  It has been my passion ever since.  My only regret is that this tailgate ‘redneck’ shot is the only photograph I have of the deer.  I take my photography very seriously now, but wish I had similar sentiments back then…oh well.

Interestingly, my first buck fell to a Wasp JakHammer expandable broadhead and I haven’t shot another since.  The next year I switched to Muzzy’s and have shot them well over the years.  I’ll be trying another mechanical broadhead this fall though - I guess I am going to find out what the ‘Rage’ is all about?  But more on that later…