First Archery Deer Harvest

When I first decided that I wanted to try bow hunting, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had just started deer hunting altogether a year prior and was very inexperienced. I knew from shooting a buck with my rifle the year before that hunting was something I loved. My husband wanted to make sure I liked bow hunting just as much before we spent the money on a brand new bow so I started off with a $50 bow he bought off of a friend. The bow had an adjustable draw length and pull weight so we were able to adjust the bow to fit me.

I spent many hours shooting and practicing during the months leading up to opening day. I admit that shooting a bow has never been something that came easily or naturally to me. I worked very hard to make sure I shot the same way each time and didn’t start off developing any bad habits.

Opening day had finally arrived. My husband had to work so I went out by myself and snuck into my stand before daylight. I was overlooking a food plot with wheat and clover and a certain buck had been coming into it every morning at the same time. All I had to do now was wait!

It wasn’t long before here he came into the plot with his bachelor group, as expected. I waited until he came into 20 yards and turned broadside, then took the shot. A few things were running through my mind simultaneously as I prepared to shoot. One was my shot placement and to make sure I was shooting the exact same way that I had practiced. Another was how excited I was that I was actually going to shoot my first deer with a bow. And the third was me wishing the swarm of mosquitoes that landed on my face would stop biting me!

Despite everything that was running through my mind and the distraction of the mosquitoes, I was able to harvest my first deer with a bow! I was beyond excited and seven years later it is still one of my biggest bucks to date!