2019 Hunting Season
Lance and Arnie's 2019 Hunt
Early in the season I, Lance, had a buck consistently appearing on my trail camera . I was trying to get Arnie on his first buck all last year with no success. I called him and we made a plan. On the trail cam footage it was 8:00pm to 8:15pm when the buck walked past the creek tree stand. Arnie texted me at 8:06 that he had got him!
My first buck I got this season was on one of the small gulf islands off Vancouver Island in early October. My second buck was in late October. My plan this year was to get a three point with eye guards. This buck showed up on my trail cam and the next Saturday I got him down. I was in the stand one hour before day light, 20 mins before shooting light I could hear something moving around. As day started to break I could see something in the thick forest. As he made his way into my shooting lane, I saw that he was a three point with eye guards. He was 30m away when I took my shot. It sounded like I popped a balloon when the arrow hit the deer. I recovered him 60m away
Shamus Stone's Moose
This year I headed up to region 6 for the Any Bull Moose Archery GOS. The area I was going to has been hit hard by the wildfires last season so my expectations were not high. Arriving two days prior to the opening, I spent the time scouting different areas and saw little sign and nothing recent.
When opening morning arrived, I hiked in to a little secluded lake that I had discovered previously. Hiking in at first light I made it to the edge of the water, got set up and made my first set of cow calls. It wasn’t five minutes later that I noticed 300 yards away, at the far end of the lake, a bull moose had come to explore my calls.
I watched as the moose made his way along the shoreline, making his way towards me. Once he closed the distance to about 200 yards he walked into the timber. With that I quickly setup my moose decoy facing his direction and waited in anticipation.
In what felt like an eternity, he finally appeared at a distance of about 100 yards, standing motionless and silent. He then continued coming towards me, slowly, grunting with each step. At about 50 yards he stopped and got uneasy. He turned to run off, but a quick cow call put him at ease, and he stopped broadside to me.
At this point I didn’t know if he would come any closer. When he put his head down trying to scent the cow he had heard, I was able to range him. As I put my rangefinder away he caught my movement and picked his head up. I froze. I told myself the next time he put his head down I would draw on him. A few seconds later he did that, and in one motion I brought my bow up and drew it back. He picked his head up as I settled my pin behind his shoulder, and at that moment, my shot broke and sent my arrow cleanly through both his lungs. He lunged forward and then walked slowly head held low. Cow calling at him again, he stopped, giving me a second opportunity to put an arrow in him as he quartered towards me. This arrow went cleanly through him, entering in front of his shoulder and exiting through his liver. At that shot he ran forward, stumbling over some deadfall and expiring right there.
It was 30 minutes from first light, and my moose hunt was complete. From the first arrow to the time he expired was less than a minute. The rest of the day was spent breaking down this beautiful animal and hiking it out.
2017 SEASON
Devin Morgan's Buck
Hi Jim
I scouted almost everyday of August leading up to opening day. I figure I had hiked and scouted 155 km before the season started. Once the season opened, I was picky, so I passed up and lots of small bucks. Caught up to this one on September 23 at about 7 am. Had no chance to range him, so I guessed 40 meters. Ranged it afterward at 41 meters. I hit him a bit far back, so I gave him a hour to bed before I started tracking him. Barely any blood. Caught up to him bedded down about around 150 meters from where I shot him, and put another arrow into his chest at 10 meters, I wanted him down as fast as possible. He jumped up and ran another 100 feet with 17.5 inches of broken arrow in him before he expired. The first shot would have been lethal, the arrow had cut through a lung and the liver. I was a bit of work to get him out, I had a half kilometer drag to my game cart, and then another two and a half kilometer push down the mountain.
The rest of season I spent at least four days a week hunting a specific buck. After ten weeks of just glimpses (and burning out ) I finally took a small 2 x 2 instead, to end my season on November 22, leaving me 2 weeks to get my daughters into hunting bucks.
Devin
2016 SEASON
Connor Harper First Deer with a Bow
My dad, Carlee and I were at a farm where we had permission to hunt. We were told that they had seen two nice 2x2 bucks. Carlee went to one end of the farm and my dad and I went to the other to clear a spot in some ferns and were going to wait until dark or until something came out. After a while, we heard something in the leaves and 2 does and a fawn came out. My dad asked me if I was ok shooting a doe, and I said that I didn't care what kind of deer I shot, just not a fawn. I asked my dad how far away they were and he said about 30 yards. He reached for his rangefinder and the doe saw him move his arm. She came towards us and stopped at 20 yards. Then it kept moving and was getting closer and was going to go past us. My dad told me to go ahead and draw my bow. As soon as I drew my bow, the doe stopped broadside and looked at me. I shot the deer and my dad said that I had made a perfect shot, but the arrow didn't go all the way through, so we wondered if it had hit a rib.
Mikayla Cook's First Deer
The story of my first bow kill started with my brother patterning a buck on our friends property. My brother has killed many bucks with his bow, so he wanted me to get my first buck with my bow this year. My dad set up a ground blind near where the buck went into an open field. Our first outing we spotted the buck at about 7:15 pm. It trotted right past us without giving me a shot opportunity.
A couple nights later, he came out and paused at 30 meters. When I was at full draw, he spotted us and slowly walked away. No shot opportunity for me. My dad said, “Why didn’t you shoot?” I said, “I was still aiming, this isn’t like 3Ds.”
We waited 3 or 4 nights to let him settle down. My dad left Eli (my boyfriend) and I in the blind as he went up the mountain to check trail cams. Eli was looking out the side window of the blind at about 7:20 pm. He told me the buck was coming, so I drew my bow before I could even see him. I waited till he stepped out, and assumed he would be at 30 meters from our previous encounters. As the buck came to a stop, Eli whispered, “28 meters.” Without any hesitation this time, I released the arrow. The arrow cut though both lungs, and he bounded away like nothing happened, till about 40 meters, when he dropped right in the open. Easy recovery. Check out my youtube channel- Mikayla Cook. I have many videos about archery, our bow club, and hunts including this one. Click this link for video of this shoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gao8AVg9x2E Mikayla
Carlee Howards First Deer
I shot my very first deer on opening day this year. After being pushed out of my original spot for the evening hunt, by a herd of elk coming towards me. I sat on the edge of a nearby field in the hopes of getting a few pictures of the elk as they passed by. That was the right place to be, as the buck came out of the trees and stood about 30 yards away, also watching the elk. I had about 5 minutes of light left and managed a nice shot on him, and watched as he went running back into the trees where he came from. I thought I would give it a little time, so went back to the truck and I met another group of guys that were out hunting in the same spot. They came and helped me trail him into the trees about 40 yards from where I shot him. Could not have asked for a better hunt for my first deer.
Carlee
Jeremy Jone's First Deer with a Bow
It was a chilly day, somewhere around the 5th of December, and there was fresh snow from the night before. I was hunting with my cousin Richard, who is an avid hunter. Richard was in another area of the woods, so I had this section to myself for a good 2 hours. There was a lot of activity In the area, so I was determined to stick it out until I had a chance at a buck. Does and fawns were approaching me all day, but that was not the quarry I was stalking, and the morning turned to afternoon with frustration creeping in.
I heard some branches snap off to my right, and then I saw a group of deer crossing a creek in a bit of a hurry. I waited patiently as they circled in front of me. To my dismay all I could see were three does, and they trotted off into the bushes, but I was sure I saw four cross the creek. I was on one knee with my bow drawn, and then all of a sudden antlers come into view through the bushes. The 2x2 buck walked closer to me, and then looked into the woods as if he heard me. He cocked his head, twitched an ear, and then turned broadside. I couldn't believe how well he presented for me. I estimated the shot at about 35 yards. I focused on the back side of his shoulder, when the arrow went sailing. He gave a bit of a start and cringed backwards. My arrow clipped the back of the shoulder, but penetrated deep into at least one lung.
I followed the blood trail about 40 yards from where he was struck. He did not suffer long. The pool of blood was large, and I knew that my arrow had struck well. After further investigation, the arrow pierced both lungs and clipped his heart. That day's hunting was the most memorable for me ever, considering it was my first deer I shot with bow.
Jeremy
Devin Morgan's Deer
The Island's Largest Buck Taken By Bow
Hi Jim.
I was spot and stalking in the timber on September 17th, and I had seen a few smaller bucks, but nothing that that I wanted to shoot. Thirty minutes before dark I spooked him out of his bed, and he took off running downhill. I went up hill and looped around to where I thought he went. As I was walking, I looked and he was standing looking straight at me at. I wasn't comfortable taking the straight on shot, so I took a few steps to the side, and ranged him at 20 meters. It was a sharp quartering shot, which was slightly uphill. He ran 7 meters and was dead in seconds. I text a buddy and he came to help me drag the deer 3 km thru the timber, back to the truck, getting back to the truck around 10:30 pm.
Devin