I've been thinking about bowhunting for years, but have never really pulled the trigger on it until today. Throughout the whole rifle season, I saw no deer, but coming home I always had to run the deer out of our garden in Northern Virginia. We back to a forest, and there's a herd of probably 20 or so.

This evening, with about an hour of daylight remaining, I loosed a shaft from an old High Country compound at a doe about thirty yards away. You bowhunters know how hard it is to see a shaft after you've launched it. I wasn't certain I'd even hit, but the doe ran erratically, and fell several times before she disappeared in the woods, so then I was pretty sure I had a good hit.

I'd learned from the experienced folks to watch carefully where it went, then wait an hour. I didn't have that much time before dark, but I waited 45 minutes, then followed her up. The first thing I found was an arrow on the ground, covered its length with blood and missing one vane, another good sign.

I used my binocs to scan the woods and found her lying there, behind a cedar, frothy blood on her neck. The thunderheadhad entered her throat, cutting both the windpipe and the nearby artery. She hadn't gone more than twenty yards after being hit. She's now hanging in my garage, from a pulley I leave there just for that.

I'll leave her hanging for a few days, as long as the temperature stays below 40F, then butcher her. No scales, but I'd estimate her live weight at 120 pounds.

It was a clean, fast kill, just right for the first time.

Jaywalker

Edited to change the weight to "120 pounds" from "12." Thanks, 323.

The deer wieghed 12 lbs what the hell did you shoot a dwarf! Congrats deer season for bow is in full swing down here in Arizona.

Jaywalker
Nice shooting, them 12 lb deer are mighty hard to hit.

I plan to get a bow and use it next season.

Congrats Jay! Welcome to the bowhunting community. I'm 34 now, I started bowhunting at age 13. It took me 5 long years to kill my first. I got the really nasty form of "buck fever" that really boggles the brain. Even to this day having a shootable animal in range is one of the last really exciting things in life. Ummm...that doesnt include my wife. John Rifle hunting is a sport, bowhunting is a lifestyle.

Jaywalker, Congratulations and well done. With the bow, th size of the deer is rarely the trophy. I am sure you felt the excitement, and will look to do this again.

I wasn't trying to be a smart ass, any animal shot with a bow is a trophy!

John

323, I know, and I wasn't offended. And thanks, everyone.

I keep replaying the shot, and I'm still amazed at how little (none!) of the impact of the arrow I could see, especially one that hit well enough to completely penetrate. You see the arrow for a split second at the peak of its filght, and then it disappears. All that's left is the behavior of the deer.

I'm disturbed by how little blood I could find along the deer's run. If I hadn't kept an eye on her last known whereabouts, she might've been a lost deer, and a really bad first story.

The weather touched 50F yesterday, so we couldn't hang her any longer, so she's now backstrap, roasts, sirloin, and OBMFS ("Odd Bits of Meat For Stew") in the freezer.

Jaywalker

Congratulations on the kill. A 120 pound doe in Northern Virginia is a big one. I use to have to kill them out of my back yard when I lived there. Seldom was one larger than 80 pounds (dressed) and the bucks, though heavy with antlers, never got much over 140. Major overpopulation of deer in that area. Go kill some more.

Thanks, Joe, we are overpop'd. She was a pretty big doe, but of course the 120 pounds is an estimate.

Fortunately, this forum can be edited, so as my memory improves over the years, I have no doubt she'll grow. Remind me to tell you about some of my most spectacular highschool football plays... It's a wonder a scout never found me...

Jaywalker

A 12 pound deer here in Texas is called a jackrabbit.

Congratulations, the first kill with a bow is always a very special moment. Enjoy the replay, may it never disapear in darkness

A 12 poind deer in Texas is called a fenced jackrabbit.