I’ve shot just about every kind of bow there is, starting way back when I was just a youngster.
My father was a big time recurve hunter in his early years. As a teenager, our neighbor, whom was a game warden by profession, one day was target shooting his compound bow and I was watching him from our yard.
I was thoroughly intrigued watching him shoot his bow because I never seen a compound bow before then, and I thought it was the coolest looking thing ever at the time. I was so impressed with the speed of the arrows each time he launched one towards the target.
He just so happened to notice me standing there watching him that early fall afternoon so, he invited me over and asked if I ever shot a bow like his before. Of course, I said no, and he then took the time to go over the entire thing about it with me. Then taught/showed me the difference between what my father had/shoots and what he was shooting. I learned a lot from him that afternoon.
He then handed me his bow and said, “go ahead and give a try”. Boy, did I jump all over that, totally thrilled at the chance, and he set me right up too.
He paced off about twenty steps, turned me around and pointed me in the direction of the target, then said, “go ahead, you can do it”.
I then drew back on the bow, took a steady aim, and released. Load and behold, I nailed the bullseye with my very first shot. What a thrill that was for me at the time, and what a mad rush seeing that arrow blast through the air and plunge into that stack of bailed hay. Boy, that was something else and I’ll never forget it.
Old George couldn’t believe it either. He too appeared to be completely thrilled and simply amazed that not only was I able to stand there at full draw, patiently take aim, then finally released, just like he told me to do. He said I was a complete natural and I ought to get me one of my own.
Well, I had no idea how much a compound bow liked that would have costed me back then, and assumed I couldn’t afford one myself, especially at the age of 14.
Then he said, go ahead, keep shooting it as long as I want, and I absolutely did not refuse that offer by any means. I recall shooting his bow until I literally could not draw it back anymore because my arms got to be so tired. I bet I probably launched a good 50+ arrows through his bow that afternoon. Man, I still recall how much fun that was for me, and not once did I ever miss the target from 20-30 yards away.
I’ll never forget old George, the nice game warder that lived right next door. Super, super nice guy and he’s the one that totally lit my fire and passion for compound bow hunting at a ripe young age.
Of course, I spoke to just about anyone and everyone that would listen to me about getting one of my own shortly afterwards, for at least a few months anyways.
Well apparently, and I did not know this for quite some time until months after the fact, but old George the game warden spoke to my father one day about it and told him that he was willing sell one his older bows to my father to give to me. My father refused his offer for whatever reason I do not know why, but later, during the Christmas holiday of that same year, my father gave me my very first compound bow, which was brand new Hoyt, and I was totally beside myself when he handed it over to me. I just couldn’t believe that my father went out of his way and spent some of his hard-earned money to get me that bow, although he also bought me my very first rifle too, which I still have today.
From that point on, there wasn’t a squirrel, a bunny, a racoon or anything else small game wise that was safe from my arrows over the next couple of years until I became old enough to hunt big game with it, which was at the age of 16.
Nobody else bow hunted in my family at the time, except for my father, and he was always too busy (as a Railroad Engineer) to take me out and work with me on hunting deer with it. So, I had to learn on my own, and went through the old school of hard knocks my first couple of years of big game deer hunting with it in upstate N.Y., and I never was able to successfully harvest a deer with it.
Then life got in the way, such as the military, my professional career and finally, raising a family.
It wasn’t until 2008, when I purchased my very next compound bow, which was a Mathews Reezen Solo-Cam 6.5, which I still have today as my backup bow, that I successfully harvested my very first compound bow buck at 28 yards, with a perfect shot, right here in Ohio. In fact, I took that buck from the very same property that I have been hunting this past week of this season, a property that I just recently reacquired late last season and started to hunt it again late season last year and late this year.
Since 2008, I have killed a lot of animals with my compound bows. Too many to recall really. From big game to small game, deer, wild boars, rabbits, squirrels, fox, coyotes, birds, you name it, and I’ve most likely killed one them with my compound bow.
Now that I’m getting older and my eyesight is not nearly the same as it was ten years ago, I have compensated with my hunting experience, being more patient and taking far less risks than ever before, because at the end of the day, I always want to be able to look at myself within the mirror and say that I made the best ethical decision before I launched that arrow towards living wild animal.
If I can no longer shoot my compound bow due to any physical impairments, such as poor eyesight or whatever, I’ll most likely give up bow hunting altogether and stick with just the guns and gun seasons only.
I look forward to bow hunting each and every year to the point that I will workout to get into or maintain good physical shape and strength just so I can continue to hunt the way I like to.
I’d say my hunting style is perhaps more like old school, much like the way I hunted as a youngster, back in the 1980’s. That’s my personal preferred choice and again, I am not bothered in what others do, as long as it legal.
I personally, am not into crossbows and never really was. I simply do not care if others use them. I have a mini pistol crossbow, which is a lot fun to shoot, and I have shot many different brands of crossbows throughout the years, including some of the new ones of today. They’re just not for me, and that’s all I can really say about it. So, I hope that doesn’t offend anyone.
The trad bows, I do like to shoot, and I have often thought about getting me one, but knowing me, if I were to do that, then I’d most likely jump into it big time, just like every other hobby I get into. I’m not willing give up my compounds just yet nor do I think I’ll ever will at this point in my life, but one never really knows.
So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’m a lifer compound bow hunter, and if cannot do that anymore, then I most likely give up bow hunting altogether. Sad, but true!
