Randy
Fast forward two months and there I was in the thick of it on the second afternoon of my hunt. Four of us went together on the hunt but I was mostly hunting alone as were the other guys. The elk were thick and this particular afternoon we decided to all go together and locate some bulls and then split up. It wasn't long and we had several bulls working within probably a quarter mile radius but not yet in sight so we just kind of scattered and began closing the gap while keeping them agitated. When I first saw this bull he was probably 80-100 yards away from me. He was MAD! and coming directly at me trying to get to my buddy who was talking to him from somewhere on a ridge up behind me (we had lost sight of one another). The bull was drooling, screaming and coming fast. I had the bull within 20yds but he was coming straight at me so no shot. He then turned to walk up the ridge to go take my friend out and briskly walked out from behind a tree and I had him perfect quartering away but about 35-40yds. Then for the first time he stopped. I knew he had sensed a problem and he was kind of prancing in place and getting real itchy to bolt. The shot was a little farther than I had wanted but it was a now or never moment and I felt confident. The arrow flew perfect and hit hard. I knew it was a fatal hit but was concerned about it being a little back so I cow called at him as he slowly ambled off and just sat there as he walked over the ridge about 100yds away. Within 15 minutes I could here the thrashing and agonal breaths so we went and recovered him about 150yds from where I had shot.
My BamaBows Hunter had just killed the biggest bull of the dozen or so elk which I have taken in my life. The bull is a 7X7 and green scores at right around 300, no world record but a record for me and one I will never forget.
Specs: BamaBows Hunter 57#@31", GT 5575 w/ 165gr Simmons Landshark with bleeder blade. The broadhead cut off the front of the liver and hit the back lung for a 150yd and 15-20 minute recovery.
I had a new hunting spot that day. A sliver of hardwoods positioned between two-large sections of open field. There were several well-worn deer paths leading from the northern section of the field to the southern – all of them passing through this narrow, wooded area. Deer were moving through here to get from one side of the field to the other. Most likely looking for food during the harsh winter months. I had found a bottleneck. With nothing but open-field to my back, I positioned myself on the southern border of the sliver covering the hardwoods and northern-most section of the field. Cover was sparse with the exception of an aspen that must have fallen shortly before the first snow. It was a large tree with a massive trunk capped by a tangle of barren branches. The branches formed a nest of sorts. A cove. I had seen this cove on my journey in – a large gray mass on the edge of the hardwoods. I immediately recognized its possibilities.
Nate,
Thought that you might like to share in the great circle of life... Expi got her first deer tonight at 5:00pm. Spotted 3 does walking in from 50 yards through heavy brush.
Took them about 20 minutes to get about 7-10 yards. Let the 1st doe go past...she was 5 yards away but no broadside shot. 2nd doe walked in and offered her side at 7-10 yards max. The third doe was looking at me as I drew back.
I was maybe 12 feet up in the tree with no cover as all the leaves had come down. Hid behind my bow... She ran about 70 yards.
Thanked God for her sacrifice...
God Bless Nate! Love this bow
PK
What an auspicious day! Just so happened that i FINALLY got my prairie dog yesterday! Took three trips to the dogtown w/ your longbow, but it finally all came together w/ a heart shot at 24 yards! Was trying for high lung, but will take it... ;-)
Sid
Nathan,
I finally got the confidence to put the wheel bow up and go traditional this year. I was glad to get my first traditional kill with the bama bow and a sitka spruce arrow. This is a great hunting bow. I don’t have anything against compound bows, but personally have found longbows a lot more enjoyable to shoot in general. Target shooting or hunting , it's always fun to shoot.
Thanks,
Paul
I bought my first longbow, a BamaBows Hunter in the spring of 2010. I had been a recurve shooter for the majority of my 41 years but bought the bow to spark my growing curiosity of the longbow. I shot the bow every day at lunch for the entire spring and loved the way it shot for me. When the NM draw came in June, I had a little luck and drew a good unit for elk so I put the longbow down and picked up my recurve to prepare for the hunt. A month later I was still having a hard time transitioning back to the recurve so I made the decision to go with the Hunter. Although I was a little nervous about going after such a big animal for my first hunt with a longbow, I had a lot of confidence in this bow.
Thanks
Shawn
A frigid Tuesday morning in December found me stomping across 200 yards of crunchy, white, goodness. The field was cake-like: two parts snow, two parts ice, one-part water. A recipe only a stick-bowhunter would love. The morning sun felt wonderful, sending new warmth through my flannel-hunting shirt. The wind gnawed at my face. It was a perfect morning.
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