What's your 'I'm hooked" moment for bowhunting?

[hoosierhunter]

Let's hear your stories of at what moment you knew you were hooked on bowhunting!

Here's mine.

About 12 years ago it was my second year hunting with a bow and I had just gotten done rattling and had about a 140-150 inch ten come in. He trots right in and stops broadside at about 30 yards. Well at that point I've never seen a buck that big in the woods and I was more nervous than my first kiss and shaking like a leaf! Needless to say that bow probably could have been set at 50 pounds and I still wouldn't have been able to pull it back! All I could do was sit there having convulsions for the next couple minutes. I was so wrecked I couldn't even dail my cell phone to call my dad and tell him what happened! At that point I made the commitment in my head that bowhunting was the way to go for me!

[Ohiobucks]

Mine was a Thanksgiving morning back in the mid 80's, I was 14 or 15 years old. Bowhunting with my uncle, he placed me in a natural ground blind on a tall ridge while he moved on down the ridge another 300 or so yards to a tree stand. Bone chilling cold, with just a skiff of snow on the ground. The leaves sounded like potato chips as you walked on them. The sun was shining brighter as the morning went on, and I heard something coming nearer from down over the hill over my right shoulder. Crunch, crunch, crunch, I honestly thought it was another hunter. I had my bow upright and an arrow nocked, but I wasn't even thinking deer. All of the sudden, a beautiful, tall, white tine 8 pointer was right there, 15 yards away, oblivious to my presence. Of course, I got the shakes going bad, trying to fumble with my bow and turn to try and line up a shot. Our eyes connected, and then *SNORT!!* I just about loaded my camo, I had never heard a deer blow that close, and off he went. I can still picture that buck standing there like it just happened yesterday.

[Rhino]

I honestly can't remember a specific moment. Too many years gone by now. Just the fact that I would see more deer moving during daylight hours and earlier in the afternoons is the main reason I was hooked. When the big guns rolled out deer sightings dropped off a lot.

[dbHunterNY]

I never really had a specific moment. First time out I saw lots of game really close, heard deer vocalize, saw pine martens.... just a whole bunch of stuff together made the experience great. That and no one else seemed to bowhunt the farm I was on. It was like I had it all to myself.

[Dakota]

Three moments stick out to me...all from this past season.

Releasing the arrow on my first big game bow kill (antelope buck) and watching that Rage un-zip him, the buck let out a "blatt!" and kicked his hind legs and ran!

The next morning, Steve B. and I found a doe antelope and her yearling fawn bedded in the bottom of an old rock quarry. We snuck through the back and got right on top of her. I was crouched, drew my bow, stood up and smoked the big doe in her bed at 29 yards from almost directly above her! She bellowed, ran a big semi-circle around the quarry, ran up the truck ramp and crashed in the field on the other side of a dirt road. I couldn't believe it! It was almost like something you'd read in F&S or OL.

Then, in early November, my buddy and I were set up in a riverbottom on the SD/IA border (I literally could have shot my bow across the river and hit IA lol) and were doing a little rattling and calling. He was set up in a stand 50 yards away from mine, and I remember seeing him freeze up in the middle of grabbing his bow...you guessed it, he was looking directly behind me! lol I slowly turned and grabbed my bow and, when I looked behind me, there was a giant 140-150 class 5x5 looking right up at me at a mere 20 yards! I was pinned, he was quartering towards me, branches blocked his vitals and, to top it off, I couldn't get the lower limb of my Monster over a "v" in the tree to draw! That buck busted and I never saw him again...but it was that "November Magic" of the rut that just made that hunt so awesome!

Dakota

[sskybnd]

mine was was the very fist day i sat in the stand with my first bow, i been a gun hunter all my life, and rarely had deer closer than 50 to 100 yards, the first day out i had 3 does come with in 20 yards, i had'nt even nocked an arrow yet when i seen them, my heart went to jumping and breathing wasnt much better, and while i was trying to knock the arrow, i was shacking so hard i droped it from the stand it hit the side of the tree and scared them off, i got down, got the arrow and thought i would stalk around, as i was easing along i seen a deer coming my way, i found a christmas tree close and got in it as best i could, when the deer was with in 15 yards i noticed it was a 6 point, i drew the bow and began to shake uncontrolable, i tried to controle my sight pin, but if he would have been a barn i still dont think i would have hit it, i released and hit the tree beside him, he ran off. but never had i had a rush like what i had that day and i still get it when i have them come in so close and ive got my bow in hand.

[Tominator]

I don't think I had a "hooked" moment either. I loved the peace and quiet from the get go.

I'd say I was REALLY hooked the first time I hunted Holmes county with my cousin. I was sitting in a ground blind and 6 deer walked right past me, probably within 15 yards. My bow was laying beside me and there was no way for me to get into position to get a shot off. Only made about 53 beginner's mistakes that night.

[Dawg]

I guess I don't have a specific moment either. What got me hooked on bowhunting was the whole concept of it. I grew up hunting by deer drives. We stopped that and started hunting out of stands. My dad bought a Hoyt back when I was probably 15, I'm 29 now. It was about 4 years ago I picked up that old Hoyt and took it out to the woods. Hunted with it off and on for that season. I had listened to my cousin talk about bowhunting long enough and wanted to see exactly what he was so thrilled about. Well I soon found out. It was awesome. Bought my own bow a few years ago and have loved it ever since. My bow hunting to gun hunting ratio is about 50/50 now.

[Stinger-Hunter]

I think there were two moments for me. One for hunting in general and then the other for bowhunting.

While in the Army, Fort Polk Louisiana, walking during a patrol with an M-16 filled with blanks, it hit me like a ton of bricks - "why not walk around the woods with a loaded gun, I bet it would be a lot funner." That happened right after we saw a Turkey walk directly in front of us.

Then I camped out all night at George Washington National Forest the night before rifle season started and got my first deer ever, a nice trophy 8 pointer. I truly felt like a passed into manhood after that (I was 28 at the time).

Bowhunting, was after my famous deer urine mixture and the 10 point buck came out 20 seconds after i got in my tree stand. I aimed and shot. The arrow stuck out of both ends (not a passthrough). The buck ran about 60 yards and the thought that ran through my head was "Holy mackerel! It Worked!"

And that's all she took.

[RangerClay]

Easy answer,

http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63799

[The Kid]

I've been fortunate to have quite a few great movements that you only dream about had a wide 8 that would have scored 140 that almost made me fall out of the tree cuz I was shaking so bad I was so nervous I had to sit back down another moment was when I had my little brother with me as he watched me shoot a nasty looking 9 point I think he was more excited than I was I still get a kick out of him when I say I need my tracking dog(him) we have to get our hands on a nice buck he gets pretty excited when I tell him I need his help tracking a buck

[Prairiepredator]

I honestly loved bowhunting right from day one, mainly because of the close encounters with animals and the things you see when you bowhunt that you will never see when you rifle hunt.

When I started to get really hooked was when I shot my first deer with my bow a couple years ago. It was a small mule deer button buck, but it meant more to me than any buck I have ever shot.

[redkneck]

I think it was just the experiences I started to have that you'll never get in rifle season. I was upset with my first bow kill when I was about 13 because when I ran out to the doe I realized she'd just lost her spots. I got over that and just started enjoying the peace and quiet, the velvet bucks, the bachelor groups, the summer feeding patterns.... all those things that we get down here in the first six weeks of season. Aside from the heat and skeeters, there's nothing like it.

[HUNTINGMAN]

I can't realy remember a specific moment either. I have been going hunting since I was a little kid and have always loved the outdoors. I remember dad bringing home deer and how excited I got when he pulled in the driveway. I way to many unforgettable moments to just pick one that I could say was the first.

[rhine16]

I'm not sure when my "hooked" moment was. Actually started out hunting with a bow when I was 10, had hunted a month and a half with a bow before I ever took a gun to the woods.

[Muleyman]

Too me its not one specific moment, its just the rush you get when you are within 50 yards of a deer, seeing and hearing every little thing it does, playin the wind right so he doesnt catch your wind. After bowhunting, rifle hunting just isnt the same anymore. Too me, I would rather shoot a doe with bow then a 120 buck with rifle. There is so much more rush when you are that close. But if i had to choose one moment, it would be my first time when I wasnt even hunting yet, I went along with my brother and after going with them every weekend, my brother(prairiepredator) shot a little button buck after making a succesful stalk with a bit of calling, he shot it at 20 yards, thats what got me hooked, I seen the arrow fly threw, the deer turned and ran and fell 50 yards from us, ever since that day, I havent been able to quit thinking about bowhunting. Then I was finally old enough to hunt and I shot a muley doe with my bow, called him in, stood up to shoot, he trotted away, and I thought too myself, I am not giving up, I have worked so hard for this, and I WILL get a deer, so I tried a little more calling and surely enough the doe came back in, this time he was at 40 yards and i stayed sitting down and I shot, i spined it and she went down right now, it wasnt the shot I was hoping for but it worked. I was so excited that I couldnt even stand without my knees giving out. I stood up, put my hands in the air, then fell and layed on the grass taken it all in. After that day I live breath and sleep with hunting on my mind, Im addicted!

[jbeck]

I was 17 years old sitting in a tree with a small 3 pt. at 30 yard. I took him with a quartering away shot, he ran 40 yards and piled up. That was it, I was hooked, by the way that was 27 years ago and I haven't gone without a bow deer since, knock on wood.

[clrj3514]

My moment would have to be last year, after hunting pretty much everyday of bowseason having my first chance at a deer with my Mathews. I double-lunged the doe at about 17 yards. I was pretty much cool, calm, & collected til after the shot then I was all to pieces. I hung my bow back up and called my Daddy & Grandaddy to come help me trail here. I was spitting & studdering, tryin to tell Daddy I had shot a deer. Had to sit in the stand 10 minutes to calm my nerves before I could even climb down. Putting my hands on that doe, even though she was the smallest deer I'd ever taken was indescribable.

[Dakota]

Man! I think Carson and Chris's stories are what it's ALL about, folks! It is definitely an extraordinary feeling!

Dakota

[Adjam5]

I started hunting with a rifle first in 87 and sat 6 years beofe I even saw a deer. The first one I saw...a forkhorn, fell victim to my 30/30. I took a few more deer over those early years and wanted more of a challenge. A co worker sold me a old bear Whitetail Legend 2, that was an inch too long on the draw. But I didn't know jack...paid $100 for it and I just wanted to deer hunt with this bow and those ole big telephone pole size aluminum shafts . I practiced often until I was confidant. Bought a Summit climber and I was on my way. My first day in the deer woods was a eventful one. I saw does fight, bucks spar, found out deer do look up:clown: and saw incredible amount of deer activity. None of which I ever saw when I was gun hunting. I picked out a doe and let my arrow fly...she went down within sight with a well placed lung shot. With all that I saw that day, my successful shot placement, the warmer weather and walking out my back door to hunt the woods behind my home...HAD ME HOOKED. I used that bear for a good 5 years until I moved on to a new Mathews Outback. This year I will bowhunt with my vintage(1964) Ben Pearson Javelina recurve. I have the bug bad to get something with the stick n string.

[Nickel]

Mine was back when I was about 10-11 years old and my dad took me out into his bowhunting stand and he shot a doe and the excitement of the hunt hooked me.

[Michiganbuckhunter]

4 years ago i set out to my brush blind i made. It was my first year hunting for myself and about an hour into the hunt i had 4 does walk within 5 yards of me and started eating forage infront of me. I drew back without them knowing i was there( don't know they didn't know i was there. i was shaking so bad. LOL) and took a 5 yard shot. perfect. i knew from that day i would be hooked on bowhunting and hunting for that matter.

[Ravin R10 man]

Got some great kill shots..but thats not what did it for me..

It's being out there and outwitting a mature animal and getting to full draw without getting busted..

The peacefulness and the things you see while on stand, and the anticapation (sp)?..of the hunt

[LifeNRA]

Some of my hooked moment was on here reading the stories of the bow hunters. But the major hooked was when I shot my buck the second season I was bow hunting. Which was in 2006. Now I just wish I was bowhunting sooner, and not waiting till I was in my 40's!

[Muleyman]

Man! I think Carson and Chris's stories are what it's ALL about, folks! It is definitely an extraordinary feeling!

Dakota

haha its only the truth. Its what we all live for guys