07-27-2004, 04:00 AM
3 years. I started when I was 16. I had alot of older friends who bowhunted and every year that went by since I started hunting at age 12, I would see some of the deer that my friends took with their bows and told myself that is what I want to do. It took me a whole summer to save up enough money to buy a used bow off of a neighbor of mine. I bought new sights,arrows and hunting heads that summer and shot almost every day that I could. After 3 very exciting years in the woods with my bow, and alot of near misses I knew it wouldn't be long before I connected with one. The year I turned 19 I was more determined than ever to take a deer with my bow. Even after all my unsuccessful hunts my friends never picked on me about missing deer, they just tried to give me the best advice they could and I would go out and try again. I had been watching an old grown up field for quite a few seasons, and I figured I would give it another try. There was a strong cold front moving in that night and I figured the deer would move early. Well they did. I wasn't to my stand yet and they were already in the field at 4:00. I snuck back into the woods to circle around them and was able to get out to about 40 yds. away from a nice fat doe. I could not close the distance and figured I was going to get skunked again when suddenly a small spike buck decided he would work his way right to me. He stopped broadside at 20yds. and looked out towards the does, I couldn't ask for a better shot. He went down within a hundred yards of where I shot him. He was only my second buck to date but after that I knew I was hooked for life. So don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen right away if you are serious about it and hunt hard it will happen.
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