This story begins about four years ago when I just started bow hunting. My little brother was already into it and had killed a nice boar hog with his earlier in the season and I had recently received a Parker Buckhunter for Christmas. I practiced and practiced and I was beginning to get really good with my new bow and by the time deer season came around, I thought I was ready.
My grandpa owns property just outside of LaVernia and we bow hunt his 12 acres which backs up to Twin Oaks subdivision. My dad has taken a really nice buck from the place but my grandpa banned guns because of the relative closeness of the subdivision. My brother and I didn't have a problem with this and I was in the tripod as quick as stink on poop! The weather was perfect and I was mostly scent free and ready to take my first deer with a bow. Just at dusk a nice fat doe comes out and starts stomping her hoof and looking at me. I get all excited and she is really causing a fus but she never leaves. Well it finally gets dark enough where my movement is concealed and she is perfectly broadside. I draw back and WHAM, I hit my elbow against the tree limb behind my head!!! She looks up, snorts and stomps her foot and then starts eating again. By this time my nerves were shot and I made a rookie mistake, I squeezed my grip, torqued my bow and watched the arrow go straight into her guts.
I have never been so sick in my life. I called my little brother and we went looking for her. We saw great blood and then trickles and then clear stuff mixed with a little blood. We tracked her all the way into Twin Oaks and into this persons large back yard. I know we should have asked for permission to continue our search but, I ASSUMED it was legal and my right to pursue wounded quarry until it was found, I assumed wrong! The owners came out of the house and asked what we were doing and we told them we had a wounded deer pass through and we were tracking it. Well the wife chimes in and says, "hey, I feed those deer" to which I replied, " we'll Ma'am, so do I.". That was the point we were asked to leave the property. We never found that deer and I am still sick about it.
Now fast forward to tonight. My little brother is hunting solo on grandpas place and an extremely nice 8 pointer comes out. He does what most bow hunters would and lets one fly. Same thing happens to him. He shoots the buck a little far back and it runs into Twin Oaks. This time my little sister is with him and they ask for permission to look for this deer. Well the woman comes out with a flashlight and is mumbling anti-hunter remarks under her breath, impending my little brothers search. They eventually see the buck and my little brother calls out to my dad, ( he's in the car) to bring him his bow all the while this crazy lady is approaching the wounded buck. My brother is telling her to back away from the animal because it was wounded and there is no telling what it would do and she keeps closing the gap between her and the deer. She eventually get so close she can almost pet it and the buck rears up and takes off.
My little brother called the GW and the first thing he asked was where the buck was shot and how big of a plot of land it was on?! My little brother tells him about 10 acres and he says, "good, if it had been any less I would have arrested you myself!" WT Heck! The GW then tells him to basically call off the search and don't go tromping around in people's yards( I understand this) looking for the deer. I thought GW's were supposed to support hunters and the game we pursue, and if a land owner won't allow or impedes the recovery of a wounded animal, isn't that against the law??
Please help me clarify this all mighty Green Screen so I know from here on out and thanks for reading along. I know it was a long one!!
My grandpa owns property just outside of LaVernia and we bow hunt his 12 acres which backs up to Twin Oaks subdivision. My dad has taken a really nice buck from the place but my grandpa banned guns because of the relative closeness of the subdivision. My brother and I didn't have a problem with this and I was in the tripod as quick as stink on poop! The weather was perfect and I was mostly scent free and ready to take my first deer with a bow. Just at dusk a nice fat doe comes out and starts stomping her hoof and looking at me. I get all excited and she is really causing a fus but she never leaves. Well it finally gets dark enough where my movement is concealed and she is perfectly broadside. I draw back and WHAM, I hit my elbow against the tree limb behind my head!!! She looks up, snorts and stomps her foot and then starts eating again. By this time my nerves were shot and I made a rookie mistake, I squeezed my grip, torqued my bow and watched the arrow go straight into her guts.
I have never been so sick in my life. I called my little brother and we went looking for her. We saw great blood and then trickles and then clear stuff mixed with a little blood. We tracked her all the way into Twin Oaks and into this persons large back yard. I know we should have asked for permission to continue our search but, I ASSUMED it was legal and my right to pursue wounded quarry until it was found, I assumed wrong! The owners came out of the house and asked what we were doing and we told them we had a wounded deer pass through and we were tracking it. Well the wife chimes in and says, "hey, I feed those deer" to which I replied, " we'll Ma'am, so do I.". That was the point we were asked to leave the property. We never found that deer and I am still sick about it.
Now fast forward to tonight. My little brother is hunting solo on grandpas place and an extremely nice 8 pointer comes out. He does what most bow hunters would and lets one fly. Same thing happens to him. He shoots the buck a little far back and it runs into Twin Oaks. This time my little sister is with him and they ask for permission to look for this deer. Well the woman comes out with a flashlight and is mumbling anti-hunter remarks under her breath, impending my little brothers search. They eventually see the buck and my little brother calls out to my dad, ( he's in the car) to bring him his bow all the while this crazy lady is approaching the wounded buck. My brother is telling her to back away from the animal because it was wounded and there is no telling what it would do and she keeps closing the gap between her and the deer. She eventually get so close she can almost pet it and the buck rears up and takes off.
My little brother called the GW and the first thing he asked was where the buck was shot and how big of a plot of land it was on?! My little brother tells him about 10 acres and he says, "good, if it had been any less I would have arrested you myself!" WT Heck! The GW then tells him to basically call off the search and don't go tromping around in people's yards( I understand this) looking for the deer. I thought GW's were supposed to support hunters and the game we pursue, and if a land owner won't allow or impedes the recovery of a wounded animal, isn't that against the law??
Please help me clarify this all mighty Green Screen so I know from here on out and thanks for reading along. I know it was a long one!!
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