Published: October 10, 2008 01:38 am            

Bow season begins with a bang

Each year brings renewed hope and optimism among area deer hunters. No matter how tough your luck was last year, this year will most likely be much better. And for the last few years record numbers of monster bucks have been taken around our state. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, Canadian sized behemoths start falling like dominoes. One only has to look at the number of Boone and Crocket bucks harvested in our state last year to know that deer are growing faster and bigger than ever.  

Traditionally bow season is a time when most hunters take a doe or two for meat and filling the freezer. Justin Giles drew first blood this season by harvesting a plump doe for the dinner table. The succulent venison was just the ticket and was much appreciated by his proud dad. And now the young archer can concentrate on harvesting a nice buck.

Along with the change in deer herd management philosophy also comes a change in the definition of what actually is a nice, or trophy buck. While I’m primarily a “meat hunter,” a trophy is defined in the eye of the beholder.



First trophy



My first notice of a buck being harvested this year came from Hinds County last weekend. Trip Brown harvested a fine Pope and Young class buck, his first trophy buck with a bow. And I verified that the buck was taken on opening weekend. It was truly a buck to be proud of, one any gun hunter would take, and certainly any bow hunter.

Before I had time to digest that bit of news Jim Erben called and asked if I’d seen a picture of the monster buck that was harvested near Natchez last week. Though I hadn’t, Jim quickly forwarded me a photo of the massive buck.

Though the details of the monster buck have not been nailed down yet, I’m not surprised to see yet another monster buck felled by an expert Mississippi bowhunter.

The “shot” heard around the state occurred in a bean field at 60 yards. Seems the lucky hunter had been watching the big bruiser and knew that he wouldn’t have a close up shot so he practiced at 60 yards in anticipation.

Since the old buck hadn’t been disturbed yet, he was easily patterned as he made his normal rounds to and from the bean field. The monster buck fell to the expert archer on the second day of the season.

Though I’m not surprised at any size buck harvested in our state these days, it is still a shock that such a trophy buck could be taken this early in the season.



Get going



If you’re looking for a chance to harvest the buck of a lifetime, then there’s no better time to start preparing than right now. It’s not too late to buy a bow and start practicing right now. Matthews, PSE and many other bow manufacturers are making bows that can be taken off the shelf and quickly mastered by a novice to the sport of archery.

Though I’ve not bow hunted in a few years, my PSE bow is still capable of hitting the mark for a swift clean kill up to 35 or 40 yards. I recently picked up a Matthews bow to try out, however, and was astonished that I could consistently hit my target and group the arrows at different distances in no time flat. And best of all, the bow wasn’t even set up properly for me.

It’s never too late to get started in the sport of bowhunting. If you’re interested in getting into bowhunting then recruit a mentor or join a local bowhunting club and you’ll have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal.

If bowhunting’s not your cup of tea then it’s time to get your rifles and equipment cleaned, sighted in and ready for the upcoming gun season that’s little more than a month away. Practice makes perfect, so don’t wait until opening week to make sure that your rifle is still sighted in. Last minute trips to the firing range are a recipe for disaster. And be sure to call me when you harvest that trophy buck!

        

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