The author judged this youngster beneath his tree "too small" to fall prey to the Horton. But that's what cameras are for. click photo to enlarge
photo by Richard Simms
Crossbows kill … and they do so with greater ease and efficiency than do typical bows and arrows. I can now attest to that fact, X2.
If you are one of those who is "opposed" to the legalization of crossbows during the regular archery season, you will use my statement as an argument to prove you are right. You will say because it is "easy" (that's your word - my word is "easier") … but because it is "easy," crossbows should not be allowed in the woods at the same time as those who have chosen the more "challenging" vertical-bow, pull & hold form of hunting. That archery seasons were created to reserve an opportunity for the most basic form of "pursuit."
Those (of us) who support the legalization of crossbows will use the exact same argument to prove we are right. We will argue that because it is "easier" (that's my word - your word would be "easy") …. but because it is easier, it will encourage more hunters to take up the sport, and there is strength in numbers. I will also argue they are more efficient and likely to lead to more clean kills, and fewer wounded deer.
Here are my two reasons:
Doe #1
The deer fed alongside the overgrown jeep road 50 yards away - two averaged-sizes does and a fawn. Doe #1 hit the road, turned away and my heart sank as she disappeared from sight. Doe #2 and the fawn continued feeding and in about 5 minutes, Doe #1 came back down the road toward me.
It's been many, many years since I've been in the woods with a bow (or crossbow) in my hand. The adrenalin surged. I willed my lungs and my heart to "slow down." I only partially succeeded.
It took about 15 minutes, but Doe #1 moseyed within 15 yards, facing straight-on. A few more steps and I'd have a clean shot straight down between her shoulder blades.
The crossbow started to my shoulder and Doe #2, still 30 yards away nailed me, stomping her foot with a heavy "thud."
Instantly Doe #1 reacted, jumping - but not running. Her reflex simply turned her body, offering a clear view of the kill zone. It took but an instant to shoulder the Horton Explorer. The Red Dot sight settled perfectly, the trigger squeeze came quick and the arrow was gone.
I heard her crash to the ground in seconds, barely 50 yards away.
Had I needed to draw and aim a standard bow while Doe #2 stared holes in me, I am certain the shot never would have been there.
Doe #2
It is two evenings later. I have built an impressive ground blind alongside a field where I had watched a doe feed the evening before. It is an unorthodox set-up, one I never would have attempted with a standard bow. The scrawny, limb-ridden pines surrounding the field simply wouldn't hold a treestand. Plus, I was accompanied by a videographer for the Tennessee Wild Side TV program. My pine ground blind accommodates us both.
But tonight the wind is right and the sun settles behind the pine boughs.
"Do you think we still have a chance of seeing anything," whispered Matt Emigh, the videographer.
Glancing at my watch, it read "7:31." Legal sunset was 7:19, which means we could hunt until 7:49.
"Are you out of shooting light," I asked Matt.
"No, not quite" he said. "But I'd like to get a shot of you walking back to the truck."
"Let's give it five or 10 more minutes," I said.
It was probably two minutes later when I saw them.
First one, and then two deer cleared a deadfall and entered the field. In the failing light I guessed they were young deer, but couldn't be sure. That is until I saw the hefty doe pulling up the rear.
In a pre-planned signal I tapped Matt's knee and the camera rolled. Matt zoomed in, focusing on the first two deer into the field.
As the doe approached I glanced backward and could see the camera aimed at the wrong deer. The two youngsters fed just a few yards away.
I whispered, "Are you on the doe. She's way on the right, back behind the two small ones."
Before I could get an answer, I glanced back and the big doe had us pegged. Two dark eyes boring holes through my well-built ground blind, but no doubt wondering what that strange contraption was (a camouflaged camera), sticking above the "new" pile of pine limbs.
I knew it was now or never. I estimated her distance at 40 yards - maximum crossbow range.
The Red Dots were bright in the dusky dark, but settled easily on her side.
The Horton sang its deadly song.
She dropped in her tracks - literally.
I over-estimated the distance and hit high, severing her spine. The arrow would ultimately have done its work, but I hastened the process with a second shot.
Once again, I am certain that with this deer "on point," it would have been impossible to stand and draw a standard bow before she bolted back into the pines. And again, I would probably have never even tried to hunt this particular spot with this particular set-up without a crossbow.
You may call it "easy."
I call it "effective" and "efficient."
My freezer agrees.
P.S. - You'll have to keep an eye out in the future on Tennessee Wild Side for the "video highlights."