General Stories About Hunting - Christening the Crossbow

Lance & I had sat Frank's greenfield the afternoon before. We were in a ladder stand off the backside of the field overlooking the edge of a 9 acre lake. What we didn't take into consideration was the fact the lake was very low & the deer were skirting the edge coming around to the field moving their usual trail some 30 yards east of their normal passage. We saw 3 deer that afternoon right at dark, but they were a little out of range for a clean shot. I decided to try the location again the next afternoon. Lance had other obligations so it was just me & my new Horton Hunter Max 175 crossbow. I passed the ladderstand & set up like I was turkey hunting. I built a natural ground blind & put my back against a nice beech tree. It was a very uneventful afternoon as I saw only an occasional squirrel. As it started getting dark & the squirrels got off the ground, I turned my Simmons 3-dot sight on & waited for the next movement on the ground. Suddenly I hear a twig snap. I slowly turn my head to my right, down the hill toward the lake. There he was... looking straight at me. He threw his head up & then quickly lowered it to the ground.... then up.... you guys know the drill. I sat motionless for what seamed like an hour until he decided to move again. He had slipped in across the dry lake bed & was determined to have his dinner in that lush field of green. In one step he was behind a tree, enabling me turn & shoulder my crossbow. In another step he was in the open quartering toward me at 35 yards. It was a difficult shot, but the hours I had spent practicing gave me the confidence to pull the trigger. The arrow flew true & made a clean pass through. The deer bolted & crashed only about 30 yards before he collapsed & expired. I caught both lungs & the heart on my first crossbow kill. It was just as exciting as any conventional bow kill I have ever made. He was a smallish 7 point, but he will always be a trophy in my eyes.

Written By Donny McCaa