Crossbow Deer Hunting

I never really intended to take a crossbow deer hunting today.  The plan was to help out a friend by sighting in his Centerpoint 370 crossbow for him while he was out-of-town.  Then it would be all ready for him when he was ready to hunt next week.  Before hitting the woods for the afternoon hunt I had enough time to hit the target a few times.

So I set up a makeshift range at the little farm, and started dialing the crossbow in.  Good thing, because it was way off to begin with.  Before long, I had it hitting quarters at 30 yards.  I guess it was ready to go.  Here is where my day took an interesting turn.  I figured I would take a few shots with my bow as well.  However, the first shot missed the bag target entirely at 20 yards.  The next one barely hugged the side of the target.  Uh oh.  After making a few adjustments to the sight, I tried again with the same terrible results.  I did not have the right Allen wrench with me to make further adjustments.  This meant that like it or not, I had to join the crossbow craze and give it a try today.

Beginning with the 2016 season, crossbows became legal for deer hunting during the regular archery season for everyone.  The Missouri Department of Conservation invited some criticism for this move, and there is plenty of controversy surrounding the topic.  Purists think that anything beyond using a bow is ‘cheating’, while many others are thrilled with the new rule.  The goal is the get more people in the woods, and it appears to be working.  Prior to today I resisted, happy to hunt with my old Bear compound bow I bought from a friend years ago.  However, today’s hunt may have shifted my thoughts just a little the other direction.

I left the little farm and arrived on the property by 2:15.  The weather was perfect with temperatures in the low 50’s and a light drizzle.  The wet ground enabled me to make the walk to the stand silently.  I was even able to sneak within 15 yards of two does who were bedded down directly under the stand.  I climbed up and tied in, and went over the game plan in my head.  The plan was to shoot a small buck today if the opportunity presented itself.  There are several very large bucks using the property, as you may have seen on the game camera post.

https://mo-outdoors.com/september-october-game-cameras/

However, I have a gentleman’s agreement with the landowner to hold off on those big deer until late in the season to give him and his sons the opportunity to harvest them.  Rifle season begins next week and my goal was to bring home a deer before then.

So I waited, enjoying the fact that the falling leaves had created an increased field of view.  A little after 3:30, there he was.  A small 5 point buck had crept up the tree line and was now behind a bush a mere 20 yards away from me.  I readied the crossbow, and waited for him to enter the clearing.  The small buck was cautious, but still walked right out in front and paused, posing perfectly broadside at about 15 yards.  The shot was on target, and I knew he was hit well even though the deer bolted backwards through the field.  I thought that I heard the sound of the wounded deer crashing but couldn’t be certain.

After waiting 25 minutes or so, I climbed down to go check for the bolt.  Sure enough there it was, stuck in the dirt and covered with blood.  However, when I pulled the bolt from the ground I began to panic.  The mechanical broad head had failed to open!  Fear set in and I worried that maybe I had missed some vitals and only wounded the animal.  However, I quickly found a decent blood trail and within minutes located the dead deer.  He had fallen on the edge of the field about 80 yards from where he had been shot.

Every time I walk up on a deer that I have killed, I am met by a flood of emotions.  I am excited and proud of my success, thankful to God for the gift, and respectful to the animal for its sacrifice.  It is not that I enjoy killing, but do find fulfillment in the harvest.  I use this time to take a few minutes to let it all soak in, and I hope that this experience never becomes so routine that I don’t get to have this moment.

This is the part of the hunt that is odd for me because I don’t really fit into either the ‘trophy hunter’ or the ‘meat hunter’ camps.  My family, for the most part, doesn’t enjoy eating venison as much as I do.  Therefore I don’t fool myself into thinking that I’m providing for my family.  I’m also not too worked up by the size of the rack.  I really have no intention of mounting a large deer.  This is mostly due to the expense, but also because our little house in Fenton wouldn’t have room for such a thing.  It seems that I have returned to my theme that seems to thread its way through all of my outdoor adventures – it’s about the journey, not the destination.

I did find that using the crossbow made for an easier shot.  The deer looked my direction at some point, but I already had the crossbow pulled back and was ready to go.  No need to stand for a long time shaking, holding the bow out waiting for the moment to let it go.  And since I had just sighted in the scope on the crossbow, the bolt was dead-on.  It might have felt a little bit lazy, but I still enjoyed the hunt and the success that went with it.  By no means am I ready to race off and buy a new crossbow today.  However,  I probably inched closer to at least adding one to the arsenal.

So on this wet Saturday afternoon, I calmly field dressed the little buck and set about dragging him back to the truck.  For the first time all day I wish I had a companion along on the hunt to help!  I was able to lift him into the truck easily enough, but wondered how many more years could I continue to do this solo.  By the time I got home it was dark, but still enjoyed showing him off to the boys and sending a few photos out to friends.  In the morning I will take him to the processor.  In the meantime, I will anxiously await a freezer full of sausage, snack sticks, and steaks.  But for now I’m happy for another great day in the MO-Outdoors.

By absolutely no means could I be considered an expert on expert crossbows.  I barely even qualify as a novice.  But if you are interested in the specifications of the crossbow I used today, here is the link to the manufacturer:

https://www.crosman.com/sniper-370-camo