Creepin' Cripes and Mercy Sakes Alive!  This deer season is my first hunting only with my longbow.  Such a long traveled road it has been which has brought me to this point, yet the satisfaction that I am feeling with what I have been able to accomplish is without equal where my bowhunting is concerned.  Uh, Lemme breakidownfoya:
**** yields an old Darton Ranger, trade of an unused 10-22 yields an OLD Bear Cub longbow and a pretty Ben Pearson Palomino, time yields an understanding of how to shoot trad in MY evolving style, generous folks yield knowledge on how to shoot, form, wood arrows, etc. etc. etc., Dan Toelke yields MTB, purdyest longbow ya ever saw and, MAN, does she shoot!


This year I start hunting LONGBOW ONLY.
Turkey Season rolls around here in MN and late April I start my hunt on a Saturday morning.  I hunt for about an hour because I had to quit hunting after....


During the remaining Spring and Summer...


I pass the proficiency test for the Duluth Archery hunt, I think I am the only one shooting trad in the whole hunt.  Archery Deer season rolls around and this is what happens over the next 3 months..
September 25th


and on 12/12/12


I shot a young but good sized doe on Nov.28th, which I broke my own rule on by NOT taking pictures (stupidstupidstupid!) and on 12/13/12 I shot ANOTHER doe!  Yes, that's right, two deer on two consecutive days.  This brings my trad-bow total to FIVE, a turkey and FOUR deer, I have never shot 4 deer in a season before.  And I am working on a fifth!

Info on the buck in the above pic:  I have been using the 225gr Tuffhead single-Bevel broadhead on all these deer.  You will notice the entry on the first doe in the first picture above.  Right through the scapula, not a planned hit but penetration went under the backbone and into the offside lower shoulder.  Deer down in 80 yards.  Second deer jumped the string and was hit square in the spine CUTTING the vertebrae in 2, dropped on the spot and quickly finished with a second shot through the lungs, hitting the ground on the offside.  Third Deer hit just back of the ribcage (quartering sharply away) and penetrated into the upper shank bone just below the "elbow" joint.  Check out this picture, not a retouched photo, this was removed from the deer and that broadhead will NOT come out without serious destruction of the bone...Uh, I think this one gets to retire!


Fourth deer was a great double lung shot at 8 yards.  'smatterofact ALL deer were shot from the same stand within 20 ft. of each other.
I do have to say, my Spruce shafts have taken a beating, every one was broken after shooting the deer.  The fourth was darn close to remaining intact...until the deer slipped in the snow while making his exit from the hit site.  The first doe was the longest track job at 80 yards.  The last deer was 45 yards from my stand when I got out of the tree.

Woweewoweewowwee!  TomBow LOVES this trad.bowhunting thing!  Don't let nobody tell ya diffrnt!  If it weren't for bowhunting, I'd probably go       yeah, I'd be the "Hammer-ee" not the Hammer-er!

Color me    

Cheers to you my bow brudders!
Me TomBow!

Congrats on a great season.

Wow what a season!!! Congrats

Congratulations on your harvests!

Awesome season!      

   

Your on a roll keep up the good work!!

a great season, thats a great looking whip

Awesome year you've had indeed, my friend! Good on you for your determination and diligence to the bow. Love the looks of that Whip!

Congratulations on an excellent season.

Congrates what a year!

Congrats on a marvelous year!!! This thread is inspiration for me to get my kiester out of bed, grab my Whip and keep after them deer. Thank you  

Congrats. Once you make the switch it's All over.

Very nice season, Congrats!  

Lol.....sounds just like you're having a ball! Congrats on all the success and welcome to the club!
Charlie

What a great year  

Congrats on a great season!

Bisch

Congrats on an AWESOME season!