Trophy Does Turn Me On
by Ted Nugent
It was early October 1970, and young Ted was once again up a tree, hope throttling eternal. I had already been bowhunting like a madman for nearly 20 years, following my dear old bowhunting dad, yew longbow, and cedar arrows in hand, through the state and national forests of Northern Michigan each fall since I could walk.
But alas, not only backstrapless, but not a single bowshot to be had at a whitetail deer in all those years.
Yet here I was, back at it, gungho, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as eager as ever to figure out how to ambush and waylay one of these mythical beasts with a sharp stick.
And finally, on this stunning fall afternoon, like an apparition from the dark forest, she came. I remember holding my breath so forcefully that I actually got a little dizzy and felt like I was about to fall off the oak limb to which I clung.
Taunting me maliciously as they always do, this old she-deer paused and scanned intently every few steps, on the highest of high alerts as only old matriarch whitetails are wont to do.
As I was just short of hyperventilating and passing out, she made one last step and one last mistake as she crossed under my perch, and at 15 yards, my old, beautiful Bear recurve came back gracefully to anchor with a will of its own as I drilled my very being into the crease behind her shoulder, sending my mystical shaft of life on its mission of mercy.
KERTHUNK came the impact of the 145 grain Bear Razorhead broadhead slamming through her spine, and she hit the ground instantly. My second arrow was a little more on the mark killing the beautiful doe.
If ever there were an out of body moment in my life, it was right then and there as I literally trembled with emotion and excitement at my first bow and arrow deerkill.
I cannot imagine a more thrilling hunting experience than the chills and quivering I experienced at that moment when I sat down beside that deer at the edge of those woods.
A lot of backstraps and emotion have flowed beneath that river of sighs since that day, and I have lucked into some pretty impressive antlered beasts over the years. But if anything in my life defines my ultimate good fortune, it is the fact that to this very day, a good arrow and clean kill on a doe is not just as exciting as that first one, but quite honestly, even more so!
I know it is just the beginning of the heat of summertime 2020, but to my way of thinking, now is the perfect time to reminisce hunts of old, to not only soothe the mind-numbing chaos and ugliness of current events but to celebrate and prepare for the new hunting season that really isn’t that far off.
All my bowhunting buddies do as I do and keep the old archery eye keen and sharp with diligent year-round practice sessions. It’s not only fun for the moment, but a key lesson learned after all these years is the importance of maintaining the archery touch in order to minimize the haunting mistakes and failures due to rusty muscle memory lag once the season arrives.
When I shoot my daily practice arrows, I intentionally envision past deer encounters and psyche my bowhunting spirit to the max in order to re-live those moments in time. And like that magical October day in 1970, and so many others, it is more often than not the ambush encounter with a big old she-deer slick-head that gets my heart a pumping best.
Dedicated deer hunters who have an intimate relationship and knowledge of our deer grounds always know what is best for the land and the herds. By scouting our grounds year-round and as often as we can, it is easy to ascertain the herd and habitat conditions for proper harvest rates.
Thank God in Texas landowners have the Managed Land Deer Permit program available to us so that we can choose our own bag limits and harvest rates based on actual boots on the ground observation and monitoring. This real-world management system is one of the main reasons Texas has some of the healthiest herds and best deer hunting on planet earth.
We the people always know better than bureaucrats. Believe me.
With such accurate knowledge of our deer grounds, it is simple science-based arithmetic that guides us to determine doe harvest rates, and I am here to tell you that for this old bowhunting fool, a killer arrow on a big old doe is as exciting as bowhunting can be for me.
I thrill at the encounter with a big, mature, bone-headed stag, but it is the antlerless deer harvest that best defines my celebration of September, October, November, December, January, and February each and every deer season.
Get those antlerless tags in your deer hunting neck of the woods. Kill those does, share that sacred venison, thrill at the phenomenal challenge of getting to fulldraw on these wariest of big game animals. I’ve said it before and I will say it again; every clean kill is a well-earned trophy, and slick-heads fill the bill as good as any.
Doe, a deer, a female deer! Kill em and grill em like you mean it. Make this year the year of ultimate backstrap celebration. Balance the herd, save the wild, pump the spirit!
Join Hunter Nation at HunterNation.org to be in the asset column for God, family, country, freedom and hunter's rights in America.
Ted Nugent, Rock N' Roll Legend – Spirit of the Wild - Hunter Nation Advisory Board
Ted Nugent is an award-winning musician and writer, with numerous best-seller books including “Ted, White and Blue: The Nugent Manifesto,” “God, Guns and Rock ‘n Roll,” and “Kill It and Grill It.” His enormously popular Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show recently celebrated its 500th episode! For more news on his latest music, thoughts and projects—including the new Ted Nugent DangerZone podcast with Tim Wells—visit TedNugent.com
More from Nuge
Ted Nugent Joins Brannon Howse And General Flynn For The Patriot TV Launch Event
By Posted by Hunter Nation |
Ted Nugent Joins Brannon Howse And General Flynn For The Patriot TV Launch Event Ted Nugent is actively advocating daily for the rights of hunters and gun owners, engaging in political activism to defend our rights. Click Here Watch Full Episode on Patriot.TV
Louisiana Hunters Support Senate and House Bills for Constitutional Carry
By Hunter Nation |
Attention Louisiana Hunters - A special legislative session has started, and Governor Landry and Senator Blake Miguez need your help to make Louisiana a Constitutional Carry state! Your Voice Matters, Show Your Support for Louisiana Senate Bill 1 & Louisiana House Bill 12