I've been bowhunting quite a while (about 25 yrs) but I finally ordered a Schafer Silvertip in 2006 and received it in July of 2007.  It's my first hunting recurve and I was able to shoot a doe and small buck with it last year but forgot my camera both times.  I shot and still shoot my compounds with fingers so it wasn't a huge change to go to the recurve, but it was still a learning experience and I'd say I'm still learning with it.  Part of that learning experience has been all of the information I've picked up on here and I thought I'd share this in the hope that someone got something useful from it too.  

This year I decided to hunt exclusively with the recurve and see how things turn out.  For whitetails, I'm able to hunt on my cousin's land which is about 45 mins drive from me.  He's also a bowhunter and we've had some great hunts over the years.  He still shoots his old compound but I'm working on him.  I made a spot to hide in a chokecherry bush (a natural blind) and was daydreaming when I heard a deer coming.  Here is a picture of where I was hiding (it's about 25 yds to the top of the hill).


I saw it was a nice buck still in velvet and I only had a few seconds to decide to shoot.  I'd told myself that any nice sized buck would do and I also have a doe license so one of those would have been just as welcome.  

The buck was walking on a trail at about 15 yds and I hit him a little far back.  I think I didn't allow enough for his speed.  The arrow zipped right through him and I suspected I'd hit the liver.  He ran up about 30 yds and stopped and looked back.  I could tell he had no idea what happened and could see the exit hole was about at the back of the left lung/diaphragm.  He walked up into the field and out of sight.  About 30 sec. later two smaller bucks came on the same trail headed in the same direction.  When they got to the field, they stood and stared at something just off to the side.  After a while they lost interest and fed further out.  I slowly snuck out and retrieved my arrow which had good blood and some stomach contents as I'd suspected.  I knew the arrow would take it's toll but that it would take time so I backed off and snuck to another hill about 100 yds away where I could watch the field.  From there I could see him in the field and he was looking pretty sick, but still standing.  After a while he slowly moved off and disappeared into a little side draw.  I waited until just before sunset and then took up the trail.  I would have normally waited until the next morning but there are lots of coyotes in this area and I'm sure they would have found him before morning.  I had marked the deer where he'd stood in the alfalfa and so it was easy to pick up the trail there.  There were two large pools of liver blood and I knew he couldn't go far.  I followed a fairly sparse blood trail down into the draw about 125 yds to where I found him.  



My silvertip is 57# @ 29 inches which is pretty much all a skinny little guy like me can muster.  Arrows were Beman Camo Hunter 340 with 100 gr brass adapter and Muzzy Phantoms.   Good hunting, Rick.

Rick,

Nice job! Well done, and welcome to the club. I've been hunting with a ST since 2000.  

Real nice !!!!!!!

GREAT BUCK!!

Fine hunting! You really did things right and that is a dandy buck! Thanks for sharing.

Great looking buck! Even better from the ground. Looks like you had an excellent natural blind.

Great deer.  He'd be an absolute horse around here.

Very nice!

That is the coolest looking buck I have seen in a long time. Congratulations  

WOW!!!!!!! If that aint a beautiful animal nothing is.Congrats.

Congratulations!! Thats an awsome buck!

Run to the mirror  NOW!! I bet you cant wipe the smile off your face if you had to.

OUTSTANDING  

Great ending to a great story. Congratulations.
thanks for sharing it.
Gary

What a great story.  way to go.

Great Job!

WTG Rick!  Good for you for giving him some time and observing him from a safe distance.

Skinner

That is a great deer!!!! Way to wait him out!

Excellent