Captain Hook

New place, new deer, new adventures, new successes & recognizable heartbreak. Captain Hook was a deer with a unique rack. Most would scoff at his antlers but he became one of our only hit list bucks on the new lease because he was an older deer & it was clear his rack wasn't going to change.

He was scarred up, his ears were cut & it appeared he was a fighter. We watched him in velvet at the water tank; his unmistakable right hook curling out of his brow tine were clear in all the trail cam pictures. We watched him at the protein feeders during the heat of the summer & decided he was a 'target buck'.

Opening weekend of bow season presented my husband with a few opportunities but it never came to fruition. We hunted him for over a month watching as he moved from spot to spot without much pattern to his actions.

The morning of Thursday November 10th he came into my set. I was nervous, shaking, breathing heavy, but I had time; he was calm. It wasn't quiet shooting light yet so the dance began. As the sunlight increased, his presence calmed me (well enough to focus) and I waited. Waited for the perfect shot that every bowhunter waits for. Hook was unaware of my presence & I drew on him twice.

But he danced & eliminated that little window of hope so I let down. A doe & button buck joined the dance calming him & elevating my nerves. 2 more sets of eyes to see me & ruin my shot. After 20 minutes of this, Hook finally took a step of his last dance & I released an arrow right into him.

It felt like a heart shot. It looked like a heart shot. He kicked like a heart shot. His legs buckled like a heart shot as he stumbled through cactus. The camera footage confirmed what I felt & although my arrow stuck in him I was confident I had done enough. I was shaking, uncontrollably shaking & breathing as if I had been holding my breath for minutes (I might have been the last few seconds).

I texted my husband & sent him the video. His response: 'heart shot, dead in 30 yards' along with words of congratulations. We waited over 30 minutes before we met to follow the blood trail. He couldn't be far so we started to film the tracking.

We found blood immediately on the cactus he barreled through & began following a bright red blood trail. That trail continued for 2.5 hours. We walked, we tracked, we pushed thru brush never losing blood for more than a few yards. His tracks were heavy in the mud. The arrow had punctured both sides & blood was heavy on either side of the track. After an hour the sickening feeling in my stomach started growing.

How is he not dead? What did I do wrong? Where is my arrow? How has it not come out? Maybe just around this turn or through this brush he will be laying there right? These are the questions I'll never have the answer to because after 2.5 hours the blood stopped & my tears started.

I tried to stifle them & be strong but now we had to make the heart wrenching decision to start walking back. I just stood there hoping for a miracle; maybe I would find more blood or him & I would get that overly elated feeling I wanted to feel so bad. It had been 2 years since I released an arrow on a whitetail & now I was hanging on a cliff emotionally.

We turned to leave & I fell off that cliff. Tears pouring as I walked blinded by the pain. My husband stopped & turned & embraced me & I just cried. The tears are here now as I write this less than 24 hours after it happened, in the same spot I shot him from. It was a purposeful torture to go back but it was the best place to write. It's fresh, it's raw, it hurts, its sickening. We made it back with confusion, disappointment & heartbreak weighing heavily on my exhausted body.

After breakfast (or almost lunch) we reviewed the footage again on a bigger screen. The shot still looked good & my confusion was still high. I have made many bad shots; as a bowhunter you will mess up, make bad shots, and fail miserably; it's just part of it. When I make those bad shots I know it, I acknowledge it, I learn from it & I fix it the best I can; but this has made my mind mush & it hurts.

After all is said & done the only conclusion I have deduced is my shot was too low. The downward trajectory forced it out the brisket & somehow I missed the pump station on the entrance. He didn't jump the string, he didn't' hunker down like 90% of all deer I've hunted do & maybe that was the missing puzzle piece all along. All the signs were there; the reaction of the deer, the blood trail. I'll never know if that's the answer but it's the only solace I have to tell myself to render this hole in my heart.

It's never been about buck or antler size & it never will. The feeling remains the same for any animal not recovered. I am physically & emotionally sick writing this & it truly breaks my heart. I can only pray that I missed vitals & he will somehow continue to be the fighter he was & survive this & I know I will have to do the same.

I've said it before numerous times & in a previous blog, this, all of this...it heals & it haunts & this one will haunt me for quite a while as I replay it over & over in my head.

UPDATE: I shot the buck on Thursday morning at 7:52 am...we hunted until Sunday morning & never saw buzzards anywherE.


UPDATE: On November 18th I went to hunt hogs & about 7pm (after dark) Captain Hook showed up at the feeder!!!! I could see his unique rack under the red hog motion light & stared in disbelief! He had a slight limp in his right side (arrow exit side) but was eating & seemed fine!

USSA The Most Important Hunting Tool: A Healthy Body

Once again I have had the honor of continuing as a guest writer for the United States Sportsman's Alliance (http://www.ussportsmen.org/)  They are a truly amazing organization who are actively protecting our hunting heritage and I am proud to be a member as well.

 

You can read it on their website on the Presidents Blog here: http://www.ussportsmen.org/news/themostimportanthuntingtool/

and I have posted it here with additional pictures for motivation:

 

 

What is the most important tool needed for hunting? Most will say their bow, gun, GPS, or knife, but I will disagree with all of your answers and venture to say that your body is the most important tool used for hunting and outdoor activities. Like any other tool or weapon, your body requires maintenance, fuel or ammunition to function, and consistent training in real-life situations. So why do so many of us wait until hunting season is upon us to start eating better and become weekend workout warriors? Most of us don’t leave our weapons, trail cameras, hunting gear, and tools locked up until the day before we go on a hunt. Instead we scout, plan, prepare, practice, educate, and put in tireless effort months before or sometimes year round. So what makes our body, the tool that will carry us through all of this, any different?

 

 

The need for year round maintenance and care for our bodies is essential to prepare and maintain during the crazy chaos of hunting season. It was brought to my attention that so many hunters spend the months of hunting season bouncing around from state to state eating whatever they can find at the nearest gas station or local fast food drive thru. We all know this is not beneficial but we still do it. A few bad meals shouldn’t hurt us but if we aren’t doing much during ‘offseason’ then it could be detrimental now and in the long run. Hunters need to keep a consistent lifestyle of diet and exercise in their off seasons so a bad week or weekend of burgers and fries won’t derail our bodies. The ideal situation would be healthy eating on every hunting trip but for most of us that is not realistic depending on location, amenities, food sources, and schedule. We should all strive to make every meal as healthy as possible, especially on grueling hunts where protein and nutrients are essential, and some are able to do this with meal preparation and planning. I am not one of those but I do try to make good decisions on the road and in the field.

 

I am far from a personal trainer, a nutrition expert, or perfect in my health habits, but I have learned what works for my body over the years and tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle in both diet and exercise. I am fortunate enough to hunt wild pigs year round in Texas, so I truly never have a hunting offseason, but I can get complacent and lazy. Whitetail and big game seasons bring a need for increased dedication because of the travel and limited diet and exercise resources upping the ante for better offseason dedication.

 

 

I prefer to work out at home with high intensity interval style workouts because the exercises incorporate bodyweight and minimal equipment which allows me to take these exercises on the road. I also use the bow trainer tool to keep my ‘bow muscles’ working when I can’t shoot. Home workouts require a high level of motivation and may not be for everyone, but each person must find their inner motivation to push themselves and possibly an exercise partner or trainer to keep you accountable; find what works for you, make it fun and consistent. Healthy eating habits are not something that happens overnight and will almost always be a struggle. My biggest piece of advice is to start by making small changes to your meals and view food as fuel for your body; wheat instead of white, fruits instead of sweets, and gradually incorporated better habits and push out the negative ones.

 

 

These small changes throughout the year help create a lifestyle that I carry into hunting season. I find myself buying almonds and pistachios instead of candy bars for snacks on the road and in the field; I notice my eyes darting around on menus for grilled, steamed, or baked instead of fried foods. This is not always easy in some of the small towns that I hunt in or remote locations. Local diners and fast food stops will happen and sometimes we only cook on BBQ pits because the ranch doesn’t have a stove or running water. Healthy eating is very difficult on the road but making better choices when we are home or during the offseason can help counteract the ones we sometimes cannot avoid.

Take care of your body and it will take care of you. It is the most important hunting tool you have; it gets us to and from the stands, or high up into the mountains, and is fundamental in packing out that trophy animal. Maintain your body year round because it’s the number one tool in your hunting gear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

USSA (United States Sportsmen's Alliance)

 

I am very proud and humbled to be part of this great organization in any way possible...

 

"Faces of Hunters" is a blog post series that is dedicated to showcasing passionate sportsmen that still work the 9-5 grind. This select group of contributors will be sharing their stories and tips from the field, while promoting the need to protect and advance our outdoor heritage.

 

We'd like to introduce to you Camo Candace, a member of the Faces of Hunters blogging team!

 

Learn more about Candace and her hunting interests: http://bit.ly/camocandace