It is not that I enjoy killing, but do find fulfillment in the harvest. I am excited and proud of my success, thankful to God for the gift, and respectful to the animal for its sacrifice. Rifle season begins next week and my goal was to bring home a deer before then.Įvery time I walk up on a deer that I have killed, I am met by a flood of emotions. 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. There are several very large bucks using the property, as you may have seen on the game camera post. The plan was to shoot a small buck today if the opportunity presented itself. I climbed up and tied in, and went over the game plan in my head. I was even able to sneak within 15 yards of two does who were bedded down directly under the stand. The wet ground enabled me to make the walk to the stand silently. The weather was perfect with temperatures in the low 50’s and a light drizzle. I left the little farm and arrived on the property by 2:15.

However, today’s hunt may have shifted my thoughts just a little the other direction. Prior to today I resisted, happy to hunt with my old Bear compound bow I bought from a friend years ago. The goal is the get more people in the woods, and it appears to be working. Purists think that anything beyond using a bow is ‘cheating’, while many others are thrilled with the new rule. The Missouri Department of Conservation invited some criticism for this move, and there is plenty of controversy surrounding the topic. This meant that like it or not, I had to join the crossbow craze and give it a try today.īeginning with the 2016 season, crossbows became legal for deer hunting during the regular archery season for everyone. I did not have the right Allen wrench with me to make further adjustments. After making a few adjustments to the sight, I tried again with the same terrible results. The next one barely hugged the side of the target. However, the first shot missed the bag target entirely at 20 yards. I figured I would take a few shots with my bow as well. Here is where my day took an interesting turn.

Before long, I had it hitting quarters at 30 yards. Good thing, because it was way off to begin with. So I set up a makeshift range at the little farm, and started dialing the crossbow in. The crossbow was dialed in (not 100% sure this target was designed for crossbow use)

Salt and sanctuary crossbow vs pistol