Saturday's Bowhunting Trip -- Sebenza in Tow...

[Professor]

I went bowhunting Saturday with some friends, though our treestands were roughly a half a mile apart from one another. We all saw each other when we put in before sunrise, when we broke for lunch, and when we departed after sundown.

Virginia is a beautiful state, and while I live in Roanoke, Virginia, where we hunted was near Callaway, Virginia in Franklin County on nearly 1,000 acres of an associate’s land.

Here are some pics of the area, and I apologize in advance for the quality of the pics, as my phone was my only camera I had on me:

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[Professor]

All that time in your stand alone with no radio contact with anyone gives you plenty of time to clear your head, as you probably know if you hunt. I brought along a few knives to quietly sharpen on my DMT fine-grit bench stone as I sat and listened patiently.

I left my stand only once during the day to scout out the ground below. I took a pic of my stand/hangout for the day (albeit sideways). You’ll see a fairly fresh black bear track next to my arrow point, next to the overall pics of multiple deer and bear tracks:

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[Professor]

I also snapped a few pics from the ground while I was down of my rig (Bear Grizzly Bow), and my two overall favorite blades, the Skookum Bush Tool and of course, the small Regular Sebenza (some glamour shots):

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[Professor]

Not much luck overall in regard to takes with any of my cohorts, though I consider the time spent solo a blessing in itself. We were after buck, 6pt and up, I saw only saw two doe in the morning that never came into range (I wouldn’t have shot at them if they had), and had a bit of a black bear encounter in the late afternoon.

As I was sitting in my stand, I heard a subtle rustle in the brush and overgrowth below as I very slowly grabbed my bow off the branch in the tree when I had it hung. I’d always (mistakenly) considered black bear to be noisy, clumsy creatures. Live and learn. A black bear, juvenile male, approximately 140lbs, came out of the brush not 35 feet from the bottom of my ladder.

He looked up at me and I looked down at him, my bow in hand with arrow nocked. I first thought, “oh snap, can he see me?” My next thought was, “oh snap, can bears climb ladders?”

I remained absolutely still, and we continued looking at each other for a moment. Then he started left out of my area and down into the hollow. I never took a shot at him, though I could have legally. I was so nervous, I could barely manage grabbing my phone and snapping a pic or two. These two pics in particular are terrible (and sideways again), but there’s a bear in them somewhere:

Thanks for looking!

Professor.

 

[DBH]

Professor, looks like good times and you had the right tools for the outing.

I am thinking about getting back into archery, and a recurve bow is on my list!

 

[dinozzo]

Nice to see some traditional bowhunting, a few of my family members are very big into traditional bowhunting and have taken some large animals. I used to shoot, but stopped a while ago. Looks like fun times man!

 

[marthinus]

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. So when are you coming to South Africa for some hunting?

 

[Professor]

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. So when are you coming to South Africa for some hunting?

Man alive, I'd love that! Probably gonna need a recurve upwards of my 50lb Grizzly though! Might need your help hauling some big game out of the bush too.

Professor.

 

[marthinus]

Man alive, I'd love that! Probably gonna need a recurve upwards of my 50lb Grizzly though! Might need your help hauling some big game out of the bush too.

Professor.

HA ha, depending on the animal you shoot will depend on me helping, sure you are fit enough to carry a 1600 pound Eland After that I will consider calling some others to help you out.

 

[ForestRoamer]

Very beautiful area! This time of the year is my absolute favorite to be in the woods! Oh and nice cutting tools as well.

 

[link2derek]

Nice pair of blades you have there. And nice images too -- the first group reminds me of my many many days on the Appalachian Trail throughout Georgia and North Carolina -- good memories, for sure.

Thanks for sharing, really.

 

[teacher]

Great thread Professor, thanks for sharing........ :thumbup: