# Friends and Firsts!



## Etter2 (Sep 25, 2011)

I took up the recurve back in January and it's been a lifelong goal of mine to become a succesful traditional archer.  This weekend, it happened.  I will tell the whole story in the morning but spent the weekend with some of my best friends and talking to the rest of them.  I killed a 3.5 year old doe in Screven County on saturday morning.  I'm just amazed right now.


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## gtfisherman (Sep 25, 2011)

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats!


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 25, 2011)

Congratulations Etter2. mIKe


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## bamaboy (Sep 25, 2011)

Congrats!! That is AWESOME!


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## longbowdave1 (Sep 25, 2011)

Congrats to you!


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## ChrisSpikes (Sep 25, 2011)

Good deal man!


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## rapid fire (Sep 25, 2011)

Awesome man.  It only gets better from here.


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## SELFBOW (Sep 25, 2011)

Congrats! I guess this was at TTHC?


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## Apex Predator (Sep 25, 2011)

Good job man!


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## robert carter (Sep 25, 2011)

Good job .RC


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## Etter2 (Sep 25, 2011)

buckbacks said:


> Congrats! I guess this was at TTHC?



I hunted there a good bit but this was on a little piece of private property just down the road that Tom gets to hunt.  Awesome friends and awesome experiences!


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## Arrow3 (Sep 25, 2011)

Awesome job Sean!! can't wait to hear the story this duck season!


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## gregg dudley (Sep 25, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## ky_longbow (Sep 25, 2011)

way cool , congrats


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## dutchman (Sep 25, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## Necedah (Sep 25, 2011)

Congratluations and good shooting!   

Dave


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## Tailfeather (Sep 25, 2011)

Congrats again, my friend.  There's nothing like it!


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## Blueridge (Sep 25, 2011)

Good un !!!


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## hogdgz (Sep 25, 2011)

Big nice doe, congrats man!!!


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## johnweaver (Sep 26, 2011)

Meat is Neet!!!


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## Nugefan (Sep 26, 2011)

way to whack em Dude ...

Congrats to ya ..


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## gurn (Sep 26, 2011)

Nice.. your really hooked now.


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## GAGE (Sep 26, 2011)

Well done Sean,  congrats!


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## Etter2 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for all the kind words fellas.  

I got down to screven county at about 330 on friday.  Met up with my buddy Tom and we headed to his dad's farm nearby.  I spent the evening watching a small grove of sawtooth oaks on the edge of a broomsedge field.  The acorns were dropping and the ground under the trees looked like cattle had been living under them.  Just before last shooting light, I could see broomsedge moving out in the field and hear the footsteps of an approaching animal.  Less than a minute later, he stepped out.  A big fat armadillo.  Knowing I was out of shooting light anyway, I picked a spot on his shell and sent a Zwickey straight through him at 13 yards.  It felt so effortless to just "put" the arrow right there.  Suprisingly, I was pretty pumped about my first kill of 2011.

The next morning I headed to a lock on that Tom had set up on a transition edge between the woods and a thick field of young longleaf pines.  In the dark, I could hear a deer blowing 200 yards up the hill from me.  As it got light, the fog set in.  The sunrise was beautiful.  Half hour after first light, a big doe appeared on the edge of the field 80 yards away.  She entered the field and slowly browsed toward me.  Behind her came 6 more deer.  5 were mature does and 2 were young bucks.  I was going to shoot at the first deer that gave me a good shot.  

They slowly browsed my way and my hands started to tremble.  I got stood up and had the bow ready to go as soon as the oppurtunity presented itself.  As they got closer, a spike was leading the group.  He got to 15 yards and I was just about to draw back when two squirrels behind me began running and fighting and spooked all 7 deer up into the field and away from me.  

I was shocked.  I had been so close.  That made 10 deer I've had in range this season with no shots.  Slowly the deer calmed down and browsed back the way they had come and out of my life.  Before exiting the field though, the 2 bucks got into it and put on a heck of a show.  I've never seen bucks spar before and it was amazing how loud those little antlers were.  I took a deep breath, calmed down, and had to smile about how awesome that 20 minute experience was.

The fog burned off and the sun came out with a vengeance. I started sweating but made up my mind I was staying until at least 1030.  30 minutes later, a big doe and fawn just materialized at 20 yards and walking straight to me.  I couldnt stand up as they were too close, but I managed to get my bow, turn my legs, and wrap my tab around the string.  It happened so fast I couldn't really get excited.  The doe was slowly walking past me at 10 yards and I made the #1 rookie mistake one can make.  FAILURE TO PICK A SPOT!  

I shot at her chest, tight behind the shoulder but wasn't focused on a single tiny low spot like I've been telling myself to do all season.  The arrow buried about 5 inches deep and directly behind the shoulder......in her spine.  She dropped instantly at the shot.  

I won't go into the details of the next few moments, but minutes later, she was lying peacefully in the grass.  I had mixed emotions about it for a while because it wasn't a textbook kill, and watching the deer take its final breath, I realized once again the gravity of what we are really doing when we go into the woods.  I sat for several minutes, the doe lying next to me in the grass, and watched songbirds flitting through the longleafs.  Was it the way I pictured it?  Heck no! But it's an acheivement that I've been dreaming about for a lot of years.  Thanks for all the help from my buddies and everybody on here with loads of helpful information.

Another BKBigKid string takes a deer!


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## broadhead (Sep 26, 2011)

Congratulations again Etter! I am really happy that I was a part of that day.


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## sawtooth (Sep 26, 2011)

Good job man. Im happy for you. It doesn't get any better than that!


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## Jayin J (Sep 26, 2011)

Way to go....many more to come...


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## Dennis (Sep 26, 2011)

Congrats and Good job keep at it!


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## Lukikus2 (Sep 26, 2011)

Way to go on a big ole nanny


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## bam_bam (Sep 26, 2011)

great job buddy!!! The first one is special, glad you conected and shared the story with us.


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## TNGIRL (Sep 26, 2011)

Congrates on the harvest Sean!!!!! 
That's the most wonderful one I am told....THE FIRST TRADKILL!!!!!!
You can't beat yourself up for the shot.....you completed what you started correctly, and she's meat in the freezer for the family now!!!!YEAH!!!!


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## belle&bows (Sep 26, 2011)

Well Done...THE 1ST ONE is out of the way now!!


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## Al33 (Sep 26, 2011)

Congratulations young man, that's a big nanny right there!! You did an awesome job of telling us how it all went down, really enjoyed that read. Great pic's too!

Again, congratulations, you deserved that doe! Good job!


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## Etter2 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks everybody again.  Seems like its been a really long time coming because I stuck my toe in this pool several times over the years and got frustrated each time.  This time, my buddy Tailfeather had already gone through it all and it seemed possible.  Some serious dedication in the back yard and I felt I was ready this time.  I'm actually really suprised it happened so quickly.  I thought I'd be still waiting for it at Blackbeard this December.  There is nothing in the world like watching that arrow just go where I want it to.


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## charlie 2 arrow (Sep 27, 2011)

got my first a week ago today, still pumped & i know you are too.congratulations,and thanks for the great story, heres hoping we get to tell many more!


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## Bucky T (Sep 27, 2011)

Fantastic Story!

Again, congrats!!


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## humdandy (Mar 4, 2017)

Congrats!

Wishing you the best!


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