2004- A boy, a bow and a buck

October 12, 2004 • Voyageur Press

For many hunters (or older hunters) it’s about being out there and just seeing the wild life. For others (especially younger hunters) it’s about being out there and having a successful hunt. Eric Sather shot his first goose this fall, which was pretty exciting for him... but bagging his first buck with his bow definitely defined his hunting this year.

Eric is 14 years old and a freshman at McGregor High School. He has hunted with a rifle, but this was his first year shooting a buck using his Golden Eagle compound bow with an expandable broadhead tip on the arrow. Sather’s Store, situated on the corner of Hwy. 65 and Lake Ave. (a.k.a. County Road 14), is flanked by property which extends south, along the highway. Once, the land was mostly pasture and cattle dominated the scenery. Today, however, the property is nicely wooded, providing excellent cover and habitat for animals, as well as a great area for a young bow hunter to scout. 

Eric mostly scouts his hunting himself, although his dad, Curt, has accompanied him a time or two. Eric chose a spot on Sather property south of the store along a pine plantation where logging had taken place last spring. Logged-off areas usually draw critters of all kinds, since trails are opened up. Deer had been sighted in the area and someone passing by on Highway 65 actually took a picture of a buck near the location and brought it into the store. That sealed it for Eric.

Bow hunting, for those not familiar, is a bit more of a challenge than hunting with a rifle. The season begins in Sept., before rut is in full swing like it is in Nov., so the bow hunter must be patient, quiet, and (most of the time) watch a lot of deer pass out of range before finally getting a chance to pull back and take aim at a nice one.

Eric put his portable stand up in an area where three skid roads came together. There were plenty of deer signs and, on the evening of Sept. 20, he climbed up into his stand, positioned himself and waited. The wait was worth it. “I was in a spot where there was a skid trail to the left and right of me and then one in front of me,” Eric said.

First, he watched as a spike buck made its way down the skid trail in front of him. That buck was followed by (what Eric described as) ‘a set of horns’. “They [the spike and bigger buck] turned into the woods and then the bigger buck came out to the right of me and was about 20 yards away and I shot.”

Eric made a clean shot and the buck fell about 50 yards from where it was hit. What he ended up with was a nice eight-point buck with a drop tine which, when dressed, weighed in at 182 pounds. It was a great deer for a bow hunter to bag, but especially nice for Eric. Even though he’s filled his tag, he can still party hunt and plans to do so. There are other nice bucks around, and he’s looking forward to getting a chance at another one during rifle season.