Outdoor Writers Association of America

Southeastern Outdoor Press Association

Florida Outdoor Writers Association

"BOW HUNT SOUTH"
OF THE BORDER
by Roger S. Harbster

My wife Dorothy has been hunting off and on with the bow since 1957. She has bagged a few doe, but never shot a buck with archery. This past summer she asked me to help correct this! So I done over the archery room target that we like to call it, is 12 foot across 10 foot high and 8 foot deep with no front on it. So you can shoot right into it and all your targets are out of the weather. The back wall is lined with really tight hay bales. The 3-D targets, set in front of the hay wall we can shoot up to 50 yards. But we only practice 15 to 25 yards. I got Dorothy a PSE Compound Bow. She shot all summer and early fall morning and night. Till I thought she was good enough to bag her buck. Some days she made that PSE Bow almost smoke.

We both shoot instinctively. I have been hunting with the bow since 1953 and have bagged more whitetails with archery than I have with guns and that's saying a lot!!

Our trip was planned for November 14, 1999 a 4 or 5 day hunt South of the North Carolina border in Sellers, South Carolina. We were hunting with good friends and they had some bucks spotted for Dorothy. We set Dorothy up in a ground stand with good natural cover and we also used some camo cloth with hanging leaves on it.

She sat in a camo folding lawn chair, she could see through the camo cloth. The plan was to stand up when a deer was coming down the trail to the ground stand. She was wearing a face mask, camo gloves and a full camo (by DK Flatwoods). After the first morning hunt Dorothy said, "I got high hopes. Because two doe passed within 15 to 25 yards and never knew I was there. Of course getting a buck that close was the challenge."

The rut was due anytime and real cold weather was on its way. Dorothy told me that she would take the first buck that passed her way that had horns. Then she would hunt for that real big one, she really wanted.

The second hunt she got her wish just before last light a seven point came down the trail! She stood and released the arrow almost in the same motion. She made a lung shot with Muzzy 100 Gr 3 Blade Big Game Broadheads. The blood trail was easy to follow even with having to use a flashlight. After the hit, Dorothy came and got me out of my stand and by the time we got to the blood trail it was dark. We only had less than 75 yards to trail to the 7 point, but it was thick. We dressed the 7 point and hung it outside. Over night the temperature dropped to 27 degrees. The rut would be on well all that's the next issue January 2000.

Dorothy 7 point field dressed 126 pounds and had a split brow tine was 2 1/2 years old and the shot was 18 yards.

We field dressed the buck so we could take pictures in the daytime.

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GIRLS HOG HUNTING TRIP
by Desiree Grimes - Senior Writer, FOWA

Okay ladies, who says we need the guys to bring home the bacon. When we can bag it, clean it, cook it and eat it ourselves. (Okay, maybe we'll share a little). On a recent ladies only hog hunting trip, we proved just that. Myself, my mother Dorothy Harbster and our good friend Betty Perkins harvested 3 nice hogs while hunting at Carters Pasture in Lake City, FL. As spouses of avid hunters and enjoying the sport ourselves, we have spent many years between us in the woods. But never on a hog hunting trip for the girls.

My mother, Dorothy Harbster made all the arrangements and we headed out early on a Monday morning for a three day hunt. As we were saying goodbye to the guys, they were telling us "Don't worry, you'll be all right". Well, we knew that the question was were they going to be okay?

Our hunting trip was like an extended slumber party you have when you're a kid. We hunted the first three hours and the last three hours of light, which left us all the afternoons to explore Lake City. Of course we went shopping, ate ice cream sundaes and experienced a lot of female bonding. I would have to say this is one of the best hunting trips I have been on in a long time. Now don't get me wrong, we all love the woods, and if the weather had been a little cooler we would have taken part of the afternoons to explore the deer and hog sign. We are all camera bugs and love to take pictures of wildlife. But in nearly 100 degree weather, shopping sounded better.

We recommend this to all lady hunters. Grab a couple of friends and take a couple days to go to your favorite hunting spot, and experience a girls only hunting trip. After all, this is the 20th century. This will become an annual event, as we are already starting to work on next years girls only hunting trip.

Our camo outfits were supplied by DK Flatwoods, and I would have to say after wearing this camo in the woods of Florida, you become part of the woods. With the palmetto type print and color pattern you blend right in. So head out to your local camouflage clothing store and ask for DK Flatwoods, but be sure to tell them the girls sent you.