2024Vol41No3NBUJournal

couldn’t see those details. I don’t want to injure the animal; I want it to be a clean kill and I don’t know if I can do that.”

to find any sign of the other group, this guy snuck up from behind us to get a desperate drink of water. I was thankful to have my bow with me, but I was convinced I filled my tag because I had injured one. Lu then got close to me and told me the facts. There was no blood trail, he saw my arrow and it didn’t penetrate the antelope. I could take a shot at the one that was creeping up to the watering hole. But it’s my hunt, so it was my call. I sat down in a huff and thought it over. I decided to see what this antelope would do, because it had seen us at the top of the ridge, our cover was blown. Why hadn’t he run? I was being very dramatic and loud, and Lu was three times the height of the tallest sage brush. This antelope must be desperate for water. That’s when it clicked, this was one that didn’t get a drink the day before and was desperate for water. That was when I decided to get back into the blind as quickly and quietly as possible and see if I could get a shot on this one. Lu kept reminding me that the other buck was fine. There was no sign of trauma or major injury. Lu watched it run away from the watering hole just fine. It happens to the best of hunters that an arrow bounces and the animal lives another day. We got into the blind and by the time we were ready the antelope was about 25 yards from the watering hole. We learned that the time to draw and get ready to take the shot was once the animal started to take a drink. As he bowed his head, I drew my bow. He was 23 yards away from where we sat. I loosed my arrow and it hit its mark, just behind the shoulder blade. I held my breath, Lu didn’t speak, and we watched in awe. The arrow sprayed a volume of blood and the animal ran the way it came. It ran about 150 yards and then stumbled and fell. I did it. I killed my first antelope. I collapsed in the blind and cried. I was overwhelmed with emotions from the last 24 hours. I was able to fulfill my archery antelope tag. And on day 2 of the hunt! I did it. When the odds were stacked against us, I was able to do it. Lu gave me a tight hug in celebration, then quickly reminded me that as the temperature increases we risk the meat spoiling in the summer sun. We needed to find the animal and make sure he was down for good. I grabbed my pack and bow and followed the blood trail. And it was a very obvious trail. We walked the short distance and found the buck on the ground, dead. My arrow had entered behind the shoulder and went through the lungs, slightly nicked the stomach, and out the other side. Not bad for a first time archery hunt. I didn’t grow up hunting. I was never taught how to pose with an animal. And we wanted to take the pictures quickly as the day was getting hotter and hotter. I grabbed the horns, knelt down, and took a picture with Roger. Lu then quickly took a picture with Roger as well. We then rushed a group picture, and it did not turn out well. We didn’t retake it because the belly was starting to swell and that would make the butchering process harder. I was now fueled with focus and determination. I can do this. Positive vibes only.

“Well, that’s a very honest thing to say. And only you can make that choice. I will support you if you can’t do it, and I won’t hold it against you. But you need to decide if you can make the kill.” The amount of support that Lu gave me in that moment was more than I could ask for. There was no judgement or resentment in my choice. And now I had to ask something of him. I then imitated his reaction to the small herd from earlier that morning. We had a good laugh over my impersonation, but there was a large amount of truth behind it. “I need you to keep your cool and not say anything,” I said to him. “ It’s all very exciting, but when you get all riled up I lose my focus and can’t draw in a controlled motion.” Lu said he would do his best to control his emotions so that I could focus on mine. Whether I was able to fill the tag or not, the hunt was already a success. The training and scouting were all very important, but having a partner you can trust and be honest with makes everything better. Hearing that it would not be held against me if I called the hunt off took a huge weight off my shoulders. And Lu being able to take my feedback to heart and control his excitement solidified my decision. I could do this. I needed to do this. When the opportunity comes, I will take the shot. The next morning we got up before first light again and I told Lu that I was going to try and make the shot. I was going to bring Rodger home with me. So we got out to the blind and waited. Just like the day before, around 9:00AM a group of males showed up for a drink. This was the same group from the day before, but only 3 of them had shown up. They were 36 yards away. I drew, aimed, loosed the arrow, and it bounced off the shoulder blade. What. The. Hell! I am a wreck. I had just convinced myself that I could do this, Lu was able to keep his cool, and did exactly what I was afraid of doing. I injured an animal and didn’t kill it. I was more than frustrated with myself. I did the thing I was terrified of doing. This beautiful animal was hurt and it would suffer for a long time before it died. I had convinced myself that I was a horrible person and now this poor animal is suffering from its wound. But when we got out to check where the animal was hit, there was no blood to be found. And the arrow was consumed by the terrain and couldn’t be seen. We tried to find any sign of the group for an hour and there was nothing. The speed goat was gone. I was throwing a temper tantrum as we scouted, convincing myself that I was a horrible human being. I was kicking rocks, hitting sage brush, and being very vocal about my frustration. Lu and I called the search and decided to head back to the blind. Then, about 100 yards from the watering hole, there’s another antelope! Oh this guy was here to make a mockery of me. The tease from behind. While we were out attempting “When you see an animal, you get very excited.” “What? No I don’t.”

For future reference: Get your weapon in the picture so you can show what you got your animal with. And set their

NBU Journal . Volume 42 . Number 2 44