I have been hunting most of my life. My father started me at an early age it grew from there. Twelve years ago I started Duck and Goose hunting and have met some great people and had some great experiences. After four years of chasing whitetails I finally got my first deer in 1999.
Thanks to my partner Art Griggs for all the help. Also big thanks to Miller Brothers Sports for all my bow and hunting supplies.
He was 2 1/2 years old, approx 200lbs on the hoof, and had a typical 8 point rack, and the inside spread was 16 1/2".
This is my hunting partner Art Griggs (left) and I (right) after my first successful harvest.
This is my first bow kill, fall of 2000. He was 145lbs. dressed, and had 7pts. All the summer practice payed off with a perfect double lung hit, that also sliced the top of the heart. He was out in less than 3min. Clean and quick, the only way to do it. The only bad thing was this is the only picture I have. We took about 5 pictures with an old camera and not one turned out. (But have no fear the wife got a new camera for x-mas) Honey, can I borrow your camera? Thanks to Pete Greathouse and Art Griggs for the help with finding him that night. They took me through step by step on the right way to recover and dress the deer out. They did the teaching the right way by making me get my hands dirty and learn by doing. Thanks guys...and also to Fred Bear, for making archery what it is today. This deer is dedicated to my Grandmother, Erma Wetherall, who passed away 2 days earlier. She always asked me how the hunting was going. She was a very strong and wonderful lady.
The pic on the right is of a blind I built. It is light weight,easy to carry, and easy to set up. This was the type of blind I used to harvest my deer. The deer was only 15 yrds in front of me and had no idea I was there.
The pic on the left is a type of treestand I make. They are very heavy and are made for hunters who leave their stands up all year long. I can make various sizes. This one has a 13" seat height, (because it is my sons), but I can make diffrent sizes for any person.
I am not a "Trophy" hunter, I do this strictly for the meat. These are the only ones hanging on my wall. Because the buck was my first and was so nice I had him mounted to display the beauty of the animal and to remember the moment of this great experience. The wood is made of 3/4" solid oak and was made by myself. These can be ordered in different sizes for each animal and mount style. The snow goose was harvested 5 yrs. ago and I had him mounted because in my area they are rather rare to find.
This is the plaque I made for my first bow harvest. It is made from walnut and stained with a natural color(clear). This is just another style of plaque that I make.
This is another state of Il. plaque that I made for a friend of mine. This one is alittle bigger than the one I made for myself because of the size of the mount. It is for Pete Greathouse. For pictures of Pete's deer go to Pete's page at the end of this page.
*More Styles Of Stands To Come*
