fbpx

Bowhunt or Die! Episode 4 Recap

By Cody AltizerNovember 1, 2010

LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015

 In the first three installments of Bowhunt or Die the bowhunting.com team put some awesome bucks on the ground while managing to capture it beautifully on film.  In Episode 4 we watched two more bucks, a doe and a turkey hit the ground, and we received updates from the rest of our Pro Staff guys on how their season was progressing.  Let’s recap the action!

Follow this link to watch the footage from Bowhunt or Die- Episode 4

 The bowhunting team of Richie Music and Rick Galvin proved to be a deadly combination as they harvested a doe and a yearling buck, respectively.  Richie was up to bat first and took a shot on a mature doe, but the arrow hit a branch, deflected and hit the deer farther back than Richie would have liked.  However, Richie kept his cool and made the absolute right decision and didn’t attempt to recover the deer that night.  Fortunately, Richie was able to recover the doe just 60 yards from his tree stand the next day.   Kudos to Richie for knowing when to back out and give the deer time; even though he could have recovered the doe that night, he decided he should back out and give the deer ample time to expire.  Richie then traded places with his camera man, Rick Galvin, the following afternoon and Rick made a great shot a nice, yearling 8 pointer.  Watching Rick’s recovery footage was refreshing, because even though he didn’t harvest a monster buck, he was still having a great time in the woods and enjoying nature with his friend, Richie.  Way to go guys!

Rick Galvin pictured here with his first successful video bow kill.  It was nice to see Rick genuinely thrilled to have shot a nice buck.

 We then followed Todd Graf on his three day hunting trip to Southern Wisconsin.  I tagged along with Todd to do some filming and we had high hopes for the hunt when we left Illinois at 2:30 Thursday morning.  Throughout the course of the trip, Todd and I saw some good deer, including some respectable bucks, just nothing he was looking to harvest.  That’s just the way it goes sometimes bowhunting, regardless of how much time and effort you put in, often times the deer just don’t want to cooperate! So, we came back home to Illinois empty handed but optimistic about the looming rut.
 If you remember in Episode 3, Justin Zarr passed on a nice, gnarly 8 pointer on his lease in West Central Illinois.   This week we got back in the tree with Justin on the same piece of property and again watched Justin pass on a nice, wide 2 year old 8 pointer.  Sooner or later, Justin is going to be rewarded for his patience and persistence!  Unfortunately, Justin was having a little tougher luck on his hunting properties closer to home in Northern Illinois.  He hunted hard for two days and didn’t see a single deer, but forecasted a buck down Halloween weekend so you’ll have to wait until this week’s episode to see how he did!

In Episode 3 of Bowhunt or Die Justin passed on a mid 120s 8 pointer.  In this week’s episode he passed on yet another solid 8 pointer that most hunters would be thrilled to shoot.  It’s only a matter of time for Justin now!

 Next we watched Jeremy Leu of the Campbell Outdoor Challenge film himself shooting a beautiful 150” buck over a watering hole during an October heat wave.  With warm temperatures moving in on Jeremy’s Southern Illinois hunting spot, Jeremy decided it best to hunt near a water source where he had some good Plot Watcher video and test out his luck.  Right before dark, Jeremy took a shot at the 11 point buck and felt confident about the hit, however, wasn’t able to recover the deer that night after a spotty blood trail.  Fortunately for Jeremy, he was able to recover his buck the next day and has great footage of his self-filmed bowhunt for an Illinois monster buck!

Jeremy Leu of the Campbell Outdoor Challenge filmed himself shooting this awesome 150: buck in Southern Illinois.  Self-filming can be difficult but Jeremy did a fine job.

 Throughout the rest of the episode we checked in on the rest of our Pro Staff to see how their seasons were progressing.  Neal McCullough updated from the tree in Wisconsin and has been hunting hard for a few stud bucks he has captured on his trail cameras.  I check in from Central Illinois during a morning sit where my sight actually fell off my bow!  Thankfully, no shooter bucks presented any shots because I wouldn’t have been able to shoot, but I still was able to enjoy a gorgeous fall hunt.  Mike Willand shot not only his first turkey with a bow, but his first turkey period.  Well done, Mike!  Meanwhile we visited Josh Fletcher on an unseasonably warm October hunt when he gave a quick rundown of the bucks he’s been seeing on his trail cameras.

Mike Willand shots his first turkey ever while hunting in Northwester Illinois.  Check out Bowhunt or Die Episode 4 to see the footage.

 Episode 4 of Bowhunt or Die documented the consistent success the Bowhunting.com team has been experiencing for the 2010 season.  With the best days ahead of us and the rut right around the corner, the action can only get better so check back in this Friday to see how our Pro Staffers faired during Halloween Weekend! 

Cody Altizer
Post a Comment
Login To Account

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *