LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
Twas the week before Christmas and all through the woods, not a whitetail was stirring because they knew not they should. The Bowhunt or Die team sat high in a stand, waiting for a shooter buck to follow the plan. There is nothing better than a little Christmas jingle, right? Don’t’ worry, I’ll stick to my day job. Bowhunt or Die! went live with its tenth episode this past Friday and our team members actually experienced good buck and doe movement despite the late season cold. If, for some reason, you missed Episode 10 of Bowhunt or Die! read on a for a quick summary of what happened!
Click here to watch the footage of Bowhunt or Die! Episode 10!
Episode 10 began with Pro Staff member Neal McCullough behind the camera filming his cameraman and good friend, Grant Jacobs. Grant hadn’t shot a deer with his bow for two years, so he was anxious to get in the treestand and have an opportunity at a nice Wisconsin buck. Grant had a super close encounter with a nice buck, but as is often the case when bucks are chasing does, the buck didn’t stop long enough to offer Grant a shot. Grant was at full draw and just about to release his arrow when the buck bolted off in the other direction. Those close encounters can break a bowhunter’s heart and Grant surely felt the pain of having a shooter in range without getting a shot. Nevertheless, when he does score on a buck, the frustration of this particular hunt will only heighten his excitement when he does connect. Keep after it, Grant!
Grant Jacobs at full draw waiting for the buck to stop and present a shot. Sure enough, just as Grant was about to release an arrow, the buck took off in the other direction. Don’t worry Grant, it will happen for you sooner rather than later. Keep working hard!
Dan Schafer was up to bat next hunting in Illinois and Ontario chasing some good bucks he had on his trail cameras. Just like Grant, Dan’s story was that of close calls and missed opportunities, and the bucks just wouldn’t cooperate with Dan. The first buck Dan had an encounter with was a big bodied, 130 inch 10 pointer. Dan was self-filming some scenery shots and interviews when the nice buck snuck up on him. Self-filming is a real challenge and these missed opportunities are sure to happen to anyone who self-films. Sure enough, a couple days later, the same buck came into range but Dan wasn’t able to position himself for a shot while getting the buck in frame in his camcorder. Dan then jumped down to Illinois where had some more nick buck encounters, including a close call with a 160 class buck named Franz that again, just wouldn’t come close enough for a shot. Keep after it Dan, there’s still plenty of time left!
This nice buck was lucky Dan was self-filming, otherwise he would have been toast! Dan was committed to capturing the harvest on film, and just wasn’t able to get settled in on this buck before he headed in the other direction. The joys of self-filming!
The final two hunts feature Todd Graf and his good friend, Ali Shaibani. Todd and Ali were hunting on Todd’s property that is just loaded with food thanks to Todd’s hard work in the off season and his food plots. When you have a good food source during the late season, then you will almost always have the deer, and this was the case for Todd and Ali. A beautiful snow blanketed the landscape and the whitetails hit Todd’s food plots hard. Todd saw some nice younger bucks that he continues to pass that will surely balloon into giants next year. Ali, on the other hand, was fortunate enough to harvest his first deer with a bow. I had the pleasure of filming Ali and his first doe harvest, and am sure he is hooked on bowhunting for life now. Be sure to watch the footage to learn about the special bond Todd and Ali share, as well as how Ali gave Todd’s son, Craig, a second chance of life.
What a beautiful picture! A nice buck in the snow digging for turnip bulbs. Todd’s hard work has definitely paid off and the deer are really hitting his food plots hard during the late season.
Dr. Ali Shaibani with his first bow harvest!
With Christmas just 5 days away, Bowhunt or Die will not be airing an episode this week as our team members will be spending time with family and friends enjoying the holidays. For those of you are still out there hunting, stay safe and have a very blessed holiday!
