Years of Consecutive Bow Kills
Whitetail Deer
Was talking to my cousin last night. We started bow hunting when we were kids. He is 51 and I am 55 now. He just killed an archery whitetail for the 35th consecutive year with his bow. A few of those were with traditional gear, the rest with a compound. I missed a few years here and there, but I calculated that I am at 26 years in a row as of 2024. Both of us are well over 100 archery WT kills now. Hadn't really thought about it much. We have both killed a few with a crossbow too, but those are not included in our streak of good fortune. 5 black bears, 3 antelope bucks, 4 MD bucks , 5 bull elk, an archery turkey slam and pile of hogs along the way too. In 2007, in Nebraska, I once killed 4 coyotes with my compound on camera, while whitetail hunting. One in the morning, and three on the evening hunt. I was almost out of arrows! They just kept coming down the same trail their buddys did. LOL. Archery hunting is a great sport for sure. Hope to have many years left to do it.
What is your longest streak?
Im 83 & been blessed with a wide variety of biggame. Many assorted Whitetails for sure. Not really sure of consecutive years. I'm no Whitetails arrowed in last 15 BUT by choice. I've shot these last years with a camera & "could have" taken a shot at 20 or less yds. I stopped taking Does then & set a very high personal goal on my next buck (I was never one to hunt for horns). More than satisfied with my decision. Whitetail is the only critter I have done this with-anything else, beware. I fill the need to arrow something with off season trip to a state that has Hogs. Becoming a family thing with Son & G-sons. I too my 1st Deer in 1958 & 1st hog in 1965. Arrowed 1st Bear in I think 66 & elk in the early 70s.. It's been a wild ride for sure. 15 States & 2 Canadian provinces. Recurves & compound.
Only season I’ve missed since 1983 was 1997, when I cut my hand off. Have always filled at least one tag a year. Most years, multiple tags.
I've taken deer every year since 1972.
This is my 47th year of bowhunting. I don’t recall the “consecutive” years with a kill. I certainly averaged over one deer a year. Off the top of my head I only missed killing a deer two years. Had lots of years with two or three. And about 50 turkeys, some elk, bears, caribou, anoudad, pronghorn, and African stuff. All in, I’d say I averaged 3-4 kills per year, with two years no deer killed, but may have some other kills those years.
Since1991, I've not killed a deer in 2003 and 2017. I killed my first archery deer in 1987, then killed two more in 1988. Then I went to grad school for a few years before moving to MN in the fall of 1991.
Full disclosure: Those years I didn't get a deer were not for a lack of opportunities.
Kenny,
I shot 3 coyotes and a buck in the same morning. Only knew one other guy that killed 3 yotes in the same sit.
Been Bowhunting 51 years and killed at least one whitetail per year for the last 34 seasons.
The multiple coyote kills are damn impressive guys!
31 years and counting. Across a half dozen states. From 1 a year to as many as 9 in a year. Usually average 4-5 a year. 1/3 of them with a trad bow.
Very impressive guys! I knew there would be some great stories!
Ironbow- That was a crazy day on the coyotes. I guess they like to follow a fresh scent trail when hunting in the west. It was early September, so still quite a few fawns with does in Nebraska. Congrats on your 3 yote sit as well! I try to kill them whenever i get the chance!
Started bow hunting in 1981. Unsuccessful that first year but in the last 42 years I’ve archery killed multiple deer every year.
PS: Started a log book of my archery kills in 1982 and that has enabled me to have a clear recall of every deer killed.
I couldn't remember the last time that I hadn't killed a deer with a bow. I looked at my notes and 1993 was the last time I didn't kill at least one deer with a bow.
Started bowhunting exclusively in 1984, and cannot remember a year that I didn’t kill at least a doe.
Successful on big game 41 years now.
A lot of us old farts here on Bowsite. :)
Killed my first deer with a bear Tigercat in 1977. Haven’t missed a year since.
Like Charlie, I keep a kill log book. Haven't missed a year taking an archery big game animal since 1995.
I've killed something with a bow every year since I started- Pigs, Deer, elk, Bears caribou- whatever- about 4 decades and that includes about 15 years with a recurve.
My first year bowhunting I released an arrow at a small buck and killed a sapling that was between us. The broadhead is probably still in that tree.
The next season I killed a deer and have killed many every season since. That was over thirty five years ago. Been a great ride.
Going to start a log book because the memory is not the greatest anymore.
At least 45 consecutive years of Bowkills
32 consecutive years for myself
Boy, wish I had a log book. I really couldn’t say. First archery season was in ‘89 and it took me a couple years to get my first kill. And anymore I don’t kill a deer every season, only when the mood strikes or the right deer gets in range.
Killed my first archery deer in 1976. Have killed every year since except 1980. Was In college away from home. Had no car & no place to hunt. It’s been a great ride. So far 3 deer & a bear this season. Just got in from the evening hunt.
24 years stright. But im only 50
Seldom kill a deer 2yrs in a row. Usually go 2-3 yrs between kills. Put a lot of kids on deer though, that happens every yr. I have had a single hunt limit of doves every yr since the mid 80s. Can't claim a bow for that though.
The only thing I've kept track of deer-wise over the years. I've killed one or more deer every year since I started bow hunting in 1972. This year I got three. In order to keep that going if a fawn came along last day of bow season it may be in trouble LOL.
40 years of bow kills, I seem to be on a 2 year buck plan for some reason. A doe a year and too many hogs to count. Just turned 51 today, this year flew by. Merry Christmas you filthy animals and a Happy New Year
Had to think about it a little and go to the wayback memory banks... Although as a little shaffer, I gun killed one a few years before this top photo, that picture was taken on December 5th, 1975 when I just turned 15 years old, so this one would be the first to start a consecutive string... I remember the exact spot I killed it... Don't think I even had a knife to gut it... I do remember my grandpa driving me to the farm to feed the cattle and do farmer things when I shot it... It was a loooong ways from the barn on a neighboring farm and remember covering the head up with my hunting coat so nobody would take it...8^) I remember running and getting Grandpa and I think we dragged it out behind the tractor if I remember right...
Deer were scarce back then and locally it was a big deal for a kid to kill one on his own, especially an antlered buck... It was about that time when the deer population started to grow locally... Bag limit was only one deer back then, and the following year arrowed my deer in October 1976, (shot her on the run by the way). Then following that year I bowkilled my first buck, a 6-point baskrtrack and have bowkilled one ever since, but due to health I didn't get out much in 2022 season, and didn't kill... So my streak ended in 2022 after 47 consecutive years killing deer and would be 46 consecutive years of bowkills...
I just looked it up, the statewide seasons both gun week and the 4-month bowseason 1975 was only 14,972... Heck they kill that in one day here now...
"PS: Started a log book of my archery kills in 1982 and that has enabled me to have a clear recall of every deer killed"
Cool Charlie, wish I'd have done that...
Some of these streaks are longer than my entire existence! Haha 17 years for me, 34 years old as of a couple days ago. God willing another 40 left of this game.
I wish I would have logged them all. Killed my first deer in 1983 with a bow, the first year I ever tried deer hunting. For me, it was just a way to kill the month of October until trapping season opened. Even though, I didn't kill that first deer until November. lol
When I started bowhunting, you only got one deer tag in Iowa. You had to choose one of the 2 gun seasons or archery. My, how times have changed. I've killed 6 deer so far this year and 7 last year. Antlerless tags are virtually unlimited if you bounce around the state.
37 years for me, I counted mounts around the house and garage the other day, around 100, so I must be around 120 ish as I used to shoot a couple of does each year. There was one year that I didn't kill anything, I was in school and didn't have the time or money.
Started my log book back in 1976. I can recall all my big game kills. Longest streak is18 years. Only 4 years since 1976 I didn’t kill something.
Started bowhunting in 2004, killed my first deer in 2006 and it was off to the races from there. 18 years straight and counting.
33 years for me from turkeys to moose with 12 other species in between mostly with a longbow.
I shot 1 or 2 animals a year from 1979 - 2021, mostly whitetail, 1 elk, 1 muledeer. In 2020 I started noticing the deer population in the public forests in WI vanishing fast. The past few years, seeing a deer is a challenge. This year and last I had 12 tags I could fill, 0 deer taken, very few seen. Sad times here for a big woods hunter, wolves and xguns to blame from what I’ve seen.
I started bowhunting in 1987. My high school football coach hated when I would skip practice. The funny thing is he was a bow hunter and we both had permission to hunt the same land.
There was a number of years I didn’t even hunt because I was to wrapped up in my career. In 2004 a switch went off and I said no matter what I was going to hunt the first 2 weeks of November. Since then I have shot at least one deer with my bow. This year would make 21 years strait I shot at least one whitetail.
Killed my first with a bow in 2004 and have killed at least one a year if even just a doe sense 2006. Have killed 3 deer so far this year with my bow.
Around five decades of hunting years. A few years did not hunt due to college.
I had a long streak going into last year. However, I never got a good one in front of me. We had enough venison already so I didn't want to kill a doe just to say I killed one. So, I've started a new streak this year.
Shot my first deer with a bow in 1975. Bear grizzly I bought at Woolworth in downtown flint, Michigan. Every year since then.
Definitely some impressive streaks! Great job all!
20ish. My first 15 years or so of this whole hunting thing were a self taught pre internet exploration of errors where some deer were killed, but not consistently. Since then it's been steady and happy... Till this year. Life conspired with low hunting opportunities this year resulting in no bow deer this year.
Bow only kills since 1980.
My streak on elk ended at 11 bull in a row. At one point I was 13 kills for 15 archery seasons... Now that my kids and wife all hunt, I am a lot less successful archery as I always put them in the shooter position.
The first year my wife hunted, I also had a friend who was new to bow hunting. They blew set up after set up. Everything you could imagine. Heck my wife even had a bull walk past her at 20 yards in the open sage. She never saw him as she was expecting him to walk to her right and he decided to go on her left. Knocked arrow off string, set up behind a tree instead of in front, caught drawing, sneezed, had to take a piss, they blew it all. About a week left in the season I had one day where neither of them were going to be in camp. So I told them it was my turn. At 7:08 in the morning they got a text with my bull down... It has been a great joke for years now...
