Table of Contents
Introduction..... Introduction.....
Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Bow.... Follow these simple steps to make your bow perform at peak efficiency.
Chapter 2: The Archery Shot....You, not your gear, ultimately determines how well you shoot.
Introduction.....
Chapter 3: Setting Your Sights....This proven system for setting sight pins offers real-world advantages.
Chapter 4: The Moment Of Truth....Here is where to aim and when to release, whether a deer is standing or moving.
Introduction.....
Chapter 5: Stand Selection....Learn the best way to find a stand that will produce shots at trophy whitetails.
Chapter 6: Hunting The Rut....Do you hunt when mature bucks are moving nationally in daylight hours?
Chapter 7: Persistence....Nothing else means as much as putting in your time on the right stand.
Chapter 8: High-Tech Scouting....These new methods will help you use trail cameras to take trophy bucks.
Chapter 9: Hiding From Deer....The right scent control and camouflage decisions improve your odds.
Chapter 10: Stand-Hunting Secrets....Try these techniques to make your time in a tree more productive.
Chapter 11: Honeyhole By The Highway.... I had very little time to hunt the public area, but it turned out to be enough.
Chapter 12: Tennessee Monarch.... Could a buck nearly 30 in. wide really be living in these woods?
Chapter 13: Call It Fate.... The unlikely story of this trophy shows that effort can help us get ‘‘lucky”.
Chapter 14: My Greatest Trophy.... Size is not the only way to measure the value of what we shoot.
Chapter 15: The Poacher.... The illegal taking of game remains a problem and it often begins at home.
Chapter 16: The Future Of Hunting .... It can be bright if we deer hunters do our part to make it that way.
You may have read the subjects covered in these contents before; however in "Bowhunting Trophy Whitetails" these subjects are covered with clarity and with details that you may not have read are thought of before. These materials that are discussed will give you a fresh in-depth look at what really matters in your pursuit of mature whitetail bucks. This truly is the when, where, and how book that whitetail fanatics have been waiting for.
Foreword
“Bowhunting Trophy Whitetails”
True experts on bowhunting trophy whitetails are rare. The man who wrote this book is one of them.
If you have faith in the power of probability, you might assume that North America is home to a fair number of expert trophy whitetail bowhunters. After all, the law of average practically demands that it be so. Several folks actively bow hunt this species, so surely at least a few hundred of them know all there is to know about both archery and whitetail hunting but that simply is not the case.
Yes, there are folks who possess great archery ability, and there are hunters with exceptional knowledge of whitetails. But remarkably seldom do these two distinct set of mental and physical skills converged in the same body. In fact, as rare as world-class whitetail's are, there are many times more of them than there are world-class whitetail bowhunters.
Every so often, though, you discover someone who really can do it all. You find a Bobby Worthington. And when you do, you are better off for it.
I first heard of Bobby some years ago, through my work as editor of North American Whitetail Magazine. Writer John Sloan sent me the story and photos of a bow hunter who had shot a giant buck on public land. The deer was a 275 pound non-typical, and the hunter was one Bobby Worthington.
The next time I heard of Bobby was in 2001, when he took a stab at writing me a story on his own. The previous fall he had shot another huge buck---again, on public land--- and he was submitting the story and photos for possible use in our magazine.
When I receive the materials, I knew one thing right away; Bobby has whatever it is that separates true experts from all the rest. Although just a regular guy who works several jobs to provide for his family and feed his whitetail addiction, he told the story of that hunt with clarity unknown to some writers having decades more experience. It also was obvious that he had not just stumbled into a giant buck; he had planned the event and then had made it happen under tough conditions. And to top it off, the photos were outstanding.
What followed from Bobby was a number of North American Whitetail articles on bowhunting trophy deer. All featured insights that went way beyond the norm, and overwhelmingly positive reader reaction confirmed that this really was refreshing material on bowhunting big bucks in the real world. Refreshing enough, in fact, to merit our having Bobby authored this book on the subject for us.
As you read the pages that follow, you will find that one of the keys to Bobby's success is his extreme attention to detail. He simply leaves as little as possible to chance. He works all year long to find tune his gear and shooting skills, so that when a big buck steps out, the archer inside is ready to do its part. And, to get that shot, Bobby scouts with an uncanny eye for nuances of the land, whether in the farm country of the Midwest or the big woods of his home area. How else could a hunter who has never relied on an outfitter or a private land lease regularly take great bucks? The short answer is that Bobby has trophy bowhunting down to a science.
Can you shoot quail or skeet with an arrow, or strike a match with one? Bobby can. He has also had phenomenal success as a competition archer. But his true passion is finding a mature buck, then figuring out where, when and how to put an arrow into the deer's vitals. Few if any, are better at it than this six-generation resident of Bledsoe County, Tennessee.
The goal of any editor should be to acquire outstanding material, then not mess it up on its way to the reader. With that in mind, I have done my best to preserve the original flavor of Bobby's writing throughout these chapters. What you will find here is plain spoken – advice from a self – described “country boy” who means what he says and says what he means. If you take the steps to heart, apply them where you hunt and do not get discouraged along the way, over time your own trophy wall should start filling up as well.