Then along came a great Ducks Unlimited dinner at which myself and our "Git 'Er Done Team" from Port Alberni were being toasted for having helped capture the title of Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town. Amongst the many items at auction there was a super-slick looking Excalibur Ibex Crossbow. That got me to thinking... maybe with this little toy I could once again join in the ranks of those hunters who aspire to taking their game with a bow...
Bidding was serious between only me and one other. At the last possible moment, I RAN to up the ante just slightly, and before the other fellow could react, the auction Gal snapped up the form! The bow was MINE!!
Did a fair amount of practice with that new weapon after fully dressing her in all the latest finest. Extremely accurate, I soon found out NOT to shoot two arrows at the same point lest risking pulling a "Robin Hood" and literally destroying the first arrow in the target! Sweet!!
That accuracy paid off in the fall, when once again I set out to try my luck! I passed many shots on our smaller Island deer, and then decided to hook up with a Good Buddy out near Kelowna (BC) for the late bow season. Managed to muff the first shot I ever took on game with it, my fault, certainly not the bow's. But the next two shots resulted in a couple of fine eating whitetails for the larder, and now the hook was set deep! Right Hooked that is!
I had no intention of replacing the Ibex, it performed beyond my expectations. Then, a fellow on this Forum listed a new Exomax, looking for the exact bow I had. Hmmmm....
The Exomax is one of the fastest hunting crossbows ever produced, boasting a 225 lb. draw weight and capable of arrow speeds of 350 FPS. This was noticeably stronger and faster than the Ibex, and so I decided to toy with the idea of a possible trade. Several lengthy conversations later, I made the decision, dismantled the Ibex and boxed her up for shipping.
Days passed, and I began to second guess that decision! What if the bow on it's way to me is a piece of crap? What if I don't like it when it gets here? What the hell have I done??
Then, yesterday, a call from The Missuz while out on the Big Pond: Your bow has arrived! It took everything I could do to stay out there to collect my Buddy's first ever spring, but I somehow managed to throttle that back, and indeed, he SCORED! Great day all round...
Back at The Hacienda, it was with trembling hands and great apprehension that I carefully un-crated the new bow. Better than advertised, the stickers were still in place, and the bow looks to be brand spanky new!!
Many THANKS and a tip of the hat to Derf! The trade was even better than I had hoped for! I can whole-heartedly recommend dealing with this Fine Gentleman, and yet another Prime Example of the great type of folks who frequent this fine site!
Too tired after days upon days of fishing, I decided to put it together and fully dress her in the morning. Dreams of hunting entertained me through the night, but right early I awoke and literally scrambled to get her in Hunting Form!!
Fully dressed the Exomax is a delightful albeit fearsome looking bow!
Here's a few pictures of the latest weapon in my arsenal:
AWESOME IMHO!!
Had to run a buddy down-Island last night to catch a plane back to the mainland. On the way home The Missuz and I stuck our noses into an area we know is often frequented by about a dozen blacktails, including one Gagger buck with rather magnificent headgear. To our utter amazement, the field in question hosted more deer than we have ever seen there! We counted them three times to be certain, the number came up the same each and every time! FORTY-TWO, including not one, but Two HUGE Bucks, one very typical four point with good brows, and a second non-typical with far too many points to get an accurate count on! WOW!!
I usually wait for the bucks to shed their velvet before taking up the chase. But with the new bow in hand, and the deer rather close to home, I am now toying with the thought of engaging in the early bow season here damn soon (that is already open!).
So, this afternoon I am off to see what the new Gal shoots like. If things go as well as I think they will, those two Gaggers just inherited a rather serious problem!! ME!!
And of course what bow would be complete without a decent handful of Big John's custom arrows! Head's up John, after I shoot this Gal and see what weights she likes, I will very shortly be calling on your expertise to enhance our field times this fall!!
Hope to soon be posting pictures of the new toy's success! Best of Luck to all who are heading out this fall in pursuit of The Game!!
Cheers,
Nog
