Hat-trick Bowhunting

Story and photos by Olof Reinhammar

It is the last week of the early season for roe buck in Denmark. It’s our third day of the short hunting trip. I’ve been so close to a couple of bucks that I could smell them but haven’t been able to close the deal. Swirling winds and some bad luck is enough to alert a roe buck at close range. This morning the weather changed from sun and low winds to rain and high winds. A couple of hours later I spot a buck 300 meters away on the other side of the field. I make a plan to move around and approach the buck from the opposite direction with the wind in my favor. I only make it halfway when I spot another buck 50 meters ahead of me. I wait until the buck steps behind a row of brush before I advance. I count my steps as I walk, 25 steps later I know I’m within range. I slowly peak over the brush, the buck is feeding 17meters away. I hunch down and draw my bow behind cover.

I slowly rise up, aim and release the arrow. I see the arrow disappear behind the shoulder before the roe buck makes a dash into some waist high corn. It takes a few minutes for me to find the arrow sticking in the dirt behind where the roe buck was standing. After collecting my arrow I proceed to make probably my easiest tracking jobs I’ve ever done. The roe buck only made it 20 meters into the corn.

After taking some photos I remember the Buck I originally stalked. I hang my roebuck cleaned in a nearby tree and walk 100 meters to see where the buck was feeding. The buck was gone but I spot something else 200 meters to my right. Another buck! with the mentality of that I have nothing to lose I start making my way towards the buck. I stalk to within 70 meters but that’s as close as I could get. I’m standing in the last bush and its only high grass between me and the buck. But then the buck does something I wasn’t expecting. The buck trots right towards me! Heading straight for the bush I’m hiding in. At five meters he notices that something is wrong and runs 25 meters and stops. I draw my bow and try to find an opening in the leaves. The roe buck finally relaxes and starts to feed. I lower my bow and wait. The roe buck beds down! I range 21 meters. An hour passes. A brown hare is slowly moving towards the buck from behind. The buck doesn’t seem to have noticed the hare which is approaching to within few meters of him. I make myself ready if the buck reacts. All of the sudden the buck notices that something is close to him and jumps up. I draw my bow. The buck stops and looks behind at the hare. I can make out the vitals thru the grass. I aim quickly and the arrow is on its way. The arrow hits a touch high and the buck drops on the spot! An amazing morning to say the least!

For the evening hunt I get relocated to an almost un-hunted area by a joint decision of my dad and uncle. Usually low hunting pressure is a good thing, but this area receives little pressure because it is considered as a place with few roe deer. As my hunting trip is already a full success I look at it as sightseeing as I’ve never hunted there before. I get dropped off and start walking the lumber road into the area I’m heading to. I only make it 100 meters when I see movement on the other side of a small pond. I take my binos and take a closer look. A buck! I range, 35 meters. I try to figure out how to get closer but can’t find a good stalking route. In the meantime the buck slowly walks towards me. I range again 30 meters! That’s my maximum distance to shoot on a Danish roe deer. The buck turns broadside and I let the arrow fly silently to the buck which drops in its tracks again! An unreal feeling sets in as I walk up to my third buck of the day! I clean the buck and hang it in a tree and proceeds into the area now with the bow on my shoulders and the camera in my hands.