Daryl Dixon, I am not

When I first started deer hunting with a crossbow, a few years back, a number of experienced bow hunters told me it wasn’t at all unusual for a person new to bows, including crossbows, to go several years before actually killing a deer, even if he or she was an otherwise experienced hunter. “Nonsense,” I thought. “After all, I’m a relatively experienced hunter. Plus, I’ll be using a crossbow rather than a vertical bow. A crossbow with a scope no less. It’ll be just like hunting deer with a rifle, but at closer ranges.”

Yeah. Right.

Arrows, as it turns out, can do strange and wonderful things. Yes, they are strongly affected by wind. My favorite thing they can do, though, is that they can unexpectedly lift…or drop…while in flight. And there is no “follow-up” shot with a crossbow. As I have been reminded more than once, the deer is a professional and I am, at my very best, a gifted amateur. With a bow, I am not even that. Deer 3 RM 0.

I’d be toast if I had to defend against zombies with a crossbow.

It’s a good thing rifle season starts in a few weeks. Venison is getting low in the freezer.