Interesting topic. You were hunting, and your plan worked. Hunting is ultimately about attempting to lay your hands on the animal. Successful harvest.
Lots of food for thought in your post.
Crawling. Yes, it can get you into the "close range", but too close and its hard to go from the crawling to shooting position, just like you said. Back tension is much easier standing up. Crawling up and transitioning to the shot is something I need to really work on.
Prior years of 2019 and 2020, I did not connect in Jan or velvet season, but I did with a rifle, two bucks in a wilderness valley, good shots, 130 or so with open sights, and 102 yds with a scope. The last deer lay dead on the ground twenty yards from where I did not release on a big couse whitetail in 2012, because I was not fully confident in my first made selfbow.
This year is dedicated to the bow. I thought briefly on giving it a weekend with the bow, and then taking a few days off, bringing the 30.06. However, I am yearning for the bow harvest, and that decision is one only stickbow hunters understand.
Ortega Y Gasset wrote about hunters, in Meditations on Hunting, a book based on his eulogy for a Portuguese wealthy man who big game hunted. Gasset said that no matter the prey or the method of chase, a man who spends his leisure time in pursuit is a hunter.
Your post, regardless about the method of harvest, is definitely about hunting. Thanks for taking the time to write it up, and good luck with the stickbow.
