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Text & photos by Kevin Wilson
6/08/2009
I love bowhunting whitetails - not just for the deer but for the fringe benefits. The possibility of taking a buck is the main event, but other, more incidental game species often present themselves during a deer hunt. With eyes on the prize, a big old buck is the goal, but what about those other opportunities along the way?
Where I do most of my deer hunting, game is rich and plentiful. On any given day, I’ll commonly see white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, maybe even an elk. On more than one occasion I’ve had a bull moose wander below my deer stand. With a tag in hand they are fair game and open for the taking with archery tackle in many of the management units I hunt. Incidental, yes, but all is fair in hunting. More the exception than the rule, other big game certainly present themselves from time to time … but it’s the smaller, more prolific species that I consider the true fringe benefits; more precisely, upland birds and coyotes.
Small game animals make great target practice. Since I began bowhunting 20 years ago I’ve taken both grouse and coyotes from my deer stand with my Hoyt, but last fall I had a picture-perfect scenario play out just below my stand.
Crawling into the tree well before daylight, the sky was clear. A gentle northwest breeze kept the frost at bay and the rising sun promised a warm day, the kind of day beach-goers love and deer hunters hate. It was so warm in fact that the whitetail movement appeared to have ground to a halt. Just after 10:00 a.m. I heard rustling in the trees to the north. Clearly they were footsteps but they sounded too subtle and constant to be deer. Sure enough as the sound grew louder, I glimpsed a coyote sneaking through the woods. Scouring ever nook and cranny, he was on the prowl. Coyote populations are out of control where I hunt and they must be culled. Waiting in anticipation, he lingered in one small area just out of range for 10 minutes before finally making his way down the hillside toward me. Grabbing my Hoyt, I carefully locked my release on the string, quartered my stance on the base of my treestand platform and waited. As coyotes do, he continued sniffing and probing for mice. Then, when he finally committed to moving across my shooting lane at 12 yards, I drew and waited. Centering the 10-yard pin of my FUSE sight on his chest, I released. In an instant the arrow passed through his chest and he broke into a run, vanishing in the tall grass of a nearby slough bottom. Confident in my arrow placement, I gathered my gear and climbed down out of the stand. Minutes later, after following the obvious blood trail, I collected one of the finest coyotes I’ve ever taken.
Coyote hides make a great pelt and are a true trophy for the hunting archer, but more than that coyotes must be thinned out, particularly in areas where the predator numbers are too high. The big advantage to taking fringe benefit game is the quietness of Hoyt bows. No loud bangs to scare aware your primary target species; one quiet release of the string and it’s all over with. While I wouldn’t dare discharge a firearm to collect small game during a firearm deer hunt, it’s a non-issue with the bow.
Other than coyotes, upland birds like grouse and partridge are my second favorite fringe benefit game. In many areas they are prolific and offer great table fare. Likewise, they offer great shooting practice opportunities. As long as bird game seasons are open, I take every opportunity to harvest ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, pheasant, and even Hungarian partridge while bowhunting whitetails. In fact, just for that purpose I usually keep one arrow armed with a small game Judo tip in my quiver. More often than not, I get to use it; sometimes on the ground, sometimes high up in a tree and normally at distances of less than 20 yards.
The most important thing to remember about small fringe benefit game species is that their vitals are just that - small. On a coyote, the kill zone is little more than five inches in diameter. On grouse, it’s even smaller at two-inches on the outside. This calls for pinpoint accuracy on the part of the equipment and shooter. I’ve missed my share over the years, and I’ve since learned to concentrate on the exact spot I want the arrow to impact. Most often my arrows hit their mark and, thanks to Hoyt’s high-tech accuracy, as long as I do my job, my bow invariably takes care of the rest.