« Roanoke River stocked with trout, others too low for fish | A special pheasant hunt in South Dakota »
I lugged my little Sony Handycam along with me on a morning bowhunt on Oct. 13 in Bedford County, Va.
The hunt was quick and exciting. The footage? Let's just say I'm not going to be putting the guys at Primos or Realtree out of jobs any time soon.
But for shooting this thing myself (and also producing it, the first time I've done that) it could be worse. I hope to get a couple more deer (and some more footage) as the season progresses.
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures.
Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism.
After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters.
You gonna can any of that deer meat?
Comment by Lindsey — October 22, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
I see no sport in sitting in a tree with sophisticated equipment killing a deer as it forages. Based on the blood from its mouth and how it was in a semicircular pattern, I wonder how much pain and suffering the animal went through.
If you were a REAL hunter, you would use no equipment and use your bare hands. This is equivalent to shooting wolves on a snow pack with no place to hide from a helicopter.
This is not a sport. It is murder of an innocent animal.
And don't bring up the argument that the deer population needs to be culled. If hunters hadn't killed off the natural predators, the deer population would be in balance today.
Signed -- A Biologist
Comment by Craig — October 22, 2007 @ 7:28 pm
Good job Mark,
Videoing a hunt with two people in a tree is tough enough, but videoing your own hunt is really tough, and can be frustrating at times. But it's awesome to be able to show the footage to everyone, and to have it to look back on years down the road. My hat's off to you for giving it a shot. Check out some of our stuff at http://www.outdoors365.com , and give us a shout, maybe one of us can run the camera for you sometime. And again good job, Donnie Fleet
http://www.outdoors365.com
Comment by Donnie Fleet — October 23, 2007 @ 5:26 am
Good Shot, Mark!
I've never video'd my own hunt before, but I might give it a try this year.
Congratulations,
Comment by Tracy Howard — October 23, 2007 @ 9:38 am
Nice way to start the season. Meat in the freezer. Now I really have the fever.
Great job!!
Comment by Sam Doyle — October 23, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Thanks for the comments Lindsey, Donnie, Sam and Tracy. Sorry for not responding sooner but I'm currently out of the state on a hunt and I've had trouble accessing the Internet. (Not that I tried. But then I turned on my laptop this morning and discovered someone near where I'm staying has unsecured wireless. I'm sitting outside to get a signal but at least it's a nice morning!)
Anyway, I always go into bow season hoping I can get a doe in October and I feel pretty good that I was able to get that done on my fourth hunt. To get it on video was satisfying, and also a learning experience.
Not canning this one, Lindsey, but I hope to try that this season. Now I just have to get another one. (Or two.)
Donnie, I've seen some of the stuff you do. Nice work. Maybe we can connect one of these days.
As for your comments, Craig, I appreciate them, too. I don't agree with them, obviously, but differing opinions help make the world interesting.
Speaking of interesting, for that out-of-state hunt I mentioned, we're hunting wolves from a helicopter. Just kidding. I don't think many hunters consider shooting wolves from 'copters "hunting." From what I understand, that's part of a sanctioned depredation effort. And I think anyone with sense realizes that and bowhunting are night and day different.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — October 24, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Now that you saw me at the
Supermarket......
Dont you think I may
scare those deers.....
LOL
Nancy saids Hello.....
Comment by Gesy — October 24, 2007 @ 11:41 am
I once saw a pack of wolves take down an elk. Being a man of science and reason, I hate to differ with a biologist like Craig, but if he's implying that the pain and suffering that a natural predator inflicts is less than that of a well-placed shot, then he's wrong. Sometimes, I admit, I wish that God had designed me to kill my food in a more direct manner. Perhaps in His wisdom He would offset the suffering of my prey by blessing me with as much pleasure as any one of those wolves.
Comment by Flying Cars — October 26, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
Poor Craig. He will be the first one to whine about a deer running out and smashing his car !!! Good job Mark
Comment by Logbyr — October 29, 2007 @ 8:07 am
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Gesy -- Just don't let the deer see you and you'll be fine!
Flying Cars -- You're dead-on about nature, and few people of science or reason would even attempt to argue that a hunter-inflicted kill is more painful than a natural death. They might counter that we still must let nature takes its course, which I think is further justification for hunting. We are natural predators and the evolution of our tactics is natural, too.
Logbyr -- Though I still get complaints from time to time about promoting deer hunting, they are pretty rare. Those who haven't hit a deer themselves know someone who has. It's amazing how opinions change when it gets personal.
Again, thanks for taking the time to comment. And good luck to everyone this season.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — October 29, 2007 @ 9:45 am
Mark,
Nice little video (I've considered doing my own), and good job on the bow kill. I also really enjoy your outdoor articles. I'm a biologist also, currently working on my PhD so we can ignore Craig. I'm sure he'd love to have a cougar in his backyard!
Take care,
Earl
Comment by Earl — November 9, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
hey markice job on the de kill i have yet to bow hunt but this season im hopin for my first bow kill and by the way do u have any other land thatu hut on
Comment by Tanner — August 6, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
Not being a hunter, I feel I am more than "Qualified" to address "Mr. Biologists" response. Wake up clown look beyond your "education" into the reality of what hunters do. What kind of suffering do you imagine those thousands of deer that will die from lack of management. Think about it. We have a management system (one government program that is proven over many many years to actually work)that prevents over population which results in disease and starvation. Duh! Let alone the deaths of both deer and humans resulting from automobile collisions. Or maybe, the predators that rise in population, that not only feed on the deer but you or your children. Hey, I'm no biologist but I did listen to the teacher in my elementary school class when we learned a bit about wildlife studies. You must have been listening to your IPOD and only looked at the pics then. Wake up and get out of your damn box sometime!
Comment by James Jones — December 24, 2008 @ 4:53 pm
Craig the (fraudulent) Biologist
You are a Lier!!!! You are no biologist at best you are a peta activist. As a kid on a field trip to the Memphis Zoo we were entertained by the zoo director Dr. Joseph Wallace. Even he placed emphasis on the important role Native Indians and Hunters of their time and of the day in controlling wild animal population.
Only misguided idiots manly peta people think deer carry a precedence over human life. If you feel that way why don't you get some of those banner waving fools go down to Roanoke City Hall and tell it to those clowns on the city council that have plans on spending $30,000 dollars of tax payers money on culling the herds of deer in the city limits.
As I've said before why don't you try teaching deer to fetch the paper instead playing dodge the car, Since a deer can't work beside me in the everyday work place. Then there is a special place for them on my menu.
There is nothing more dumber than reading or hearing the Dog Squeeze you and your group spew. When Hunters for the hungry provided thousands of pounds of venison to the Hurricane Katrina Victims, what was mental midgets providing?
Exactly nothing. Nothing more than that ideology rhetoric garbage that deer have the save rights a man. Tell me something {Crraig the fake %@@ biologist} have you counted the deer leaving Brush Mountain late evening???
Where is your solution to about 200 deer daily, what about the acorn shortage this year? What about those deer that will fall over from starvation if they are not eating the shrubbery in your neighbors front or back yard?
Far as seeing that pack of wolves attacking an Elk. Anyone can see it on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet monthly. Any person knows seeing an attack like that is very rare. If not why do people chum ocean waters to see sharks?
Yet if a person is attacked by a Mountain Lion, Bear, or a Shark it is classified as rare, yet if they are killed by said animals it's quoted as....
Unfortunate. Just like reading your horse crap unfortunate.
Comment by Static Lines — December 26, 2008 @ 10:54 am