 "There
he is Mitchell, shoot it!" whispered Jason Grove as they saw the rabbit
on the edge of the fence line. Mitchell came to full draw with his bow,
held for a moment and fired - thunk!
"You got him," yelled Jason. Then they both went into the brush to get
the rabbit and arrow. The smile on Mitchell's
Jason and Mitchell Bryan have been best friends since the First Grade.
This year both will be freshmen in high school
"I couldn't sleep the night before," said Jason. "I sat awake in bed
waiting for the alarm clock to go off. Hours went by
Theirs was a "working holiday" where they cut weeds, worked on fences, repaired animal feeders, cleaned barns and did an overall maintenance check on the ranch. However it wasn't ALL work, they were also instructed on shooting techniques
with bows and arrows. Their quest was
"After unloading at the ranch, we got straight to work," said Mitchell.
"We began mowing and weed-eating the 8-foot tall
After the afternoon session of work, the bows were pulled out. Jason
shoots a Hoyt Mystic that he's been using for the
"I have a news Mathews bow and this older Hoyt was sitting in the closet," the elder Grove said. "I thought that if it could be brought down in power, maybe to a 40 pound pull, then I'd give it to Mitchell to use. If he could pull it, then it would be in good hands." "Let's see that bow," said the guide, a friend of the ranch-owner and Larry Grove. After tuning the bow down, he handed it back to Mitchell. "Let's see if you can pull that back." With visible strain Mitchell drew it back. "Let's see it again," said
the guide. After tuning it down further, he once again
"Mitchell, Jason's father said you could have this bow, as long as you
take care of it," said the guide. Mitchell's mouth
Then they both began shooting at a javelina 3-D target set at 15 yards.
Initially Jason was the better shot, he had been
"Our guide and new friend is a former Marine, professional archer and
is all-around knowledgeable," said Mitchell. "He's
"We practice with our bows on the target we have set up," he continued.
"We definitely want to practice because it's
In the evening, both young men set up near feeders to see if they could
see any hogs moving. Although hogs have plenty
"I saw a doe, and a couple of rabbits fighting," said Jason. "It was
funny to see the rabbits leap into the air and kick at
"Sitting out in the scrub brush trying to be as quiet as possible, really
puts you in tune with your surroundings," said Mitchell. "As soon as you
stop moving around and just let your mind wander, is when all of nature
seems to come alive. I think I saw all the birds on the ranch. They were
all over the feeder, but as soon as it got dark, there was nothing. It's
like
"On the way back we spotted a rabbit," he continued. "Jason loads up
and pulls off a gung-ho shot that would make any
The next day began early - too early. The young men who were sleeping
in a mobile home set their alarm for what they
"We spotted a rabbit," said Jason. "Mitchell got off and took a shot
and missed. So I took a shot and hit perfectly. It
The workday started with the young men "clipping" the top strand of
the fence. It is not real hard work, but is tedious
"When we got back, we all decided to go varmint hunting, with the rabbit
I shot as bait," said Jason. "But because of the
Their luck was not good and they returned at nightfall for another dinner, and to watch videos. Wednesday began with another varmint hunt. A coyote came loping towards
the call, but something scared it, and soon
On the way back, Mitchell spotted the rabbit. He quickly jumped off
the all-terrain vehicle, sighted in and shot - his first
"Yes, yes," Mitchell yelled. The excitement told the story. His pumping
right arm in the air, and the look of wonder at his
That evening the young men once again dressed in camouflage and hid in brush near a "sendero" as their guide set up to do some predator calling. Using a rabbit that Jason had shot as bait, soon the "squeal" of a "hurt" rabbit filled the air. Within moments a coyote came running near. Jason saw him approach but couldn't get a shot at the coyote because
the sun was in his eyes. The coyote was within 15
"My heart was racing," said Jason. "I was hoping to get a shot. And
it was so close. I kept trying to get Mitchell to turn
The next morning, before breakfast it was time for more rabbit hunting.
For some reason, maybe because the rabbit
At 3 p.m., they again continued working on the pole barn just waiting
for the afternoon "whistle" to quit. When that
"Okay, I want one arrow, one shot," informed the instructor. Mitchell
pulled back with his bow and fired one arrow. It
"Gentlemen, neither of those shots would kill your pig," remarked the instructor. "When you're out there, most of the time you only get one shot. You need to make it a good one. If you don't think you have a good shot, don't take it! And when you
do take the shot, I want you to be confident that it's going where you
want it to go. The only way to get there - is
They both nodded. When he allowed them, they pulled their one arrow each and with his approval, drew back again. This time each arrow was in "the kill zone." Now both beaming with smiles they looked for approval. "That's what you have to do every time," he asserted. "Take your time.
Concentrate on where the arrow is supposed to
They knew he was serious. Both had seen him shoot. On the target, he
would wait until they shot, then hit the target - in
The work and hunting continued through Friday. In the morning, once
again they ventured at predator hunting. As
"I thought it was a coyote," said Mitchell. "I was almost trembling, hoping it would come it." With no opportunity to shoot, and time running out for the week, it
was decided that breakfast was next. Steak and
"I have mixed feelings," informed Jason. "I want to go home and see
my Mom and Dad and Madison (sister), because I
Bob Torres
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