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Wade Nolan's Writers Camp And Whitetail Bowhunt!

Dave Coldwell - Practice Pays Off

Last week Dave Coldwell was practicing with his bow in near freezing weather and was looking forward to his upcoming bowhunt in South Texas. On Saturday morning Dave drove down from frigid Bowling Green Kentucky and arrived in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday night.

After checking in a motel Dave drove around until he found a place where he could set out his Block target and practiced shooting for an hour and a half. 

On Monday morning he drove to Bar None Ranch and the Writers Camp. Again he shot his bow and soon everyone in camp was practicing. Then Dave and Scott Alread (from Bear, Jennings Archery) took their fishing rods to a nearby pond and caught and released 60 large mouth bass, the largest were 8 and 9 pounds.

On the first morning's hunt at one time Dave watched a 145-inch 10 point right behind the treestand. During the morning there were 65 whitetails in the area and 14 were bucks. 

Dave told his guide he was not in a hurry to kill a deer and he wanted to watch them this morning. Then he videoed most of the deer so he could show them to Mark Collins so he could tell him what buck(s) were management bucks.

When he returned to camp Mark saw the video and identified 4 management bucks. Dave told me, I was impressed with the quality of the bucks I would be able to shoot." 

That afternoon Dave saw a buck with matching curved upwards main beams, it looked different than all the other bucks and Dave videoed it so Mark could tell him if it was ok to harvest this unique buck.

Mark said it was ok. The next morning deer were all over and the curved up buck was among them. But the buck kept out of bow range. 

Before Dave got in the treestand had put some 24-Seven dominant buck lure in a prickly pear cactus. The curved up buck wandered around the area and when it got near the cactus he stayed put. Dave stood up carefully and came to full draw.

The arrow went into exactly the spot where Dave was aiming and passed through. The buck jumped over the cactus and ran full out for 10 yards and slowed for another 30 and went down. Dave waited 10 minutes and recovered the curved up buck.

Dave Coldwell is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Grim Reaper Broadheads. On this hunt he was using the companies new new 1 3/4" cut Ravzor Tip 100 grain broadhead with the new MAXX-EDGE SS blades.

"You can't beet the results," Dave said. "Randy, my guide, commented that the kill was just amazing, he said deer shot with a rifle go further than that.'

Dave said, "I have never bee on a facility like the Bar None Ranch, with a buck to doe ratio of 50/50 and so many really good bucks. I'm 48 years old and have been in the archery business most of my life. From the time I first shot Grim Reapers I felt it was the best performing broadhead I had ever shot. Then I met Jay Liechty at a sport show in Michigan and we hit it off. The next thing I knew I left Ben Pearson Archery and went to work for Grim Reaper.".