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Wade Nolan's Writers Camp And Whitetail Bowhunt!

Tom "Big Buck" Donat

Tom Donat arrived on Monday and got settled in. He did a little practice shooting and was "really happy, I was hitting the dot." The next morning he went with Chip (guide) to an area with a treestand. Chip started up it and, even though he is afraid of heights, Tom followed up the tree and got situated in the treestand. 

It was a beautiful, crisp morning. They saw several bucks and does until 10:00 when a very large and wide antlered buck stepped out of the edge of the heavy brush and hugged the treeline as he came closer to the treestand area. 

Chip said this was the one. Tom took him at his word and waited at the ready to see if he would get a shot opportunity. Two other bucks came in behind them but Tom liked the wide rack buck better.

" I focused on the wide rack buck as he weaved in and out of the trees as he came neared. He stopped a 25 yards away. Tom needed to raise a little to shoot and when he did the buck got nervous and moved away for a while."

When the buck walked back near the tree Tom stood up very quietly and much smoother. This time the buck did not hear or see anything. Tom went to a a full draw and focused on the spot right behind the shoulder, his head was pointed to the right, a perfect broadside shot. He held the pin on the target, paused, and shot. The arrow hit right on target and the arrow passed through the buck. 

The buck ran back the way he had come from, suddenly he lost his balance and veered into the brush and they heard him crash loudly at what they guessed to be 50-60 yards.

Tom told me, "Chip said he was amazed at how quiet my bow was. He was focused on where the arrow would hit, he wasn't worried because I was a professional hunter. I laughed and told him I had never hunted with a bow before."

Tom Donat is the General Manager of Gold Tip, Blackhawk, Vane Tec and a medical company  that sells wheel chairs and oxygen home fill units. Every one in these companies: marketing, accounting, product development and production reports to Tom. 

After talking to Tom it was obvious that he was a seasoned operations manager and a competent businessman. I asked him about the state of the arrow business today and how Gold Tip fit into it, he told me, "The archery and bowhunting industries are growing 3% a year at the most. Our company growth is much stronger than that. So we are really pleased with our progress"

"Our success is attributed with building relationships with major retailers in the U.S. We have what I believe are the very best sales force in the industry with Gold Tip, Blackhawk and Vane Tech. They are dedicated to bowhunting and the outdoors as well as our products. People believe in them and believe in the products they recommend."

Then Tom added, "It was an exciting day for me, at the same time that I got my first deer with a bow my daughter had my 10th grand child named Courtney."

So there are double congratulations today for Tom Donat.