An open letter to Dr. Bill Connelly, inventor of the Venom Peep Sight.
Dear Dr. Bill,
You may not remember me but I spoke to you a couple years ago when I ordered two Venom Peeps sights the first season you offered them. Well I took them to my dealer to put on my new bow and he discouraged it, saying the Peep's Tether would slow my bow down. He convinced me to intall a black, in-string peep instead. I listened to him and I paid for that mistake. Not installing your Venom Peep Sight cost me a nice buck I couldn't shoot because he came in as the light was fading. He stood under my stand and I could not find my pins in the string peep in the low light. So even if the Tether would have knocked even 5 fps off my arrow it would have been a rewarding hunt. I let him talk me out of putting the Venom on and you see the result. You can't shoot what you can't see so no shot and a missed opportunity.
Anyway, I put your Venom on after that and was put in the same position at the same stand the next season (last season) and this time I was able to put a perfect shot on a nice 140" buck. Well, unfortunately, I didn't get any good pics with the buck nor my bow that had your peep on it.
I finally got my stuff together and this season I took the largest buck I have ever taken. The reason I'm telling you all this, is I'm sure you don't remember me by just my name and I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget you. I wanted you to see the results of using your Venom Peep Sight. Had I had installed the Venom on my bow three years ago I know I would now have three monster bucks hanging on my wall.
This year, with everything in place, my new Mathews, Carbon Express Axis arrows and my Venom all ready to hunt, Nov. 4th I went into my morning stand. Around mid-morning I saw a huge 12 point with a nice little harem of about 6 does just out of bow range. The buck chased a few around for awhile and then they all bedded down about 90 yards out. I had seen this very buck last year but never got a shot and I wondered if he made it through the following gun season. The farmer picked up a shed that year and measured it in the 160's. I never saw it again that year until this morning.
I sat there watching them until around noon when I decided to go back home to repair a frayed cable. Once fixed I went back to this same stand. It was never my choice as an afternoon stand but with that buck in the area I figured I may as well take a chance. I quietly got into the stand and looked and they were still there, still bedded down. Around 4:15 the herd began to move. The does stood and began checking out the area. I figured they would melt into the surrounding woods but strangely, the lead doe began to walk toward my stand location with the buck following, nose down. He would keep his nose to the ground but occasionally bump the doe. About 40 yards out she stopped and looked to her left. She turned and started walking toward a creek bed to my right directly down wind. I knew if she did that I would miss my chance. Miraculously the doe turned and again began walking slowly toward my stand. I sat in amazement as she led the buck directly under my stand.
I had a migraine headache that morning and had taken 3 Excedrin's and I can tell you, the excitement coupled with the caffeine rush of the pain killer had me going. I was hoping I could pull, aim and shoot without vibrating out of my stand.
I watched the buck and doe feed under my stand for about 10 minutes until the buck presented the perfect, text book quartering away shot. I don't remember drawing the bow but I do remember looking through that marvelous Venom Peep. I could see all my pins as I centered on the buck and picked the right one. I remember a line from the Patriot movie when the lead character was coaching his son on how to shoot, "Aim small, shoot small."
The arrow was gone with a solid 'smack', the buck jumped, kicked and both he and the doe exploded from under the stand. I watched the buck run into the field and make a large circle bringing himself back toward my stand. At about 35 yards away he stopped and laid down. Everything was so quiet all I could hear was the sound of my heart beat. I laid down my video camera pulled out my cell. I called a couple friends, and I'm sure sounding like a demented idiot but I figured I had the right.
Jim Jones with his 2006 Buck
A few years ago I had witnessed a ten point buck, with one side missing; use the remaining five points to attack a smaller buck I had shot. It was an incredible show of force. My buck was down and dead when the one sided 5 point came on him. As the dead buck lay there the buck attacked it again and again finally pushing it over a small rise about 15 yards from where it had launched the initial attack. Then, last year after my buck was down two younger bucks had come up and I feared the same kind of attack. Now I never go into the woods without my video camera. You never know what will happen. This year I have video of the doe and buck and only put it down to take the shot. I also have the buck after it was hit. I still watch the part where this wild eyed guy, completely out of his mind running around whooping and hollering over the trophy. Yeah, proud to say that was me.
My buck green scored 183" Typical. All I can say is I'm a BIG fan of the Venom Peep Sight and have gotten most of my hunting buddies to use it too. I also wanted you to know, I dropped off the catalog information at a couple archery shops here in Missouri. The Venom should be on every Pro Shop shelf in the country and on every bow. While no product is 100% all the time I can tell you I will never take the chance again of getting caught in a low light situation with a Peep I can't see through.
The Venom has a large hunting size peep hole that you can see through and see your pins through and the solid yellow tether and blue Peep housing really light up your view. We spend hundreds of dollars on a bow; I can sure spend a few bucks more and buy the best Peep sight I have ever used and I have a 140 buck hanging on my wall right now and this years trophy waiting to join it, to prove it.
Nothing looks or shoots like a Venom
Most of all, I really appreciated you taking the time to talk to me about your sight, and I'd love for you to be able to show that there's people like me out here that are true believers in your "uncommon" peep. Nothing else looks like it, nothing else shoots like it.
