09-04-2006, 08:17 PM
Two for one: Bowhunter kills two deer with one arrow
BY BEN WALPOLE | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER
Bill Wolf could not believe his luck.
The Loveland resident and avid bowhunter watched from his perch, 18 feet up in a tree, as two deer appeared in the open field before him. The Grailville retreat center, in Loveland, opened its grounds to hunters this winter to help thin out its overabundant deer population, and Wolf was there on a Wednesday afternoon in January, hoping to get a successful kill before dark.
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It was windy and cold and getting late when the two deer lined up side by side to feed in the grass. Wolf had an idea.
"At first I was just looking for an opportunity to get one of them," Wolf said later, recalling that day. "Then I saw them both lined up. I thought, 'This just might work.'"
Wolf aimed, drew back his bow and released. The arrow struck the first deer behind the shoulder --a double-lung hit, regarded as the cleanest, most efficient way to kill a deer with a bow. It was a good shot to be sure, but what happened next was even more remarkable.
The arrow continued through the first deer and struck the second in the same shoulder area. Within 10 seconds, both deer were dead, and the arrow was stuck, intact, into the ground a few feet away.
Two kills in one shot.
"I put it right where I wanted," Wolf said. "It was just amazing that they both went down so quickly. I couldn't believe it."
Wolf immediately reached for his cell phone. He had to tell his cousin.
Bill Deffinger could not believe his cousin's luck.
"He's a good shot, and this guy ... ," said Deffinger, Wolf's cousin who recently moved from central Ohio to Arizona. He couldn't help laughing. "This guy, he's lucky. He's lucky."
Wolf credits Deffinger with teaching him everything he knows about deer hunting. Deffinger grew up near Columbus. His family had several acres of land, and he started hunting at the age of 12. He was an Eagle Scout and took up bowhunting at age 19.
"My dad didn't hunt, and no one in Bill's family hunts," Deffinger said. "I just got started through the Boy Scouts."
Both cousins now are 58, and it's been nearly 30 years since Deffinger first invited Wolf to his property for a weekend of hunting. Wolf still remembers it vividly.
"We had some wonderful experiences that first day," Wolf said. "I was hooked right away."
Wolf remembers a huge trophy buck rushing the two young hunters early in the morning. It would storm toward them, back off, turn around and race back at them again.
"Something got this buck antagonized," Deffinger said. "It was an exciting time. That kind of got him hooked."
Wolf had a clear shot. The only thing separating him from the buck was a sapling. Wolf's shot clipped the tree.
Wolf has honed his hunting skills quite a bit since that first weekend.
Deffinger estimates that his cousin has surpassed his overall kill total, though he still lays claim to having shot the biggest buck of the two.
"He's got some luck on his side," Deffinger said. "But Bill's a very good hunter."
The sport has helped keep the two cousins connected over the years. They still hunt together every autumn, even with Deffinger in Arizona.
"We've done a lot of hunting together," Deffinger said. "We're close, almost like brothers."
Wolf called his cousin several times this winter from the woods to relay news of his latest adventure. His story about two deer with one shot, of course, has reached instant legend status in the family.
"I couldn't believe it when he told me. But I guess I could believe it," Deffinger said. "I said, 'Bill, did you actually try to get both?' And he said, 'Yeah, I did.'"
Deffinger remembers a day in Morrow County when Wolf shot two deer in two hours. He can't recall anyone getting two deer with one shot.
"They have a deer management program (at Grailville)," Deffinger. "Otherwise, it would be against the law to shoot two deer at the same time."
Wolf is enjoying his retirement after 30 years working at the Ford plant. He is a basketball and football official. He competes in the Senior Olympics for tennis and cycling.
He continues to hunt. He doesn't consider shooting two deer with one shot to be his greatest hunting memory, but it may go down as his best story.
"It's very rare," Wolf said. "I've never heard of it happening.
"It's not as exciting as having a very close encounter with, say, a trophy buck. But it's just so rare, it's exciting in a different way."
Mvh
Kim
Jeg er ikke fejlfri,men det er så tæt på at det skræmmer mig.
BY BEN WALPOLE | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER
Bill Wolf could not believe his luck.
The Loveland resident and avid bowhunter watched from his perch, 18 feet up in a tree, as two deer appeared in the open field before him. The Grailville retreat center, in Loveland, opened its grounds to hunters this winter to help thin out its overabundant deer population, and Wolf was there on a Wednesday afternoon in January, hoping to get a successful kill before dark.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was windy and cold and getting late when the two deer lined up side by side to feed in the grass. Wolf had an idea.
"At first I was just looking for an opportunity to get one of them," Wolf said later, recalling that day. "Then I saw them both lined up. I thought, 'This just might work.'"
Wolf aimed, drew back his bow and released. The arrow struck the first deer behind the shoulder --a double-lung hit, regarded as the cleanest, most efficient way to kill a deer with a bow. It was a good shot to be sure, but what happened next was even more remarkable.
The arrow continued through the first deer and struck the second in the same shoulder area. Within 10 seconds, both deer were dead, and the arrow was stuck, intact, into the ground a few feet away.
Two kills in one shot.
"I put it right where I wanted," Wolf said. "It was just amazing that they both went down so quickly. I couldn't believe it."
Wolf immediately reached for his cell phone. He had to tell his cousin.
Bill Deffinger could not believe his cousin's luck.
"He's a good shot, and this guy ... ," said Deffinger, Wolf's cousin who recently moved from central Ohio to Arizona. He couldn't help laughing. "This guy, he's lucky. He's lucky."
Wolf credits Deffinger with teaching him everything he knows about deer hunting. Deffinger grew up near Columbus. His family had several acres of land, and he started hunting at the age of 12. He was an Eagle Scout and took up bowhunting at age 19.
"My dad didn't hunt, and no one in Bill's family hunts," Deffinger said. "I just got started through the Boy Scouts."
Both cousins now are 58, and it's been nearly 30 years since Deffinger first invited Wolf to his property for a weekend of hunting. Wolf still remembers it vividly.
"We had some wonderful experiences that first day," Wolf said. "I was hooked right away."
Wolf remembers a huge trophy buck rushing the two young hunters early in the morning. It would storm toward them, back off, turn around and race back at them again.
"Something got this buck antagonized," Deffinger said. "It was an exciting time. That kind of got him hooked."
Wolf had a clear shot. The only thing separating him from the buck was a sapling. Wolf's shot clipped the tree.
Wolf has honed his hunting skills quite a bit since that first weekend.
Deffinger estimates that his cousin has surpassed his overall kill total, though he still lays claim to having shot the biggest buck of the two.
"He's got some luck on his side," Deffinger said. "But Bill's a very good hunter."
The sport has helped keep the two cousins connected over the years. They still hunt together every autumn, even with Deffinger in Arizona.
"We've done a lot of hunting together," Deffinger said. "We're close, almost like brothers."
Wolf called his cousin several times this winter from the woods to relay news of his latest adventure. His story about two deer with one shot, of course, has reached instant legend status in the family.
"I couldn't believe it when he told me. But I guess I could believe it," Deffinger said. "I said, 'Bill, did you actually try to get both?' And he said, 'Yeah, I did.'"
Deffinger remembers a day in Morrow County when Wolf shot two deer in two hours. He can't recall anyone getting two deer with one shot.
"They have a deer management program (at Grailville)," Deffinger. "Otherwise, it would be against the law to shoot two deer at the same time."
Wolf is enjoying his retirement after 30 years working at the Ford plant. He is a basketball and football official. He competes in the Senior Olympics for tennis and cycling.
He continues to hunt. He doesn't consider shooting two deer with one shot to be his greatest hunting memory, but it may go down as his best story.
"It's very rare," Wolf said. "I've never heard of it happening.
"It's not as exciting as having a very close encounter with, say, a trophy buck. But it's just so rare, it's exciting in a different way."
Mvh
Kim
Jeg er ikke fejlfri,men det er så tæt på at det skræmmer mig.