Discover Smith Mountain Lake
SUMMER 2015
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28
VIRGINIA
BOWHUNTERS
BY TIM ERNANDES
Jacob Roberts’s first time hunting deer with a
bow was very nearly his last. He took 20 minutes
to collect himself, and went down to the field to
retrieve his arrow. Noticing no blood on the arrow,
he began to wonder if he had hit the deer at all. He
enlisted the aid of his father, and the two searched
the area in vain for traces of blood. It wasn’t until
4 days later that he found her in a culvert ditch on
the side of the road. Jacob was very discouraged,
and considered giving up the sport altogether.
Drawing on family history, and with his father’s
encouragement, Roberts put his mind toward
improving his skills. Three months later, he had his
first successful bow hunt, harvesting a white tail
deer.
This story begins four years ago, in the Roberts
family home in Roanoke County. While channel
surfing, young Jacob happened upon a hunting
show. The theme of this particular program
was hunting for “Pope & Young” bucks. This
designation is reserved for bucks whose antler
racks receive a certain minimum rating on a scoring
system established by the Pope & Young Club,
an organization dedicated to bow hunting and
conservation. As one might expect, these animals
also need to have been harvested with bow and
arrow.
The show had been filmed out west, so Jacob
excitedly petitioned his father to arrange a hunting
trip out there.
His father laughed. “Son, you don’t have to go
anywhere, because we have bucks just like that
here.” The elder Roberts then led his son to his
trophy wall, and the kid was hooked.
Jacob began devouring magazine articles and
intently watching TV shows that focused on bow
hunting. After church one day, he encountered a
fellow named Charles, who presented him with an
old Hoyt bow, telling him that “something had told
him” to give it to Jacob. The hunt was on.
He wasted no time, purchasing arrows and
accessories. The first thing that he
learned was that shooting a bow is a lot
more challenging than it looks. As with
anything else, it is an acquired skill,
which requires a great deal of patience to
develop.
“It was very irritating, because I couldn’t
really hit the target past 20 yards,” he
recalls. “Three months went by, and I
finally started shooting that Hoyt very
well, to where I felt comfortable about
shooting a deer.”
Humans have hunted with bows and
arrows for thousands of years. The
Roberts family has bow hunted in the
Appalachian Mountains for generations.
It’s something that Jacob truly feels is in
his blood, and he takes it very seriously.
In fact, he has taken it to the next level
in a way.
An avid photographer and videographer,
Jacob scouts in the spring for antler sheds,
which give him information about local
bucks and their habits. He sets up camera
equipment that monitors the deer over
the summer months, and walks trails as
well as unbeaten paths to interpret signs
and gain familiarity with the terrain. All
this prepares him for the season.
He adamantly stresses the need for
thorough preparation when bow hunting
in the Appalachian Mountains. A hunter
might have to walk for miles to get to
particular places, so he has to train all
year to be in shape. The harsh elements
present a need for well-insulated hunting
gear. After all of that, comes the moment
of truth:
“When you pull back a string on
any wild game, you have to make
that perfect heart shot in order
for the animal to expire within
minutes… you have to have perfect
form every time… you can’t torque
your bow… your breathing has to
be just right…your muscles have to
gain memory for consistency every
time you pull a bow back. People
usually give up, because its such a
challenging thing to accomplish.
That’s why its good to practice
as much as possible, so when the
moment of truth comes you will be
ready.”
Jacob feels drawn to the woods.
“It’s just something I have to do.
There’s no option to this. This is
who I am; I’m a bow hunter... To
go out there with a bow and arrow
to get into bow range of an animal
can be very challenging. Fall is one
of the most favored times of the
year for all hunters. The leaves
turn, and the smell of autumn fills
the air. The mature and majestic
white tails that you have been
scouting during the spring and
summer months have finally lost
their velvet, and are roaming the
woods with other bucks, in what
is known as ‘bachelor groups’. The
spots that you have studied in and
out for months stand ready to be
used… There’s no greater feeling
than walking through the woods,
watching the leaves fall off the
trees, cold weather setting in, and
having that feeling that bowseason
is here…themoment you have been
waiting for month after month has
finally arrived! Any bow hunter
can tell you that a lot of thoughts
“September finally arrived, and I was up in the tree for the very first time for urban
archery. I didn’t really know the best places to bow hunt, so I just sat up in my back
yard next to some hard woods. Two hours went by, when all of a sudden, a doe
walked with in 25 yards of me! I pulled back the string, shot, and hit far back. I was
shaking so badly that I about fell out of the tree stand!”
