Three Arrows Outfitters

01/19/2025

Mike was up last to finish the season. We had the wounded warriors in there, but we'll get to that next week. It was the end of September & still HOT. We took off from the pickup after a buck with a handful of does & fawns. It was looking good. We were getting within shooting range but the buck wasn't giving us an opportunity. And then just like that they were over us & gone. I had spotted another bucked down the draw, and it was equal distances to him or back to the pickup, so off we went.

It was a good setup.It was a lone doe with the buck, and they were both bedded. Again, we were getting within critical range & just like that the doe got up & walked behind the buck. That got him up. We camped & waited. I never feel like it's over unless they run. They weren't interested in leaving & actually came back past us at a closer range. Big mistake. Mike nailed him!!

And as was the case the entire season, a good shot was not enough. Our mantra on several hunts was "how is he still going???" He did not give up easily. Mike & I followed & waited. We solved a lot of the world's problems. One of us should really run for president. NOT IT!!! The day was getting long & we had pushed him to our limits. We decided to leave him & pray the coyotes left him alone.

We got back up there the next day & he was gone. Dad drove the road & glassed the draws, Mike walked the creek, Smokey & I rode the ridges & everything in between. Mike & I had a quick talk. He was gonna head back to the road & I was gonna go out farther. Mike choose an easy route up high & what a good plan!! He found him!! That buck had gone across a creek, up a hill & through a fence to die in the neighbors. It was a hard hunt but a good one. I gutted him & we had him hauled out before lunch. So glad to be there on this hunt with Mike. This was his second time with us. Always a pleasure!!! And what better way to end a hunt, & a season, than with a little fishing! We had an extra treat after all that hard work 🎣

The last hunt is always bitter sweet. This season was a challenge, the likes of which I had never known. It was a great season even though it was different than I had anticipated, or could have planned for. I had 2 constants the entire season: Dad & Smokey. I had so much support & help from everyone. If it wouldn't have been for all of them I couldn't have kept going. The hunters were all a great group of guys to get outdoors & hunt with. The memories are irreplaceable. This season grew me & showed all of us how much we need each other. I am so thankful for my family & their love & support. Couldn't do this life without them❤️ Get out there & make those memories 🏹

01/12/2025

This is a post I wasn't planning to make. My heart shattered this week. I lost Smokey. He was the horse of my dreams: the grullo color I always wanted & all personality!!! We both filled a need for each other. He needed a loving home & I needed a buddy. He trusted me & there wasn't anything I asked of him he wouldn't do...most of the time. He made me feel like a real cowgirl. He was a CHARACTER! He pulled the screens off Dad's fishing shed, played with log chains, & could empty a garbage sack. He could open gates. He pulled arrows out of a quiver on a hunt once, & dropped them like bread crumbs for us to go back & find. He would "eat dirt" off the shale hills, which he also sat down & took a rest on during a hunt. He could take Twizzler's bridle right off & mess up his own. He didn't understand personal space. He would come loping when I called. Apples & corn on the cob were his favorite treats. He loved to play with zippers & was surprisingly good at it! I didn't trust his shenanigans to be lead horse for a long time, but these last 2 years, & especially this past season, he worked hard with me to get goats. Our last ride was with Landon, our last hunt was with Dad & Aspen. He was a sweet, silly spirit & I feel so lucky that he was mine 🐎❤️ I'm gonna miss his hugs & boot kisses. He is on a hill overlooking Willow Creek just like Rio. I'm a lucky to to have had such good horses.

01/02/2025

Happy New Year 🏹 2025 started out with a breathtaking sunrise!!

12/29/2024

FINALLY!!! Those of you who have heard my stories knows that deer hunting has been a crazy wonderful struggle for me. I can clear a property of deer at the mention of my name 😄 But today. After years of sitting in a blind I FINALLY got it done! And this one has 2 horns!!! This is my 2nd muley & only 3rd deer in 10 years of trying.Thanks Dad & Aspen for always gearing up & sitting with me. For the laughs, for the conversation, & for the encouragement. We created a lifetime of great memories 🏹

12/27/2024

Out trying to get it done!

12/25/2024

12/22/2024

We had a little break in between hunts & I was able to take dad out. Unfortunately, hunting with him didn't go so well as far as filling his tag. Anytime you hunt with family is a good time ❤️🏹

Josh was the next 1 hunt with me & my sidekick Tyler. His first day hunting, we were struggling in 40 mph winds with 50+ gusts. We tried hard all morning up north. By lunchtime it was clear we were fighting a losing battle. HOWEVER, we still got within 40 yards of an antelope, but neither Josh nor I felt good about the risk in that wind!

We decided to head south about 50 miles & hoped the wind wouldn't be as brutal. We played our cards right. It was blowing about 30 at the next place. Still a challenge, but the buck we found was in an area with some draws & offered a little relief.

We saw the buck grazing, but did NOT see the does laying across the draw from him. That slowed our progress some, but this set up is familiar. We worked up the draw at him. We were in full view the whole time. Then, as we were getting in the 60 yard range he laid down, just over the crest on the hill. We had no choice but to keep working closer on him while all the does watched the show & the buck couldn't see what was coming. We kept inching up the hill till I could see his horns through the grass, cause I am at a disadvantage when I can't see the buck either.

He stayed bedded while we got into view, then got up & starting grazing down the hill toward the does across the draw. We had to follow kinda quickly because the draw was a little wide to shoot across & we were about to be in the same position, working up a hill on a buck we couldn't see if we didn't keep up.

It worked out. We left Tyler across the draw so he could see all of what was unfolding & we worked into position while all the goats were up & grazing off up the hill. Josh decided to take the opportunity the buck gave us & drilled him at 52 yards!!! It was a beautiful shot!!! The buck ran right past us down the draw. Those moments are always thrilling because they lose all sense & sometimes run within 10 yards of us.

What looked like a hopeless day of wind & frustration turned into success just like that. Josh's hunt was so fast it felt like we barely had time with him, but what a blast! So thankful Tyler was along. I got him gutted & we loaded him up & that was a wrap!!

12/21/2024

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12/16/2024

Happy Birthday, Dad!! Thanks for all the adventures & here's to many more 🍻 Love you 🏹

12/15/2024

Jim came out to hunt with us for the 4th time this year. We used every minute of his 3 days to get it done. We had plenty of options, & 1 particular buck must have liked us a lot because we got on him several times over the 3 days. Jim even got a couple shots at him because we could get within 50 yards or less on him. He sure had me confused because he was one of the larger bucks we had seen, so to get as close as 43 yards once and under 50 multiple times with shots fired was not normal.

We had to opportunity to play on the edges of a herd that had 37 does & fawns & 1 buck. In all my years doing this that was the biggest group I had ever seen. And it wasn't just 1 day. All 3 days in that pasture that buck had them gathered up. The satellite bucks were nothing to sneeze at though. We were after a group of 5 satellite bucks & just hoping 1 would give us the right angle to get a shot. We hit a technical difficulty snag & had to pass on that group.

The last afternoon my mind was in overdrive. We were in a large pasture & once we were in it the only way out was the same way in & time consuming. After we had a quick bite back at the trailer I took a chance & did a quick scout in another pasture. Bingo! There was a beautiful buck with a group of 11 or so. We made a plan, loaded up, & took off.

I think I forgot to mention that I was running solo on this hunt. That means I had both horses to wrangle while still trying to maneuver Jim into position. Sometimes it worked perfect, others.....anyway. Jim was a trooper!!!

We came into this pasture down a ridge & kinda dropped over on them a little closer than I wanted, but it seemed to be working. We got within range just as he got up & followed the does over the hill. And we followed him. A couple times a doe would break back on him & headed for the dam. Fine by me! I knew he would be back so we just kept trying to mingle in the herd. IT WORKED!!! After his second trip to retrieve a doe he hung at the back where we were. I like taking advantage of these mistakes!!! He hung up grabbing a bite, I swung our caravan into position & Jim drilled him at 31 yards!!!!!!

This was a sweet victory because Jim has watched his son take a goat home & had some bad luck previously. Such a great feeling to be able to shake his hand & tell him congratulations! We both felt like we had been through the wringer on this one. Worth every minute though!!! All the goats we took this year were great, but Jim took home the biggest!

I LOVE being part of these moments. We had also gained an audience & a very welcome crew to get us back out. I say I was solo, but I'm never alone. I had such an amazing support group this season. From Dad trailering the horses & getting our lunches, Aspen being a utility player doing everythingfrom running equipment to helping process, Uncle Randy coming to our rescue to haul us out, Randy up north letting us leave the horses overnight, Tyler, Hunter, & Shawn all taking their limited time off to be my right hand in the field, to mom at home making sure we are well fed however long it takes us. Everyone was key in the success we had. I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world because all these people are so good to me. This year stayed in the upper 90s to over 100 the whole season. I would have caved had my amazing family not been there cheering us on every time we left the trailer. My tribe sure created some touching memories for not only the 12 people that took antelope home, but they made my heart full too 🏹

12/08/2024

It's been a wild couple weeks of celebrations, but back to the hunting. Derek was up the next day & his hunt went fairly quickly....until it didn't.

Hunter was free & willing to come along so we handed Twizzler off to him & headed over the hill. We got in on the buck & a handful of does quick & easy because they were hanging on the edge of the cows. We marched straight at them & let the buck push the does around a bit. The buck got a little hung up in the draw with a doe & the others came right up past us. They had no concerns about us so we got in a good position & waited.

The buck came up out of the little wash out & stopped to rake a sagebrush with his horns at 30 yards & Derek drilled him!!! The shot was beautiful!!! Little did we know Derek wouldn't get his hands on him until the next t afternoon.

We let him get sick for about 30 minutes. He never bedded but the blood looked good. And then he walked. And walked. And caught up with the does that left him after the shot. He was walking farther & farther from the pickup so we maneuvered to start pushing him back toward the trailer. And we walked & walked some more. He was staying 60-70 yardsaway at all times & not stopping. He actually walked within 150 yards of the pickup, but kept walking. We were dumbfounded. We got a good look at both sides & could not figure how he was still going. After hours we decided to let him sit overnight & hope coyotes didn't get him.

Next day we couldn't see him where we left him so I saddled up to ride the draws & back sides if the hills. I managed to find him in the first draw in a dry dam. We got all ready & had a game plan. We left the horses at the bottom of the draw with Hunter the horse wrangler & snuck up the bank for a shot. I take full blame on this one. I looked at the bedded antelope & thought he was super close. I ranged through the grass & it came up 35 yards. I trusted my equipment, not my instincts, and Derek missed. We ranged after the fact & the buck was actually 25 yards. That was all on me.

We tried him for a while & couldn't get closer than about 90 on him. So we gave him a break & went back to try Drew's buck while Derek's settled back down. That afternoon we were back on him again. Drew & Hunter had eyes on him while Derek & I grabbed equipment & horses. By the time we got to them they said he had laid flat & kicked like he was in the last minutes on this earth. We get up there & he's full of life. I had grabbed the decoy cause I had a feeling the horses weren't gonna be what we needed now. I have only ever used a decoy one other time so this was totally foreign to me, but off we went trying to keep pace was this antelope. We made it over 2 hills before he laid down long enough for us to get in another shot. And that's all she wrote!! What an incredible amount of highs & lows packed into 3 days with these brothers!!

I will post the video again later but enjoy the photos! And we had been having a good laughs at the "proposal" pictures of guys & their goats 🙄 so Derek though it fitting that he tried his hand & it too 😄 I love what we do! So many great memories 🏹

11/28/2024

So many things to be thankful for this year!!! Hope your day is full of love & blessings 🏹

11/19/2024

Drew's shot

11/17/2024

The Van Buren family was in over Labor Day weekend. The guys were hunting & their dad was along to watch. Derek hunted with us last year during the wounded warrior hunts & brought his brother & dad out to hunt. Since Derek had hunted with us before, Drew was up first.

We spotted a beautiful goat right off the bat in a pasture on the east end of the property where the bigger bucks had been hanging. I had Shawn along helping us this hunt so off we went with Drew & Derek & hoped maybe Dad & Tim could watch from the pickup. The buck had a single doe & fawn with him, & we just worked in slow. At about a hundred yards, he was already leary about what was heading toward him, but the doe & the fawn were comfortable.

The buck was on the far side, & we were going to have to pass the doe & fawn to get to him. He got up & wasn't committed to leaving, but also wasn't sure he wanted to stay. He kept skirting the doe & fawn on the off side from us, making it harder & harder to keep working in around the 2 that were bedded. He seemed to want to stay about 80 yards away from us at all times.

Eventually the doe got up only to bet down 40 yards away. We actually worked to within 25 yards of her bedded & then back past her, trying to catch up to the buck who kept pacing nervously. He was very good about keeping them between us. Then all of a sudden, we were at 62 yards. Drew got a shot off that didn't connect, but the buck only moved off and didn't bolt away.

We worked in again & got to 60 yards & Drew got a shot that did connect. Unfortunately, the buck moved as he shot & didn't do the damage we had hoped for, or in an area where Dad & Tim could watch. These animals are tough & smart. We tried to get in on him a couple more times, but he wasn't it's gonna give us another chance. We tried hard the next day & when we got within 170 yards the buck was up & running. We tried twice that day with the same result. 170 yards & he was running.

The third day we found him again & were hoping for another opportunity, but by now, he had us figured & two times when we hit the 370 yard mark he was bolting.

Unfortunately, we never did get back on Drew's buck. These are the stories I hate to share, but in this group, we all know that's why it's called hunting. We try HARD to never leave a wounded animal in the field. But in this case, as hard as it was for me personally to call the hunt, I felt confident the buck would live. Making the decision to let the buck go and send the hunter home empty handed is the hardest part of these hunts for me.

The upside is we make some great memories, shared some cool hunting stories, & had some good laughs. Shawn got footage for us that I will post later. We'll talk about Derek's hunt next week!! 🏹

11/16/2024

Opening day with Dad. Dad asked me if I wanted to come along and help him babysit a property & to bring along my stuff just in case. What else would I rather do? We were prepared for everything, he had his bow & camo, & I had my rifle & my orange. We were sitting in a fantastic blind out of the wind, chatting away cause it's a hard side and the windows were closed. Spun my chair around & in under a minute both of my doe tags were filled!! Coziest, fastest hunt I've ever been on!!! Created those memories today!! 🏹

11/11/2024

This is Brian's shot. These animals are incredible!!!

Heads up!!! This is the week!!! I'm gonna start booking for the 2025 season tonight!!! I have my list & 12 spots. Let the games begin 🏹

11/10/2024

Brian was up next. He didn't say a word until it was his day to hunt, but he picked the first antelope he saw on the first morning. It was a buck that was tipped out just a little more than average. Also my favorite type of buck.

We found him within minutes & it was a great setup. He wasn't alone, but with a smaller buck in a draw out of sight from everything else. We took off & were in stealth mode within 30 minutes of leaving the trailer. I told Brian I had never had anyone pick their buck like that before AND have the opportunity to get in on it.

It was a great setup for sure until we got in there close. The smaller buck was right on the path of the route I chose to get to the target buck. I never get too concerned because things can change quickly, but this wasn't changing at all. The bucks were across the draw to the south of us. Then we were in the draw looking up at them. The terrain can also change once you start getting close & that's what happened here. There was a little swell & with the way the antelope was standing I had to do the hard thing. We had to head up the hill right at the buck we DIDN'T want.

He was at 40 then 30 yards, still bedded & the target buck was still broadside farther to our left, but at a bad angle. Our best angle & yardage was truly right where the little buck was bedded. We were going SLOW. I was well aware one push too hard might bump up junior & push him over into the guy we were after & then you never know if they are gonna mingle or mosey. We pushed in a little farther & the little guy did get up but not in a hurry. However now we had another issue. We were 40 yards from our target, 25 yards from the other buck, & they are lined up close enough that a shot would be risky. So we waited. The pictures are not in order, but you can see the dilemma from our angle & the second horse.

Our patience paid off. We were able to work in to 35 yards & the small buck gave us enough of a lane that Brian got a shot & smoked him!!!! We also lucked out that Hunter was still able to help with this hunt & got incredible footage!!! I will post it later again.

Such a great feeling to be able to send Brian home with the buck he wanted. And again to have both of my kids & Dad & son-in-law there all together doing what we love to do just makes it that much sweeter. Get out there & create those experiences & make those memories 🏹