Susie Sandoz

Hello, I am Susie Sandoz from Elko, Nevada.  I have been bowhunting for 6 years now.  I harvested a Pope and Young Mule Deer here in Nevada in 1996 and I would like to share the story.  My husband, Richard, taught me to hunt with a bow.  I am totally hooked on hunting and have earned the NFAA status of "Bowhunter".  If it is legal to hunt or kill with my bow, I will hunt it.   In the 1996 Nevada Mule Deer season, my husband, his best friend Rob and I went hunting together in a beautiful area of Unit 6.  The guys were hunting WAAAAYYY up on the mountain so they showed me a nice spring to go set on that was an easy hike from our camp.  I got up and went to the spring before daylight.  When I got to the spring, I could hear deer busting out.  I sat about 25 or 30 yards away, in front of a log, and waited for several hours.  A couple does came in and a herd of cattle, and a whole bunch of sage hen, but no bucks.  I did see a few bucks, but the wind was wrong and they did not come in for a drink at the spring.  I kept hearing the skunk weed crunching, so i was alert and nervous the whole time I was there.  I keep thinking there was a huge buck around the corner.  I finally figured out that the crunching was made by the bunch of sage hen.  They sound like elephants in that dry grass.  About 9 am I decided to head back to camp.  It was extremely hot and I had enough sun for the morning.   I had a hard time sitting still and I did not know how to check which way the wind was blowing.    A nap in camp sounded good.  Shortly after I got to camp, Richard showed up.  I told him about the does and cows that came into the spring.  He told me that he had seen a nice 4 x 4 buck bed down about a mile below our camp and asked me if I wanted to go sneak on it.  I said "Sure".  We left camp about noon and headed down the hill.  It was around 100 degrees and I was sweating terribly.  The wind was perfect for sneaking, we were able to get close because the wind covered the sound of the skunk weed crunching under my feet.  When we got real close, Richard told me to drop my pack and would sneak closer.  When I first spotted him he was up in the middle of the day, in the sun, feeding.  I was shocked to see him in the 100 degree sun, just pigging out on brush.  Richard had my range finder and he held up 4 fingers.  I was ready and held up my Hoyt Flashpoint Fastflight bow with Easton Carbon Arrows,  Richard wispered, "let him take one more step". Right then, I drew my bow and the deer took one step.  I placed my 40yd pin right on his lungs and released.   It was so weird because I was calm.  I usually freak out when we hunt squirrels.  This total calm came over me and I made a perfect shot. Once the shot was made, I saw blood squirting out from the exact place I aimed.  The deer took a couple leaps and jumps and died about 30 yards from us.  I was so excited that my legs felt like rubber bands.   Richard went back to get our packs and I walked to the deer.  He was a beautiful 4 x 4 that scored 150 Pope and Young points.  I won the Elko Archery Clubs Big Buck contest and $145.00.  We had to work fast to get gut and skin him because it was so hot.  We hiked back to camp, it seemed like 20 miles.  I had to call everyone I know.  I was so hyped.  It was my first big game kill. 

The following year, I spotted a buck on the last day of the Nevada Archery season.  My husband let me go for this one alone.  There were 2 bucks and Richard sat way up on the hill with a spotting scope while I snuck down the hill and then down the draw to the bucks, Before I left him, I looked for some landmarks so that I would know how close I was to the deer.   I spotted a reddish bush that was my main landmark to hike to.   WELLLL, when I got down in the draw, EVERY DARN BUSH was reddish.  I wish I would have looked for a rock or something else.  I kept looking up at Richard with my binoculars thinking that I was getting close and I could tell that he was chuckling because I wasn't even close.   I kept sneaking further down the draw until I finally figured our where I was.   I sat down to put my mask and glove on.  When I got all ready, I heard something crashing through the skunk weeds.  My first thought was that there was another hunter down in the draw that spooked my deer.   But then, I saw the buck running straight for me.  I knocked an arrow and drew my bow.    The deer got out of his bed to get out of the sun and came right to where I was sitting.   I was at full draw following the buck as he moved closer to me.  He got broadside to my left and stopped running, put his head down and started to eat 25 yards from me.   I shot him with my 30 yard pin, but I am sure he was closer than that.  He jumped and ran up the hill 40 yards and died immediately.  I wasnt sure if Richard even knew that he got up.  My legs were doing the rubber band thing again and I tried to look at Richard with my binoculars but I was shaking too bad.   Richard yelled "He is dead"   I couldnt hear him so I said "What?"   He yelled he is dead!!.   I knew he was dead, Richard stayed up on the hill until I reached the deer and then he hiked down to help me dress him out.   We had quite a hike out that day but when the adrenaline gets pumping from a good successful archery hunt, you can hike anywhere.   I won Nevada State Bowhunter of the Year for 1997,  I won a beautiful silver belt buckle.   I have killed 2 deer, 2 badgers, 2 mountain lions, many squirrels, many grouse, a rattle snake, rock chucks, 2 cottontails rabbits, a coot, and this year I shot a javelina.  I am going elk hunting in Idaho next week and hope to add a Bull Elk to my list, and to my freezer. 

Susie with her Javelina