By Audrey Fergel
Bow hunting can become an addiction for which you don’t have to go to rehab. Steve McKiver, an avid bow hunter, spoke about how his love for bow hunting started and became a passion for him.
Sitting in the fenced in yard watching Steve McKiver and his wife Diane practicing their bow shot, he explained, “I started bow hunting as a teenager. My dad gave me his old bow, it was a Bear, and it didn’t even have sights on it. He put up his old tree stand for me about 30ft. off the ground and after that I was on my own. I loved sitting up in a tree and seeing all kind of animals go by. As I got older it was just nice to have some quiet time to myself. I went out almost every night.” McKiver went on to say that the challenge of getting the deer to come to you is the best part, as well as getting to see many other animals. He told me one night he decided to sit on the ground and a skunk came and curled up next to his leg. Laughing, he said, “I snuck out really slowly.” McKiver explained that he enjoys bow hunting more than rifle hunting for deer because you have to outsmart them, but he still goes rifle hunting with his dad because it is something they enjoy doing together, but bow hunting is what he waits for every fall. McKiver recalled one night sitting in his stand under a full moon, he was getting ready to leave because it was too late to shoot and three large bucks came under his stand. Even though he could not shoot, he explained the adrenaline rush was awesome and just sat there until his worried mother came looking for him and scared them off. McKiver elaborated saying it’s that kind of experiences that makes all the times you never see anything worth it.
When asked how he learned the art of bow hunting, McKiver said, “It is just trial and error. I read articles about it and just kept trying different things until something worked for me.” He explained that “Bow hunting can get very expensive, but I have found that simple basic techniques work the best for me.” McKiver said that a good cover scent and rattling is what he likes to use. He explained that he uses several different cover scents and or attractants depending on what time of the season it is.
McKiver has tried to encourage anyone interested in bow hunting. He has gotten several of his in-laws involved in the sport. McKiver said, “I used to just take my wife, Diane, with me and bought her a bow after she showed interest in getting her own bow. She really fell in love with it and talked her sister, Lisa, into getting a bow. The first year they went out together they both got nice bucks. Now she goes with her sister and brother on a hunting trip every fall for the last few years. It is really satisfying to know that I had a part in that.” Diane said, “It really is a great bonding experience for me. When we go rifle hunting it is always in a big group with cousins and there is so much commotion, but when we bow hunt it is just us. It gives us a chance to catch up on what’s going on with each other.”
McKiver finished by saying that if you like to hunt you should really give bow hunting a try. It really is an additive sport that leaves you wanting more. Diane added that once you start you will be hooked, but not to worry you won’t get in trouble for this addiction.
Steve McKiver practicing his bow shot. Picture by Audrey Fergel
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