Grigsby loves his bow hunting...

12/5/2008 9:08:16 AM

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Chris Brown Creative

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Shaw Grigsby is as passionate about hunting as he is about fishing, but he rarely picks up his rifle and instead opts for his compound bow.

This time of year, he spends as much time as he can hunting deer on his property in South Carolina near Santee Cooper Reservoir. When he’s at home, the quarry is wild hogs, which are prolific in central Florida.

“I just love shooting a bow,” Grigsby said in a B.A.S.S. news release. "With a rifle, you can get a deer at 300, 400 yards. With a bow, you almost have to be able to spit on them. The stealth that it takes to get the animal that close — to me, that’s what hunting is all about.”

He said he took up archery after trying out a bow at an outdoor sports show. Over the years, he’s built his skills to be accurate to about 80 yards.

“I’d take the bow with me out on the (Bassmaster) tour, set up a target outside the motel, and shoot, shoot, shoot, and have fun with it,” Grigsby said. “Just learning to shoot 20, 25, then 30 yards — when you are getting started, just hitting the target is a big deal.”

Grigsby, who qualified in 2008 for his 11th Bassmaster Classic appearance, said he often hunts with his 21-year-old son, Shaw Eric. His primary teacher has been his father, who has passed on not only the mechanics of the sport, but management practices that help ensure healthy deer herds. The meat is never wasted in the Grigsby family.

“I love eating venison,” Grigsby said. “Deer meat is extremely healthy. It’s very low-fat, and has enzymes you can’t get from store-bought meat. We have made our own deer sausage, but now have it made at a place in South Carolina that makes great spicy sausage. But we still process a lot of our own meat.”