Like I said, I don't know how she saw me. She sure shouldn't have. Head to toe ghillie, up against a tree, face camoed nicely, not moving. Who knows?
It didn't take long for this to all unwind. The doe got increasingly more upset. The head bobbing got more intense as did the foot stomping.
The little guy was now frozen in place looking.
It was an easy 10 yards as distance goes. The problem with making the shot on the yearling was that he was squarely at my 2 o'clock.
With a little cautious twisting at the hips, I figured, and I should be able to pull off the shot.
Slowly I started to pivot. My lower bow limb was in the clear between my legs and the bow up and pointed since I'd first seen the duo. I started my draw straight back and slowly.
The little guy started to figure me out. He took a half step and looked almost straight at me. I continued the draw. Just a few more inches and the arrow would be away.
I had been very careful about trimming around where my seat was. But it was the first hunt of the season and maybe I wasn't as careful as I thought.
With mere inches to goe my bowstring came up against a small limb just over my head. My draw absolutely stopped. Try as I might I couldn't close the deal and finish the draw.
I didn't really know what was up at that point. All I really knew was that the little doe was starting to get nervous and the big doe was walking away.
I leaned forward ever so slowly pulling the bowstring as I did. Finally my middle finger touched it's familiar anchor at the corner of my mouth.
The arrow was away but it wasn't a confident shot. I was in a very awkward position now. Twisted hard to the right and leaning forward from the waste somehow the arrow got away cleanly.
In the blur of motion that usually occurs at the moment of truth I saw the little deer squat and the lighted nock on it's carbon shaft pass right over his back. For what it's worth the alignment was superb.
There's something kind of special in moments like that. Every ounce of positive energy flies with the arrow. All tension is released and a joy comes over me. Even with a miss it mingles with the dejection of failure and somehow makes everything just fine.
The evening would have been uneventful had it not been for one little incident just before dark.
I'd seen in the light of day that there was very good sign almost everywhere under the pin oaks in my little draw. Tracks and poo and mauled acorns were everywhere. I decided to stay in my original spot.
With the shadows getting longer by the minute I was sitting thinking about the deer I'd seen through the glasses further down the draw when a doe walked out of the brush 20 yards away.
I couldn't believe my luck. This had all the makings of a liver and onion evening. The way I was facing the doe would follow the trail she was on and work right past me on my left side at about 10 yards. Duck soup right?
Let me tell you the problem with those slam dunk close shots that we all want so badly. Sometimes they just suck. I mean at that distance there is literally nothing you can do that is right.
But I'd done it before and my bow was pointed right where it needed to be. All it would take would be a short straight back pull (this time the limbs were all cleared) and release. She just needed to clear a little brush and it was go time.
I hate those couple of steps. If I had a nickel for every time I'd had it in the bag except for a couple of steps I'd be rich. It's just that as often as not something happens to screw it all up.
This time it was the fact that the doe just stopped and looked right at me. Damn! Again! I was more than a little flustered over this development. I can take my medicine like anyone else when it's my fault but I hadn't done a thing this time.
Like so many times before the doe stood staring at me. It only took a few seconds and she turned and bounded off. I was a little less philosophical this time. At least the four letter words I muttered under my breath didn't sound very philosophical.
The next morning I woke to the sound of rain on the cabin's tin roof. It felt pretty good to roll over and pull the covers up around my neck.
I hunted that second evening and the following morning only to have deer blowing from down wind.
There had been a wind shift with the storm front and I'd taken that into account in moving my stand, but obviously I didn't move it enough.
A little more scouting and I pulled to head home for a couple of days. There was business to take care of and a certain tree stand that needed to go in my truck.
I'll be back up there in a couple of days. The farmers were all just hanging around waiting for things to dry up. At some point they will take the corn and the woods will be loaded with deer. I intend to be there.
Topic: MO Hunting Season Thread 2016 (Read 19603 times)
