All was quiet now, almost too quiet....but that ended 30 minutes later when I heard a deer trotting. And it sure sounded heavy to me!
I looked over my left shoulder and here comes what looks like a mule with a rack and a half!!! No, I didn't count the points, I put that rack out of my mind! And he's trotting right in line to give me a 20 yard shot if he doesn't waiver...and he doesn't. He comes into shooting range and magically slows to a walk, then stops....and then I pull a bone head!!!
I had to squat real low and lay the bow over to get through a hole in the vegetation. It wasn't a thread the needle hole, it was one the size I'd shot through many times at rabbits, deer and hogs successfully....and I've practiced this shot a bazillion times, but I blew this one.
I dinked the lower limb of my hole, and the arrow tinked and sail right over the bucks back....and as he bolted forward I stood back up straight and turned my shoulders toward him. He stopped after a 20 yard bound, and looked back in my direction, but he wasn't going to catch me move.
He took a few steps toward me and stomped his hoof, and stood for a moment, and then to my amazement, he went back to business as usual and started milling toward me at an angle...this is when I moved...to get another arrow as he was screened by a bunch of vines.
I was already squared to shoot, all I needed was for him to turn to his left and step into an opening and stop....a lot to ask hu?....but he DID!!...and I let him have it!!!
I watched the arrow sail and enter at the proper elevation, and what looked like just right for a slight quartering way shot. I heard a snap as the arrow impacted, and he exploded straight ahead for 10 yards and made a 90 degree turn south dead away from me running over what ever was in his path....he was hurt bad, and I knew it. The florescent fletch still showing verified what I thought I saw, and I was very hopeful, but not sure of an exit wound.
I waited about 10 minutes and decided to try and look for blood and the fletched end of my arrow as I heard it clicking as he made off....as I was going to run out of light fast. I found no blood or arrow in the 1st 30 yards I looked, and I decided to back out till morning. I felt like the deer was dead in a stone's throw, but I just wasn't going to chance pushing him.
I spotted what looked like a deer 40 yards from where I'd stopped the night before, and I jogged till I found out that it was just a big slab of light gray bark and a rusty reddish bent log...but no sooner as my hopes were dashed at that instant, I looked up the rise to the left, and there was no doubt at what I saw. He looked big as a horse!