Took this doe (my first with a longbow) last night (Ohio's deer archery opening day) right about last light and I'll admit I had some judgment lapses. It had been raining off and on all day - not when I shot but it would be again soon. Also, I'm not too big on shooting in the evening - tracking in the dark seems iffy.
Well, I got an opportunity I couldn't pass up and took it. Didn't see the hit. Couldn't find sign or an arrow. Lame. Searched for 2-3 hours in the dark and in the rain (which started again shortly after I took my shot). My bulb on my primary flashlight croaked so I switched to my backup. >:-( Nothing.
Went home for the night and tossed/turned for most of it as rain drummed against our windows. Spent the night praying about it as well. After church this morning, my son and I went out determined to find an arrow or a body or something - no way there was going to be blood. Dylan prayed about it as well and very shortly, found her in some impossibly thick stuff.
Apparently when I dropped the string she turned into me and took a step before impact. My shot was further back than I had planned (entrance liver, exit far side ham) but my 60# @ 29 HH Halfbreed did a great job pushing my Magnus two-blade tipped Carbon Express Heritage 250 most of the way through that crummy angle.
Thankfully we were able to get her dressed, dragged, tagged and deposited at the butcher before people started closing up shop for the day.
Oh - the picture isn't a typical one, but honestly, I wanted her out of the woods and at the butchers ASAP - no time for nice hero shots. In that pic, I'm dragging her (though Dylan did most of that work) with my tomahawk looped through some rope around her forelegs.
![](http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff187/GingivitisKahn/20090927_ac_02_jim_doe.jpg)
For what it's worth - I was still-hunting on public land.