It is probably never good to begin a story with an apology...but here goes. I beg forgiveness from my fellow Tradgangers for committing the ultimate stickbow sin: not taking a picture
!! Oh well...
This time I was prepared. With my 58" Marriah Thermal in hand, I felt certain that if another mature doe wandered into my shooting lane, I could redeem myself. And as luck would have it, I didn't have to wait long.
The two big does emerged from security cover and into the alfalfa field at about 5 pm. The wind was at their back as they made their way down the field and toward my blind. But, as mature deer often do, they became suspicious of my blind despite how much brush I had placed around it and although they fed within bow range for about 20 minutes, they simply would not stand still or broadside for a shot. Finally, they walked back in the direction they had come and bedded down about 75 yards North and right in the middle of the alfalfa field. Drat!
Evening was begining to close in and I knew that I had only about 15 minutes of shooting light remaining when suddenly the two does rose from their beds and decided to once again make their way to the South. My blind is set up in a narrow bottle neck in some trees bordering the alfalfa and with shots set up to be a max of 20 yards, I knew that if the deer continued slowly past me on their way to some apple trees further south, they would be close and broadside.
With five minutes of shooting light left, the two deer stepped into my shooting window. One deer stopped and faced my blind anxiously while the other hesitated for a few brief moments in a broadside position. I drew the recurve, picked a spot on the doe, and released. Smack! This time the arrow hit its mark and the doe traveled only a short distance before going down
.
It was well past dark by the time I got the deer hung in my garage on Saturday and with yesterday's winds blowing at 40 mph, I decided to butcher the deer right where she was instead of taking any hero shots. Although a picture would have been nice, the real trophy for me is always the memory of the moment and the wonderful gift of meat that is later consumed with friends and collegues in a spirit of reverence for the animal and in grateful celebration of the bowhunting life
.
Happy Harvest Everyone,
Claudia
Topic: North Dakota Doe Down! (Read 683 times)
