I was/am truly under the weather this morning but it was either be sick in bed or in my tree. My cold kept me up most of the night so I was out of the house at 5 and in my tree by 5:45. At 6 a cat came through from my left and wouldnt you know he looked up at me, comoed and as scent free as I could have made myself.
A lot of shooting going on on about a mile over the other side of the mountain with geese flying non stop. At 7:00 I hear noise on my right and here they come, one after another til there were 6 flat tops and I was ready to kill either of the big ones but the oldest, biggest witch of the herd looked right at me and drew the rest of their attention to me. I recognized that old gal right away as she busted me on 10/16 as well. They finally moseyed off further to my right and just kind of lingered 50 yards away for about 15 minutes til they moved on.
I kept watching their backtrail hoping a buck was coming. I turned left watching squirrels for a few when 5 of them scurried up trees at the same time. I knew something was coming but they werent chattering and tail waiving so I was pretty confident it wasnt a predator but a deer.
Sure enough, here comes a 6 on my left nose down on as if on a string. He stopped in a n opening of a stone wall about 15 yards and broad side, yep 15 and broadside. I shoot and looks like hes heart shot from where the arrow seemed to go and runs 10 steps and stops. No bronco kick though, whats wrong? I already have an arrow on the string and when his vitals come out I see no blood and shoot again. Crack, I hit an unseen twig and my arrow eats dirt. The buck walks off and Im not seeing blood on him. He lingers about 50 yards away eating beech and sniffing everything. When he goes out of sight I get down to check for blood. My arrow is clean with a dozen or so white hairs on the ground, I shot lower than I thought.
Im not too bummed cause hes not hurt so back up the tree and settle in. Fifteen minutes later here comes another deer on the same trail as the 6. Stops in the same opening as the 6 but get nervous when he smells where I knelt down to check my arrow. When he turns angling away my arrow is gone and angles from the second rib from the rear into his chest.