Yesterday afternoon I climbed up in an oak grove and got settled in at 03:40. The woods was spectacular with the fall colors in full and the sun radiating throughout. A stiff south wind was hitting me dead in the back, just the direction I anticipated the deer to come to feed.
At 5:00 I stood to stretch and survey the area behind. I took my water bottle out of the pack and as I placed it back I looked up to see a nice doe at about 40 yds. heading my way. If she stayed on the trail I would have a 18 yard shot.
She moved into range and stopped. Just as I got to full draw she started walking again and I had to let down as she got behind a tree. Out she came and stopped. Again I got to half draw and realized there were some small branches in the way so I held it there waiting for her to come forward. She started walking again and came into a small opening. I finished my draw and watched the arrow strike with a resounding crack as it hit a rib.
She was off the way she came at a full run and disappeared. I waited a while and descended the tree to look for sign. She was still carrying the arrow and it took a while to find blood. I followed her uphill till I could no longer find blood in the fading light and decided it would be best to resume the search till morning.
I took up the track this morning and found enough blood to give me a direction of travel, then I found my arrow, the blood stopped immediately and I knew I now had a body search. I knew there was a multiflora rose thicket ahead and she would be there.
After shredding myself for an hour in the thicket I found her. Coyotes must have found her last night as the butt and inside of the hinds were missing. The paunch was also opended and spread everywhere. This is the first deer that this has ever happened to me. I filled out my tag and took the backstraps and some shoulder steaks because that is all I could salvage and left her for the predators to finish. Sometimes things don't end the way you would like but that is part of the highs and lows of hunting.
I took her with my 40# A&H ACS longbow with a 29" GT 1535 and a 150 gr. WW
Topic: Bitter Sweet Doe (Read 269 times)
