Sunday was first opportunity to hunt the 2002 bow season in Kentucky. I went to a place that my father-in-law and I have hunted for the last ten years. We know the layout like the back of our hands, and have patterned the deer from year to year, so we are usually successful atleast in seeing deer. I got to the woods at about 4:30 and hooked my climber to a tree about sixty yards inside the woods, surrounded by oak trees full of acorns. It was one of those first day of the year experiences, the tree I picked to get in was as crooked as they get, and I had my climber adjust to small for the tree. I was debating whether I should climb down and fix my stand, or just deal with the inclined platform and hunt. I decided to just tuff it out and deal with it. After I was in stand about thirty minutes three does passed about fifty yards out. Then, at 5:30 I saw a doe coming directly for my stand. It looked like a yearling, so I was expecting to see the mother. After a couple of minutes of the yearling foraging around my stand I decided I was going to take her. I got myself in position and then as I was about to draw, here comes momma. Now, I knew the first doe was a yearling, but she didn't look so small until the big healthy doe walked up and dwarfed her. I had a couple chances to shoot the mom, and in the past I have done that in the same situation. I don't know what it was, but I guess I am just getting soft because I just kind of smiled to myself and let them walk. Maybe it is because I have plenty of bow kills under my belt now, I don't know, whatever it was, I feel good about my decision today. All in all, it was still a great day in the woods and got me pumped up for this season.