I choked!
Saturday AM we finally got some cool temps and I finally got an opportunity at a nice buck and I blew it. I was sitting on the ground in the spot where I killed my doe last year. It is a Oak grove with a finger of woods that extends into a pasture. I sit in the dark of the trees in the morning hoping for deer to be moving at the pasture edge feeding on acorns. At about 30 min. after sunrise I saw movement to my left. I froze while it came in. The I unfroze when I saw a nice 8 point walk into view. I started shaking like a hound dog passing peach pits!. "Calm down, calm down", I told myself. I tried to catch my breath and wait for an opportunity to draw. He crossed behind a Cedar about 10 yds in front of me and I made my move. Thats when I blew it. I left my index finger on my bow hand over my arrow. When I tried to draw the shaft stayed put and I pulled the string away from the nock. OH CRAP! Well I got my arrow renocked, still shaking and out of breath. The buck had cleared the Cedar and noticed the movement. He turned arourn and headed back into the trees. I tried to draw when he went behind an oak but I didn't move fast enough. He saw the movement and took off like a rocket. I was both thrilled and heartbroken. It was a fabulous and disappointing morning and a day I will never forget. I also learned a valuable lesson about where my finger is. And I don't need to hold my arrow on the shelf. I have an arrow holder for that. My heart is almost back to normal now on Monday morning. I'll go back to that spot in a couple of weeks and try again. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.