This is my 3rd season bow hunting and I have yet to tag a deer. Once, in the last minute of the closing day (last year) I actually got a draw on a doe, but two other does came crashing through and broke every one up. Doesn't matter, I would have missed anyway as the deer was further out than I thought.

Most often I see nothing. Tuesday morning I had one pass behind me UP WIND! That's all I saw that whole day, one, although, fat doe.

Today was the best day for sightings. I gave up on my morning spot and headed deeper into the woods. I walked down a service road and a doe was on the side running right towards me. I hit the dirt, and she kept on cruising. A kick grunt didn't stop her. Bu-By! At the crest of the hill I saw a deer crossing the path. I crept closer, then the deer came back the other way. I got closer. As I kept moving, I noticed a doe to my left and she noticed me. As soon as I stopped she waved by-by with her tail.

I steathly walked closer. walking heel to toe and trying to sound like a deer. Then I saw a deer pass from left to right again. Is this the same deer going back and forth 50 yards at a time? Or are there many deer playing the scooby-do trick on me. Doing the duck walk now and notice Mr. Big Buck on my right. He crosses the path a trots down the shoulder 100 yds. and exits again on the right. Then I notice another buck on my left. I crouch down, And peek back up. I THINK it's a buck. Im doing the belly crawl now and popping up every 10 yds. or so. Still there. This went on for an hour. Finally I get closer and I see a fallen birch tree with bark hanging off of it. My eyes have tricked me again!

I start with a half upright walk. Oh No! It WAS a buck right behind that fallen birch and he's taking off. Two quick grunts stopped him and he turned around. I inched a little closer and emptied my pockets of possible noisy stuff. 3 yards at a time and a quick peek. Now I am close enough to observe him through the tall grass.

Keeping an eye on him on my belly, and only moving when the wind blows. I'm about 50 yds now and I need to play this out. Then I see him turn around and slither away behind some shrubs. I wait it out to see if he comes out or goes the other way. .5 hour passes, I sneak back to get my stuff and make my way to 30 yds from where i last saw him. He didnt seem spooked, maybe he'll come back. I wait another hour and noticed 5-6 deer crossing the service road further down from left to right.

I figure this guy slithered away and he's not comming back. So I decide to make my way down the service road closer to the other deer crossing. I am walking up right, but very very quiet and slow. Suddenly, the buck I thought has slithered away, jumped up an took off. Grunting didnt stop him, he was gone.

I was hoping he would circle around so I moved quickly down the service road 20 yds. past his bed. Laying in the dirt, I see him cross at that other deer crossing. But I never saw him come back. I wait it out and move closer to that deer path. Another buck makes his way behind me. I heard him grunt, I turn around, and he is leaving the path. I decide to wait that out for an hour or so.

No activity for a few hours now an it's getting late. So I take it slow back to my morning spot. What do I see? A freshened scrape and a pile of turds.

Back at the parking lot I see another fellow who is wrapping it up. I left the woods today feeling pretty good about myself for seeing more activity in one day than I had seen in all other trips combined. Even though I jumped a buck that I was stalkig. So I ask the other fellow how he did. He said "I let 8 does and one small buck go. I got two does already, so I'm just hunting for the big boys. Did you see anything?" I said "hmm, just a few."

Then one of the maintenance guys comes by and tells us a story how some guy got a 12 pointer this morning on his very first day of bow hunting!

All this time I have been blaming the public land and preassure. I am paranoid about scent control. I practice 3-D shooting all year, my bow is emaculatley clean and tuned. I play the wind. I read books, subscribe to 3 mags, and read this site. I look for signs of deer activity and hunt those areas. I make sure I am at least 20 yds. down wind of trails, scrapes, and rubs. What am I doing wrong? It's either bad luck, or I just plain suck. Probably both.

If you read this long sob story, thanks. I don't expect sympathy, or a reply, but I am frustraded to the point where I am thinking that my next post will be to advertise that all of my crap is up for auction on eBay.