Funny how these stories sometimes have ties......

I'll always remember 9/12/06. That's the day I saw the biggest bodied deer I've ever seen....and the day I injured that same deer from 12 yds. I was shaking like a leaf.

I didn't sleep that night. I followed a sparse blood trail for a while.....then grid searched through my best hunting area until 3:45AM. Nothing. I searched until noon the next day with my Labs...in the pouring rain.

That day was the worst.

It was warm the day after Thanksgiving.....and I backpacked my stand and gear into the woods about 1/2 mi. I remembered on the way that I'd left my haul line in my other shirt. I'll improvise. I remembered when I got to my tree that I'd left my release in the front seat of my truck. Cn't improvise that.....so I trek it back home. I'm sweating when I get back....and mad at myself.

I get situated and start seeing deer pretty soon. Iend up seeing the 8 pointer that I would latertake......andTHEN I see the brute I'd injured earlier in the year. He came in quickly to about 4 yds.....and then went directly beneath my stand (I was looking through the slats of my platform at him). He ws scenting where I had laid my gear to go get my release. He looked up.....and Ill never forgethow awesome it was seeing him. He was/is fine! What started out as a BAD day became my best day afield, this year.

Jeff