thanks guys for those that replied.. I'm out the door once I post this reply.. I thought about it all day.. Gonna do the smart thing and not force the issue this early in the season, plus Ihung that stand over his head for a reason, he often walks by there..bout 1 to 2 times per week ...anyway... Time to hunt and see what happens... Wind is great ...talk to you after dark guys..

Jeff or Flst..if your hunting today...hope it all went great!

Troy

Nothing for me today, Troy. No hunting on Sundays in NC.

Good luck to you, today. Trust your instincts.

Troy, you have permission to wake me up if you get him.

Sorry to jump on your thread guys but I just wanted to tell Jeff not to worry about what happened. Like many have said, you did nothing wrong. I'm pretty sure I would have done the same thing. Jeff, you found your deer...you found it. I have had deer on the ground for 10 hours before recovering them. The only difference in our stories was the temperature.

If it had been cooler your story would have been one of persistence and good tracking decisions (grid search etc...) ending with a recovery of a perfectly palatable deer.

You have nothing to hang your head about...nothing.

Hey GMMAT...Everyones said it..and I agree. You Did good. You made a lethal shot on a deer and recovered her.

Was there an option?? And I'm not condemming..I'm thinking out loud...We discuss ethics multiple times daily. At some point do we say the temperature is going to be high 80's or higher, consequently I'm not going to hunt?

In the north we probably do that at times..but it's more for self comfort, than some grand, high road, for the deer we may shoot. In the South it would be much much tougher. Especially on opening day!

As you say "Fair Question"?

AGAIN I will state that I'm not condemming or saying I would have done anything different than you!! But perhaps it is worthy of debate.(?)

GR8:

"Fair"...absolutely!

In hindsight...."maybe" I don't take a 30 yd shot at a feeding deer (she was feeding under a persimmon tree)? You know, though.....I've practiced hard to become proficient enough to think I could make that shot. It's debateable. YES. I'm living with that.

Temps? Again...YES. Debateable. Had I hit 3" lower, though.....we woudn't be having such a conversation. I didn't. So I screwed the pooch (or the doe, in this instance).

Will it affect my shot selection (temps...general shot slection...etc..)? Most definitely. Will it need to be a slam-dunk from this point forward in those temps? Yes.

Idon't take your constructive "discussion" as anything other than that. respect your views. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to hear GMMAT, as davidmil has said, things that make you scratch your head in disbelief will happen at times.

Back in the saddle, guys.

I'll be back in one of my good "outskirt" spots this afternoon. If I can handle my doe pop. thinning without going into my prime spots....I will (from now on). I know I stunk up a great spot searching for that doe on Saturday.....so I'll probably let that one cool off for a week.

My sightings might be down for a while.....but I think I'm doing the right thing. I hung a stand yesterday on the outskirts.....and I'll try to utilize it while the temps are so hot. I'll sweat less getting in there if I'm not climbing. I guess you never know in deer hunting.....I might have the one I'm after come by just as easily.

I'm going back in. Wish me luck.

Good Luck today Jeff!

My big buck was a NO-show for me last night guys... 1 doe 1 little 4x4 buck.. can't complain..another great afternoon out hunting.. I will hunting this evening with my two sons.. from the ground.. Momma has a hair appointment... So the boys get to go.. talk to you all later today...Troy

I didn't get to shoot any deer this morning but I did draw back on one for practice. It was a small doe with twin fawns. Before she got to my shooting zone I had already decided to pass on her. Since I had never even drawn on a live deer I thought this would at least be a good chance for some practice. Everything went well.Waited for her to walk behind a small cedar and drew back undetected. No deer shot but a great morning all around. Thinking a spot is good for your climber is one thing but finding out it actually is,is fantastic ! Good luck everyone. Hope you're feeling better Gary.