Happy New Years, fellas! Hope everybody hada safe and prosperous holiday. I know I did, but it always seems like we spend the entire holiday just running around trying to shoehorn too much into a few off days. Once upon a time, there was enough time, I guess...

130, he'll be there for you next fall, buddy - hopefully he keeps the same movement patterns and maybe you can close the book on him. Even with your little run of bad luck, you still had an awesome season and one to be proud of. 2008 should be good to you.

Trials and Tribulations of a recurve hunter:

Here's my newbow, by the way.



I've been out 4x since I last checked in - all with my doe tag and recurve bow. Doing a lot of stump shooting afield, and I'm pretty comfortable with just about any shot that I can get. So far, however, I'm 0-for-2, both on helter/skelter shots.

The first morning, I hunted a farm with a buddy, who was hunting with his flintlock. Playing off of his movements,he bumped out two does that came right up to me. My mistake was being set up right on their escape route. At 5 yards, they were still closing the gap and I was either going to have to shoot or get run over. I got busted drawing the bow, and they wheeled around to head back the other way. I held off on the texas heart shot, but did get a broadside trotting opportunity at 25and I took it. The arrow hit just low. That was one of those deals where you just shake your head and kick yourself for setting up right on the deer trail. Stupid mistake, but I really didn't have many alternatives.

The next two hunts were fruitless. The deer are totally shell-shocked, and MEGA spooky. Practically impossible to get one inside 15 yards. They just don't seem to be moving much during daylight hours yet. Bedded pretty tight and really skittish. I'd seen 4 deer in my first 3 hunts combined.

New Years Eve - my best recurve hunt yet. It was 3:00 when I finally got out there, and I made a small ground blind out of a couple logs just at the eastern downhill edge of a narrow cut cornfield. Slight wind out of the SE. At 4:30, a deer appears at the field edge. A buck. I can't believe my eyes. It's a legal buck, and a prettydecent one at that. A 4x4, maybe 13-14". I have no buck tag, so this was puretorture. 35 yards. 30. 25. 20. 15. 10. 8.7. He finally catches something he doesn't like, and slinks back into the bedding area, tail tucked tight. I was sick. FINALLY, I had a broadsider at chipshot range, and it's astinkin' buck. So... I was a little bit chapped... Funny, you have a better chance of seeing Santa Claus than having an opportunity on a legal buck around here this time of year. Figures. [>:] At 7-8 yards, I was dead downwind of him, and he stunk like the deer pee aisle at Cabela's. LOL

Just as I admitted defeat and bent down to grab my quiver, I caught another deer in the field, stepping out of the same trail. A doe. She stayed on the top edge of the field, andworked across it fromnorth-to-south. She came as close as25 yards, but I kept waiting for her to come closer. She eventually meandered away and presented a broadside shot as she worked her way into a trail at the opposide edge. 32 yards. This time, I had time to really concentrate and take my time. I hit full draw, verified my aim and dropped the string. The arrow flew true, but the damn bow is so slow, that the doe actually took a step forward and walked right out of the path of the arrow. She was on a pretty steady pace, so I should have led her. I didn't. By the time I gathered up my arrow, it was practically pitch black, and my wife was blowing up my phone like a psycho.

Apparently, I was going to cause us to be late forthe New Years Eve party. LOL