Good question road dog, refreshing to see a thread more directly related to hunting situations than what's been posted lately.

I too struggle with the decision of when to draw. I concur that it's best to draw when the deer are not in plain view with the hope that when they step in the open you are ready to rock, but they do seem to have an uncanny sense to stop in the thick stuff, leaving one in the situation you were in - at full draw for an extended period of time. You did what I would have done, some times it works, other times it doesn't.