After 4 hours in the stand Sat I decided to get down and get back to my truck to get some lunch. One last look across the field I noticed a brown shape approximatly 400 yards ahead undernieth a small tree...it was a doe feeding.

I knew that tree and I also knew that their was a small ravine prabaly not more than 20 yards from it. What the hell I said and plotted a course which would circle me downwind into the ravine. After painstakingly climbing up the sandy incline I was actually startled when I was able to peek through the yopan cover to see where she was. I was dang near right on top of her! About 15 yards! I could see the individual flys around her eyes she was so close.

Being so close and on the ground, my timing needed to be perfect in order to raise up above the weed cover, pull back and release my " Rico death stick" I remember at one point my stomach growling and believe it or not she alerted to it or at the same time alerted to something else! whew! Waited about another 10 minutes to find her still feeding vigorously in the leaves of the tree she was under. She was eating some type of berry that amazingly looked almost identicle to deer droppings! (does any one know what this was?)

Show time, as she strained her neck to get to the berrys in a upper branch, Bow already drawn and slightly quartered to me, I settled the pin behind her shoulder relaxed and released. Immiediatly after released I noticed the sound my arrow made as it left the string...it sounded almost like a bullet richoceting?

I heard a loud thwack, the doe of course reacted but for a brief second couldnt move because the arrow had entered and exited out the side and penetrated a smaller branch before it could fully exit her body. milliseconds later she managed to snap the carbon arrow in two in her exodous. As she was running I noticed my red and black fletching stuck deep inside her and sadly very high behind her shoulder [:' (]...I felt as if someone just punched me in the stomach. After that my confidence slowly leaving me at every breath, I went to inspect my arrow...no blood and meat in between the blades of the snyper broadhead [:' (] I waited one hour before trying to trail her because I believed that thier was still hope that I hit the lungs high. The 20 yards from the hit zone to where she entered the woods thier was still no blood trail if I had not noticed and took note Of where she entered the woods my search would have ended right at that tree. Once inside, the woods I found a blood splot and continued pain stakingly for three hours following blood splots for about 200 yards before they finnaly just stopped, at one point in the trail I found the fletching that she either pulled out or it fell out, I figured maybe the blood trail would improve after that...but it didnt. All in all I would have to say that the amount of blood found probaly wouldnt fill a soda cap. It was determination and alot of luck that enable me to follow the trail as I had. Another observation I had made while i was trailing her was that she was following trails...a mortaly wounded deer in my expierience dont follow the trails so perfect [:' (]

I would like to say at this point in my story of some lesson learned, but I have none, my stalk was perfect and deadly, my composure was calm and relaxed, and my shot placement should have been true. From the evidence I want to beleive that this deer is still alive and just alittle bit smarter now. I pray anyway that she didnt suffer a slow death.

My question is, did I hit the controversal dead spot?