Friday evening - I get to hunt for the first time in a week.
I arrive at my hunting spot and there is equipment out mowing hay in a field not more than 200 yards away. Figured I' d hunt anyway - never know.
Barely get away from the car and I bust 7 does feeding in the alfalfa. Man - this is NOT going well. I approach the stand and I see 2 bucks feeding together...and they see me too. They did not understand what they were looking at and one decides to check me out.
I' ve got about 5 yards of thick brush between myself and the buck - I' m looking for a lane to shoot through - but no luck. After 15 minutes of being within 10 yards of the buck with NO shot, I finally make a mistake and step on a twig. Don' t think that the buck would have jumped any higher if he was poked with a cattle prod.
I finally get up in the stand. I figured I was so busted that nothing would happen - but decided to enjoy the evening in the tree anyway.
Well - Taz has me gunning for this certain mature matriarchal doe. She keeps busting me and educating her kids about that " bad" thing in the tree. On this evening her kids decide that they want to eat some wild grapes which happen grow right under my stand.
So I' ve got these two tiny fawns right under my stand munching away. Grandma and mom are about 40 yards out and in an area that I have no shot. They decide to come in and have some grapes too. They both take a path that puts them right under my stand - I still have no safe shot.
They mill around and munch for about 15 minutes - I' m going nuts. Finally, they decide to move off and get back into the alfalfa field. Grandma goes out first followed by the two little ones and then mom. Mom walks right into a shooting lane and STOPS! I put the pin right on the heart - it' s a slam dunk 18 yard shot.
I pull the release - thwack! All of the does move off quickly - but they all stop after aboput 20 yards and look back to see the source of the sound. I' m thinking that the doe that I shot should drop at any moment. I can see the arrow sticking out of the ground - a complete pass thorough.
I wait and watch - she' s not acting like she' s going down - but she' s not acting " happy" like the other does - no tail twitching etc. Oh damn - did I make a bad hit. I get out the binos - take a look at her. I see nothing. No entry - no exit - nothing.
The does stay in the field right in front of me - I wait another 45 minutes for dark so I can get down. I get down - go home and have dinner. I come back 2 hours later with lanterns, flashlights etc.
I go to my arrow sticking out of the ground. There are a few hairs and some teeny tiny micro dots of blood on one vane. Other than that - nothing. I search for over two hours for any sign of blood or anything. Nothing.
I went back the next morning and started all over. Still nothing. At this point - I' m positive that she' s ok - but I' m really ticked at missing this basic shot. I live for this shot.
I go back home and check the bow over - nothing seems wrong. I get some field points out and shoot 4. Each and every one was 6 inches dead center low. My darn sight had moved. I re-align and shoot 8. All on the money.
Well - I' m now going to be taking a few practice shots before every hunting adventure from now on just to make sure.
BTW - I went back out Sunday evening and got to see the 4 does. Everyone was fine - but none came within range.