I was able to get out of work in time to climb up in a tree for the last hour of light Wednesday. I settled in hoping,, but not expecting too much. I had missed a shot on a nice doe about a week before because of a damaged fletching....arrow flew like a boomarang.
I sat listening to the cars going up and down the road and heard a some people come out of a nearby house and get in their car...almost as soon as they drove off I heard some noise that sounded like deer walking my way. My heart started thumping, which I noted because earlier in the year I wasn't getting any buck fever when the does came around but now, when they were all I was hunting I was really pumped. I saw a couple yearlings walking thru my shooting lane. Not what I wanted...nice and plump, just not what I was holding out for. Then the 6th deer in line, even thru the brush I could tell was a shooter. She was a nice doe....and when she tentatively made her way into my shooting lane, I squeezed the trigger on my crossbow. I heard the arrow hit her. The angle was great and I watched her run off toward a thicker area of the woods. I sat there and listened as I heard a bit of crashing from the general area she rant to, and stayed put for another 10 minutes as light faded from the sky. Then I got out of my tree, made my was to my house and had dinner. When I was done, I went back out and checked the area where I had shot her. No arrow.....and just a single pin prick of blood on a leaf. I looked for several minutes then got up and walked in the direction she had run....a few drops....then another couple feet, and more than just a few drops,, and then WOW....I knew she had run off because I watched her...but if I hadn't I would have expected her to be within 20 feet. Not 15 feet from where I shot here was a path of blood almost a foot wide that went on for over 100 yds. I didn't think it possible but that deer ran and pumped out blood steadily with almost no beak for about 120 yds. Right around 75 yds, I found the back half of the arrow. All the way I am thinking that this deer has to be close. Eventually I found her and dragged her home.


I took my time dressing her because I never did find that front half of the arrow and didn't to get cut. She was about 80 lbs field dressed. A nice mature doe. I think I am done for the year. I'm tired of skinning out deer and I really need to throw myself back into work again. Plus I have a full freezer of meat.