Went up the camp on Sunday to hunt Mon and Tues (rained today) during PA's early ML season. Yesterday morning at first light my friend and I walked up to the top of the hollow in front of camp. Once on top we split up and would meet up at the camp at the end of the day. He went north along the ridge back toward camp and I headed west out the point of the of the mtn. (about a mile). Slowly still hunting all along the top through the mtn laurel and black birch I didn't see a single pile of deer droppings which left me a little disgruntled. I got to the point about 11:30 and sat there for almost an hour watching the bench below me and having lunch.
I decided I would drop down to the bench and follow it out back east then drop back down to the mouth of the hollow we went up. I got to the bench and didn't go 50 yds when something looked out of place below me. Looking through the binos I could see it was a broadside deer minus the head. I dropped down and sat on a log. Looking thru the binos for a while I was able to determine it was a doe. She was approx. 60 yds away but now her vitals were behind a large oak and she was munching on a newly fallen oak branch that had come down I assume from the last storm. I sat there for 20 mins minimum before she finally stepped out offering me a perfect shoulder shot slightly quartering to. I settled the front bead of the Hawken behind her front shoulder and touched off the shot. She bolted along the bench along with a yearling I hadn't seem before. She ran about 50 yds then started walking away out of sight. I waited about 10 mins, reloaded and walked down to where she was standing. All I found was white hair and no blood at all. WTH?? I started easing along the bench more or less following her tracks as much as possible in the leaves. After about 150 yds I caught the yearling trotting ahead of me and saw the doe about 75 yds out. She appeared to be limping so I probably hit her in the front leg. She was at a great quartering away angle so I dropped to one knee, settled the bead so the bullet would hit the opposite shoulder and touched off the shot. She lunged forward and took off on a run. She had to drop. Everything was perfect. But again I watched her run out of sight.
Went down where she was standing and again - white hair and no blood for 50 yds.
I never jumped her again but I did see 5 more deer the either saw me first or I couldn't catch up close enough to to get a shot.
All the while thinking that my sights had to be off - they just had to. I got back to camp and put a target up at 75 yds. dropped to one knee (after walking the 75 yds down and back) touched off the shot when the bead settled and hit the 3" bulls eye almost dead center.
The only thing I can think of is that I didn't follow through on both shots at the deer and likely dropped the muzzle. I only hope that the doe wasn't injured too much and can recover. I'm more disgusted with myself for wounding her than I am missing. I wish I would have missed her clean.