I'm a novice compared to a number of you guys. Just got started 45 years ago. Only had one bad deer or elk in all those years though many years yielded little more than very considerable exercise. I think antelope, deer, and elk is some of the best dining around. Though, being a bachelor, all I have to please is three dogs and a bachelor.

Long time ago......Last day of the archery season with one arrow left. Did a turn around jump shop as I was headed back to the car. Probably only pulled the bow back a little more than 1/2 way as the deer was making good time and behind me when I heard the commotion.

Knew of the hit when the deer fell down due to the arrow sticking out and hitting a tree. Deer still made pretty good time, just had a limp. I hiked down to a dude ranch(?) and found a guy who gave me two bent up arrows he had found while horseback riding. Well....this was much better than nothing.

Hiked back up and started looking in earnest. A couple hours had now passed and I finally see a head poking up maybe thirty yards away. Did some mental arithmetic and aimed high due to the arrow being curved like a bow. Got lucky.....entered the eyeball and poked out the neck. Thought I got it done. Deer jumped up and started running down the hill looking a bit like a pin cushion. Used my last even more badly curved arrow and hit the buttocks. Now the deer is a pin cushion and still quartering down the hillside though weaker and much slower.

At least four hours had passed when I was finally able to tackle the deer and do it in. Got lucky in that the deer had worked it's way down the hillside and was now only a stones throw from the road. The rest was easy.

Colorado archery season enjoys very mild weather in August and September. I have to recommend a large cooler and ice for that reason. The weather was quite warm so we didn't hang it for days like one likes to.

That deer tasted kind of bad. I attribute it to miserable conditions:
1) Spent at least four hours bleeding out with me in hot pursuit.
2) Warm day, warm multi-hour drive....didn't hang.

Some of you guys make cooking sound like surgery. I let it sit a few hours and fry it in coconut oil with onions, mesquite seasoning, and red pepper. Like I said, just have to please this bachelor and that is pretty easy. Some pieces have gristle and that makes for some happy dogs.

Like another poster notes: "The more I learn about people, the more I like my dogs."

All the respect in the world for the skilled archer. My own preference has become lightning quick kills.