HuntingNet.com Forums - Scored on the SC opener!

Someone wake me up. This never happens to me. Everyone that hunts with me knows I never connect on the 1st day of the hunt. Im always a last minute last hope guy, until this morning. I hunted my cousins property in Lee Co. SC today for opening day of bow season. I flew in last night, got un packed and had a bite to eat with him and some of his buddys. Could barely sleep last night, I think I looked over my bow about 30 times, making sure the string was waxed, sights in place, etc. I think I even tucked it into bed after reading it a story. So I get to my stand well before first light this morning in a thick, jungle like bedding area/transition pinch. It was hot as hell, I had ants biting my neck, bugs dive bombing into my nose and eyes and by 9:30 a.m I hadnt seen a single living animal. I was still happy to by in a tree with my bow. 9:45 I spot a doe with her fawn walk by, followed by a 2.5 year old 10 point with a ton of potential. Another doe walked through the same spot, so I opened up my cell and sent my cousin a text saying we need to hang a stand about 60 yards NW of where I am. About 10 minutes after I sent the text I stood up to stretch, getting ready to call to get picked up when I looked to my hard right and could make out a the image of a good sized deer about 35 yards into some thick stuff. I put my binos on him and saw he was a 3.5 year old 8 pointer, a shooter SC buck, but probly a passer in KY...I made the decison to try to shoot this guy. I grabbed my rangefinder as he started quartering away and heading for where the previous deer had traveled. My heart starts hammering and I get a bit of the shakes. I range a little opening at 42 yards, he steps into it quartering away, I draw back settling my 40 on him about mid ship, focusing on a good exit right behind his right shoulder and let it go. I saw the arrow go in down to the fletchings and watched intently on where he ran. After 50 yards I lost him. He ran down hill into some THICK stuff towards a creek. It felt like a perfect shot. I called my cousin told him what happend. He told me to wait 30 minute to climb down until he got there but I climbed down the second after I hung up. Ohhh no, I found unpromising blood about 10 yards from the impact point. Looked like guts to me. Soon as he I saw my cousin walking to me I told him we need to back off. We decide to go back to the house, have lunch and get a search party to help. I figured I got guts, maybe liver and most likely 1 lung but I still felt pretty sick. I changed into some jeans and a long sleeve shirt and we ventured back into the 100 deg. heat. We got on the blood I left and followed it for 30 some yards and started to find alot of good blood. 150 yards later we had one dead deer. The shot was good, with about 3 inches sticking out his right side tucked behind the crease. He's not a KY shooter but by God hes a mature buck and I got him with my bow and I am tickled. Sorry for the crap picture, only 1 we took. I was covered in sweat, had bugs al over me and felt like i was gona have a heat stroke by the time we found him! More worried about getting him back to camp and iced down. Back straps tonight!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a338/PSEaxis/2velvet8.jpg?t=1187211750