So there I was, sitting in a tree. I figured I had the deer all figured out. Along comes this 8 pointer. At least that's what I called him. He's coming straight my way. He get 35 yards away and turns left through the thicket behind a screen of brush. Then he turns head on, then behind some more brush and starts on a line that would put him about 30 yards out. I'm ready. He veers more away... when he finally hits the hole I call it 40 yards. I squat a little to shoot under a limb. I settle my 40 yard pin below center and let squeeze it off. The arrow is heading perfect right on a path that should put it right at the crease. It's looking good. It's looking better.... and then the bottom falls out the last few yards as the arrow looses ground. It looks like it passed just under the brisket about an inch behind the leg. If he had been closer and squatted I'd have centered him...but he didn't make a move until after the arrow got there. He runs away, circles back where he came from and is gone. Positive I missed. I called Mdbowhunter on the radio and gave him the news(we were about 200-250 yards apart. Scared buck coming your way. Never happened.

10 minutes later a really big doe and another doe walke directly under me offering about 20 slam dunk opportunities. Why is that. The buck was suppose to come through the same thicket. I got down at dark and went to retrieve my arrow. It was dark and there were leaves and tall ferns all over the place. COuldn't find it. So I turned on the light and walked the trail the buck had run. OPS... a spot of blood, and another, and another. I'd find just a pencil size spot ever 10 yards. I finally found a little dripping where he had stopped but I knew it was nothing vital. Decided if it was he wouldn't die right away so I'd give him till morning. Found the arrow in the AM. Clean as a whistle except for a smearing of tallow on one side of the arrow. I walked off the shot.....45-46 yards. Two inches higher... 5 yards closer and I kill the bugger. It was the prettiest arrow flight you ever saw for the first 40.[&:][&:] I had marked the last tiny speck I found the night before. Picked it up in the AM but never found another drop. Positive on the shot. I would have swore it missed altogether. No sound or smack. No hunching or anything. The bugger just had his brisket line shaved by one blade of my Thunderhead. Flight tested the arrow. Perfect. New blades ready to go. SO anyway... I flat azzzzzzzzzzzz missed. That's better than buggering him up. But I'd rather have been 3 or 4 inches higher.

We hunted Thursday night - Sat AM. Not many deer sightings at all. I saw 7 or 8 the night I missed the buck. Rick saw a spike and a couple does... that was it. Len, Rick and I hunted this AM and drew blanks just as we did last night. They still don't have all the corn down. Rick had a hunt kind of messed up the night I missed the buck by a guy wandering in from the adjacent property and giving him some grief. After Rick showed him the property line a couple times and relayed what I was adding over the radio the guy left. We pointed out he was the interloper...not us. So, we had cameras and lots of memory cards and all kinds of people to drag........but nothing to drag except our sorry butts back and forth to the trees. I told RIck he's a failure. All my guest have ALWAYS gotten a deer or two. This morning I decided I was going to whack one of the numerous does I've let walk for the past 3 weeks. Of course I didn't see any. That's the way it's suppose to work according to Murphy's Law.... but I think we'll change that to Murrays Law. He's a failure.[8D][8D][8D][8D] Fun time...no deer and one sorry shooter.

Rick is now a permit carrying scoundrel of the Petting Zoo. Next trip I'm going to teach him the proper way to take a dump in the woods. Can you believe he had the nerve to climb down this AM before the appropriate time and made a hasty dump in our woods. Some people![8D][8D][8D]

Sounds like a great time all around you NONmoderator, buck missin, ASAT wearing, bowhuntin madman. That's quite a crew you had in the woods. I know what you mean by the prettiest arrow flight ya ever saw...I had one like that, that I remember fondly....but I did ten ring, double lung the buck, although small broken rack buck he was...it's still the fondest arrow flight I ever saw...

Sounds like a great hunt regardless DavidMil....it's still early..I know you'll be out there...

Dave, no dump pics pleeease

Hey Dave,

I can relate to Murphy's law. Opening day, I was watching a trail left and right in front of me. Almost 0614, dark still. I just happened to look down and there's a huge buck nosing around at the foot of my stand. Actually jolted me from my mid-morning stupor. I got up and drew, attempted to aim downwards, couldn't see my pins and couldn't get a comfortable angle. I eased up and tried to draw again. The buck sensed something and pointed his head out. Then put his head back down. I drew again, still couldn't see my pins, then the buck looked up right at me, we stared at each other for a long 30 seconds. Then he moved a couple of steps to the right. Broadside shot at an acute angle. I swiveled my torso to follow him and adjusted my feet so slightly AND THE STRONGBUILT LADDER STAND CREAKED on me! The buck TOOK OFF....

Ran into another bunch of trees, Then a doe came out of the trees and stared in my direction. I was the statue of liberty, but she KNEW what was up.

I'm going back to that particular stand maybe sometime next week. Hope that those deer have forgotten about me....

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland

Boy David you tell a good story, covered all the points. Now about this dump thing, I come down 20 minutes early cause, well I just had to. I did dig a hole though and I told David it must be from hanging with him, you all know of the famous blue undee pic, that I never do that in the woods. Had a great time, stomach muscles a little sore from all the tree climbing with the climbers. Speaking of which David somehow forgot to tell you all he might still be in that tree if I didn't come over to him. He was having one heck of a time trying to desend with that climber of his. He even lost the bottom of it a couple times and I had to get a stick to push it back up to him all the while being slammered with #%$&!!! treestand. He did have a rope attaching the two pieces together but he just could'nt try as he might get it back up to him. I thought you got better with a new stand every time you used it, he seemed to take longer each time, didn't matter if he was going up or down so finally the last hunt today he gets in a hang on. I tell you though for an old man he sure has stanimal, allthough he did oversleep this morning. So I left the woods this weekend with a lot of memories and less 1 pair of underware. Great stuff.

HOLY CRAPPOLA!!!!! You mean you buried those undies on the hill? That should really attract the varmits.

Sounds like you still had yourself a load of fun!!

David sound's like a pretty good time even if you never dragged and bagged a deer ,but your gonna have to stop these guy's from marking thier territory .

nubo

Great story david - almost like I was there, staring at some flesh colored, blue blob.... well, nevermind.

Did the same thing last year - grazed a 6pt's brisket, just a bit of tallow on the arrow, and the dreaded few drops of blood.

There's always next time.