My season is over.

[Goyaałé]

Well it looks like tag soup for me. Walking into my spot at 7am. Sat for a few hours and then 3 doe and a spike come out. Target doe walks to shooting lane 30 yards. All other deer are behind brush. I draw. As I'm about to release one of the other doe blows. She literally blows a split second before I release. As soon as I release I see target doe duck the arrow and then leap forward. Arrow grazeses her back an flies down the hill. She was at a rocky steep edge. They never came back. Found my arrow 60 yards down the hill. 15 ft up in a old soft dead oak. My season is over. Congratulations to everyone that tagged out. To you guys still out there I wish you the best of luck. It's been a great season for me. I've learned so much this year. These last 3 months in particular. Put in miles & miles of scouting. Nothing can replace time on the mountain. I was hot and starving at the beginning of the season to wet, cold and starving at the end of season. Next year I will hit a few spots I didn't get to this year. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas & I hope you all have a Happy New Year !!!!!

 

[TheGDog]

Aw man.. it freaking burns to lose an arrow! Them damn things ain't cheap! First day of archery season on my D15 tag, a nimble, barely-legal forkie dink ducks the arrow on me. As he did so, he was standing on a slope and his lowside foot slipped out a little, so for a split second I thought it was because of a hit! Ugh... That feeling when the elation turns into realization Then he trots a few, and the next place he stops that I can shoot, he's got a darn bush covering him up to his shoulders. It was going to be the only other shot I was gonna get, so I tried it anyway, approximating about where it *should* go. Yeah... that's not happenin'. Arrow obviously deflected or whatever, and MAN!... it was impressive watching him take off like a rocket. It was crazy hot, but I had to inspect the line he ran away along just to make sure I didn't actually hit him by chance. I was dying from heat with my heavy pack since it was going to be an overnighter.

That incident taught me my second lesson yet again about bowhunting and being meticulously aware of the ranges! I had pre-ranged the spot he first stopped at to be 40yds. But with the day and the Sun moving my sit position had move a tiny bit to keep in the shadows, so it was more like 36yds at the time of the shot, hence the reason it was high enough on him that he could duck and it go over his back. Oh well... next time. I raise my tag soup glass to ya brother.

 

[Bowman]

Well brother I still call it success.
You saw deer, you had shots.
Just wasn't in the cards.
And more experience.
It's hard to bow Hunt.
Your still have many more Hunting in the future. More opportunity in state and out of state.
Best
Lee

 

[socalhntr]

Dead center of that tree!

 

[Bowman]

Next year I going back to deer stand Hunting.
Pro`s is less strenuous and less hiking.
I need to buy or make more comfortable sitting.
Pick a good travel corridor for deer.
If money permits I like to head north.
More woods and more deer.
But stay here with an A22 tag.

 

[Bowman]

Dead center of that tree!

I agree, get an accurate distance.
I switching to on pin.