Had a doe running in from behind me with (I thought was another doe single file 4 feet behind her), didnt know which way they were going to go around me at less than 5 feet, but I hoped to my left as my right shoulder is impaired and I have a hard time turning right. Of course they came to my right and stopped 5 ft from tree below me. Then while the first doe looked around (when she smelled my trail at base of my ladder stand), the second doe caught up and picked it's head up to reveal a "shooter" rack. They both looked right at me and when she was sure I wasn't human(Trebark camo works wonders when leaves are gone) she started walking towards the field. He nudged her with his antlers and she took off in a circle trying to ditch him as soon as she hit the field leaving me with no shot on him(except tail). She made a loop with him in trail and started on a second loop. I was following him with my Maxpoint hoping they would stop, but she straightened out and began running across the field, and as he came around and straightened out, I seen a shot coming I felt i could make at 35yds before he would be heading across the field. I put the crosshairs just ahead of his brisket at lung height and squeezed the shot off. He immediately stopped running and started walking along the treeline real slow for about 50 yds. He stopped and just stood in the field for about 2 mins and just laid down. He laid there sitting up every now and then for about 15 mins and then another buck(junky broken antlers buck that has been annoying me all season) came in and started walking around him as if taunting him. The shot buck tried to get up and the junk buck would take off and cut a loop past my stand then stop below me watching the buck in the field to see if he was coming or not..This repeated itself 3 times and took 30 minutes. The big buck finally got his feet and then the junk buck took off across the field. The big buck walked into the woods and I heard him lay/crash down after traveling about 25 yards.
It was almost dark now so I decided to wait until completely dark and I snuck out away from him and went around the property I hunt to me Jeep the lonnggg way. Gave it another hour and came back across field to look for arrow. Found it about 40yds from stand in mud(my kids metal detector) and blood had stomach matter as well as bright red blood. I found blood trail and decided we would follow to where I seen him last and if he wasn't where I heard him lay down, we would wait until morning so we didn't push him off our small property.
When we got to the field edge I told my brother in law "last I heard him was right there" and when I pointed the light there, we seen him on his side.
He said "that was easy". Buck only went a total of 75 yds. So I'm really glad I stick to my plan and never pursuit them unless I actually can see them dead.
The arrow was a little far back because deer kept turning right instead of straightening out(which I thought would be the case for broadside shot) and clipped 4 inches behind back of closest lung(upper paunch)and exited clean through center of the far lung. This obviously knocked the wind out him and then he bled out from the Steelhead's damage. In hindsight, I of course question myself if was a good shot, and considering my options and the inevitable fading opportunity I'm glad I took the shot. The funny thing is that I impress myself sometimes on hard to make shots and when I don't have time to "over think" the shot, it goes exactly where I want it.
....Congratulations on a mighty fine harvest!
