I got settled up a tree in my climber around 7 at what we call the tractor seat stand. Around 7:25 a doe comes busting it down beside me from the power-line and stops 10 yards to my right where i cant shoot. She doesn't hang around for but 10 seconds or so. No more than 5 minutes later I hear one in the thicket above me. She lets me get stood up and turned to where i could shoot. After a nice 5 minute long staring contest she decides to feed closer. She ends up broadside at 12 yards. I focus on the pocket behind her shoulder and start my draw.

I get almost to full when my old friend target panic pops his head up and i let it go. That in itself would have given me a lung hit except the doe turns on the shot. All of this coupled with the fact i was shooting low to compensate for her ducking which she didn't do. Turns out to be a pure gut shot.

She hops to about 40 yards and beds down. A few minutes later she gets up and walks away all the while stopping.

Three hours later we jump her getting my dad's button buck out that he shot with his compound. We decided to be back by 3.

We started tracking where we had jumped her. Maybe not tracking more just trying to find the body. She didn't bleed a drop and we couldn't hoof track because of all of the deer sign on this hillside. Grid searching the whole half of this mountain we come up empty so we start up the dry creek bed at the bottom. Dad takes the right while I take the left.

As I'm working my way up I decide to sit down and take a water break and pray. While I have been praying since 7:30 that morning I thought it would be a good time to lift up another.

I go maybe 50 yards up the side of the hill and look down into the gully and see that familiar grey back laying in the bottom. 10 hours after the shot we find her still limber and warm. After a hug and high five and all the other things dads and sons do we got to work on her. I lifted up another prayer then, this one of thanks and apology to the deer.

After 5 years of bow hunting and my second year of traditional archery I finally pulled it off on my FIRST shot ever on a deer with traditional gear. God truly is a good God.

The woodsman elite getting tossed out of my 57# Zipper longbow rocked her.

 

Congratulations!!! The first one is the BEST!
Glenn

Congrats!!!  That shot looks like you may have gotten some liver also.  Joe

Good shooting,and nice trophy.Now your hooked!!!

Super job. Your smile says it all, congrats on a real trophy  

Great job,congrats.  

congrats!

 Way to see it through,Matthew.
Bill

CONGRATS on your first trad deer  

   

Congrats!!  Where abouts are you in TN?

Hunting down in Hamilton county.

Congratulations, on your first, God is present always.

Congrats, I'm a Hamilton county hunter also.

Well Done, Congrats!

I appreciate your testimony as well as your deer.

You did a great job seeing it through to it's conclusion.

I know you appreciated the help from both Dads.

God bless,Mudd

Awesome !! congrats on the recovery.

very good!!!  reminds me of a doe that spun on me and I gut shot her.. found her the next morning but man o man what a smell!!!! for me it was a lesson well learned where my shot was too long to begin with..  

fresh meats a stacking,, T

Way to go.  I applaud your persistance, when so many others would have given up.  You will be rewarded with many more.

Good job.