October 3rd began with a wrestling match between my desire to hunt vrs my desire for sleep. I had planned for more than a week to hunt that evening due to a perfect NW wind for my most promising stand. However, I found myself awake before dawn with an opportunity to get some extra on-stand hours in at a different location so I opted to go. I was running a bit behind schedule and failed to arrive under the complete darkness of night like I had hoped. While walking to my stand I hear the blowing and stomping of multiple deer. I figured the morning was already shot but I continued towards the stand through a more secluded route. I was treated to immediate action that morning as daylight was breaking. The grip of does that had run off that morning had come back my way. They milled around the field in front of me for what seemed like an hour before one of the yearlings began to lead the way toward my stand (and the handfuls of corn I had broadcast in my shooting lanes the day before). As I was preparing to shoot the lead yearling, her mom decided that the yellow stuff looked pretty good and headed over as well. She gave me a broadside look at 15 yards and I jumped on the opportunity. Its always surreal watching that first arrow of the year headed towards an animal. In the past, this first shot has ended in a miss due to target panic. This year would be different as my arrow blew through her and stuck in the ground. I was pumped! That feeling was followed by nerves as I noticed the hole in her side was much further back than I had hoped. As she exited the scene into the woods, the remaining does seemed to be confused as to what just happened. This was proven by the fact that the yearlings soon came back to my shooting lane for some more grub. I opted to take another shot when the bigger of the two yearlings offered a shot. This time my shot was much better as I watched her run 80 yards and topple over. My adrenalin was pumping! It was my first double with any weapon and I had done it with the longbow! I opted to give the deer time and went back to the house to avoid bumping the deer further with a premature recovery attempt. I had given her 2.5 hours when I headed back to claim my prizes. The yearling was easy as I had watched her drop, the doe would prove to be another story. After 100 yards of tracking I bumped her off of her bed...which would prove to be the last time I saw her.

Disappointed and excited by the events of the morning, I turned my attention toward that evening's hunt. I had four bucks on camera at this  stand ranging from 100 " to 145". Not only did I have them on camera, but I had them patterned, knowing that each evening at dusk they came to check for some yellow kernels dispersed near my stand. As I settled in that evening I was treated to a show. I passed on 5 deer by 6:00 and the evening was just getting started. After a group of does passed through, I spotted a coyote working his way through the draw toward me. when he stopped at ten steps, I drilled him...he growled and sprinted 40 yards in his death run before he dropped. I was very confident with my shooting at this point in the game and was ready for a buck to appear.

My wish was granted at 6:30 when a  ten point strolled through the draw. He was a buck I had on camera and one that I had said before the season that I would not shoot. That went by the way-side when I  saw him in person. I don't blame anyone for being a strict trophy hunter but in my personal hunting journey, I am not there yet. Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the morning, I opted for a quartering away shot at ten yards. The shot was PERFECT. By far my best shot with a trad bow on a deer. I had slid the arrow in right behind the ribs and it was stopped by the off-side shoulder. He sprinted away in an uncoordinated death run that would end 75 yards later.

At this point, my confidence is sky high! I have three confirmed kills on the day and there is still plenty of daylight. Just as it was supposed to work out, the big boys began to work there way into my setup in the last 15 minutes of shooting light. as a 125 " 10 point walked broadside to me I went into auto-pilot. I drew, anchored, shot, aaaannnd....misery. The deer had a slight quartering away angle that turned into an extreme angle at the shot. The arrow stuck in the nearside shoulder with no more than 2" on penetration including my broadhead. I was sick. I watched as the deer stopped in the field behind me and began to feed! I could see my entire arrow sticking out of him as he calmly fed in the opposite direction. To top it off, the 145" drop tine deer was also in the field. Had I waited, he would have followed his comrade straight to my stand.

It truly was an awful ending to an day that had more ups than any day in my hunting career. I had my largest bow-kill on the ground along with a doe and a coyote yet I cannot help feel that the day ended with an empty feeling. It was so sweet with success but so miserable with the thoughts of what could have been. I am confident that the big buck will make it just fine and later confirmed that the doe became a coyote snack. My hope is to complete the harvest of the buck at a later date and bring this story full-circle.

Thanks for reading and being an outlet for me to express my mixed feelings from the pursuit of fair-chaise whitetails. Below are pics of my kills. My setup was a Rich Emery Stickbow 47# @28" GT Trads
35/55 and 210 grain Simmons Tigersharks.

   

 Excellent!!! Nice job!!!

What a day!

A wild day in the woods,    

You did real good!

Wow!  What a crazy day.  I guess that is bowhunting.  There is no way to predict what may come.

Quit a day, congrats Brother!

Congrats !

Great day of hunting!      

Congrats!!

Great hunt, Congrats  

We all have to take the bad with the good. Sorry you lost the doe, and good luck on the buck to come!

Congrats on the deer and the yote!

Bisch

Congrats on one heck of day in the field!!!

Big boy will be OK, don't sweat it.

Congrats!

congrats

Man what a day!!  Congrats to a fellow Okie!

Well it wouldn't be hunting without some ups and downs but you've done pretty well for your self congrats

You packed a whole season into one day!  LOL