Well, deer season opened for Tennessee yesterday morning. I missed out on the morning hunt, because I was busy packing for the afternoon!
The hunt club I'm a member of, has our land about 2¾ hours drive from my house. So, I packed for an overnighter.
I arrived at the site at 2pm, set up my campsite & got into my hunting gear. I threw my stand on my back, a book & a few bottles of water in my pocket, (It's still in the 80's & the humidity is HIGH) grabbed my beautiful Morrison Cheyenne & headed out for the trees.
I had a pretty good idea of where I needed to be after having an afternoon in a nearby tree last year & seeing good sign. I had a small hill to my right, a gravel road 20 yards to my left & beyond that a small backwater. The wind was coming nicely down the hill & hooking around to blow in my face (according to the Thermacell smoke)
After an hour or so, I began to figure out that I was probably in the stand a bit early (I live in the Central timezone, the club is Eastern  :rolleyes: ) so I dug into the Den of the Old Bowhunter for some inspiration from Chester Stevenson.
.
.
.
Time passes.
.
.
.
More time passes.
.
.
.
Sitting there in a slight downpour I started to hear movement up the hill. Sqirrels.
Finally the rain gave it up & the woods began to spring to life. I catch sight of movement. A flash, nothing more. I started to twist & gyrate, trying to see through the trees in the failing light. I catch a glimpse of a leg & my attention focuses instantly on that spot. I'm so intent on seeing te rest of the deer in tat tiny gap, 40 yards away, that I completely fail to see the doe walking calmly towards me. Finally my brain kicks in & I see the deer. I'm already on full alert now, bow in hand, vibrating like I'm on a caffeine high. Ever so slowly I bring my right hand to the string & locate the nock & begin to rotate towards my quarry. She stops. Facing me. Drops her head & starts to pick up the few White Oak acorns she can find. She turns away & I put tension to the 63# carbon & foam, diamond back-backed limbs. A step to her left. Feeding. Another step left & she's quartering away by a couple of degrees, my bow is up, heavily canted to avoid the bar around my climber, the arrow is suddenly not there & the deer is running away. Did I miss? I know I bent at the waist. I think I hit my anchor. I don't think I 'peeked' Can I see my arrow in the dirt? No. Hmm. Where'd it go then? I must've hit it. I hit it.
I.
.
Hit.
.
That.
.
Deer.
I HIT THE DEER!! IHITTHEDEERIHITTHEDEERIHITTHEDEEEEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, now the shakes kick in, big time. I struggle to remember how to sit down & try & compose myself. I try & remember where she was when I shot & where she ran to. OK, think I've got it now. Slowly, slowly down the tree I go (Terrified & shaking ever step of the way) to take up the trail. I can't see any blood in this light & my headlight is in the truck, dammit. No problem, I'll go to the last place I saw her & flag the spot before I go get it. I pace off 12 yards from my tree to where she stood. 12 yards, cool! 22 more yards to where I remember seeing her run. Oooh, there's my arrow. It's got all red on the end & the bleeder's missing from the big Magnus four blade head. Cool!
Ok, she went thattaway, over a small rise. Go on Rob, take a peek. There she lay. At rest, at the base of a small tree & very, very dead.
A quick peek at the wound tells me that I passed high through her right lung, through the middle of her left & smashed holy hell out of her left shoulder, leaving a small exit wound & lots of splintered bone.
Now the frantic texting & phone calls to everyone I've ever met or heard of to let 'em all know that I've just got my first deer with a bow!
Quick Robbie, grab the camera......****, ****, ****ing ****, it's at home, 2¾ hours away.

So, I don't have any 'Before' photos & no 'hero' shots. But I do have these.......





Hope this isn't too rambling for ya!  :D

Ataboy Rob!!!!
I knew you'd get one. Glad to see you opened your Tenn season with a success. Your first Whitetail!
Once again Congratulations!!!
               

Way to go Mate!!!  Its cool as can be to see someone get excited, even over a doe!!!  Good story!!!!

Very nice!Those pics are great.

 Leland

Nice photos....my frig looks real similiar from last nights hunt!  

You gotta be kidding me, you kill your first deer, and YOU FORGOT YOUR CAMERA!!!!!

Shame on you    :mad:  

Congrats brother, very happy for you!!  

Bet you can't wait to do it again    

Good on ya, Rob!

CONGRATS ROB!!!  

Good for you, good story even if you forgot the camera. I like the after display also.

  Congrats Rob, hopefully the first of many.  

Excellent!! Im sure you are still smiling....but next time, bring a camera!

cool!  

WAY TO GO!!! CONGRATS          

Nice job!  Your telling me you got a phone you can text on and no camera in it?   :rolleyes:

Congrats!!

Way too cool Rob!! I wish I could have seen you shimmy down that tree after the shot, shaking worse than the leeves on the tree itself.
It just doesn't get any better than that!!

Way to go Rob!         Good story telling...i could feel the shakes myself!

Great Job Rob!!!! congrats  

Congrats on the first deer Rob  

Way to go Rob!!!  Now go get one and take some "hero" pics!    

Although I like the ones you posted!

Congrats!