First Deer Attempt with Bow

Been bow hunting for quite some time now, never had much opportunity to take a shot. I took a few year break and decided to try it again this year. Last night I went out and I have been bound and determined to get one while hunting on the ground no with no blind (why not make things more difficult right?!). So I was hunkered down in a mildly sparse brush pile and after a few hours I hear a few deer making there way to the edge of the field. I assume a very awkward squat/crouch position and hold that for approx. 35 minutes. 2 does finally show themselves and get almost to a position for a shot. Wouldn’t you no it the wind shifts right towards them and the lead doe definitely catches wind of me. She comes on a string right to me to investigate the scent. she makes it within 3 yards of me with only a patch of brush 2′ thick between me and her. She doesn’t like whatever she was seeing I assumed it was me and quickly walked off back into the woods and the other doe follows and I can hear another deer that is never Identified leave as well. So as I am still in the awkward squat, I stand to regain feeling in my lower legs that now feel like I just dead lifted more weight than I could ever handle. As I am standing up here the 3 does come again right down the field edge, I return to my squat and questioned if it was a worth while cause. Lead doe makes her way almost to my shooting lane skylined on the hill in the field at 25 yards. I draw back she takes 2 more steps I slowly stand out of my brush bunker and get my pin on her. I let the arrow fly and here the thwap of a target hit. She takes off slightly low and like there is a match lighting her tail end on fire and the other two confused, follow her. Beings it was getting to be dark I unfortunately could not see my arrow fly or where it hit. In my excitement of hitting my first deer I wait 10 minutes and venture out into the field to look for blood or my arrow. No dice on either. I start down the trail looking for blood and 15 minutes later a lone deer goes crashing through the brush not 50 yds from my brush pile blind, hops the fence onto state land and goes quiet. I remember then the huge rule of give them time before looking. I back out and return 3 1/2 hrs later to look. find blood and start to track. Bright red it was and drops every 2′-5′ for awhile. Then find a 8″ diameter circle of heavy blood in approximately the location I believe my doe came running out of when I jumped her. At 11:30 I called it a night and will be back out this afternoon to see if I can find her. Not the way I planned my first archery deer was go. Will supply updates as this progresses.

Congrats on the first hit. Hope there is a happy ending in sight. Shooting from the ground, not in a blind with a bow is a tough venture. Much tougher than on the ground with a gun.

Well I left work early yesterday as to get out in the light, grabbed my dog to take her for a “walk”. The last part of the blood trail that was seen was on a county park abutting the property. The dog (a yellow lab named Roxy) found the trail and immediately started pulling me through a prickly ash infested snarly mess. We were still on blood but drops were few and far between. Roxy is not trained in this venture but is an excellent upland and waterfowl dog and has tracked many wounded birds and I figured a strong nose would maybe benefit. The trail continued a few hundred yards with one bed and very limited blood. Unfortunately for me the trail dried up, and my prospective deer got away. Hopefully it was a non lethal shot and it will recover. Not the way I intended and will go back to practicing shooting with my bow with some of the irregular poses I faced in the hunts that I have experienced this year. I have learned a lot in all this and will be back out again to hopefully be successful, but my ego and confidence needs a breather and some more practice shots apparently. Never a good feeling when you wound an animal that’s for sure…