The wind was blowing steadily out of the west but I had a feeling I could hide from the zephyr in the Arm Pit Stand south of the swampy woods where Silver Creek enters from the west. The deer tend to sneak through there and along the trail that bends at that location.
Sure enough, not much wind at all with all the trees back in there - although the stand was swaying a wee bit.
I climbed to the platform and settled-in hanging my pack on a nail and fixing the face veil on my cammo hat. Just as I was reaching to fetch an arrow to nock I heard the alarm call of a whitetail and a doe and her two fawns came sashaying directly past me, turned and continuing south to stop about 75 yards to the south.
I don't think they saw me but rather winded me just to the left of this tree trunk.
click on image to enlarge
Startled, I only spied them as they trotted to the right and turned leaving me nothing but assholes and flagging white tails. They stopped on the trail in the upper right corner of the photo.
Geeze.
Twenty minutes later I was startled again by a ruckus to my left and behind.
Two additional whitetails bounding north thru the water in the swampy woods. There was no alarm call and the only thing that tipped me off was the crashing and splashing, Not knowing from whence they came I can only presume that they winded me like the deer earlier.
Sheesh.
Settling back - I now committed to performing a slow 360 degree scan of my surroundings. Carefully watching for an animal that might approach from any direction. Within an hour my diligence paid-off.
A small doe was picking her way through the swampy woods from the north and slowly made her way towards my stand. When her head was down I raised-up at the ready and she continued towards me and stopped at the base of the ladder directly below me. It was a near vertical shot at a narrow target but I visualized the arrow passing through the spine and heart. I released.
Wheeling, the deer bounded-off through the water in the same direction it came but not at all behaving like a mortally wounded animal. My arrow was stuck in the turf.
Climbing down I pulled it out. It was covered in bits of flesh and hair - and had not a speck or drop of arterial blood.
Crap. I am cursed.
I performed a thorough search for any sort of blood trail and found nothing. As I replayed the scenario last evening I concluded that my arrow glanced-off or passed through the animal's left shoulder - a high shot allowing for the short distance. Who practices shooting at 10 - 12 feet?
Since the deer was not alarmed and hadn't sensed my presence I should have had the presence of mind and waited for it to proceed further and step into the trail for a high percentage shot situation.
Lesson learned.
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