SteveO KanevO

Well things finally came together yesterday. I was out for a big doe particularly they one that always blows at me when she comes around. Yesterday morning I had moved my Ol Man climber into a position around a food plot that the deer were walking right by. I have hunted the food plot since opening day and only one deer actually went all the way across it instead of going around it. I watched 3 deer early in the morning feeding on acorns one ridge over and after they left things started happening. A fawn spike came and walked within 18 yards of my tree while other deer were moving towards the food plot to feed. I focused on them since both of them were humongous does. For no apparent reason they both spooked and bolted. I waited an hour before deciding to climb down ( Church time was drawing near!). As I hooked my quiver back on my bow I heard a crunch and low and behold there were two does 10 yards from my stand and were closing the distance. By this time I had the arrow knocked andthe leaddoe looks directly up my tree and starts bobbing her head. She goes on the alert and walks further out circling my tree. I find an opening at 16 yards and let fly. At this point I became very saddened because I saw where the arrow struck her as she took one step too many. When she skipped off I saw my arrow buried up to the flecting high and too far back. I sat in my stand and scolded myself for not stoping the deer. While I was waiting, her companion stepped out and walked behind my stand trying to figure out what was going on. She turned and faced away from me and I stood and drew she took 2 steps turned broadside and I whistled this time. The arrow struck home! Two hops later I watched her fall within 30 yards. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the doeand searching for the other one. My friend and I tracked her for 200 yards and jumped her up. 5 1/2 hours later we were back where we started. I have had no luck finding her and am very disappointed. I despise people who shoot deer and leave them laying. What a waste. Maybe some how she survived through it. Only time will tell.

Matt/TN

i hate to break it to ya but I highly doubt that deer will live with that much penetration, jumping her like that probably gave the external wounds clot up but she still has the serious internal injuries,More than likely she will die but making it impossible to find her.Look at the bright side though you did get one deer but took two out of the population.Thats some pretty good QDM dont worry it happens to the best of us

SteveO KanevO

Thanks I feel a little bit better about it now looking back. And where Im hunting taking out 2 does doesnt even make a dent in the buck to doe ratio. Ive seen probably around 75 deer since opening day and 2 of them have been bucks. Starting this year me and my friend are going to start managing the 200 acres we hunt. we are going to try and take around 4 or 5 does a piece and only bucks with 4 points on one side. Unless of course a pretty six point happens to wander too close and I have my bow with me

gutshot

So let me get this right, you gut shoot one deer and you feel so bad about it that you turn right aroung and shoot another deer within a few seconds, I'm I the only one that sees something wrong with this. What would you've done if you would've gut shot the second deer also. To me if I know that I've gut shot one I sure am not going to shoot another deer until I've given every effort to find the first one. JMHO

SteveO KanevO

Let me ask you this Have you ever made a bad shot at a deer and sat there and tried to justify it and say well maybe its not that bad. Maybe I hit something in there that was vital while you are replaying everything in your head?Have you ever doubted a bad shot and told yourself heckI dont think it was that bad. If you havent then you havent hunted. Im not trying to say that it was right to shoot the next doe but I did. It happened. Shes getting processed as we speak. After I shot the first one I sat there and reviewed things noting where she ran and how she was running. Her tail was down and she made three jumps into a thicket that I could hear and then silence. A few minutes went by before I shot the other doe. And in Tennessee it is legal to shoot 3 does a day. Does that tell you how many does we have? I think it should. Im not saying what I did was right or ethical but Im not saying it was wrong because at least I put forth a damn good effort to find that deer.

bhensley

Being you did try your best to find the first deer you shot I don't see anything wrong with shooting the second. If you didn't look for her after getting the other, that would be be wrong. Anyways, congrats on the second!
Brandon