Update:
Took me a second to get around to writing about how the week turned out. The day after my last post, I was sitting in a stand by a cut corn field at a good choke point where it comes up to a pond. Sat down at about 2 pm and didn't see a thing until 10 minutes before last shooting light. A doe wandered in and came to stand broadside at 25 yards.
Now, I have never taken a deer with my bow before. This is my second year hunting with it and my first year feeling accurate enough to justify taking a shot. That being said, I was really really focused as turned and drew back and then let fly about 2 inches behind the crease. Then there was a huge "CLANG!" that rang through the woods because the lower limb of my bow hit a rail on the stand as I shot. I knew that stole some kinetic energy, but I thought for sure I saw the arrow where I was aiming, or maybe a little back.
She jumped and ran 10 yards and then just stood there for about 4 seconds. Then she took off like a rocket out of sight. I'm embarrassed (and kind of proud) of how bad I got "doe fever" after she ran off. First bow kill, oh man. I was shaking like crazy and texted my brothers something like looked like "Shotr s doew!!! oyue bncg xjkl" They understood.
Here's where I am an idiot. I was so excited, and so sure I put a good double lung shot on her, that I insisted we start tracking her about 30-40 minutes after we got out of our trees. We had a good blood trail (it looked like lung blood I thought) and then lost it. I reluctantly went back to the cabin for us to track in the morning.
Next morning, we started where we left off and could find no more blood. After combing through tall stuff for another 30 minutes, I found new blood about 150 yards after the last spot. And there was a lot. And then it was less and the gone. And then another spot with a lot. I realize now that I think we were pushing her the night before. Errrgghhh....
My two brothers and I stood 6 yards apart and combed through a 20 yard strip of 7 foot tall grass for the entire quarter mile of it. Only cut cornfield and open woods on either side. Looked through them both all morning. Nothing. I am still so frustrated about 2 weeks later. About 11pm that night we heard a pack of yotes going crazy a long way off from the cabin in direction we'd been searching. I hope it was something else they found.
Anyway, all in all it was a good week. Nothing beats time with family in the woods. Best week of the year without a doubt. Just 50 weeks to go till next year.
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