Finally! After striking out all of last season, I took my first archery deer last evening, on MI's opening day. A 3-1/2 y.o. doe. We'd been out early in the morning, and I made on shot, which was clean miss right over her back. Nothing the rest of the morning. Came back to the same blind about 4:30, and sat for an hour. 3 does came out into a clearing to feed. As I drew, one saw me and I had to hold at 1/2 draw. Never been shaking so bad in my life. She finally looked down after what felt like an eternity (probably more like a minute or less), and I finished drawing, but she was still too alert and on hearing the release, she spun around and the arrow caught some hair, but that was it. I was absolutely sure I had a clean miss, but my buddy wasn't. After some debate we went to check the arrow, and sure enough, nothing but hair. This was maybe 20 minutes later. As we were moving back to the blind, my buddy turned around and signaled to me there was still a doe about 75 yards away looking at me.
Now, I've always wondered something; if you see a deer and it thinks you are a predator, it will run. But what if it doesn't think you are one? What if you turn and "run away" first? Will it bolt, stay put, or come in? I still had my bow with me, so I decided to see. Me and my buddy each moved off a different direction away from the deer, and I stopped behind a nice forked tree where I could see and shoot between the trunks w/o exposing myself too much. To my huge amazement, she started coming in! After several more minutes, there were 4 doe in a small group about 25 to 30 yards away. The big one turned broadside at 25 yards looked my way, but did nothing, and then went to eating. I drew, hoping not to get seen again, aimed, and released. I was expecting a "thwack." It was more a of "thwump." At any rate, it was a good hit, a little high, but still a double-lung. I can't really put words to what it was like. After 2 misses that day, I'm not really sure what I was prepared for. It was awesome. I don't mean awesome in the modern, surfer-slang way, but in its most literal meaning. Awe-inspiring. Found her about 30 minutes later, 200 yards away. Didn't find the arrow, though. No pass-through, not broken off inside. Weird. Anyway, I just wanted to share the experience!
