I took a doe whose field dressed weight was 92 LBS opening morning in Oklahoma November 20. I had placed my 14 year old son and 26 year old niece around a large pond on the hunting ground, figuring this was the most desirable hunting location. I climbed over a hill behind the pond and took a position watching a trail that led along the very edge of the property, right next to a road. About 8 AM I hear a shot from the pond and about 5 minutes later a cautious doe walks along the trail in front of me. She looks directly at me so I avert my eyes and freeze. When she drops her head to graze a bit, I try to lift my rifle slow, but she lifts her head again. I avert my eyes and freeze. We do this back and forth for awhile, maybe a minute, and she runs off. I snap my rifle up, think I see her in the scope, but decide I better not shoot -- I really don't have confidence shooting at running deer with a scoped rifle. The trail is only about 25 yards away from me, and it is right at the fence. I'm beginning to feel low, fearing that my ambush spot is bad because all the deer will be close in and I won't get a chance to get my rifle up and get a shot on the deer. Oh well, my son and niece may do well down at the pond. About 9:15 AM another doe walks along the trail from the opposite direction and seems to be oblivious to any dangers. I easily mount my rifle and even reposition my right leg and plant my right heel more firmly to support my right elbow to make a more steady shot. The doe never sees me and I shoot her with my .243 at about 25 yards. The shot was a bit further forward than I would have liked. It went in front of her right leg, pretty low, and broke her left leg exiting. She dropped 10 yards up the trail. The shot damaged a lot of shoulder meat. I'll be more attentive to shoot further back, behind the legs, behind the shoulder meat next time. I was particularly trying to avoid shooting in the stomach, but just went too far forward I think.
Turns out the earlier shot was my niece missing a shot on one of two does that appeared at the pond. Maybe the cautious deer I couldn't get my rifle up onto was one of these two. My son, who had been suffering from a cold and cough of some sort, had fallen asleep at his position and was awakened, naturally, by my niece's rifle shot. My niece was using a Winchester model 94 .30-30, and on inspection it turned out the rear sight adjustment ramp had fallen out, so there was no telling where that rifle was shooting! Her shot was just 30 yards, so should have been easy even though she doesn't practice much.
