My First Archery Deer.

     I pursued deer with a bow for 3 long years. I hunted from the ground, with no blind, somewhere between still and stand hunting. I had a couple experiences with deer that I didn't recover and after that I started using better judgement and waiting for ethical shots, which don't come easy when your bow is maxed out on its poundage at 40lbs shooting little fairy-toothpick-light arrows with 75-85 grain broadheads. But I hunted... Every day of the season I could possibly hunt. Even if it was 45 minutes after I got home from school, I knew it would have to come together if I hunted enough.
       However unlucky the number 13 is supposed to be, I consider it good luck, because it was the 13th when I connected with my first archery deer. On that crisp October morning, I woke up slightly before daylight, "suited up", grabbed my bow, and set out with high hopes, this was going to be my 7th day deer hunting this year...hmm... seems like some funny stuff is going on with numbers, if you get my drift... Anyways, I spooked around 15 deer on my way in, and thought surely none would return that morning, but I wasn't about to call it quits. I set up on a ridgetop, with a tractor trail, about 8 yards wide, punching a hole through the hardwoods for about 100 yards before turning out of sight. This was going to be my shooting lane... Or so I thought...
       Immediately after I had enough light to see my pins, a decent 6 pointer caught my attention about 75 yards away, nose to the ground, trailing a doe. Once I saw he wasn't going to come within range, I turned over the bleat can a couple times, but he was too focused to notice, even at 40 yards. When he moved on out of sight, I settled myself back in, and looked over my shoulder just in  time to see 3 does, curious about all the bleating, spook from about 50 yards. I thought to myself "this is going to be another one of those days when everything goes right...for the deer...". I waited for another 25 minutes before seeing a doe feeding along a deer trail about 60 yards away. I watched her for a while, not bothering with the can because she was downwind and I was praying she didn't smell me. She didn't, but she didn't come in range either, and headed "on her way".
       After another half hour, I heard footsteps behind me, very far off, it was a squirrel. I kept listening and realised this was no squirrel, so I clipped my release onto the loop and turned to look in the direction of the noise while slowly adjusting my position so I could get a shot. My gaze was met by two huge eyes of a yearling doe about 5 yards behind my, staring straight at me. I froze but it was too late, she bounded away, snorting like crazy, letting all the deer in the woods know that I was there. I heard her stop at about 75 yards over the hill, and decided it was pretty much over at this point, so I turned over the bleat can. The bleat was responded to by a loud snort, but I figured I could keep playing, so I did. She kept snorting, but pretty soon I could hear the snorts getting closer, and before I knew it she was 40 yards away. I called one last time, and then clipped my release closed and got ready. I saw her walking broadside at 30 yards, stomping loudly with each high-knee step, but I drew, and she stopped. My bow was zeroed at 15 yards, so I knew I would have to compensate for some drop. I drew, settled the pin in her back, above her lungs, and squeezed. I saw the arrow zip straight to her and hit only an inch or two below my point of aim, and was overcome with that sick feeling any hunter gets when he or she know her shot did not strike where it should have, I knew this would turn out like all the other failed attempts.
     To my suprise, she dropped, but knowing this was a spine shot, I got up and bounded through sticks and brush and immediately sent one through her vitals. I walked away for a brief moment to allow the deer to pass on, and once she stopped kicking, I headed over to analyze the situation. I realized why my arrow hit high. The deer was so small that I misjudged the distance. I am not upset that my first deer was a young one, nor am I upset about taking a young animal. It is legal, youger animals are much less tough and gamey, and hey when you can drag your deer back with one hand on the leg, its awesome! I field dressed the deer, and headed home. The deer was never frozen with the exception of a hindquarter I exchanged for use of a climbing stand this season (thanks Scott!), we literally ate the backstraps on the first day, the shoulders the second day afterwords, and the hindquarter on the 3rd day after the harvest. My quest was complete, but this was just the beginning of my bowhunting adventures...Thanks for reading!

The gut cavity is sunken in because of the deer being field dressed don't worry, she was perfectly healthy.