opening day- so close

[youngbowyer]

Our early season opened up today. I got in my stand at 5 am and it was still pitch black. Around 6:10 it was light enough to shoot. I watched the woods come alive and at 7 am 2 does came in. One offered me a good shot and I drew back and missed My nerves got the best of me, i am confident I will make it happen this year though. Wish me luck

[Pat B]

Pick a spot! You lost concentration and shot at the deer and not the SPOT.
  You are getting close. I missed the first 9 I shot at. 
  Looking forward to your first kill soon. 

[Keenan]

Like Pat said, "Aim small, Miss small"

[Cameroo]

The beauty of hunting with a bow is having those really close encounters.  Even if you miss, there's still something really satisfying about even having a shot, and being able to get that close to such a wary creature.

Good luck and shoot straight! I'm going to attempt my first longbow hunt in a couple weeks, so I may require a bit of luck my way too

[JW_Halverson]

I really wish I lived close enough so that when you get that first deer you could call me to come help haul it out of the woods with you.  You the man, Tom!

[gstoneberg]

Tom, my wife accuses me of missing on purpose so I don't have an excuse to quit hunting.  I've adopted that excuse for all misses now.  The cool thing about primitive archery is that you'll get so many second shots.  I have killed 2 does that were sniffing the first arrow.  It is gonna happen for you.  Keep on hunting.

George

[TRACY]

Misses will make you really appreciate that great shot when it happens. Keep at it!


Tracy

[youngbowyer]

had a point blank range shot today at a small deer that still had a couple of spots, i did the ethical thing and let it pass. We are going to have temps this week hovering around the 70's so it should be great weather to shoot a doe.

[gstoneberg]

Tom,

I might pass a fawn because I didn't think the small amount of meat was worth the work, because I wanted to let a button buck grow up or because I didn't want to use up a tag if they weren't giving out many. There's no ethics issue.  In fact, the farmer in Illinois that let me hunt asked me to shoot him a fawn every season.  Best eating on the planet. However, I applaud you making a management decision and sticking with it.

George

[TRACY]

had a point blank range shot today at a small deer that still had a couple of spots, i did the ethical thing and let it pass. We are going to have temps this week hovering around the 70's so it should be great weather to shoot a doe.

I respect your choice ! On the other hand, my wildlife management side says that young of the year are the harvestable surplus Spots or not, they are tasty and good for the overall herd health. Keep at it!

Tracy

[youngbowyer]

i know that the meat would have been really good to eat but I don't think the owners of the property would have been happy with me. They are mostly trophy hunters and don't care much for hunting for meat which is really what i'm after.

[JW_Halverson]

had a point blank range shot today at a small deer that still had a couple of spots, i did the ethical thing and let it pass. We are going to have temps this week hovering around the 70's so it should be great weather to shoot a doe.

Translation: I was shaking so bad I dropped the arrows!

Atta boy, Tom.  Kinda cool being that close to an animal that generally is aware of every predatory animal within 100 yds, isn't it?  I can't wait to see your red arrow, and I know it will happen.

[gstoneberg]

i know that the meat would have been really good to eat but I don't think the owners of the property would have been happy with me. They are mostly trophy hunters and don't care much for hunting for meat which is really what i'm after.

Ah, yes...that is another excellent reason to pass a fawn.

George

[Parnell]

I'm rootin' for ya.  Good luck!

[TRACY]

Good reason to pass on the fawn, especially if you're a guest and an opportunity to hunt Good luck and show us the pics!

Tracy