I took my father yesterday over to my hallowed grounds after acquiring a Diamond 60-lb. Liberty for him last year and watching him practice all summer long. We arrived a tad late, and I had a doe come out as I was hanging a big comfy Summit Deer Deck Lite for him (which he said still felt awfully small ) and some super-easy-to-climb Bucksteps. I looked behind us, and a 120-ish buck had skidded to a halt that was coming our way from the opposite direction. Crap, just a bit too late... but it was only 3:30 in the afternoon and I didn't think he'd be able to make it four-plus hours on stand. Guess they were just moving early yesterday. After getting him settled and ensuring he was strapped in and comfortable, I knew I was pushing it to get set up myself. I grabbed my Lone Wolf hand climber from the back of the SUV and scooted across a bean field to an inside corner, entered the woodline and scurried up a tree 30 yards inside the edge. I wasn't SUPER happy with the wind direction blowing EVER so slightly (prob. 1-2 mph), but knew the deer should be coming from my hard right anyway. At about 6:10, the first of three big mature does broke into sight. The first one made it past me until she stopped at about a 2 o'clock position, 22 yards in front of me, stretching her neck straight up as she caught the slightest whiff of me. The second doe in the line had really caught my attention; she had a very well-defined double-white throat patch. Myth, mystery, luck... I'm not sure what it has been over the last decade or so, but the does I've encountered on these grounds with such stark white double-white throat patches have been old, wise and seemingly possessive of a sixth sense. I've been busted more times by double-white throat patch does than I care to remember. I carefully watched this second doe standing at 17 yards, who now threw her nose straight up. She didn't need near as much time to make her mind up as the lead doe... She slowly turned a 180 and pointed her nose where her rear had just been. I had been considering letting them pass by with the hopes of seeing what else would emerge from the thick bedding area behind them. Her actions told me that even if I decided not to draw, they were headed back to where they came, and nothing else was coming from that direction anyway. With that thought, I eased the little Admiral to full draw, only to find a wrist-sized limb running the length of her body from a bent-over tree EXACTLY in the middle of her vitals where I would have liked to have placed my pin. I aimed over the top of the limb and touched off the release, knowing that a high entry angle would still afford me both lungs from my perch of 26 feet. The Muzzy MX-3 sliced through the near side and clipped the bottom of the spinal cord before lodging in her off-shoulder, dropping the old matriarch in her tracks. The Admiral's whisper didn't alert the two remaining does as much as watching their compatriot fall where she stood; they remained for a few seconds before loping back to the safety of their bedding area. I retrieved my game cart to load her up, not having to walk any further past my stand tree in the direction of the bedding area and wheeled her out and through the beans -- happy with another mature doe about to take a ride home with me, but perhaps more so with the thought that my freezer is about to become fuller with the least possible impact to that corner of the woods as I could have hoped for. Big old does make GREAT target practice for the kids, too! Grandpa enjoys watching the youngest perfect his form, though he's not sure the nerf ball is going to get much penetration.
Sounds like an awesome hunt Greg. Too bad your dad couldn't stick one. There's always next time. Congrats!! BTW the kid pics are priceless.
He saw one doe skirt through the beans behind him about 100 yards away... We'll let the spot sit a few days and then maybe put him back in it around 3 p.m. or so and hopefully beat the deer to the spot.
Being a lefty myself, I noticed that too. Great story. Man thats a big doe, at least for my woods. Congratulations on a great start to the season.
