First kill of the year

Nevermind that I took a day off work, spent the weekend at LBL for the opener and walked 8.5 miles last Friday scouting for the opener, yesterday afternoon was my first deer hunt of the year.

I got off work and had some stuff to do so I was running crazy as usual.
My father-in-law and his cousin wanted to go hunting so I thought I would go with them.
Man decided to go ride the track instead of hunting, I think because he has outgrown his bow, so I decided to go sit in his ladder stand.

It was the typical "first hunt" of the year for me.
I get to the ladder stand and the seat is gone. Tree rats have eat it completely up.
I climb up, put a hook in the tree, hang my bow on one that was there and my backpack on the other.
You would think putting a hook in a tree would be easy, but this is me we are talking about.

Get all that done and sit down. Well with my big ole butt sitting on two metal bars don't work.
Climb down and get the foam pad for the seat.
Climb back up and position it just right and sit down.
Well it ain't great but it will work.

Stand up and get my release on and nock an arrow.
Climb back down and pick foam pad back up and climb back up and re-position it.

Stand up and get gloves out of my back pack.
Climb down and pick glove up I drop.
Climb back up and get all settled in again and drop my face mask.
Decide I don't need face mask and just stand up because my butt is already hurting.

Send my buddy a text and tell him I am in the stand and ready to rock, finally.
Note time, 4:53 p.m.

I spend the next few minutes glassing the field edges and behind me in the woods.
Watch a doe and fawn on opposite side of field.

Turn around and face the THICK woods behind me. Stand there a few minutes and look to my right and think, "Man that looked like a deer moving".
Funny how when you haven't hunted in a year your eyes play tricks on you.

I move my head and upper body around the tree in front of me to look again and sure enough there is a deer.
Of course she sees me move and looks right at me.
I freeze my position and hope my cool looking leafy suit works.

Apparently it does and she just moves on feeding.
She stops with her head and hind quarters both hidden from view by thick underbrush.

I ease my hand over and don't even bother trying to get my hand in my bow sling and get my release on my string.

Ease my bow back and run through my mental check list.

Feet position, check.
Bend at waist, check.
Settle draw and lock in on anchor point, check.
Pick a hair, check.

TTHHHWWAAACCK !

She flips over backwards and lets out a big BBBAAAAAWWWW.

I stand there a few seconds and she starts kicking and trying to get up.
I decide I had hit a limb and spine shot her.
I pull another arrow out of my quiver and settle the pin on what I think is her vitals, best I can guess with her laying flat on the ground, and let it rip.
I couldn't actually see anything except her neck and half her head but I got lucky and drilled her through at least one lung.
Just a few seconds later it was over.
Turns out I hit just to the left of where I was aiming and got the edge of her shoulder, which explained the flip and stuff.
Muzzy penetrated more than enough to get both lungs.

Make note of time, 5:15 p.m.

Wow, 22 minutes after settling in.
Not too bad.
Rather be lucky than good any day.

God bless and good hunting always,
D.