Day 7 - Oct 7

Re-Phil showed up at my place at 6:35.  We loaded our gear and headed for the golf course.  As we parked, there were 3 deer feeding between the club house and pond on Hole #17.  We watched them until 7 am.  It's fairly cold today - freeze advisory cold - 37 F.  A slight breeze from the NW at 6 mph.

Re-Phil headed up Hole #18's fairway and jumped into the woods to the W of where we'd seen the deer.  I booked around Hole #9, down #5's fairway, and then settled down on Hole #15.  The deer were now between us.

The woods came alive with all kinds of birds and squirrels.  Those little piney's sure are noisy critters.  At 8:10 I had a doe run W down #16's fairway.  I could only see her silhouette. Four minutes later, a deer rounded the corner, exactly where I thought they should come out - W of me and traveling to the E.

I was out in the open on the course, but tucked up next to a large sycamore tree.  This large doe stopped and looked at me from 15 yards.  Well, I thought it was 15 yards.  I used my top pin and fired the ole cross bow.  Bam!  A complete miss.  What?  How does one miss with a cross bow?

Said doe jumped, spun 180 degrees and wheeled back into the woods.  I cocked and reloaded a bolt on the bow.  Running doe (who was not injured) scared out mama and her baby.  They followed the same path but stopped broad side at 50 yards - standing side by side.  I have a 50 yard pin, but I opted to pass.  I'd rather not get a deer than risk injuring one.  They ran across #15 and into the woods.  I texted Re-Phil with my miss and frustration.

Upon finishing my text message, there stood mama and baby.  They did not go into the woods as I suspected, but circled #15's green and came up behind me - again at about 50 yards.  I'm not sure what they thought of a human texting in the woods, but they sure didn't stick around to tell me.  They ran off snorting and crashing toward the E.

I stepped off the distance from my location to the deer (easy to know where she was due to her prints).  Huh, it was 30 yards, not 15.  My only excuse is that this was one BIG DOE.  She looked like she was 15 yards away - that's how large she was.  I retrieved my bolt, which hit nothing but air and ground.  Upon examination I found no hair or blood.  Just to be sure, I tracked her 60 yards back to the woods looking for blood.  Since my concentration was on her trail and not the woods, I completely missed the buck bedded down in the tall grass until he stood up and bolted - a mere 15 yards from me.  Or, it could have been 30...

Ok.  At least NOW I have had a deer within range.  It comes down to execution from here.

Poor Re-Phil.  All he got for his trouble today was a golf ball.

Looking across #15's green - facing N.

The deer was inside those two trees and to the left when I shot and missed.  
Facing NW.

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