The same day that I took my last buck of the Alabama deer season, I went out again that evening with more earnest intentions of videoing some deer rather than shooting another. But, of course, I had my bow on its hanger where it could be called upon if necessary.
It was necessary. 30 minutes before dark, 2 does fed out onto the food plot. It didn’t take long before they were within range. How close were they, though, I didn’t know. The positive lead to my 9 volt battery had snapped on my rangefinder earlier in the day while ranging locations for my morning hunt.
I estimated them to be 25 yards away, so I drew my bow as one of the does got broadside. Here’s where the story gets wierd. As I’m settling my pin on the nearest doe, the other deer slides in behind it. Visually, picture 2 deer that are parallel and staggered just enough that I can see almost the entire body of each. Both broadside.
Confident of my shot, I slowly pulled my release and heard the hollow thump of my Slick Trick-tipped arrow on the deer’s vital cavity. Exit stage left. I follow the nearest doe as it is racing down through the open pine stand behind me waiting for it to slow and go down. Not happening. She is gobbling up ground like a race horse and not showing signs of stopping.
Confused, I looked around the other direction to see the doe that had been standing behind my target gobbling up ground at a rapid pace but not nearly so gracefully. Before I knew it, she tipped over and down for the count.
At first, I thought I had simply kept my eyes on the wrong doe as they bolted from the sound of my bow going off. Wrong. 5 minutes later, the intended “target” doe came slinking back through the pine stand and I could see I had cut her across the top of her back with my broadhead before hammering the other doe. I was perfect left to right, but had misguessed the range causing my arrow to fly just high enough to barely slice the skin open while center punching the unintended target behind.
She was a marked doe that was tagged as 3+ year old in 2005. That makes her at least 7 years old. A trophy doe for sure.
What I’ve begun to refer to as “the mark of the beast.” Characteristic “X” left by my Slick Trick broadhead.
Oh, and just a little proof of the “accident”, check out this picture captured by a game camera just a few days later.
What a season. I’ll recap in the next several days.
