After a miserable outing in the duck blind this morning, I decided to hit the stand again. I haven’t been able to bowhunt during the week lately due to work and, well, too much time in the duck blind. Anyway, I made my way to the stand, taking my time, due to not wanting to sweat too much, dang weather anyway 
. Well, I sure missed the woods. The squirrels kept me entertained, they were out in full force chasing each other around and gathering food. They are pretty comical little critters. I always laugh when I see a big fox or gray squirrel running for their lives when being chased by a little tiny pine squirrel 
, I mean they are at least twice as big as the pine 
. While I was busy watching the squirrels, movement from the cornfield caught my eye. Sure enough a fawn had come out to feed on the corn. I watched this deer feed for around 45 minutes or so before I decided to try and call it in and shoot it. I got out “the can” and gave it to turns to see what kind of reaction I could get from the fawn. Well the reaction was instant, it came running through the cornfield and right into the woods where I was perched. I thought she might have caught my scent on the trail because she stopped and had her nose to the ground. I thought for sure she was going to turn tail and be gone. Well she just turned her head and started licking her legs and then started down the trail toward me. When she got to 27 yards and broadside, I sent the already drawn arrow sailing. I was a little forward and then simualtaneously I heard the “crack” and the deer dropped in its tracks 
. I thought, “What the heck?”. The arrow placement was a little forward but perfect behind the shoulder. I still really don’t know why it reacted like it did. The hardest part of that was having to watch the deer die right in front of me. I could have sent another arrow, but two arrows in the lungs is not going to speed the process up any faster. Man it was tough, I had to turn away, I felt so bad at that moment. Dragging her back to the truck was nice as it was all flat and downhill 
. When I took it to the registration station some drunk guy was outside the bar while the kid was registering another nice doe. He came up and looked at mine and laughed saying, ” Can it get any smaller?”. I looked at him and asked, ” Do you bowhunt?”. He just said every once in awhile. I told him to me any deer is a trophy. I also explained to him how much damage they have done to the cornfields this year. He argued with me that there are not that many deer where he hunts. I told him the county where I hunted and he then agreed there might be more deer there. I have watched the deer and the coon from my stand destroy large areas of corn, literally take the corn stalks and flatten them. I guess I just don’t understand why I even tried to justify taking a fawn. It was my decision and that is all that matters. We all have different feelings about what we should and should not harvest. If this was gun hunting, it would have walked. If it was a smaller buck, it would have walked. Why? Because those are decisions I have made for myself. I had a fawn last year during gun season that was no more than 2, yes 2, feet from the end of my rifle barrel while I was sitting on the ground. It stood right there looking the other direction. I could have pulled the trigger at anytime and took it home. I just looked at the deer and watched it breathing heavy with terror in its eyes. The guys on the neighbors property were doing a drive when this deer came by me. I still cannot beleive how close that deer was and had no idea I was there. So I am not a blood thirsty killer. Anyway, I didn’t get any pics of this deer because I didn’t want any negative reactions to taking a fawn on here. I guess it is a touchy area to some.
October 25, 2004 at 2:00 am
#198115
unting! Tom
that was your second one this year right? Way to go 
…so don’t even worry about them…..
