The call of the ‘opener’, albeit the ‘gun’ opener, still tugged at my will to get out there this morning, and with my bow, I did!
I took the bow up the road to my #2 stand(now #1 stand), n settled in. It was O’dark-thirty and I was going to give it til 9, because I still have a bunch of ‘fall’ things to do. Along about 0830 I hear leaves rustling, not by wind, but just not sure it was squirrels either. It was up wind and to my left, blind side. So I 1st reached for my bow hung there and while picking it up turn to peek. There she was and I think she saw my movement, and a big doe freezes. I freeze, she stomps, and she steps again and then I see him move, about 20 feet behind her. She stomps again, but then proceeds not seeing any more movement from me nor can she scent me. She slowly passes and he comes up to 12 yards as she passes along and then she stops again! He stops, and now where both have their heads hid behind tree trunks. I draw back, (top pin is 15 yards), he’s barely quartering away and I can see his front leg and chest framed by two big branches, a window of opportunity. I zeroed in on it, let go of my breath slowly, and gently touched the release. WHACK! Perfect HIT! I see the big hind kick. The doe bolts, he takes off, blood squirting out as he goes. He crashes into ‘everything’ and piles up 34 yards away(by range finder) from my tree stand. I can see he’s down, praying that’s all he had left. As I stand there in my tree still shaking, I decide to wait 15 minutes just in case he has anything left. I text my wife. She replies ‘good’!(humm) The time passes slowly but finally I pack up and climb down. I walk over to the blood trail. It’s massive, blood everywhere. About 3 yards away is my in-tact arrow, bloodied. I continue and see him piled up by a dead-fall. I pause to to admire from there then continue to him. I kneel down and bow my head and give ‘thanks.’ He’s bigger than I first thought, body and rack. As I inspect him, I see the G2 on his left side is broken off. 
To me it takes nothing from his character. I take a few pictures, hoping they’ll do him justice. (pictures seldom do IMHO) I am in none of them, as I am along with no one to photo us both. I see a turkey feather, and add it to my bow quiver. I take a few more pictures. They’ll have to do.
Then the work begins. He’s heavy. I’m thinking I’m getting to old for this shxx!
I go do the registration. This is zone ‘602’, so there are a few more steps in the process. Then I call the locker and they’re still open so I run him up to the locker plant. The ‘main man’ says he’s thinking 170-180 pounds laying there field dressed. (“I’m thinking, no damn wonder I was thinking I’m getting to old for this!”) I thought he weighed a ‘ton’ dragging him out and trying to load him in my trailer.
My shot placement was my best ever bow hunting to date. During the autopsy, double lung and heart. What a confidence builder. I needed that. This was my 3rd deer this year, and the shots on the other two(doe)were just a little off to my liking. I still have 2 more bonus tags($2.50 each). I think I’ll try for a smaller doe ; )
Be safe out there every one.
in my 
if he doesn’t make it to next year….