If you folks are anything like me, my desktop background on the office computer gets changed at least weekly to different photographs reminding me of great hunts from previous seasons.  I pulled up this picture yesterday to ‘grace’ my computer screen for a couple of days.  The photo is from last season’s NC archery opener. 

I hung a ladder stand on the south facing side of a 10 year old clearcut.  The stand backed up against a creek and looked out into the cutover via several lanes that I cut out to supplement some old tractor trails.  In previous seasons, we had hunted a permanent stand that we built on the north facing side, but after several years of hunting we noticed that deer were a little suspectible to winding you as they came in to feed from their bedding area. 

With that, 45 minutes before dawn my dad dropped me off at the road and I sneaked the 300 yards to the ladder.  I thought there were already deer around the stand, but it was just a family of raccoons fishing in the creek and bickering amongst themselves.  They eventually moved off and I went up the stand.  It was after 8 o’clock when dad called me to check in.  He had a yearling 5 point in velvet visit the pond he was watching, but that was it so far.  I reported seeing nothing and hung up. 

It wasn’t five minutes later and I saw the nose of a deer poking through the thick undergrowth 25 yards to my left.  Then another nose.  Then another nose.  3 noses, but no deer…yet!  Then one by one they exited the sapling jungle.  2 fawns and a nice-sized doe.  We had already decided that does were going to be checked off the list early in the season, so my heart jumped as soon as I saw the nanny slipping my way.  She actually got all the way past my stand and was leaving the premises before I got a shot, but it was a perfect one…27 yards slightly quartering away. 

I was already at full-draw when she hit the opening and my arrow hit its mark.  I could tell the arrow blew right through her chest and I saw her dash into some cedars bordering the field edge.  I thought she might have gone down just that quick…1,2,3; but then I saw her ‘death’-dash across the lane in front of me and tumble “head over hoofs” into the blackberry brambles.  Perfect shot and certainly something that all bowhunters (and hunters in general) should be proud of. 

Another reason that I fondly remember this hunt is that it was the first time that I had hunted with face paint.  Because of past experiences that didn’t go quite perfect with headnets, I had decided to give ‘rambo’ paint a try.  You’ll have a hard time convincing not to wear it during bow season now.  You can’t tangle a bow string on paint.  Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed my opening day doe from last season.  I sure did…oh wait, i’m eating her right now in some spaghetti…so I guess I’m still enjoying her.