My hopes were high before I left for Missouri on the 26th of Oct to hunt with my two older brothers and nephew. They had emailed a crapload of trail camera pics to get me all excited and I was indeed. I sat in 8 different stands for a total of 30 separate morning/evening hunts. I seen 5 quality shootable bucks, multiple smaller bucks, dozens of does and yearlings, 3 coyotes, 2 armadillos, 1 bobcat, truckloads of turkeys, and 4973 squirrels.
On the walnut stand one morning, I looked over my right shoulder to see a very heavy 8-10 point buck moving thru the grass at 40+ yds. Still too dark to shoot accurately, I had to let him move out of the area, grunting at him just sped up his pace away from me, so no shot opp. An hour later, I glance up into the field to see a great 8 point chasing a doe in my direction. Now I don’t have to tell most of you that changing the course of the doe was my only hope of getting a shot opp at this guy, and of course she passed thru a cedar thicket 45 yds North of me with him in tow. Grunting at him was unfruitful with his nose to the ground on her trail. The small 6 point hanging with him came under me and gave me a great 17 yard quartering away shot, figures, can’t shoot him.
I did shoot a nice fat doe on our North P stand on Halloween nite, it was getting real dark but I refused to crawl down yet, cause these deer were making a habit of showing up at dark. I shot a little high due to lack of light and spined her. No tracking required. Sorry teammates, no pictures
The same stand a week later proved to be the same situation when another nice doe comes under me at dark and gives me a slight quarter to me shot. I took it and hit her solid, only she takes my arrow with her, telling me that the hit wasn’t quite on the mark. She walked into the incredible thick woods. We tracked blood for 2 hours and it dried up. I decided to resume chase in the morning. Turns out we were very close to finding her, cause she lay in a mutilated heap of coyote spit, fur and deer parts not 75 yards from where we left off the night before. STUPID COYOTES
Had a great hunt with the bros and came home with all the venison I could carry in two ice chests, so I’m happy.
I will post a separate picture of my nephews first buck bow kill in 19 years. We were very excited for him.

Sounds like a great hunt with family. Congrats on the one doe....condolences on the other.

Wow....4900 squirrels eh? Should have taken a .22 with you!! LOL