Right before daybreak when you can just make out movement, I saw two deer come out in front of me and avoid the clearing. They went to my right and I saw one deer behind a tree. All I could see was his nose, and the rear hindquarters. He/she stood there for probably 15 minutes, snorting. As the sun came up, the deer went back the way he came out and went to the right in the woods out of my view. Once the sun came and it got brighter out, the two deer came back out slowly to the bait pile and started eating. Then all of a sudden about 6-10 deer came in from my left and they were all on the bait pile. I wasn't originally looking to shoot a buck, but he was the biggest and the closest offering a perfect broadside shot. Plus he was the only deer that didn't have a deer behind him (didn't want to wound another after the pass through).
I just put the crossbow up, flicked the safety off and shot. All I heard was a slap on the deer, and my string. All the other deer took off, and the deer I shot did a 180 and ran. I waited a minute, re-cocked my bow and put another arrow in. I got out of the blind and scared off two more deer that were in the woods to my right. All I saw were does. I originally looked for my arrow to see if it had any blood, but couldn't find it. Where I shot the deer, there was blood all over and sprayed out to the right (came out as he was turning). I was shooting RamCats, and the blood trail was large enough a kid could follow it. I walked up about 10 yards, went to the left and the deer was another 15 yards on the ground, expired.
RamCat exit wound
The hardest part was dragging out the deer.
I went back and put my bow away, got the tractor and drove as far as I could into the woods, and then drug the deer over to my tractor. Anyone that has a Ratchet Rake for their tractor bucket edge, it comes with some looped steel braided cables. They worked pretty good, looping it over the deer's joints and attaching the end to bucket hooks. Here's a photo after I gutted it, then hosed it off before dropping it off at the butcher.
Bow is an Excalibur Matrix 380 Mad Max with South Shore Archery Supply 18" Zombie Slayers, 110 grain brass inserts, 100 grain RamCats, Jack Pine flemish string and Aimpoint Micro (red dot). Quiver is a Kwikee Quiver, the RamCats won't fit in the factory quiver.
