and decided that the only way to get over it was to get back in the woods and try again. 
I had also been thinking about moving my tree stand to the area I had shot the doe in to get off the ground and give me a little better visibility over a little rise where the deer had been coming from. So at 2:00 O’clock today I headed up on the ridge and moved my stand. It only took me about hour to get everything tore down and set back up so I had plenty of time to cool off before the deer that was using the area were due to move in. Around 6:30 I saw a good sized deer come walking over the rise headed my way. Then I saw HORNS!
This is the first buck I had seen this year and my blood got to pumping. I looked at him through the range finder and saw that it was a decent 6 point. He was 52 yards and taking his sweet time picking up acorns. At 48 yards he turns left and starts feeding away from me down hill. I pull out the doe grunt and give him a couple of sweet notes hoping he would come to investigate, but he just keeps feeding along. I hit the doe call again and he looks my way. Then back to feeding he goes, steadily moving away. I watch him until he is behind some thick stuff and I can no longer see him.I looked back toward the rise and see a fawn (still in spots) come up over the rise looking for the doe that had been calling. Unable to find her it starts picking up acorns and feeding along. It never came my way but turned to the right and took its sweet time feeding along occasionally playing with a squirrel that kept scurrying around it. Finally just as it was starting to get dark it went on over to the oak flat and I lost sight of it.
As I turned around in my tree stand facing the rise again I catch movement from my left.
The six point had come back! At thirty yards I put the scope on him and then moved the 30 yard dot to his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The arrow went over his shoulder and hit the ground behind him. He turned and ran a short way and stopped looking behind him to see what that awful noise had been. I sit there in total shock! I missed him at thirty yards, how could I have missed? Then the realization of what I had done hit me. In my excitement I had put the 40 yard dot on him instead of my thirty. Disgusted with myself I watched him wishing I could take that shot back.Then much to my surprise, he turned and started coming back looking all around trying to find out what had scared him. As easily as I could I had to cock my crossbow with my hands instead of my cocker. Somehow, I managed to get the crossbow cocked and an arrow in it without him seeing me. He kept coming little by little until he was 31 yards away. I couldn’t believe he was going to give me another shot.
This time I put the 30 yard dot on his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
He turned and ran back the same way he had came in. I missed again! Don’t know what happened that time. I just plain missed. He stopped and I thought he was going to come back a third time, but he finally had enough of that noise. He walked away, not in a hurry, just looking back over his shoulder from time to time.I have to say even though I didn’t bring home the meat, this hunt was a good one. I saw deer, saw a buck, shot at the buck twice, and watched him walk off with a scratch. It is a lot better than what happened on my last hunt. At least I have the opportunity to try him again. Needless to say I will be in the backyard in the morning making sure my scopes not off, but I’m betting on just a case of good old fashioned buck fever. It happens!
