Scored on an 8pt...... - 24hourcampfire

I have been getting pics of 2 8pts and a 10pt along a couple of good rub lines in the brush above a hardwood ridge. Sunday eve the weather forecast called for a 4mph NE wind, just what I needed. After getting settled in, I checked the wind and it was slightly West, terrible for my stand. I waited a few minutes, checked again, and it was dead calm. A bit later I started seeing the leaves twitch a bit, so checked again and sure enough it was dead out of the NE in my face, so it was game on. There were dark clouds in the sky, so I knew light would fade a bit faster than normal. As light faded with only about 15minutes of shooting time remaining, a young racoon spooked in my direction, so I eased my SZ350 into position just in case. A few minutes later I heard foot steps in the leaves and the heart began to thump

I couldn't see the buck, but I could hear him coming right for a skinny shooting lane straight out from my stand. It was so dark at this point that I just stared down the lane through my Hawke scope and he appeared at 25yds broad side, but he was in an area where I remembered a small twig just on the edge of my lane. I waited until he made it just past the small limb, settled the cross hair, and touched off the shot. I heard the loud crack of the Slick Trick Mag at the shot, the buck rared up, and ran straight away for 15-20yds. He just stopped and walked away, no crash, nothing. Now, I'm starting to think about the little twig..."Did I hit the limb?..No, I waited, it was good...." The nerves were setting in at this point, but I finally calmed down, gathered my gear, and waited a little while. As I eased down the lane to the impact, there was no arrow and no blood. I shined my light out in the brush and spotted a speck of blood on a leaf, then spotted the rear of my arrow burried in the ground at the end of my lane. I was relieved at that point, the arrow was painted in blood. The buck had only made it approx 50yds through the brush. Not much of a blood trail despite the nice holes and good POI.

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