frozen trail

[VaRedneck]

I hope everyone here has had as good a start to a Happy New Year.

It was cold this morning. 20* and blustry winds outa the north and west.

I made it into my ladder stand without a hitch, the wind masking any noise I might've made. After 15 minutes, all wrapped up in a sleeping bag to my eye balls, I see a deer cross the field 30yds to my 2 o'clock....too dark to see and way before shooting light. I settled back, waiting.

As the day brightened the wind also picked up in intensity. A coupla does pop outa the blackberry and locust....then two more. It's a far shot...100yds or so. They'll get closer...I hope. They disappear into some brush and cedar...after a few nervous minutes I see one come on out...she strains to look up the hill and see if the coast is clear. I just chuckle...waiting.

Finally, she comes on out...I can tell she doesn't wanna be out in the open...moving a little faster than I want. It's cold....I'm cold...nothing's followed these ladies out and I'd been watching them for a good fifteen minutes....Cross hairs find the spot...BOOM. She's hit...I think...neck dipped down...looked like her first step was a little off too.

I came outa the stand and stashed my gear at the house...grab Black Dog and head on back out.

I can't find any blood...none. The dog heads over to where she disappeared into the pines...I follow along....still no blood....the three does behind the one I hit must've been making things difficult for the dog...he's all over the place. I take the dog back. As I head on back out to try again the mrs asks if she can let the dog out...he's tearing the place apart trying to get back on the job. Okay...

I start all over again...doing slow circles at the spot then widening the search...nothing. The dog has gone back to the pines...I head over again. This time I look closely at the break in the brush that Black Dog is facing. I cross the wire without losing anything then settle down.

He finally stops crunching in the leaves....I don't know what it is...I can't concentrate with him moving around. On a small twig/sappling looks to be a smear of some fungus....orange...light pink. I rubbed it with my thumb...nothing...yeah...some kind of fungus...wait a minute...spots of the same color on a few of the leaves under that twig. I picked up one dried up leaf and rubbed the spot with my thumb...this time the orange/pink rubbed off and dark red smeared my thumb...bingo.

After another twenty minutes I found the next spot...bigger smear on a bigger sappling....headed right for the thick stuff...blackberry briars...thick...head high....Black Dog doesn't wanna go in...he heads to my left, around...I wanna keep on the scant trail so I bust through....snagging hat...gloves...ect. I can't find another spot of blood...start to head back and look again....there....on the ground....no white showing anywhere...Woohooo....and Black Dog is right there...somehow he doubled back the way he'd come and came at her from another side...without a scratch or briar on him.

Cool deal....I thought I was losing my mind. I knew I hit her. She made 70 yards....50 in the open and 20 over a fence and through some thick stuff...with a broken shoulder...hole through the heart and a blowed up lung. Dang these are some tough critters.

She dressed out at 120lbs. A good start to my new year.