One Down

     Today was the actual first day I had taken off to hunt. It was only my third time out. I went back to the same stand I had hunted the first two times out. The morning was cold, and the wind was pretty calm out of the northwest (which was prefect for the spot I was in). Daylight came and went without any sign of a deer. I had watched about 2 dozen squirrels feed in and out of the area for most of the morning. At 9am I had pretty much written off the morning, and was only going to stay until 10. I had just texted a couple people the usual "seen anything". I turned back to my left and caught a little movement out at about 70yds. It  was a deer, and in the sun I quickly saw spikes. He was heading in my direction, slowly...feeding a little, and wandering. At 35yds he turned broadside, I thought to myself I wasn't going to make a medium long shot at this spike. I would have loved freezer meat, but at the same time...if he walked away I wouldn't have been brokenhearted. He didn't walk away...he continued in to about 20yds. Although I wouldn't have minded if he walked away...I wasn't going to turn down freezer meat at 20yds.
     He quartered away and I picked my spot...A little back with the idea that it would come out well on the otherside. THWACK...perfect...he took one good bound and stood out in front of me at about 40yds. I waited for him to fall over....I waited...and waited....and waited...he didn't fall. He just stood there...the hole looked good, but he didn't fall. He bedded at 50yds, right in front of me, 10 minutes later he got up, and bedded again...10minutes later he did the same....10 minutes later he labored to get up and walked out of sight. I did'n't know what to think. I got down and backed out. I called some friends and KS left work to join my at 12:30.
    We went back in and quickly found the arrow, and then lots of blood. We walked to where I had last seen him....nothing. We then decided to make a small circle before returning to square one. It didn't take long before KS spotted him rolled up, no more than 100yds from the stand. A trip to the checking station found him to be 105lbs. He's no monster, but it all tastes the same. While cleaning the deer we noticed the arrow entered the chest cavity but missed the lungs and heart. The arrow had passed through the liver upon entry and provided the fatal wound. I threw in a pic of the exit wound, If you look at the pic with me in it you can see the entry hole behind the bow...I don't know how he lived so long.