Nov. 16th Doe Party

    Yesterday the weather channels all predicted a very light south wind for the morning of the 16th. I decided that I would go out to the stand where my big 9 pointer lives. I haven't been out there in while, and I haven't hunted it on any mornings. Typically I have been hunting this stand on a north wind in the evenings, but decided to try and hunt a south wind in the morning. This is very close to bedding area and was going to attempt to catch the deer on his way back from breeding does all night (hopefully). I have had a camera in this location for a while now and continuously get the large 9 pointer, and for a while I was getting a big bodied 6 pointer, but he seems to have disappeared lately. I have had very few doe photos in this location.
     This morning was very calm, and cool but not cold 35 degrees.  At about 7:20 I heard the sound of footsteps heading my way. A yearling doe stepped out of the hemlocks at about 10 yds and walked directly across in front of me. I heard more footsteps coming, and a short time after an adult doe followed in the yearlings tracks. I was almost going to try and shoot her when she was in front of me, but decided to pass. My brother had a doe tag which he had stated I could fill if I had the chance. The shot the doe presented was almost straight down and I assumed she was going to walk through to a lane on my left that the yearling had passed through that would have been a better shot (but of course she didn't). The yearling began to feed broadside to me at 20 yds, while the adult doe stayed about 40 yds out in some hemlocks feeding. As I sat and watched I wondered why there was no buck around, and hoped that they may bring one in.
   After about 10 minutes I heard footsteps coming up the hill from my left. I thought "here comes the buck", I hoped he would come sniff around and present a shot. As the footsteps got closer I saw the deer, another adult doe. A minute later I heard another deer coming...another doe. There were now 4 decoys inside of 40 yds. I again heard another deer approaching, I thought "this has to be a buck", instead two more does came in. I have never seen this many does together. There were 3 adult does and 3 yearlings, where were the bucks. The 6 deer fed for another 10 minutes while I listened, hoping for yet another deer, a buck.
     After that time had passed one of the adult does worked her way into the lane at 20 yds. This time I couldn't resist, I decided to try and take her. Getting a bow drawn on a perfectly calm morning, with 12 sets of eyes inside of 40yds can be challenging, but I was able to get it done undetected. I settled the pin and released. The shot was a little back but the doe immediately snow plowed into a pile of brush 35yds away and stopped.
    I watched and listened as the other 5 deer blew at me and the wounded doe for about 20 minutes. I snuck out of the stand about 1 hour later and met my brother. When I left the deer was still alive but could barely lift her head. We waited another hour or so before going back, she was dead when we returned. A check of the camera showed the big buck had been there the evening before at 4pm as well as a couple times in the previous days. I am going to have to get back in there. The doe was 105lbs and estimated at 3 yrs old.