Had a great hunt this evening that proved the adage that you should always expect the unexpected. I saw a doe with a limp and thought It would be a good deer to hunt if it was suffering somehow. I got close to the area I had seen her, but she was gone. I thought i'd hunt the area anyway as she shouldn't be disturbed and shouldn't have gone far. As I stalked up a nice bush gully a massive thunderstorm hit, drenching me in seconds and forcing me to take cover under a small leaning punga. It wasnt keeping me very dry but it was better than nothing and kept the water off my back as I knelt underneath it.
As the rain eased I heard a noise behind me and then saw movement from the corner of my eye. The deer I was after was heading back out after sheltering somewhere near as well and it walked past my shelter only 2 meters away. Luckily I still had an arrow nocked and when it came to the best angle I could hope for I drew back as well as I could from my cramped position and released at the grand distance of 5 meters. That kind of shot should be a certainly but due to the weird angle i'd had to shoot from I was a touch uncertain on how accurate I would be. Though I wasn't surprised when she rolled down the hill 20 meters away.
Approaching I could see she was an ancient deer whose teeth were worn to the gums and she would not have lived through the winter. Pretty happy with the result.

Well done mate. Incredible feeling when an animals walks past you that close and does not know you are there!

+1

Regards
Homer

Hopefully still good eating. That piece of ground looks familiar. Was it near home?

I doubt it, but will make salami or burgers anyway.
Its not a spot youve been to, but typical of the regions bush anyway.

Thanks Craig

Congratulations on a nice doe. That's a beautifully-composed picture, with the hooded hunter kneeling over his prey and the deer's neck and head bent back, both framed by the intense green and dark of the forest. Made my morning.

Dave Manson

A stick and string- archery at it's finest.

Nice.