Beautifully written. I also have gotten complacent in hunts that I figured I had "wired", only to be frustrated by an "easy" doe hunt. Deer have a way of restoring our humility by surprising us with their elusiveness and adaptability. I suppose that's why we still have them around to hunt- they are the furthest thing from a dodo bird, that's for sure.
Have you considered a career as an outdoors writer?