Well long story short I saw more deer driving pre season where I hunt in kitsap county then I did when I was actually hunting lol, I saw 5 deer while I was actually out hunting during my season, a few days ago on a perfect drizzly day I was out on the back edge of a clearcut and I walked down a trail a little ways and heard something jump out to my left and I could feel something staring at me, so I looked all around but couldn't see anything so I turned around back out on the clear cut and there was a doe standing 20 yards out(or so I thought) so I put my 20 yard pin on her and released..... only to see my arrow land in the bushes below her, then she got on the same trail I was on but the was a downed branch in front of her vitals, so I didn't shoot, once she stepped into the brush she disappeared, then I look where she was standing the first time and realized she was a tually about 25 yards out and above where I was :/ so I went further down the trail which when around a little swamp and some standing timber and as I peeked on the other side of the last tree I saw HUGE shoulders about 50 yards out then the deer picked up its head and I saw dark chocolate antlers at least a HEAVY racked forked horn that must have been a 200 lb deer the thing was huge, just feeding in front of me, so thinking back to the doe I remember my range finder, bring it up and the low battery light is on :/ so Im like CRAP! Then he takes a few steps to the right and beds down facing away from me in some huckleberries, the wind is going across us so I knew he wouldn't smell me, so I figured I could sneak in for a nice close shot, to me left is soft moss I can be dead silent in, but it is completely open and exposed, to the right is some salal and huckleberries that I would make a little bit of noise in but I would have cover, I figure he isn't going to look so ill take the silent path, I slowly take a few steps, my heart is pounding in my chest, and all of a sudden a smaller Buck comes up next to him and stares right at me for five minutes, I figure I'd wait till the bigger Buck stands up before I take my shot well the wind swirls, they smell me and blow outta there like a bat outta hell, I went back to the same area a few days later with my girlfriend. And found a nice shed a 3 pt with a small eye guard. Today, her brother and I went out by another swamp and jumped to big bodied does in thick timber but they we over 50 yard with no chance of a.shot..... I went out almost every one of my days off and learned a lot! 1.use your rangefinder, 2. Make sure it has betterys 3 don't pass up shot opportunitys and don't be picky considering it was my first year of hunting, and with a bow it could have been worse lol if I had a rifle I would have smoked that bigger Buck lol
