The group spent most of the night prior to opening day traveling, checking in at the state forest headquarters, and making the long hike to their pre-selected hunt areas. However, the loss of sleep was more than compensated for by the anticipation of an opening-morning deer hunt. After getting Dan positioned and briefly describing the surrounding terrain, David disappeared into the darkness.

As daybreak faded into mid-morning, Dan listened to the occasional sounds of distant gunshots, but saw no sign of deer activity in his area. Around noon, the hunter decided to change locations. He walked a short distance to the head of a shallow draw, situated just below a white oak ridge. Sitting and facing into a light afternoon breeze, he had a good view of the opposite hillside and the drain as it sloped downward into a much larger hollow.

The weather was clear and cool, basically a perfect fall afternoon; leaves and acorns were still falling from the numerous oaks along the ridge, and squirrels seemed to be running everywhere. An hour or so after getting settled, the hunter detected a noise that he could not attribute to squirrel activity. Minutes passed, and finally, 80 yards away, among the broken shadows on the hillside, Dan saw the shape of a deer.

A PENNYRILE SLEEPER
“The deer just appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost,” Dan said. “I could see antlers, but the deer was facing away from me, with its head down, feeding on acorns.” Unsure if the buck’s rack exceeded the acceptable spread limit, the hunter continued to wait and watch. Eventually, the deer took a couple of steps forward, momentarily raising its head.

“I still had no idea of the rack’s size, but I was able to see that it extended out beyond the deer’s ears,” Dan noted. “Knowing for sure the buck was legal, I decided to take the first clear shot that I had.”

After maneuvering into a solid shooting position, Dan quickly located the buck in his Leupold scope. The deer was still feeding, standing at a slight quartering-away position. While not standing at the most preferred shooting angle, the buck was completely in the open. Realizing he might not get another clear shot opportunity, the hunter squeezed the trigger.

“When I fired, the buck immediately disappeared,” Dan related. “I assumed it was down, but I continued to watch through the scope for several seconds.”

Seeing no additional movement, the hunter got to his feet and cautiously walked to where the buck had been standing. To his dismay, the deer was not there.

“There was a good bit of blood, and considering the fact that I was shooting a 7mm Magnum, I felt reasonably sure the deer hadn’t gone very far,” Dan said. “However, after searching for over 20 minutes, I began to get concerned.”

END OF THE TRAIL
At times, the hunter had to get down on his hands and knees to follow the very dim trail. Approximately 100 yards through the woods, he found a small pool of blood where the deer had lain down, but unfortunately, the buck was nowhere in sight.

“I really became worried at that point,” Dan said. “The fact that the deer was able to get back to its feet and continue on made me wonder about the shot placement.” Resuming the search proved to be an effort in concentration as the tiny blood droplets gradually became farther and farther apart. Finally, after covering an additional 75 yards, the trail disappeared completely.

“For several moments, I stood there, contemplating what to do next. Then, as I turned around, I got the shock of my life. The buck was lying only 15 yards behind me! I had been so intent on attempting to follow the trail that I walked by the deer without seeing it.

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