Deer hunting rarely involves things going exactly to plan, but on this day last fall, that's just what they did. This client was born and raised in Mexico City but came to New York for work (well actually New Jersey but its close enough). He had never been hunting before in his life, and wanted to give it a try so he decided to hire Learn to Hunt NYC as a guide and outfitter.
As is often the case with successful hunters, he entered the experience with low expectations. He knew that deer hunting would be a challenge, and that taking one with archery tackle was especially tough, so he moved through the day taking in as much information as possible. He was a quick study on the archery range and in the field lesson. By the time we were settled in the tree stand, he was fully prepared for what was about to happen sooner than either of us anticipated.
We hunted a location on public land where I'd hunted before but was yet to harvest a deer. I'd seen them there, blithely watching mountain bikes passing from behind a screen of honey suckle and multi-flora rose, but was yet to release an arrow. On those days I had been hoping to encounter a large buck, so young bucks, does, and fawns all moved by without attempts on their lives. On this day, however, anything brown was gonna go down, as they say.
I hung a ladder on the tree and we climbed into position. I gave instructions for how to handle a deer encounter, and took a selfie of us. I mentioned that at this time of year, the deer were liable to be moving around at almost any time a day. We fell silent, and within only a few minutes, there suddenly appeared a large doe out of the thicket. It was 30 yards ahead of me the guide, but directly behind the client. I alerted him to the deer, and he contorted his body to his right to see it around the tree. The deer continued browsing toward us until it finally turned broadside at a mere five yards for the shot!
In the photo it may seem that the entry wound is a bit high on the deer, but in fact this was perfect shot placement due to the extreme angle of the shot from our tree stand. A lower point of aim might cause the projectile to miss the lung on the far side.
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