It's hard to sum up this hunt, but I think God intervened on my behalf. Months ago I decided I was going to bypass hunting season to stay home to take care of my 90 yr old father. He under went a minor surgery in late Aug. and wound up with a sepsis infection two days later which lead to a 3 week stay in two hospitals. His road to recovery was long; a lot of hospital visits then home health, and pt/ot working with him just to regain strength to stand and walk. Around Thanksgiving he was moving around on his own with a walker. The weekend before opening day I started laying out a plan to spend 3-4 hrs in the field, even found the statewide whitetail deer tag I purchased back in early Aug. Then a day or two before the season I wondered if I might even come across a big deer? Gathering all my gear together the night before, got up at 4 am to take care of my dad, lay out his breakfast and meds. Double checked everything for him, loaded the truck and left at 5:45.
On the way to where I hunt I noticed the constellation Orion on the dark western horizon. Parked where I always do at the end of the waterway, grabbed my pack, head lamp, rifle and a few extra cartridges. Then like following an old trail I've walked so many times before; head west up the waterway, turn southwest across the hay field to the 5 strand H brace under it then straight west again following the southern pasture boundary fence to a small familiar cedar tree at the crest of where the limestone ridge breaks off into shale overlooking a valley with a meandering creek bottom and associated riparian area 200 yards off. If there is a tucked away deer heaven, this is it. Head lamp off, quietly sat down, pack off, check the time 6:35, shooting hours start at 7:05 westerly cool breeze in my face...perfect conditions. Then out of the darkness, a deer snorted off to the northwest. I laid back and waited, no way they can smell me with the wind in my favor, they were easily 300-400 yards away, plus there was a temperature inversion between me on the high ground and them down low. The subtle colors of dawn started to fill the eastern horizon behind me, said a prayer to the Lord to watch over my father and keep him safe while I am away, then looked at the time. 7:08 which is kind of prophetic.
7:15 I could see a young doe walking being trailed by several smaller bucks then this guy steps up with them and not only do his antlers catch my eyes but he is way bigger in body size. For whatever reason he kept looking behind him to the north, figured the neighboring hunters on a different property walked to their stand and spooked them in the darkness. But these three bucks had one thing on their mind and it was that young doe. Yearling does around here don't always come into season during the big late October/early November rut, they will cycle a month later in early December. The 4 and 6 pointer spar a bit then the 6 point turns to the 8 point who just leans his head down as warning enough to back off. The doe kept walking south dragging the boys along with her scent and it's clear shooting for me but I wait until the 8 point is in the middle of a big grassy open U shape the creek makes in the landscape. That's 225 yards. I take aim for his broadside chest, Boom! And the deer Did Not fall down! All the other deer look around, but the big one keeps walking south and passes the doe. I cycle another round and he is straight west of me, broadside, clear shot. I literally take aim for this deer's heart. Boom! He turns, crosses the creek in a low water area and disappears out of sight. I could not believe it! I waited for 30 minutes. This gun, scope and handload has never failed me. It's always been a one shot drop. So now 7:45, collect my gear, walk down to where I last saw him turn into the creek. No blood. Started backtracking to where he stood when I first shot. Big long trail of blood covering the grasses. Turned back, went across the creek from where I last saw him, couldn't find a speck of blood. But, I had a hunch he may have skirted the timber and gone to a group of cedar trees along the creek. It's a deer hidey-hole and virtually impossible to hunt walking in on it. 100 yards west, 50 yards north and there he lay in the shade of the big cedars.
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Both of my shots hit; one right behind his diaphragm complete pass through, and the hoped for heart shot was stopped by his large humerous leg bone. (Which was perfectly broken in two pieces yet all the skin and muscle were attached normally. All I found of the bullet during processing was just the back end of the lead core.) Filled out my tag and tied it to his back tibia. But I had to take in the moment to really admired this deer. He truly was a strong majestic animal; large bodied, very tall, with a heavy based set of antlers. I could not have thanked that young doe enough for presenting him to me. Now the walk back to the truck because I could drive around and through the pasture to where the second shot hit him. Did that, then pull out a 5' long kids toboggan that I drag deer out on. This deer was too big for that; so I did the gutless and hauled out the quarters, backstraps, inside loins, some neck meat and the head on the toboggan.
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Aside from some major confusion in my mind over the shots at the time, this particular hunt was appreciated in so many ways. It was the break I needed and I returned home to find my father blissfully taking a nap after dining on a lunch provided by meals on wheel.
Gun: Tikka T3x lite 7mm-08
Reload: 120 gr. NBT, 41.6 grs H4895, CCI 200 primer
3-9x40 VXII Leupold scope sighted in: 2 1/2" high @ 100 yds, 1" high @ 200
I believe I said earlier in the thread that I needed four. While we can take six, four will get me through the year comfortably. 
