It was many years ago but the first day of ML I took an okay buck that had a top of shoulder gash that was a gangerene mess and one ear with a 4 blade hole through it. A neighbor/friend acknowledged making the shot/hit/miss early in archery season.
Only time I have killed a deer with a serious festering wound.
Memorable because I was not hunting officially I was preparing a hunt for my son. It was first day ML but my son could not hunt till Sunday. Was really trying to get him on a decent buck so picked our "family stand" (raised 6'×8' stand). Wind was right so I shot in midday Saturday to clean out stand and pull pictures. I was sweeping, saying bad words, putting trash cans and bottles into a trash bag and found a last year can of hot doe on the floor. I just set it off and set it on the downwind window while banging around cleaning. Finally finished, noisily dragged the wooden bench in front of the main window and sat down.
As I sat down I heard a snort and a buck took off from just feet in front of the stand. He apparently ran right down the doe scent and was trying to figure where the hot doe was and what the blank was banging around in that weird rectangular tree. Snapped up the ML and knocked him down running.
Unfortunately the only buck my son saw the next day was when a red fox trotted in front of the stand high footing with my bucks lungs in its mouth.
