OK one more and I'll shut up.
A friend we went to church with was a successful deer slayer, to put it mildly. But, he got heart disease, bypass, etc you know the drill. Really slowed him down. Still wanted to go, and asked me to go with him for safety's sake; of course I said. He hunted a pristine big 200 acre hollow, private property, just magnificent big timber Appalachian scenery; I was glad and honored just to see that property and went whenever he asked.
BP & archery; we went out one evening; he took his bow. About dark I went back to the truck and put up my gear and he wasn't back, Worry. I headed his way. I met him, he was huffing and puffing way over-excited, I'm worried about his cardio. He said "I got a deer, I got a doe, it's dead by now surely" and showed me a bloody arrow that had passed thru. We got my Coleman lantern and found the spot and a huge blood trail. Followed through incredible dense horrible rocky terrain to a little flat spot and there was the deer sitting in a hunched upright position with her feet under her, staring forward, just about dead. You could see the blood going spurt, spurt, spurt out of the double lung holes. Waited, waited, and I got cold and said shoot that thing in the head with your pistol and lets get the heck out of here. He got right up close and held his .22 right between it's eyes and shot BANG. Well, that deer jumped straight up in the air like a dog jumping for a frisbee, and took off, tearing through the trees like a locomotive! Unbelievable!
Same drill, follow through increasing hard terrain, He's huffing and puffing, I'm concerned for him. We see it about 100 yds ahead sitting the same way with its nose down on the ground, but still upright. I said shoot it! He says dangit that was my last shell I forgot to reload! I thought this is like some Laurel & Hardy comedy, what else can happen? He took my Buck knife and went up and was going to cut its throat - and it jumped up and took off again with even more speed! Went over the side of a ravine and was hauling @rse last I heard, He couldn't make it down the side, so I said sit here, and I went down a good 100-150 yds to the bottom, blood showing all the way, no deer to be seen. Blood trailing off into the distance.
I went back up and said, dude, that one got away! Even if we found it I'd never have gotten it up that ravine. We sat there several minutes in the dark and then both laughed and went back to the truck. If I recall that was the last time I went with him. RIP Brandon, a great hunter, and friend.