After months of preparation, working hard to put in a food plot or checking trail cameras to locate your target buck, the moment has finally come. You see him chasing a doe around from a distance but you get your bow ready just in case. After a minute, she comes trotting through one of your shooting lanes with him lagging behind by a few steps. You draw, get to your anchor point, and settle the pin just behind his shoulder as he steps out broadside into the lane.

You release the arrow, he jumps and takes off running. After about 60 yards, you lose sight of him. Your adrenaline starts to kick in and your heart starts to pound as you try to relive the shot over and over to make sure it was a good hit. If you’re like me, you hang up your bow, sit back down (so you don’t fall out of your stand), and get your phone out. Send a text or a quick call to your hunting buddy to tell them that you just hit a buck. Then you try to sit and wait for at least half an hour before getting down to look for blood where the buck was standing when you shot.