Started getting a cold yesterday, just a little congested and that feeling of having breathed in pool water, you know the feeling. Otherwise felt fine so I went hunting this afternoon. First chance I've had to hunt this particular spot, NW wind was perfect. See nothing for a couple of hours. Start having this urge to cough which I resist. I lose the sun behind the ridge but there's still plenty of light. Need to cough overcomes me and I let out as muffled of a cough as I can and immediately 3 deer, that I did not even know were there, explode out from under a pair of white oaks 30 yds away. In another month I'd be able to see them but today there were too many leaves still on the trees in that area. I'm thoroughly disgusted with myself at this point and put my arrow back in my quiver to leave but immediately catch myself since I've learned better than this. The deer scattered in different directions but none of them went to the next county. One went 10 or 15 yards, stopped and blew at me once. I re-nock my arrow and sit tight believing they don't know what they heard or where it was exactly and will likely hang around the area. I'm trying to pick up any movement near the trees they were under while watching my left and right as well. Maybe 10 minutes go by and I think I hear something behind me. As I turn my head to check it out, a doe (I think probably the one who blew at me) sees me, from 30 yds to my left and tears off up the hill. Well, I blew it twice in one hunt. No arrows launched today.

This is my third year hunting Cahaba. 1st year I was clueless, hardly saw any deer at all but felt like I learned a lot. Last year I was very confident going into the season saw a lot more deer but only had 1 (a really nice buck) get in bow range. I blew the shot. So far this year I've been on 6 hunts, seen 7 deer (yeah I know that's laughable to a lot of you) all of which were in bow range and have been unable to launch an arrow at any of them.

On the one hand I'm happy that I'm figuring out where I need to be to have a chance, on the other hand it's starting to feel like a monkey on my back. I just can't seem to put it all together. I keep finding ways to screw it up.

Done whining now.