So the story:
This property is owned by a friend, and I have been invited to hunt there at least once per year for the last 4 years. I have seen deer only twice, and had never gotten a shot prospect in all this time. They take 6-8 deer a year, so it's become a running joke that there is a "curse".
My friend put up this tree stand only a day or two ago, and hadn't even had time to cut shooting lanes. He has seen deer and even shot at a few but his tri-focals are giving him fits with the scope this year, so some misses.
Well, I climbed into that stand this afternoon and at about 4:45, this fellow wandered out of some pines nearby and began to nibble at the edges of the small clearing directly to my left at about 35 yards. When he turned his head, I mounted the pre-cocked gun off-hand. I lined him up and when he stepped forward, broadside of me, BOOM!
The bullet arrived at the middle of the left shoulder, breaking the leg, going through a rib, then liquified the lungs. The bullet then broke the right leg and another rib. The XTP is a GOOD bullet! I didn't recover it, but did feel some metalic shards in the mess of the right leg muscle.
So the "curse" is broken! Everyone is happy (except the deer of course). My friend said he thinks it's a 2.5 year old. The forehead was rather broad and he is a good sized boy, but I think he has bad antler genetics. I stretched to tag him as a 3-pointer.