Two more steps were all I needed for the deer to clear the pine tree, which would have given me a clear shot.

Instead, it whirled in place and bolted the way it came in and never presented an open shot.

Now, mind you, I had a hail Mary moment but for some reason I passed on the opportunity.

On the way into work I went back and forth on whether on not -- being it was the last official day (Dec. 21) to kill a buck with a gun, albeit a primitive one, muzzleloader -- I should have shot.

Once I made it into the office and got a feel for the looser Sunday shift attitude for the night, I knew I made the right decision, especially after re-telling the story of the one that got away to my editor.

" ... had I shot at the running deer through the debris and all, I still might be out there looking for it," I said.

I was greeted by crickets.

Whewwwww!!!

But that was the truth. Of course, the deer may have dropped right in its tracks ... here we go again.

The first shot was the one I needed and the whitetail just froze at the wrong spot, which they sure have a knack for doing so.

However, I'm going to keep it positive for I wasn't even going to go with the way the first day of winter hit Michigan. Temperatures with the wind chill were below zero with gusts of 25 to 30 mph at times.

Two more steps. I came that close to adding a third one to the freezer.

I braved the swirling air much like a deer in the pine stands behind my St. Clair County house. And stayed relatively warm for the first hour yet saw little activity other than the fresh tracks I crossed over on the way to the setup.

Then the four deer flew into the woods I was guarding with the one straggler I had sights on behind the pine tree 30 yards away.

The good news is they're hanging back there and I still have archery season to go with three tags left.

Now if Old Man Winter would just yield his icy blast a touch.