Have you ever done everything right except for one thing?

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Stanley
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Have you ever done everything right except for one thing?

Unread postby Stanley » Thu Aug 22, 2013 6:04 pm

You did everything correctly to get a buck in front of your stand and went home with out? It was 1984 I was hunting on the ground in a dead fall. This was one of those dead still mornings no wind. A dandy 10 point (150 class) comes exactly where I thought he would. He stopped at 20 yards broadside. Problem was there was a 5 inch branch suspended horizontally at about 8 yards between the buck and me.

No big deal, I scrunched down to shoot under the branch, loud thump arrow is sticking in the branch. Buck stands there not sure what is happening, I nock another arrow scrunch down as far as I could "this time he's mine". Loud thump 2 arrows dead center about 1/2 inch apart sticking in the branch. The buck can't stand the suspense and bolts out of there. I did a lot of mumbling going home empty handed that day. I did break off the branch and retrieved my arrows. I wish I would have kept that branch to hang on the wall, I ended up skunked that year.


You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:27 am

I could write a book on fumbled attempts Stan - thanks for stirring past emotions that I spent countless sessions w/ a psychologist about ;)

One story that comes to mind was a fresh 2" snow morning during muzzle loader season...
I had probably walked close to a mile looking for a decent track and came across another human track.
Seeing the foot print dropped my hopes until I traveling another couple hundred yards.
At last a sight for sore eyes was a BIG buck track stuck in the very foot print of the other hunter!
What was funny is I believe the hunter bumped the buck (probably his scent) while he weaved down the logging road and watched him walk by;
curiosity got the best of the buck and he stepped out to review his concerns. I now had a fresh track less than 1-hour old!!!

I tracked this buck, running in-between while the buck J-hooked in front of me for over 5-hours.
At last after pushing him through a lowland funnel, kind of swampish, the buck bolted for the other side of a clear-cut.
At 80-yards I had a wide open shoot of this big racked buck while tottering over a deadfall and not having a good stance to take a running shot :cry:

I followed him another 2-hours with no additional sightings and then he seemed to vanish into thin air losing with his track melting during the day.
Ultimately he came across a Doe group and now dozens of tracks were undistinguishable. I searched that spot over an hour with darkness coming quick and went home a changed man with a great day of hunting.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:45 am

WOW. I have a LONG list.

Perhaps a better question: Have you ever done nearly everything wrong and still found success?
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby john1984 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:18 am

Opening day of gun season 2007 I sat all day waiting for a big buck I seen at sunrise. At sunset he came out, I was waiting for a clear obstruction free broadside shot. He got to within 40 yards of me but the grass was tall and I couldn't see his vitals very clearly. He went back in the brush and I never seen him again. He was around 140 inches and the biggest buck I ever saw while hunting. I was using a 30-06 and I had a clear view of his neck. I should have taken the neck shot being that he was only 40 yards away standing still. For some reason I wanted to be like the guys on outdoor channel and wait for a clear broadside shot at his heart. After that season I took up bowhunting because I wanted more chances to kill a big buck.

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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:19 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:I could write a book on fumbled attempts Stan - thanks for stirring past emotions that I spent countless sessions w/ a psychologist about ;)

One story that comes to mind was a fresh 2" snow morning during muzzle loader season...
I had probably walked close to a mile looking for a decent track and came across another human track.
Seeing the foot print dropped my hopes until I traveling another couple hundred yards.
At last a sight for sore eyes was a BIG buck track stuck in the very foot print of the other hunter!
What was funny is I believe the hunter bumped the buck (probably his scent) while he weaved down the logging road and watched him walk by;
curiosity got the best of the buck and he stepped out to review his concerns. I now had a fresh track less than 1-hour old!!!

I tracked this buck, running in-between while the buck J-hooked in front of me for over 5-hours.
At last after pushing him through a lowland funnel, kind of swampish, the buck bolted for the other side of a clear-cut.
At 80-yards I had a wide open shoot of this big racked buck while tottering over a deadfall and not having a good stance to take a running shot :cry:

I followed him another 2-hours with no additional sightings and then he seemed to vanish into thin air losing with his track melting during the day.
Ultimately he came across a Doe group and now dozens of tracks were undistinguishable. I searched that spot over an hour with darkness coming quick and went home a changed man with a great day of hunting.

Good story Ed.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:20 am

john1984 wrote:Opening day of gun season 2007 I sat all day waiting for a big buck I seen at sunrise. At sunset he came out, I was waiting for a clear obstruction free broadside shot. He got to within 40 yards of me but the grass was tall and I couldn't see his vitals very clearly. He went back in the brush and I never seen him again. He was around 140 inches and the biggest buck I ever saw while hunting. I was using a 30-06 and I had a clear view of his neck. I should have taken the neck shot being that he was only 40 yards away standing still. For some reason I wanted to be like the guys on outdoor channel and wait for a clear broadside shot at his heart. After that season I took up bowhunting because I wanted more chances to kill a big buck.

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Good story My motto "first available good shot".
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:22 am

BassBoysLLP wrote:WOW. I have a LONG list.

Perhaps a better question: Have you ever done nearly everything wrong and still found success?

It is antagonizing getting a shooter buck/bucks in at 20 yards and don't hang him on the wall.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Dor » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:24 am

BassBoysLLP wrote:WOW. I have a LONG list.

Perhaps a better question: Have you ever done nearly everything wrong and still found success?


Biggest buck of my life. Had him at 30 yards, shot him with 40 yard pin on accident. I luckily hit the bottom of his spine getting both lungs......he only ran 50 yards. Thought for sure I'd backstrapped him. :doh:
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby E72 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:31 am

Oh I have a few screw ups ,,mostly either sitting the wrong tree or not making the shot. Ive missed a couple because I forgot to use my peep while aiming! No peep sights for me these days! :)

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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Stanley » Sat Aug 24, 2013 4:20 am

Dor wrote:
BassBoysLLP wrote:WOW. I have a LONG list.

Perhaps a better question: Have you ever done nearly everything wrong and still found success?


Biggest buck of my life. Had him at 30 yards, shot him with 40 yard pin on accident. I luckily hit the bottom of his spine getting both lungs......he only ran 50 yards. Thought for sure I'd backstrapped him. :doh:

I have heard that so many times over the years. "Wrong pin". That is why I went to a one pin slider a long time ago. Good story and you got him.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby C&T Archery » Sat Aug 24, 2013 4:57 am

Hunting season 2010 was a high of highs and low of lows.
It was year 2 on our lease and we had a couple of good bucks on camera. I shot many a deer with my bow, but nothing even close to a wall hanger. I noticed on my trail camera I had a nice 10 point showing up every other day in my area at 6:05 to 6:10pm. October 8th I climbing into my ladder stand and it was a fairly windy day out of the east at about 15 MPH. At about 5:45pm, the wind died and I thought to myself, thank god (fat man in a tree on a windy day equals me being a wind sail) well needless to say, I arrowed that same 10 pointer at 6:20pm that night at 7 yards! I was on cloud 9 as this was my biggest deer with a bow.
Opening day 2010 gun season comes and I'm in my ground blind 45 minutes before shooting time starts. It's was very very dark in my swamp that morning. Just as it started to get light in the swamp, there was gun shots ringing through air already ( a little early I thought) I heard a snap of a twig/branch. I look and here comes a nice 9 point. I think to myself. This will be the best year ever! Wall hanger with the bow and wall hanger with the gun. Can't beat that! Well the 9 pointer continues to walk right down the trail coming to about 16 yards in front of me. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger on my Remington 7400 30-06. All I heard was CLICK! The buck took off like a bat out of Hades! I think to myself, you fool you didn't chamber a round. I checked and yep there was a round in the gun. Primer was dented and everything. Only deer I saw all gun season. Only time I ever had a round miss fire on me.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Stanley » Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:50 am

C&T Archery wrote:Hunting season 2010 was a high of highs and low of lows.
It was year 2 on our lease and we had a couple of good bucks on camera. I shot many a deer with my bow, but nothing even close to a wall hanger. I noticed on my trail camera I had a nice 10 point showing up every other day in my area at 6:05 to 6:10pm. October 8th I climbing into my ladder stand and it was a fairly windy day out of the east at about 15 MPH. At about 5:45pm, the wind died and I thought to myself, thank god (fat man in a tree on a windy day equals me being a wind sail) well needless to say, I arrowed that same 10 pointer at 6:20pm that night at 7 yards! I was on cloud 9 as this was my biggest deer with a bow.
Opening day 2010 gun season comes and I'm in my ground blind 45 minutes before shooting time starts. It's was very very dark in my swamp that morning. Just as it started to get light in the swamp, there was gun shots ringing through air already ( a little early I thought) I heard a snap of a twig/branch. I look and here comes a nice 9 point. I think to myself. This will be the best year ever! Wall hanger with the bow and wall hanger with the gun. Can't beat that! Well the 9 pointer continues to walk right down the trail coming to about 16 yards in front of me. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger on my Remington 7400 30-06. All I heard was CLICK! The buck took off like a bat out of Hades! I think to myself, you fool you didn't chamber a round. I checked and yep there was a round in the gun. Primer was dented and everything. Only deer I saw all gun season. Only time I ever had a round miss fire on me.

Man that is bum luck.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby Badger » Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:31 pm

More times than I can count :lol:
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:41 pm

Quite a bit in my 17 years of bowhunting :D Hey, that's the learning curve which will always continue because I'm learning everyday I'm lucky to be in the woods.
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Re: Have you ever done everything right except for one thing

Unread postby UntouchableNess » Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:55 pm

It was the late '80's, kind of early in my not so successful early bow hunting "career". I picked the right tree as far as being next to a travel route. The tree had a fork in it, so I got up there and sat straddling the fork. It kind of pinched me in a spot that wasn't pleasant, but I thought I could hang in there for the hunt. Wasn't long and a nice buck comes trotting up, immediately throws his head up and stares me down. That wasn't the worst part of it, as there was no way I could draw my bow wedged between the two trunks of that tree. I hadn't thought to try it when I got settled in. :doh:


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