The buck that got away.

[Stanley]

What was the reason, your best buck got away. I'm talking a slam dunk, piece of cake, chip shot. But, you went home with nada? The reason and the cure would be good to talk about.

[jmaas07]

Couple come to mind...first one my stand creeked, this was pre lone wolf days, the buck looked right up at me and bolted. Second one was last year late season, just plain made a bad shot and missed...the buck knew something was up but didn't know I was there and didn't smell me, went back in the next evening on the same wind and shot a different buck that came out of the same bedding area, identical shot as the one I missed the night before but made good on this one, just focused on the shot more

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[backstraps]

My biggest buck that got away was a reason that's embarassing to tell the story.

I was out of state hunting during the rut.

I had been away from the house a few days and missing my little girl. I knew it was almost time for her to go to school so I decided to text her on her mommy's phone.

I did say it was a rut hunt rite......

So, the sun hadn't been up long and here I was sitting in a prime state, prime time and it's still the first.hour of daylight when a doe come running through my set with her mouth gapped wide open.

I'm trying to get my phone put away and the release on the string when he came in. I was just a few seconds late on getting at full draw to allow a shot in one of the clear areas. When I came to full draw I had to all but yell at him to get him to stop.

He was at a hard quarter away angle when I released what looked to be a clean lethal shot.

The shot wasn't on film to review, and I just couldn't assure myself I got anything other than liver and one lung.

I set there an hour before climbing down. Examined the point if impact, slowly followed blood for 30 yards when all of a sudden, my hunting buddy came walking towards me on the exit route the buck left.

I could only begin imagining how he bumped the buck. So I set there in disbelief of how this hunt is going down.

I trailed blood for another 20 yards just off the path my buddy walked, and found a huge bloody bed... so we backed out and went to town ate breakfast and run some errands.

Went back 4 hours later tracked him to a wide open low grass field, never to see sign again.

HAD I BEEN HUNTING AND NOT TEXTING, the first shooting window he walked through was 16 yards, second was 21 yards...chip shots!

So 3 things began to change after that hunt...

1. When I use my phone on stand it's rarely, and never during prime time or rut.

2. I hunt alone 90% of the time now.

3. Marginal hits mean I'm out of there until the following day.

Update on that story. 2 weeks later was opener of gun season
The owner of the property leases to 5 hunters from upstate during that week of gun season. Two of the five were going to begin doing a drive when I heard them screaming and yelling at each other, almost lIke a fight was about to begin. They were arguing over who was going to keep a buck they just found.

I looked through my binoculars to see them cutting the head off. My gosh it was a monster. I didn't know them but wanted so bad to go talk to them explain and ask if I could claim him....BUT, the landowner never granted anyone permission other than my hunting buddy, who got me permission. So I didn't want to start a conflict between those 5 and the land owner which surely would've lost my hunting privileges too.

I can remember seeing 7 on the left antler when he came in and I don't know any more about his size other than he was wide.

When I made my way to the truck and drove past them I could see tips above the truck bed and was sick again for another week!

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[hunter10]

Last year late season setup outside a thick bedding area and sat against the farmers cut christmas tree he tossed on the field edge. Got caught goofing around on my phone and had to get my bow up quick, make a quick game plan, shot right over the 8 pts back taking a bit of hair.. never saw him again

[Ghost Hunter]

First Monday in November 2009

I was sitting on a lock on amongst four willow oaks in between to pine thickets. There was a good set of tracks coming through there often. He was coming at me on a quartering to me shot. I let it rest. He stopped about 30 yards turned one step away from me. Put him nearly broadside. I hit the release an it was almost instantly he side stepped an turned about the time I released. The arrow passed within inches in front of him.

The next week somebody shot him out of the same stand. Green scored 142.

[Ryan]

I missed the biggest deer I'v ever had the opportunity to shoot at 10 yards, I was 12 or 13 years old hunting out of an old wood ladder stand in a swamp, I used a buck bomb estrous scent and it must have have worked cause the buck came in smelling right where i put it, it was a nice 8 point for our property and i simply miss him and shot low cause i had buck fever and didn't take my time with the shot

[purebowhunting]

The biggest buck I've messed up on I just panicked on the shot. I was hunting the edge of a bedding area in late October, he came out in the afternoon and was going to present a 22-25 yards shot. Right before the opening for the shot he turned and started quartering away. Last chance was a 32 yards shot, I rushed it and hit him high and back. Neighbor shot him the next week chasing a doe showing no effects from the wound. That was my first shot at a mature buck, I've been more clutch since. Hers a pics of him.

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[Rome]

Interesting topic for me right now. I hit one in the guts this past season and I've developed target panic. I've never had it before, so I think it's from my bad shot last season. It's a really bad case of it, but I'm getting there. I never believed in it until now.

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[Stanley]

Interesting stuff. We have all botched one. It is hard to tell about it sometimes. I think we take away a lot from a bumbled opportunity.

[Bucky]

I had a shot at 185" deer that I never took... he followed a doe out into an open pasture off a gravel road on Sunday of opening weekend of gun. I just sat frozen in the truck as I knew popping him from the road I would never be able to look at the rack on the wall the same. So after 20 min he bolted down into some timber and I tried a plan to push the chunk to no eval. That buck was a MONSTER typical

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[oldrank]

It was the second day of gun season of 2008. I had permision to hunt my cousins property in some prime Michigan whitetail habitat. Opening day was a down pour n I had seen nothing. Day 2 was perfect weather for my set up. The main trail cut through the edge of my cousins property n was a classic rut funnel connecting a large swamp with a large section of hard woods. A few does n small bucks moved through here n there through out the day but no shooter bucks. About 30 minutes before dark I spotted a large group of deer coming my way. I counted 17 come out of the thicket on the neighbors property. I glassed em n seen antlers... big antlers. He was the last deer in the group. He was limping bad n I could tell his left shoulder was busted up. I pulled up my 50 cal muzzle loader n found him in the cross hairs. I had a clear shot but he had to cross the property line. One by one the does moved in front of me perfectly out of my wind... 1..3..7..13..I counted as I kept him in my scope. 3 more deer n 10 more yards disaster struck.. the last 3 does came behind me n into my wind...as they caught my scent the buck crossed the line n stopped behind a tree concealing his vitals. The does froze at my scent... n without an instant of hesitation the buck wheeled the other direction at full speed n was gone. He was 25 yrds away.. n I couldnt shoot... it haunts me to this day..I could of took a neck shot.. I could of popped him a hundred times on the neighbors (which I never would)...but I was left there mouth agap with a memory..n nothing else. .he was easily 160 inch monster. Never seen him again

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[Dewey]

The biggest buck I screwed up on was 3 seasons ago during the rut late morning. The morning was uneventful so I was kinda daydreaming about past hunts when suddenly I saw a huge set of pure white antlers floating above the cattails coming my direction. I stood up to get in position for a shot. As he got closer my only focus was on his antlers and realizing that I was looking at a buck that would easily make Booner. As he got closer within shooting range I started raising my bow for the shot as soon as he exited the cattails and was confident this buck was mine. To my horror as soon as I raised my bow a doe I never saw he was following but was hidden in the tall cattails spotted me and bolted taking the buck away from me and offering no shot.

Shortly after I watched him chasing her back and forth at another treeline in the cattails about 100 yards away. This chasing went on for quite some time as they kept cycling back around. Figured I had nothing to lose so I quickly packed up and relocated where they were but of course they never came back again. I estimate that buck was 180"+.

Took me awhile to get over that one. Still stings right now even thinking about it. Still wonder what happened with that buck since I never heard about anybody killing it.

What I learned from that experience............keep 100% focus at all times and be aware of those darn does. Not the first time that happened to me during the rut so I should have known better.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[BigHunt]

Wounded a 140 class 5.5 year old 10 point Bowhunting the rut ...I was after him for 3 years

Did not end well, shot SUCKED because I rushed it and didn't really even aim I just drew and shoot was looking for him weeks after that. ..never found him

[Motivated]

November 30th, just this past season. Dad had spotted him from the same stand seven days before, but did not take a shot as it was too far.

It was about 11:30 and my feet were getting cold. I think I was adding sock layers at the time he came in. The biggest buck I have seen on the hoof. Forget the socks, grab the muzzleloader!

I remember thinking, "slow down, get steady, and pull the trigger". I thought I was calm and had a perfect shot on his vitals...Bang! I calmly watched him bound away, noting which trees he passed and his last position. Huh, why is he not limping and going down???

Replaying my steps in my mind, I noticed that I forgot to compensate for distance and forgot to aim higher! Doh! My bullet never touched him. I was able to keep calm and steady--buck fever just made me stupid instead!

At least Dad and I will hopefully have another chance this year.

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[briar]

The biggest buck I ever had in range I never got a shot at. I saw him 5x that season and was set up the last day in what I though was the perfect tree. He cam in head on and by the time he got to the area I needed him to be there was no shot. The heartbreak was that he bedded down there for about 20 minutes while I tried every which way to fine an opening. As the sun set on that season I remember throwing something at him out of pure frustration. I may never see a buck like that in PA again.