I SCREWD UP

[thepennsylvanian]

Well, i finally got on a deer that was out of my league. I was on new public land, and i found this deer in July this year.

So i hung a camera and stayed the out of there. I didn't check the camera until the evening i hunted first hunted him. That was Saturday Sept 29. Well i was in the right spot, i had many pictures of him moving along the bench.

That evening he came in at 6:05pm, but not on the bench, he came from directly down wind, coming up the hill, he hit my trail i used to walk in on and ran 20 more yards up the hill and is now almost eye level with me. Alert and looking back to where he ran from, i tried to draw but my harness made rubbing noise an i caught his attention. I was caught up in the moment but felt confident enough to make the now 21 yd shot. I centered my pin and loosed my arrow. . . . now, every archer knows a good release, this felt good but sounds horrible, with a loud crrrraaacckk instead of the hollow drum. at first i thought he completely ducked my arrow, as he bound 40 yds more up the insanely steep hillside then paused for wait felt like 30 mins just looking back down the hill before slowly walking off. after about 40 mins i climb down to check my arrow and its got meat and fat all over it. i wanted to throw up, i have never experienced such a high that turned into the lowest of lows before. so i started looking for blood and found it. . . . i only found maybe 15 yards worth but looked for the rest of the night. nothing. I felt so ashamed of myself and embarrassed and defeated, that not only did i screw myself on this deer, i wounded it. Thinking back, i knew the deer was alert s oi should have held on the bottom third of his body to try and accommodate a drop, but i was caught up in the moment and was as focused as i should have been.... well before i left that night i reset the camera in the hopes he'll survive and ill get a picture of him. well i get one 10s video of him working a scrape, i felt relieved when i got it, but you can actually see where my arrow hit his back. im glad hes alive but now i have no idea what to do about it or how to even attempt to hunt this deer now. or even if i should.

[headgear]

This is going to happen, we aren't perfect and those deer have amazing reflexes. Don't feel bad, you had a great encounter with a huge public land buck and he is still alive. Plus you have prime time coming up and you know his general area very well. Shake it off and get back after him or formulate some kind of plan, lots of season left to get another arrow into him. I'd start by thinking about when to get back in there and I would also pick out a different tree and or access route.

[thepennsylvanian]

This is going to happen, we aren't perfect and those deer have amazing reflexes. Don't feel bad, you had a great encounter with a huge public land buck and he is still alive. Plus you have prime time coming up and you know his general area very well. Shake it off and get back after him or formulate some kind of plan, lots of season left to get another arrow into him. I'd start by thinking about when to get back in there and I would also pick out a different tree and or access route.

you think it would be worth hunting that area still, i mean i know are other bucks that just last year i would have fallen out of the treestand from buck fever for but i was holding myself to higher standard this year.... basically i am asking would you continue to hunt this deer, after wounding it?

[Rich M]

You have him on camera - keep on keeping on!

[PK_]

There is no possible way to know...

Other than to hunt it again.

[Drenalin]

It happens, unfortunately, but he survived and is still in the area. Learn from that hunt, get back in there, and put that buck on the ground!

[ODH]

Seems like you didn't bother him too much he hit that scrape just after dark so he's likely still bedded right there. Give it another go and see if he's still there.

[DaveT1963]

Bucks live in the present IMO. They react more to what the experience on an ongoing basis rather than having a super memory. I have seen a buck shot and then show up the very next day to the same exact location.

When people pound an area hard, bucks relocate to new areas. Most believe they avoid an area where they encountered danger before. I do not buy this as much as I believe they alter their travel daily based upon fresh encounters with danger - over time they adapt where they travel and when they travel through it.... they adapt if they keep encountering fresh danger. Some bucks it may only take one encounter for them to make a slight adaptation, others it might take more "pressure."

I would throw another hunt his way and then give the area a break and try once or twice more over the season. I would not pound the area or he will learn to alter how he travels through it. No different in how we alter travel when we consistently hit a lot of traffic.... over time we develop new routes to get us to same destination. All just my own observation and opinion of course. the one point I want to encourage you on is more then likely he will never completely forsake his core area - in other words he is not going anywhere - unless it just gets to dangerous for him to be there (i.e. too much pressure).

[moog5050]

He is back and you know his prior travel route. I would hunt him again and plan access and stand for the direction you know he came previously.

[headgear]

basically i am asking would you continue to hunt this deer, after wounding it?

Absolutely hunt him again, sure he might move out of the area with a ton of pressure but you already have him on camera back in the same area with a wound. I think the better question is why wouldn't you hunt him again, but like I said formulate a new plan because your old tree and old access might not work. I know Dan says alwasy pick a new tree because they might key in on you or keep their distance. Don't get down on yourself, get motivated.

[Dewey]

If you hunt long enough this kind of stuff happens. I had three screw ups last season and thankfully only one of them resulted in a wounded deer. It sucks but the important thing is we have to use each one as a learning experience and grow from it. Get back out there with a good plan and kill that buck.

[Boogieman1]

For me there's no better feeling than righting a wrong. So yes I would go after him with everything I got. I prob wouldn't hunt him from the exact same tree. Some times just a small move 20 or 30 yards is all that is needed.

I barely missed a buck in a tight funnel years ago, I mean cut white hair. I was sick! From that day on every time that buck used that funnel in daylight he ran through it wide open. Or other times u could see him bed down right b4 the funnel and wait until dark. In hindsite would have been a pretty easy correction if I would have just moved a stand 40 yards over b4 the actual funnel. Live and learn.

[NorthStar]

Thanks for sharing this story. I am actually learning from your experience so I certainly appreciate your humility. I see great things in your future!

Nice pictures by the way!