I missed

[snoman4]

Man missing plain sucks. I missed a nice buck in Kentucky this fall and it was my first outright miss in many years. The buck came in behind me while I had stood up to do a rattling sequence. My rangefinder was in my pack three feet away and I did not try to get it because I thought I would get busted. The deer was downhill from me and I am a flat lander from Florida that hunts swamps so I thought that deer has to be 20 yards. I stuck my 20 yard pin on the sweetspot and watched as the deer took off like he was shot out of a cannon. I got down wondering how I missed that chippy and found the exact spot where the buck had been standing ( you could see the marks where he wheeled to run like a raped ape). Got the rangefinder and it was 32 yards to the stand.....

Misses happen to us all brother. I have missed my share in almost 30 years of bowhunting. I used to miss a lot more because I shot recurve bows up until 9 years ago.

[JRM6868]

Good luck hope you let the air out of him!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Brandon]

Thanks guys.

[Milk Weed Seed]

Bummer I know the feeling, I missed a chip shot a NJ Giant this year. I hope you get another crack at him. But if you don't, hopefully he'll make it through the summer, and be all that much bigger and you'll have him taking a dirt nap in Oct 2012. Stay positive!!

[moondoondude]

Brandon... first off where are you? St. Mary's County? Awesome avatar picture too! Is that in the Bay? Maybe lower Pax?

I've seen deer, and some good ones, swimming in the Bay and Pax. I also hunt some land on the Eastern Shore where I have some freakin huge deer taking to the water.

Anyways, sorry for sidetracking, but in regards to your deer, he is still plenty killable. Chances are, he probably has no idea what the happened when you shot at him. Sticks break in the woods all the time, branches fall, it's all the same to a deer if you missed him clean. If you nicked him, lots of times they can hardly tell. Yesterday and today have been the best two days for daytime movement that I have seen in a long, long time. Today, on the way in to hunt, I walked up onto a field edge and saw 5 bucks, three of which were older deer, and one of which is a deer I have been watching for 3 or 4 years now - and a deer that I was planning to take this year. That was at around 2 p.m. - I don't know what made them want to get up and move but I'm not complaining. I hunted in a t-shirt today - was up in the tree for about 20 minutes and shot a doe, got down and left. Sweat my but off going in and dragging out - again, January 6, in a t-shirt. Almost 60 today.

So keep hunting man - I get some of my best hunts in from Christmas to Jan 31. Deer are hungry and get up to feed often. The weather has been crazy this week, 55 or 60 on Sat, getting into single digits with wind chill 3 or 4 days ago and next thing you know, it's 60 again. I have seen some big, mature deer on their feet at odd times of the day a couple times this week. The big ones I have seen are not alone, they are bachelored up or herded up. Also, in regards to your bucks shedding, I have seen probably 15-20 bucks the past week on cameras, while hunting, or scouting and only 2 or 3 bucks that I have seen have shed antlers. Good luck and keep hunting!

[Uncle Lou]

Good luck Brandon, and great post moondude

[moondoondude]

Good luck Brandon, and great post moondude

Thanks man.

Also, sorry for saying the word "where the devil lives". It slipped, sorry mods!

[ Post made via Android ]

[Brandon]

Awesome avatar picture too! Is that in the Bay? Maybe lower Pax?

I've seen deer, and some good ones, swimming in the Bay and Pax. I also hunt some land on the Eastern Shore where I have some freakin huge deer taking to the water.

Potomac River.

Thanks for the reply... he didnt show this weekend. Was VERY warm as Im sure you know.

I did cut his track closer to his bedding and have more info, so new set up next time out, and a cam off of it is already up. Staying out until cooler temps and a good wind for the stand.

[addisonlee]

Nice buck. Good luck with him. I know exactly how you feel eating tag soup so far. Keep your head up and stay positive.

[cwoods]

Any hunter who spends a fair share of time in the woods is going to miss. Hate that it happened to you on your hit list buck. Glad he's still alive and I hope you put him down. I love his brows by the way and he has to be atleast 3.5