Before the shot....

[EatDeer]

I'm sharing this hunting story in hopes this will help other hunters, I'm willing to eat crow, so feel free to be truthful in your responses.

I wanted to post about a recent hunting trip I made to the woods. I have been bow hunting for a few years now, and have had several nice (p+y club) bucks under my stand.

Recently, a nice tall racked 10pt. (160in.) buck was 25 yards behind my tree stand, for five minutes he stood behind a blow down, motionless.

I thought he was gone, then I could barely see his tines, so I stood up, and turned to get at a shot lane.  

So after a bit he steps out a little more, but still no shot presented. This buck stood there for another 5 minutes, motionless. 

I couldnt take it any longer, so I peeked around the big 2 foot wide hackberry tree. I think he caught a bit of motion, I waited another five minutes froze in a standing postion.

I finely had to look round the tree again, through a few vines and leaves.

He turned and ran strait away, at about couple hundred yards he blew a short snort and then a longer blow.   Maybe he ran into some hunters on the other property, I'm not certain.

My mistake was not getting turned into shooting postion when I had the best chance. The second mistake was looking to see where he was located, with out his head in view.

Now I know I should have waited for the buck to move into my shooting lane, then made I could have made a move when he was looking away.  

I think maybe next time will be a different story, one with a happy ending! 

[Patriot]

Tough luck EatDeer. [:(]
 
I'm sure I would have done the same thing as you.  Too bad deer aren't on a clock.  They can just stand in the same spot for an hour if they so please.
 
Good luck this season.

[Woods Walker]

Sometimes the hardest thing about deer hunting is making youreslf realize that "time" to a deer has a completely different meaning than it does to us, on many different levels. And probably the most important is that time to a deer has no relevance whatsoever, at least as we define it.

[Cut N Run]

Patience is a virtue. Those kind of things tend to be learning experiences for me & I'm less likely to make the same one(s) again.

15 years ago, I was seeing one wide-racked 10 point buck pretty regularly during bow season, but he was never close enough for a clear shot. He had been in range a couple of times, but there was always something blocking the arrow's path. He never winded me, so he was still comfortable using that area. Near the end of bow season that year it rained for 2 & 1/2 days solid. Knowing the weather was going to clear that day, I eased off towards a pine thicket he liked to use. I was walking at a snail's pace and took an hour & a half to travel less than 400 yards. When I got to the thicket, I heard a squirrel suddenly start barking at something on the other side of the thicket. I froze and looked at every piece of tree, leaf, and for anything that resembled a deer & saw nothing. I stood motionless for 35 minutes scanning the thicket and did not see any part of a deer. I decided that squirrels were stupid, sometimes bark at nothing, and I took a step. Right then, that buck busted out from the thicket 20 yards in front of me. He bounded twice and started walking off without throwing his tail up. He never knew what I was, yet he knew that something wasn't right. I never saw that deer again. I pay attention to squirrels anytime I hear them now. Lesson learned.

I hope you get another crack at that buck. Degreee of difficulty is part of what makes bowhunting so addictive. Good luck the rest of the season.

Jim

[MoDeer]

Dont think you will find much crow to eat around here . I am sure we have all been there and done that , I know I have . It is best to learn from your mistakes and move on . Their will be more close encounters in your future and you will be better prepared because of the mistakes in your past .
 
 

[EatDeer]

My father says "Thats how bucks get big!".....because they are smarter, or more weary, compared to alot of other bucks. 

I guess that's another good perspective,  we have a little bit of hunting pressure here.  I don't really mind that I missed a chance, hopefully that buck will make it to the next season. 

 This buck has been close to my stand several times without enough light to get a decent shot. Once I saw him cross the fenceline  just before dawn, then I heard him run off the pasture when I was walking out one evening. Another time I think he heard my foot steps crushing leaves when I left at sunset, he blew off that day too.   Now I want to harvest him just because he's taunting me!

I did learn a lesson about hunting big bucks, which I'm grateful for the expirence. 

Thanks for the replies.