How many wallhangers you missed?

[Rhino]

How many wallhangers have you missed, including ones you've hit but not recovered Chris?

I understand wallhangers are in the eye of the beholder. I know this is a touchy subject too for some becasue it seems to stick in your brain forever.

Boy oh boy...I've had my share! When you put a lot of bone on their heads it does something to ya! Here's some that still make me sick!

In my early years of bowhunting in MS I recall one in particular that still makes me sick. It's an 8 point that would have been my 1st P&Y buck. Shot right over him. About 5 years later I did the same thing again on another one that was a little bigger.

I think the next one was in 2002 hunting near Sedan Kansas. One of the 1st 150 class bucks I had in range. Caught a deflection off a limb I just didn't see sending my arrow over him into a rock. I'll never forget the bladed tines on that old buck!

Next sickening miss was in Iowa ~5 years ago. I'd been hunting for 11 days and down to the last afternoon. A 150 class main frame 10 point with split G2's walks in and I choked when the doe he was following busted me. I made a poor shot hitting him in the front of the back leg. It was a 25 yard chip shot! Left him overnight and looked from dawn to the afternoon the next day. No blood beyond where I hit him.

The most recent one was in KS in 2009. Biggest main frame 8 point I've ever seen with kickers off both G2's. I figured him to gross over 160. He stopped behind brush at 18 yards then decided to backtrack the trail a doe had used. I was fine until he did that then I made the mistake of letting panic overcome me. Shot over the top of him at 30 yards. The shot was so bad, I still would have shot over him if I had used my 20 yard pin! By far this one's on the top of the list of sicking shots.

Anybody else going to fess up!

Edited July 5, 2011 by Rhino

[rhine16]

I'll fess up Al....Two come to mind with a bow.

One was from October 14, 2006. He fed straight to me right at last light, I was waaay up a pine in my climber(35-40 feet I'd guess), and I released on him at approximately 8 yards from the base of my tree creating one heck of a steep angle. The arrow lodged in his front shoulder and I honestly felt good about it. The blood trail was spotty at best and I finally chalked it up as a loss the next day around noon. Two months later we found him... 116" 10 point.

The other happened on the morning of January 22, 2008.... The morning was cold (19 at daylight) and windy and I'd seen nothing when a big 9 with a 17-18" spread that I'd guess between 130-135 showed up around 80 yards from me at 10:30. He bedded down twice, rubbed countless trees and worked several scrapes as he took 45 minutes to give me a shot. When he finally did, he was 10 yards from my tree, quartering to, and I'd been at full draw for at least 60 seconds when his "sixth sense" alerted him. I quickly put my pin on him and somehow pulled off as I released. Between the cold temps, wind, and the show that buck had put on, I didnt stop shaking for a long time afterward.

[need2hunt]

I've missed several deer in my days, but only one that I would consider a wall hanger. I can still see the slow motion replay in my head lol. My hunting partner had a better view of him as the buck had come from their direction and just passed out of range. The deer headed up towards me, I was in a tree next to a cornfield and I heard him coming up the path to my left, he was a Non Typical and big, all I really remember about his rack was his G2's were somewhere in the 15-18" range. He stopped at the edge of the woods and I had a clear path up until about 6 feet from the deer was some brush but still had a couple feet opening with his vitals exposed. Set the pin and released, I still can remember when the arrow was in flight that there was one limb that the arrow would have to clear... the broadhead passed over the limb, the shaft passed over the limb, and as I was about to celebrate the vane hit the limb, deflecting the back end up and the broadhead end down and sending the arrow about 4 inches under the buck.

We still laugh about it.

[Ravin R10 man]

3 that I rememeber...2 would have been in the 170"+class and 1 was in the 190's or better

[Strut10]

None.

But then again............I'm from PA.

[sskybnd]

i know of 1 , it was a place called hog island in va, a friend and me had hunted this place for 3 years and have seen some big bucks taken off it, it was a sacuary for ducks and geese but you were only allowed to bow hunt the island, it had a resident gamewarden on the place, and each time i met him i tried to pick his brain where i should hunt, he kept telling me you find the old home stead and you will kill a big buck. after a year and 1/2 i finley stumbled upon a pile of bricks that were the coner of it, there was a great trail running about 30 yards from it, i got my climber and set up on the trail, that weekend i had what would have been the bigest deer of my life walk under the stand, i remember telling myself that i could place an arrow between this shoulders, when i released the string it sounded like some one had taken 2 2x4s and whacked them together, as the deer ran off i could see my arrow sticking straight up, i never found that deer

[dbHunterNY]

None .... biggest deer I missed was with a bow and I got it later in the season with a gun. I've never really gotten the chance to shoot a true wall-hanger.

[Ethan Givan]

None...with a bow. Only had the opportunity to draw my bow on one buck I consider a wall hanger but never let an arrow fly. Did miss a nice buck with a rifle 4 years ago. Middle of November about 3:00 in the afternoon. He came running hard from my left out across in front of me, about 100 yards out. I saw a good amount of bone on his head, with some tall tines, so I let out a loud "meehhhh" with my mouth. He locked it up hard, and I shot. He spun, ran back to where he had come from and I never found that first drop of blood or hair. Clean miss I assume. It just happened so fast, I rushed my shot and completely choked in the moment.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Ethan Givan

[Turkeygirl]

I didn't miss him, but never got a shot...Saw him from my stand 2 years ago, came out in a field, chased a doe, came back in, grunted at him but he stayed out about 50 yards.

Actually these pics I got were from the same night I saw him, but these were taken in our woods.

[Rhino]

We still laugh about it.

I do too...well...except for that last one. The other heartbreaker about that last one was 2 days prior to that my buddy (usually goes with me to the midwest) missed a BIG NT. He's had a problem closing the deal on big boned bucks. He's 1 for I lost count on them so far. I can recall during 2 of our week long road trips he's slung at 2 and missed. I think last year is the 1st time he didn't have a shot offered. Neither did I but we both saw big shooters...just no shot opportunites.

Keep them coming and thanks for the post so far.

[Dawg]

I've only had the opportunity to draw on one buck with my bow. This was 4 years ago so it was my 2nd season to bow hunt. The buck wasn't a monster (around 115-120") but I would have had him mounted for the simple fact he would have been my first bow kill.

I was in my climber, about 20' up. Right as dawn broke and I could see my pins, I gave 5 short, soft grunts on the grunt tube. About 3 minutes later I looked to my right where a ground scrape was and he was standing there. All I could see was part of his head and one side of antlers. Instantly my heart began to throb, my breathing got heavy and I began to shake. As I tried to calm myself, he began walking down the trail that passed right in front of me. As he made his way, I stood up, drew and he stopped right behind a tree, still to my right at 45 degrees. I held it until he took a couple of steps forward blocking his view of me and I let down. What seemed like forever (about 45 secs) later he began walking down the trail. When his view was blocked by another tree, I stood and drew again. He made it right in front of me, 16 steps from the base of the tree.....I was thinking the whole time "Oh yea, this sucker is mine.".......only one problem, there was a yaupon bush in the way. I thought "heck I can just aim a little higher over the bush after all it's only a couple inches" Well that couple of inches higher turned out to be about a foot and my arrow passed right over his back. He turned and bolted out. He stopped about 40 yards out in the woods, beyond my view, and blew.

A couple of weekends later (gun season) my brother shot him over at his stand.

The pic ain't that great but here's the buck:

Edited July 6, 2011 by Dawg
upload pic

[wtnhunt]

One that would have been my first bowkill about 8 or 9 years ago. String slapped my parka sleeve I think, was a cold December morning of our late season archery. Deer was not a monster, but was a good solid tall 8 pointer probably in the 110-115 range, a nice deer for this area and one I would have been happy to have on the wall as a bowkill. Had a mature buck duck my arrow in Wisconsin when I hunted with Randy on the last morning I was there, but it was an ugly busted up deer.

Had a blown opportunity on one I drew on early season about 5 years ago, a real nice 10. Had my bow drawn and was waiting for the deer to take a few more steps to get in my lane. Everything was finally coming together, was a close shot, unfortunately a little 4 point ahead of him got far enough around to catch my wind. Saw that buck again only once more during our youth hunt, Christina could not get the rifle on him as he worked the edge of the treeline, the rest on the stand was a little too high for her. Only pic we ever got of him.

[hoosierhunter]

A total of 3. 2 lost and 1 missed

2006-I had 4 bucks chasing a doe all over the woods. When he stopped I thought he was about 35 yards away and he really was at 49 yards. I hit him just below the body in the front leg. He ran off and stopped and then continued the chase the doe about a minute later. I'm pretty positive it was a non-lethal hit as I watched him ran that doe for another 20 minutes after the hit. Amazing after about 5 minutes he quite limping all together. He was in the 140 inch range

2007-I had a mid 150 10 come in to 10 yards twice and couldn't get the shot at him either time. When he was at 45 yards I stopped him and shot. Of course being on edge he jumped the string forward and I hit him high in front of the hind quarter. Lost blood after about 200 yards and spent two more days looking for him. On the last day of ML that year my good buddy killed him. The scare was there on both sides but healed shut. I still have no idea how I didn't break his back or cut that artery up there.

2010-About 5 minutes before killing my buck I missed the other 10 by hitting a branch that I never saw in front of his chest.

[cray8705]

Does having a cool 10 Pointer (6 on one side 4 on the other) (probably 150") on camera but never seeing it until the neighbors friend shoots it during the late gun season with only 3 more days left until it was safe from hunting count? I didnt really miss, but it was still disappointing because these people never knew he was there and never hunted him, they just got lucky, man I wish I had that luck.

[Jeramie]

I actually have a great track record.

I have one lost deer (A doe, lost her to a .30-30)

And one missed deer (Buck, roughly 140" 8-point) jumped the string.

Ive taken way too many deer to count. Im 35 and have been hunting since I was able to carry something. Im just a very particular person and wont shoot unless I know I have the shot.

[toddyboman]

Only 1 Wall Hanger buck comes to mind that I stuck and lost......A Big 140-150 class buck came in nice and close (cccoooo 10 - 15 yards uuuuggghhh) to my archery stand one morning......and I total rushed the shot......drew and shot all in the same motion...never settled my pin just yanked on the trigger.....:bang::bang::hammer1::hammer1:

Hit him square in the shoulder. He walked on 60 yards or so and looked back in my direction like what was that.......He then continued on like nothing ever happened. Never found a drop of blood or the buck....

Live and Learn....

[swohiodave]

Have seen a few in my day, 2 last year that never offered a shot. 4 years ago I shot at a monster 10 point with all kinds of stickers and a drop tine. It was head on with a shotgun and he jumped like I hit him in the heart. After he ran off I found some shaved hair and a broken branch sticking up out of the ground.

[Stone Cold]

I have missed two and one i never saw again but the other has now made it to my wall after a couple years. I got trail cam pics of him when he was a 12 pointer, missed him when he was a 10 pointer the next year, and then shot him the year after that as an 11 pointer. I have the 12 point sheds and two singles off him too.

[Tominator]

This thread reminds me of Bob Hope and the Texaco Star Theater...."Thanks...for the memories..."

So, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for reminding me of this story Al...

8:00 a.m., i caught him, 200 yards away, crossing a picked cornfield. he was walking away, so i grabbed my rattle bag. what did i have to lose? i tickled the wooden dowels and he heard it. when he picked up his head, i could see the antlers, and they looked pretty impressive even from that distance. 50 yards later he hung up and circled, nose down in the field. i smashed the rattle bag pretty hard to get him to turn again. this time it was too much for him to resist. the bruiser started walking my way with a purpose. now a scant 100 yards away, i could see he was definitely a shooter if given the chance.

when he was 30 yards from the field edge, he cut to his right and headed right for my tree. his echo location surely didn't let him down, he knew where the mock battle was taking place. at 50 yards i knew this was an exceptional deer. at 20 yards i drew, put the pin on, quartering to "no, let's see what he does." at 10 yards, straight down, still at full draw "spine shot?" "no, let's see what he does." straight under me, checks my tinks wick briefly, and walks away. still at full draw, 10 yards away, 10 yard pin firmly planted on his heart "quartering away, 10 yards, yes." i released and the arrow went exactly where i pointed it, 2" low. i clipped his brisket.

he never startled. he calmly walked to a dead fall 20 yards away, stamped his foot 10 times and walked around to the back of my tree. then to add insult to injury, he bedded down 50 yards away, and stayed there for 45 minutes.

there you go. that's my sob story for 2004. everything happened the way i planned except for the most important part. the shot. in hindsight, i was too much of a perfectionist. i aimed for the heart, when i should have concentrated on the exit hole. i do that quite often, even when practicing. don't know why.

i guess the only good thing about it was the fact that the 140+ class, beautifully symmetrical, 10pt, Knox county buck is alive and well, except for the little bald spot in his brisket.

and, oh yeah, i put a lousy shot on a doe 2 hours later, which i lost the blood trail to.

that's deer 3, Tominator 0

back at it today.

I can still see that deer laying in the sun...

[Rhino]

Great stuff guys...we've all been there before at least once. Love some of the documentation y'all have had.

This thread reminds me of Bob Hope and the Texaco Star Theater...."Thanks...for the memories..."

So, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for reminding me of this story Al...

You're welcome!

One that would have been my first bowkill about 8 or 9 years ago. String slapped my parka sleeve I think, was a cold December morning of our late season archery.

I learned that lesson the hard way but fortunately on a doe. Sleeve slowed my arrow down enough to cause my arrow to pass an easy foot or more under her. I've always worn an arm guard hunting since then.

[hoosierhunter]

I learned that lesson the hard way but fortunately on a doe. Sleeve slowed my arrow down enough to cause my arrow to pass an easy foot or more under her. I've always worn an arm guard hunting since then.

I shot a buck back in early 2000's on the last day of season. He was inside 10 yards broadside. I slapped my sleeve so bad that I hit him in the rear end from under 10 yards. Fortunately I found him the next day after he went about 400 yards.

[pointing_dogs_rule]

I don't think about it here in Iowa... just move on to the next buck or doe.

good luck to all

the dog