reliving your misses....

[hoosierhunter]

A post got me thinking back to close calls and misses I've experienced over the last few years. Here's a few examples of my near misses and it might be fun to hear other people's stories. It keeps us coming back every year and allows you to appreciate the success's that much more.

In 2012 I had a branch deflect my arrow low on a buck that would have been my biggest to date, somewhere probably around 165.(he was killed this season a few miles away and breaks 180 inches) I also had a 179 at 18 yards and no shot due to him walking the only path we didn't trim. He was killed by my lease partner that afternoon.

2013, saw a 168 duck my string on Oct 4th that I had chased for two years. Another buddy killed him on Nov 24th.

2014 brought the biggest "what if" in my career. I had my target buck sneak in to 28 yards and stop in my hole. I passed not trying to rush the shot because it appeared he was going to take the trail putting him quartering away at 15 yards. He started down the trail and for some reason turned and walked directly away from me. Not spooked, just did what I believe he wouldn't do in 1,000 more encounters. He was killed by the neighbor. I don't have a score on him yet, but he probably clears 170.

[fly]

I've seen several large bucks at a distance while bow hunting but never got them in range. The biggest buck I drew on, but didn't let the arrow fly occurred this year. It was a thick 130's eight point. Had a perfect shot at 50 yards and didn't shoot waiting for him to come closer. He did get to forty yards and I drew when he went behind a 10 foot tall / full bush. Unfortunately he stopped behind it and stayed there till I had to let the string down. A doe saw me let the string down and they all bolted.

I shot two large bucks with an arrow over the past 30 years that I did not recover. One was 120 class the other I'm not sure but probably around 140. Both were about 10 years ago.

The only large buck I remember missing was in the early 1990's. I was shotgun hunting and taking an afternoon nap on the side of a hill. A 130/140 class buck nearly ran me over (spooked by another hunter I assume). I awoke, grabbed my shotgun and fired at the trotting buck at 15 yards. Completely missed. I was so upset with myself that since that day I have never taken an "intentional" nap while hunting.

[wtnhunt]

This one haunts me and to this day still don't have my first archery buck. I posted that story here in the forums years ago. In 2006 had a pretty nice 10 that i got my bow drawn on and had him at under 20 yards with my pin setting right behind the shoulder and the deer standing broadside. Had a little buck out ahead of him and i was waiting for my target buck to take just a couple more steps to be in my opening. I could have tried to squeeze my shot in but had an iffy limb i was not sure about. Little buck caught my wind and took off back past the 10. The 10 stood there a few seconds looked around and then walked back down the hill. I should have let that arrow fly.

Then my oldest daughter during the youth hunt we had the same buck come in right at first light and she could not get a shot.

I missed a decent 8 with my bow on a very cold December morning several years ago, string i think slapped my sleeve and arrow disappeared.

My 2009 late season rifle deer i had a close call with with the bow just a few days before i ended up killing him. Doe behind me busted me when i took my bow off the hanger.

[Gavindodd]

This year I had close to a 200 incher at 28 yds with my bow and didn't pull the trigger....... I've never shaken so bad in my life:)

[Rhino]

The last buck I missed was on Oct. 31, 2011 in Mississippi. I was about to get out of the stand for that afternoon hunt when I heard a deer approaching. Glassed him and realized he was the biggest target buck I had on my cams. I misjudged the yardage & shot right over him. I was SICK!!! As fate would have it, 6 days later I killed him from the same treestand with him standing within a step from the spot where I had missed him 6 days earlier. This time he was the 1st deer I saw & he showed up ~2 hours before dark. Scored 154 1/2" as a main frame 10 with 2 scorable kicker points off each G2. Biggest buck I ever killed in MS and he was a 6.5 year old buck. Some of you may remember that story.

Prior to that miss on a buck would be a buck I missed in Kansas. I'm not exactly sure what year it was but best guess would be Nov. 2008. He was the biggest main frame 8 point I've ever seen. He had kickers off both G2's and I estimated him at ~165"...extremely long tines. He was cold trailing a doe on a trail in the wrong direction and stopped behind limbs at 18 yards facing me. He only had to take another 2 steps & he'd be broadside since the trail turned at that point. He did a 180 & went back the other way. I lost my cool & went into panic mode. At ~32 yards he turned broadside & I let fly...sneaking a peek after I turned the arrow loose. I shot so far over his back I would have shot over him if I'd used my 20 yard pin. Sickening! BTW...my buddy had missed a big buck 2 days earlier too. Misery like that does not like company!

As far as most recent missed opportunity (like Pat's last year) would be the big 10 point with 2 scorable kickers on Nov. 17th last year. I figured him to score in the upper 150's. 1st deer to show up that afternoon & he was walking a trail where I had ranged an opening at 43 yards. He stopped right before hitting the opening. Paused for what seemed like forever with me at full draw and then decided to cross a creek heading away. No shot opportunity...shook me up too. My buddy & I moved the stand the next day to get closer to the trails they were using. 2 days after that encounter I killed a different 10 point (148 3/4") from that stand.

[Ravin R10 man]

back early 80's I was on stand for our best producing drive;30-30 lever action with scope. it was snowing those huge wet flakes, I got behind a white pine, out on a field, that had a hanging branch, to keep the snow from getting my scope full. I peer around this branch occasionally, as it blocked my view right in front of me. When I looked one time, there was a180 class buck standing broadside at 30 yards...I had to take a step off to the side to get a shot, when I moved the buck wheeled right around headed away and all I had time for was a quick shot as he dropped off the field, he ran right past a stander, which was about 150 yards up the ravine,and at 10 yards, he thought he had all the time to wait until it was right in front of him, only to find his scope was full of snow, he got so rattled, he did not even take a barrel shot as he ran by...he also had a pistol, which he did not even think about pulling..... he said the buck looked to have been grazed on the rump. he also said it was all of 180.....I followed it about 200 yards and just a few drops of blood.

Another drive, a ten acre plantation open field on 3 sides..North, south and east....I'm driving it west to east and open field on my right..dad is watching my side out by the dirt road on east end...a buck jumps out and is running at my dad..I hear him shoot so I bail on the drive and get out to the field edge, where I see the buck running south , so we are both shooting and both empty out. This buck had bases that were bigger than a soda can..easily a 170+ buck...we never touched him

Had a buck in the 200" range that had a hoof the size of a yearling heifer..did not have trail cams at the time,(early 90's)... but saw the track before gun season started in my creek bow stand. On opening day,.I shot a 10 pt that morning on the same drive as first story... I put my Nephew in my bow stand, it was his first year hunting, I baited while he got settled in my spruce, went back out to truck and left with my buck to register it, he said I no sooner was out of sight and he walks in at 10 yards, he says it looked like an elk!! he took aim and his fireing pin had froze up while doing drives in the snow covered balsams that day....he tried several rounds..the buck stiffed legged off and was never back at my stand the rest of the season..., he got gut shot 2 miles away, ran onto a farmers property, so the hunters came back after dark to find him, had no gun, buck gets up at 20 yards and stands there....all they can do is watch it run off all humped up, it was never seen again, nor found.

Bow misses..well I've missed over or under, one I drilled the only 1" sapling.that was there...killed it good, have never had the chance to shoot at a buck the size of the ones above with my bow, shot a nice ten pt. one eve, got down, loaded him up, on cam what looked to be a 170 class came in ten minutes after I had left. Sooo close! I did find one side, neighbor found the other, I gave him my side and he mounted the rack, 174" .

Edited February 23, 2015 by Mathews XT Man

[Rhino]

Entertaining thread Pat.

One of my most comical hunts with misses was about 10 years ago. I was hunting with my recurve and I use a 4 arrow quiver with it. That morning the 1st doe arrived about 30 minutes after I got in the stand. At ~20 yards I shoot & the arrow hits the very top of her back. Very much a nonlethal hit. :oops: She runs right at my tree passing within feet of it. I reload and about an hour passes when the next doe approaches in range at ~22 yards. I overcompensate for the 1st high shot & shoot right under her. As she leaves I see 2 more does approaching. I quickly attempt to reload keeping an eye on the approaching does. I pull off a fumble & drop my 3rd arrow & it sticks in a root at the base of my tree. :hammer2: The does continue to approach & I manage to reload my last arrow undetected. They approach a lane to my right & I pick out the biggest doe. Only 1 small sapling about twice the size of my thumb & I have a clear shot at ~18 yards. She just clears it & stops. I'm thinking...OK...I can easily slip an arrow to the right of that sapling into her vitals. I turn the arrow loose and center the sapling. The does leave & I'm now out of arrows. It's ~8:00 but now out of arrows I climb down & begin the search for them. Recover 2 out of the 4 & leave a broadhead in the sapling. I return to camp & tell my buddy the events of the morning. Needless to say I'm disgusted with myself. At the end of my deer tale, he says "I know your problem". I ask "what's that?" He says "you need a bigger quiver" After a moment of silence I couldn't help but bust out laughing. :clown:

Edited February 23, 2015 by Rhino

[Tominator]

I posted about this when it happened to me, but it looks like it got zapped in the forum upgrade. Suffice it to say, I saw a good buck about 400 yards away from me on the prowl, November 17th. He was headed away from me so I got my rattle bag out and cracked it together as loud as I could. He popped his head up and looked my way. He started walking away again so I rattled again. This time he came in on a string, directly under my tree. I was already at full draw but decided to pass on the straight down shot. He walked away from me and at 11 yards I shot and nicked his chest low. He calmly walked away and bedded down about 50 yards away from me. He sat there until the bleeding stopped, calmly got up and walked away for good. He was a beautifully symmetrical 10 point, probably would have scored in the 140's, maybe higher. That was really painful.

[hoosierhunter]

Great stories. Al, I've debated taking up traditional archery and I'm sure if I did I would encounter the same day before its all said and done. Martin, I can only imagine the words flying from my mouth due to a froze weapon! Tominator, at least wasn't a gutter ball and he should have survived. I had one nice buck I hit high and back in 2007. I searched for him for 3 days and couldn't locate him. Thankfully my buddy killed him in late December. To this day I don't know how the deer survived the hit. It was in front of his hind quarter just below the spine. The wound had completely healed but the hair was missing and my 3 blade muzzy left a perfect tattoo entering and exiting him.

[Rhino]

Al' date=' I've debated taking up traditional archery and I'm sure if I did I would encounter the same day before its all said and done.[/quote']

If not one like that, certainly one like this Pat. Most old timers here know Gene Wensel is a good friend of mine. Back in 2003 I was bowhunting with my recurve on one of his places in Iowa. I think it was the 5th afternoon of a 7 day hunt I had a 170 class 10 point come in. At 35 yards he stopped & just looked around. Then he eased off never getting inside 35 yards. My personal effective range at that time with my recurve was 30 yards. Arrows drop like a rock beyond that. Shook me up real bad too. At the end of my hunt I told Gene he'd never see me hunting the rut in the midwest with my recurve again. Since then I always take 2 compound bows with me.

[Ravin R10 man]

Pat;..my nephew was sick to his stomach..a "Once in a lifetime buck" it was the Talk of the Town here...the kid was still shaking an hour later when I got back....lol

[Ultradog]

Hi all.

I haven't been here in a while.

But reading some of your misses makes me remember some of my own.

And you know, misses are some of my most vivid memories of deer hunting.

Buck is standing there, easy 100 yard shot. I pull the trigger,

Bang!

And the deer just stands there.

What The...??

Load another shell. Your blood is now up and it's hard to control your breathing.

Hands are shaking.

And Bang. This time the deer tumbles and it's all over.

But afterwards - even years later - you spend more time thinking about the miss than you do the hit.

Like, what was I doing?

How did I miss the first time.

Why didn't he run?

And thank you Lord for giving me another shot!!

Anyway, it's humbling to be sure. And you're kinda glad that you're alone so no one saw you do such a dumb thing.

Though your buddies heard both shots so you can't tell any tall tales.

But maybe it's a good thing to miss once in a while as it reminds you that usually only have one chance.

Just one.

So you better darned well do Everything right the first time.

Cheers,

Jerry