Bittersweet WMA hunt last Thursday.

[chrislibby88]

Man I’ve got an awesome spot on a local WMA, found it turkey hunting. It’s about a one acre patch on a ridge point, covered with about 5 large scrapes from pre-rut, 15-20 small hot scrapes, dozens of small rubs, and a line of GIANT rubs on larger trees. One of these rubs is all the way around, from ankle to hip, and it’s been rubbed year after year. Decided to dive in for the first gun hunt, first morning. I heard 3-4 deer in the dark walking in, and finally got in the buck zone right at 6:30 Thursday morning and was going to wait on enough light to pick a tree and I hear something big approaching from the creek bottom crunching towards me, so I kneel down next to tree to wait and see where it goes, the crunching get louder and louder, it’s heading straight towards me. I finally see a shape emerge, and it’s a big buck walking straight to me in the gray light, and I botched a kneeling shot at 20 yards. He almost ran me over after the shot, like he literally ran 5 ft from me, all I saw was a stumbling blur of gray with tines poking everywhere then he went busting through the thicket behind me until I couldn’t hear him anymore. I should have sat until 9 and gave him time, but he busted out like a dead deer and I just knew in my mind he was piled up 100 yards in the direction he ran. I did wait about 30 minutes for enough light to see well and started inspecting where I shot him. Could never find blood or hair so I don’t know what happened, hopefully I somehow missed? I’m guessing a branch could have caught bullet, because once the sun came up more there was a lot of trash in between us that I couldn’t see in the low light. I dunno, my scope was on 3x and the whole field of view was pretty much brown. I’m guessing it was a high gut and didn’t bleed a drop for several hundred yards. My buddy brought his tracking dog in at 11:30 and he couldn’t follow his trail either, he cut several deer tracks but nothing lead to a dead buck, his dog is still young but he’s found 14 deer this season so far, there just wasn’t any blood to follow. OnX says I walked 3 miles grid searching in the area he ran into. I spent pretty much the entire morning and early afternoon mentally kicking myself for somehow messing up a fool proof situation, but decided to try again in the same small area for an evening sit. A group of three does started killing around about 75 yards behind me in the thick stuff and finally came to 50 yards at my 8:00 position, so I threaded the first shot I was given between some trees and brush and dropped a year and a half doe. The mature doe and yearling hopped off and did a big semi circle trying to figure out what happened, the kept blowing and head bobbing but never winded me, and eventually moved off after about 15 minutes. I came back this morning and sat for a few hours then got down and walked the ridge again, hoping to see some vultures or catch the smell of a carcass. Nothing. I’m just hoping he is still alive and not dying slowly in a thicket somewhere. That’s hunting though. Hope you guys had better luck last week.

A few takeaways for others to learn without making my mistake.
After the shot, even if you know it’s good, survey the area very well, and start marking landmarks IMMEDIATELY. Where you shot from, where the deer was hit, and the last place you saw, heard it.
Even if you think you know the deer is on the ground, give it a while, calm down, and keep replaying the mayhem and get it locked in your memeory or mapping app. Even after an hour you start mixing things up.
Don’t start looking too soon on a bad hit. I bumped several deer while grid searching, any of which could have been my buck.
Losing a deer sucks. It’s been 4 days and I’m still stewing over it.
Make the shot count. I could have easily taken a straight on neck shot and dropped him, but as he started quartering my brain auto switched to shoulder shot and I didn’t let him quarter enough.

 

[DSGB]

That's my biggest fear on those low light shots - the limb you can't see. At 20 yards, you would think it wouldn't deflect too much, but you never know.

 

[chrislibby88]

That's my biggest fear on those low light shots - the limb you can't see. At 20 yards, you would think it wouldn't deflect too much, but you never know.

I may not have hit a limb, I’m just second guessing everything. The only thing I’m 100% sure on is where I shot from and what I should have done different.

 

[1eyefishing]

It happens to all of us sooner or later. I spent a sickening night a few days ago thinking that I shot and lost my number one buck in some thick stuff right at dark...
Couldn't find any sign of a hit that night even though I thought I dropped him in his tracks. Spent an hour and a 1/2 looking the next morning, but back in my stand and recreated the shot, went to the area a shot into him could find no cut hair, blood or sharp tracks.
Feeling better now that I think I missed, but if I never see that deer again it's gonna hurt.
Like you said,
"That's hunting."

 

[LifeLongHunter]

It's a lesson and an experience we all learn or have at some point. Mine was painful lost 2 decent bucks with muzzleloader on back to back days almost 40 years ago in the same stand, kinda like Ground Hog Day the movie. After the 2nd time, I made it a personal mission to never pull the trigger until absolute without a doubt a solid shot. Probably jinx myself now, but I have only lost one buck since and that was due to the tree stand cutting out just as I shot but that's another story and definitely a different tree stand.

 

[LifeLongHunter]

It's a lesson and an experience we all learn or have at some point. Mine was painful lost 2 decent bucks with muzzleloader on back to back days almost 40 years ago in the same stand, kinda like Ground Hog Day the movie. After the 2nd time, I made it a personal mission to never pull the trigger until absolute without a doubt a solid shot. Probably jinx myself now, but I have only lost one buck since and that was due to the tree stand cutting out just as I shot but that's another story and definitely a different tree stand.

 

[Joe Brandon]

Believe it or not those real short shots are tough.

 

[buckpasser]

I don’t plan to ever attempt a head on shot again (Bad results more that once unfortunately), but if I ever feel that I just have to do it, I’ll sink it right into the white of the throat patch.

As for waiting, I’ve seen some big bucks do some crazy things and live some unnaturally long periods of time with holes in all the right places. Once, I was sitting in the stand after a broadside chip shot I made on a stud buck. I was soaking up the good fortune and counting my blessings when low and behold another giant buck comes walking out from where mine went in! I glassed him and he’s got blood running out of his mouth and a pretty large exit hole right where his heart should be. I shot him again in the same place and same location 35 minutes after the first shot. Blew my mind...

 

[chrislibby88]

I don’t plan to ever attempt a head on shot again (Bad results more that once unfortunately), but if I ever feel that I just have to do it, I’ll sink it right into the white of the throat patch.

As for waiting, I’ve seen some big bucks do some crazy things and live some unnaturally long periods of time with holes in all the right places. Once, I was sitting in the stand after a broadside chip shot I made on a stud buck. I was soaking up the good fortune and counting my blessings when low and behold another giant buck comes walking out from where mine went in! I glassed him and he’s got blood running out of his mouth and a pretty large exit hole right where his heart should be. I shot him again in the same place and same location 35 minutes after the first shot. Blew my mind...

Jaaaaysuz. Animals continually amaze me at the trauma they can seemingly shake off.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

That's my biggest fear on those low light shots - the limb you can't see. At 20 yards, you would think it wouldn't deflect too much, but you never know.

20 yards is more than enough for a deflection to cause a complete miss. 5 yards is enough with a flat shooting rifle. I think there's a reason for guys carrying a "brush gun" in these situations. A big, heavy, round nosed bullet would be less likely to explode or fragment on a twig.

 

[chrislibby88]

It's a lesson and an experience we all learn or have at some point. Mine was painful lost 2 decent bucks with muzzleloader on back to back days almost 40 years ago in the same stand, kinda like Ground Hog Day the movie. After the 2nd time, I made it a personal mission to never pull the trigger until absolute without a doubt a solid shot. Probably jinx myself now, but I have only lost one buck since and that was due to the tree stand cutting out just as I shot but that's another story and definitely a different tree stand.

Man I knew someone would come along with a story worse than mine.

 

[chrislibby88]

I shot one at 10 to 15 yard in the neck once. Finally found him next day gut shot. Went back to the stand to figure out why a neck shot turned into an awful large entry wound gut shot with an unexplainable exit location. Sure enough that 3/4 inch branch was fresh broken and hanging by a thread. It happens.

I had the same thing happen last year, shot through some brush at the chest, wound up with a large entry wound in the gut near the ham, no exit wound. Shot was about 75 yards. Deer hopped, and ran about 20 yards and stopped behind a tree, stepped out enough for a second neck shot, and I dropped him with that one. When he was skinned I had what appeared to be an exit wound down near the ham, on the right side of the deer (the side I shot at) and an entry wound on the right side of the base of the neck. Scratched my head for a minute until I remembered all the brush I shot through.

 

[chrislibby88]

20 yards is more than enough for a deflection to cause a complete miss. 5 yards is enough with a flat shooting rifle. I think there's a reason for guys carrying a "brush gun" in these situations. A big, heavy, round nosed bullet would be less likely to explode or fragment on a twig.

Ive been thinking more and more about a close range large bore rifle. I don’t think I’ve ever shot any animal past 75 yards on public land. Only thing holding me back is I will need a new suppressor for anything larger than 30 cal.

 

[chrislibby88]

20 yards is more than enough for a deflection to cause a complete miss. 5 yards is enough with a flat shooting rifle. I think there's a reason for guys carrying a "brush gun" in these situations. A big, heavy, round nosed bullet would be less likely to explode or fragment on a twig.

Oh and I don’t know that I missed, I hope I did, but he mule kicked like he was hit behind the ribs, and immediately dropped low and started outrunning his feet. That deer pretty much slid past me at 20 mph with his chest about 6 inches off the ground. Im just hoping I hit his ham or got a non lethal hit somewhere. I would rather miss that clip one in the guts where it dies slowly over a few days.

 

[Professor]

I learned that lesson 36 years ago. I was in my stand maybe 2 minutes on an 8-degree morning and a small buck stomped through. He was a 5 pointer I would learn. At about 20 yards I had what I thought was a clean shot. We tracked that deer for 3 miles following frozen blood teardrops. We finally caught up to him at the river. I had hipshot the poor animal. I went back to the stand the next day and saw that I had hit two small limbs. I have not taken a shot in poor morning light since. I have taken some late shots, but in the evening it is only going to get darker, and at least I have been looking at my surroundings for several hours, so I have some idea of the potential obstructions.

 

[Seminole Wind]

I hope the OP sees his buck again.

Years ago I shot at a running buck at about 20 yards with a 44 magnum revolver. As soon as the shot broke I knew I had hit a 3-4" pine tree dead in the center. When I got down from the climber, sure enough the tree had a clean hole through the middle so I assumed I missed the buck. I looked beyond the tree anyway and to my surprise found a blood trail. I followed the trail and jumped the buck several times until he bled to death. I'm convinced that if I had not pushed the buck, he would have laid up until the blood clotted, and perhaps survived. The 300 grain 44 caliber bullet had penetrated the tree and gone through his hindquarters clipping a blood vessel. I found the bullet under his hide and keep it in my pocket when I hunt now.

 

[chrislibby88]

I hope the OP sees his buck again.

Years ago I shot at a running buck at about 20 yards with a 44 magnum revolver. As soon as the shot broke I knew I had hit a 3-4" pine tree dead in the center. When I got down from the climber, sure enough the tree had a clean hole through the middle so I assumed I missed the buck. I looked beyond the tree anyway and to my surprise found a blood trail. I followed the trail and jumped the buck several times until he bled to death. I'm convinced that if I had not pushed the buck, he would have laid up until the blood clotted, and perhaps survived. The 300 grain 44 caliber bullet had penetrated the tree and gone through his hindquarters clipping a blood vessel. I found the bullet under his hide and keep it in my pocket when I hunt now.

Crazy

 

[BASS1FUN]

Hate losing one and especially a big one( I've lost enough), if I'm hunting a thick area the Marlin .444 is on my shoulder. Buzzards should be on him if he's dead, hope you find him

 

[fullstrut]

After 34 yrs of deer hunting had this happen to me this past weekend on a good 8. No sign of a hit but thick area where i live . Not sure of a limb or total miss. But he looked hit on initial shot. Hopefully he will live another day for me or another Hunter. Frustrated to say the least. It happens. We just have to slow it up and focus more. Good luck to you.