I Can' Believe I Missed That Deer!

[Dead Eye Eddy]

Put this one in the "lessons learned" category. I had been bowhunting since 1986 and had always shot one pin sighted in at 20 yards and adjusted my aiming point according to the distance to my target. In 2001, I purchased a new bow that was preset with 3 pins. I sighted them at 10, 20, and 30 yards. That season, I got a 10 yard shot at a huge doe (at least 125 lbs). I used my top pin, but instinct took over and I aimed 4 inches below the bottom of the deer. Surprise, surprise, my arrow passed 4 inches under the deer. The next season, I was hunting a small tract in Gwinnett County. It was the first week in November and the rut was beginning to heat up. Two weeks earlier, I had taken an 8-pt that is still my best with a bow. Right at dark that night, 6 does trotted by. One stopped at 30 yards and looked back. I passed a shot at her, then I heard a deep grunt. Mr Big stepped out right where the doe had been standing. It was too dark to count points, so I drew and aimed with my bottom pin. Unfortunately, instinct took over again, and I aimed at the top of his back and cut a groove just above his spine. Both of these shots would have been dead on target had I been aiming with my 20 yard pin. The very next day after missing Mr. Big, I took all but the middle pin off of my bow. I will never again have more than one pin on any hunting bow.

 

[Dead Eye Eddy]

Aint asking.....but 40 feet...? Yep, don't think I've heard of anybody going that high to kill deer....

all I can say, make sure you tie the bottom half of your climber to your seat...that is a long shimmy to get down...

I love to hunt high. I tie the two pieces of my climber together with two pieces of parachute cord and use a full body harness from the time I leave the ground until I touch down again.

I have found that the higher I get, the fewer deer smell me or spot me, and I can hunt the same areas more often without having to wait on the perfect wind direction.

 

[Jasper]

Can't do it man. It's still to painful to discuss.

Aw, come on man! It'll be good therapy and give us something to talk about.

One day I may even miss and be able to contribute to this thread...........

 

[potsticker]

Ill tell this one and shut up! Back in the mid 70s i drew (along with several family members) a eather sex tag for Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. That saturday it must have been around 15 degrees when i climbed a big old pine with my Baker(death trap) stand. At sunup the coldest time of day ,a guy walked up in front of me and sat down on a log. I wistled, dropped coffee thermos, sang hyms and this guy would no go away. H stood and started doing side strattle hops. He finally eased out in front of me and dissapeared. Shortly i hear noise and was sure it was him and out pops a nice 10 pointer, it stops and i shoot, the buck turns and flags out of their. I started to think my scope was off when a doe came up behind me at about 50yds. I aim and shoots her and she runs off! I get down and go to where she was standing and i find blood. anout 50 yds away i find her. I dress her out and pull her to my stand and head back to the truck. While walking back i crossed where the buck had stood. Blood! I follow the blood about 100 yds and their is a fresh gut pile, no deer. I still think what kind of low life would steal another mans deer!

 

[He Who Hunts]

Last year, day after Thanksgiving in Harris County about 15 minutes before dark ... been hearing and watching armidillos messing around behind me all afternoon so when I saw a doe come out it was a surprise. Thinking the rut was over, I decided to take her, but she was on my wrong side. As I slowly turned around in my climber I heard a grunt and here come a wall of antlers at 20 yards. (I don't know how big he was, but I have a 130 inch 10 pointer on the wall and he looks small compared to this deer.) Anyway, I look back at the doe and she had busted me, but she didn't run at first. The buck had stopped behind a huge oak tree waiting on the doe to move again. All I could see was his nose and the tips of the antlers. Finally, she had had enough and bolted and he bolted right behind her, running directly under my stand. I freaked out and missed twice. Like they say, C'est La Vie, but I still kick myself for not waiting until they crossed in front of me so I wouldn't have had to turn in the climber.

 

[Hunter922]

SEE..This is like a big group therapy session.....
Continue..........

 

[jaybirdius]

Here's one for you, 2 years ago the buck of a lifetime pops out on the driveway of the man's property I was hunting, no shooting where his wife may see. I watched this buck for several minutes feed along the driveway, he finally step into the woods, after a few more minutes , he steps into a clearing, I've got him in my crosshairs, starting to squeeze the trigger and BOOM, my son picked that instant to gut shoot a doe about 75 yards behind me, I swear it sounded like he was under me shooting up at me, needless to say I jumped and the buck trotted off never to be seen again, I hunted that stand every day I could all day long and never saw him again. We did retrieve the doe, she tasted good, but, doesn't have the spot on the wall that buck might have had!

 

[DCHunter]

Last year I took my first shot at a deer with a bow. It was about 20...maybe 25 yards. When I took the shot I heard a distinct crack. When I heard that sound and "knew" I got a good shot I was really excited, thinking the sound was from hitting ribs. 30 minutes later I got down and looked for my arrow and found no blood on it. After investigating I saw that there was a 1/2 inch dead twig hanging down right in the path my arrow took that must have been the cracking sound I heard. That's about the most disappointed I've ever been in my life.