My worst hunt, taken as most disappointing was 5 years ago during rifle season hunting in a shotgun only zone with an old hand-me-down shotgun.
I and a buddy bsing in my buddies garage when another buddy living next door runs over and says. I just had this huge 12 pt buck nearly run me over by my poleshed. I and my other buddy think, yeah sure. Then the buddy2 goes and there he is and points across the road. Sure you know what there is this big boy right across the road (about 125 yards away) and he is making his way for our little 80 acre patch of pines.
I and buddy 1, get our shotguns and enter the pines. Buddy 1 goes straight down the middle/main trail and I cut through some thick underbrush and head, in a 45 degree angel to the left of him and the main trail toward tree stand off an ajoining trail about 130 yards into the pines.
A little while later, when I get to the ajoining trail I see buddy 1 waling back down the main trail as if leaving. I figure I might as well walk toward the main trail and then folow him in if I do not see anything.
I get to the intersection with the main trail, pause and hear some rustling in the brush, off to the rightabout 20 yards down, left on the main trail.
I immediately take a knee and get ready.
Mr. big, 12 points and all walks right out onto the main trail about 20 yards in front of me broadside. Could not ask for a better shot and he wasunaware that I was there.
I go to pull the trigger, nothing. Try again, nothing again. He still does not know I am there, so I chamber a new shell and he hears it, and I pull the trigger again, nothing again. Henow looks toward me, as I chamber another round, he turns and bounds for the brush behind him, and I pull the trigger out of frustration as he is about 5 yards into the brush and it goes bang.
Needless to say, bought a brand new shotgun after that, but probably lost at least a 170 class buck that day.