I actually have two stories of the"one" that got away.
1. Rifle season 2004 3rd day of the season and last day on this particular stand. I told myself about 9:30 I would need to get out in order to get my dad's stand out of his tree and make it to where I wanted to hunt the evening by 1PM. 9:00 rolls around and I start to slowly get my pack together. I remove my "blind material" (BTW, I'm 25' up a pine,blind is an old blanket to block my movement), and put it all in my daypack,eat a sandwich, now It's 9:20 and I am ready to go. Take a shell out of the old 7MM bolt action and send it down. I grab my daypack and start to put it on-------crash-crash--crash----WHAT THE!!! I look over and see a giant buck chasing two does 40 yds through the woods from the right. I was thinking about ten things at once while trying to take my pack back off . Iwas going to graab the grunt call when they steped into a clearing 50 yds out and I hear another deer following these 3. Pack gets set down, rifle comes flying up the tree as fast as I can pull the rope! I get another shell in the chamber just as buck number 2 gets into the clearing and stops at the sound of my bolt action. He is in my scope and I could have taken him, but he was just a little basket 8 point and NOTHING compared to his big brother who is probably only 100 yds out, but I can't see that far. I grunted for a bit to no avail. On a good note, I did take a nice 10 pointer later that day, but not like the one that got away.

2. Last year bow season, I had been telling my dad a place to put a stand aall year. He did not, so late October Idid. I had very limited hunting last year and got into the area one satuday AM. I was in my stand for an hour or so and heard a running deer along an old logging road, only saw brown as the trail is about 60 yds away. Ten minutes later I hear a crunch and look to see a decent 8 pointer 20 yds away heading towards me. He is walking as i get my hand on my bow and click the release on the loop, now he is 10 yds broadside, i'm 20 feet up in a small clump of trees. I get to full draw and he stops 15 yds quartering away (perfect right?), I hear the arrow hit, did not see it(which is why I switched to bright blazers) and think Ok,now fall over. he jumps about 30 yds and starts to walk away, all I see is rack(16" 8 point). Then he starts grazing again! What?? I wait an hour and a half, seemed like all day, and get down. Go to my arrow and look. Gray hair(a bunch) and the arrow smells like tallow, oh no! Sure enough, low shot, brisket, trail for a couple hours, little blood, but nothing. Fast forward 1 month and 3/4 mile away, rifle season, I shot an 8 pointer about 150 yds out with a nice 3 blade scab on the brisket! I could still put my finger through the hole after skinning him out. Strike two I guess
dandbuck