This past year on my Texas hunt...

Sitting in a ladder stand with mixed fields and trees, I had 5 Does underneath me within 20-50 yards. All of a sudden a real big ten pointer came out of nowhere. He chased one of the Doe's past me into the wooded section, but I couldn't get a shot off and they seemed to disappear.

4-5 minutes later I see this Buck running way off to my in front of me to my right. So I proceed to stealthfully get up, without banging anything or spooking the remaining Doe's. All the while trying to keep an eye out for the buck's direction and using my periphial vision as he continued to close in. After I got into position I had 2 spots with openings through the woods that I was hoping to get him to stop. At the 1st opening I whistled, without him even blinking an eye. So @ the last opening, he was 70 yards running broad side, I decided to shoot him in the 10 yard opening. Just as I shot him, he turned and ran 5 steps toward me and I realized that the "BIG" ten pointer pushed a smaller 8 pointer out from where he chased the Doe. He keeled over and the rest is history.
Opps! It was a nice 8 pointer, just the same, but he wasn't the bigger buck.

In NH you don't see many deer, so it never remotely even crossed my mind that I shot the wrong buck.
I still replay it in my mind... How I was so focused on remaing silent and slowly moving into position, not to spook the other deer.
Chock it up to experience I suppose??!! I still had a great hunt and of course the guys in camp laughed at me, seeing he was the smallest of the group.