Where to start on this one![>:]

I know of 3 different 140" range 8 point bucks that got the free pass from me because at the time I didn't think they would make books. All 3 of these bucks on different occasions were at 12 yards with my bow hanging on the bow hanger being I had no intentions on shooting them. This all happened with in the last 4 years. For some stupid reason the last 4 years or so I've had trouble scoring bucks up in a tree, specially 8 pointers. I've been consistently low while scoring them. Normally I'm pretty good at this but as of late these big 8 pointers have been fooling me with there size of rack. Last year when I shot my 140 1/8" 8 point I didn't know if he would make books or not, I knew he was close but I figured he was 5" or so short if not more. I was 20" off on him. The only reason I shot that buck I got last year was because something in my gut said this is your buck, maybe it was because he came in so awesome to my rattling, who knows I guess. I had him at 10 yards for 25 minutes before I decided to shoot him. I had no intentions on shooting him the 1st 25 minutes he was under my stand tree. Boy am I happy I went with my gut feeling or I'd still be letting bucks like this by this upcoming year. It opened my eye's on my scoring no dought! Those other 3 bucks I let go were damn close to him in size and tine length, maybe even a tad bigger! I can't believe I've been that far off the last few years. This year I'll be paying a little more extra attention to this.

About 7 years ago I had what I thought was an 8 point coming down the trail to my stand. I seen him coming and I thought to myself, nope he won't make P&Y, he's about 120" to 125". I always let border line P&Y bucks walk. So I left my bow hanging on the bow hanger and watched him come by at 12 yards broadside. When he was broadside I then noticed I just screwed up and let a P&Y buck go by. He had 4" end forks which I didn't see earlier which made him a 10 point and would of easily put him at 130" to 135". Man I was depressed after that, no ones fault but my own though. Thats just stupid on my part!! From now on my bow always comes down if I see a deer coming whether its a doe, fawn, or a small buck. One just never knows.

I've let allot of nice bucks go by as well that were in that 25 to 30 yard range. A little to far for my recurve.