Originally Posted by cayugad

The one that always bothered me... it was very early morning. Just that early light in woods... so it was not all that light. I saw a buck coming through the thicket. I pulled up my 30-06 and the scope was fogged. Why it fogged, I was not sure. Maybe my excitement my breath fogged it. Wiped it off with my thumb as the buck was moving. Got the deer who was fast walking, in the crosshairs and fired. Down it went. A minute later it jumped back up and took off. So I waited. I figured it would lay back down and die. Finally went after it. Went over a couple hills. Excellent blood trail. Only to find a gut pile and drag marks to a road. Some hunter entering the woods must have watched it drop. He never fired a shot. And where it dropped... I doubt it would have been seen. But he found it, gutted it, and took it. Was I mad? Ya a little. it was a nice buck. And I did everything right to make right, the deer wounded, lay down, and to recover it. But those are the breaks. Shot a different buck that afternoon. I was glad it never became coyote bait.

One other time I was in my stand and saw a buck moving about 200 yards out, in the edge of the hardwoods. And I am sure you all know the walk, but something was not right about how the deer was walking. Plus I had heard two shots earlier. I pulled up with my 7mm mag and fired, dropping the buck. I no sooner started walking towards it when I heard yelling.. that's our buck.. we're tracking it... we're coming.. is it down? So I waited. In come two people I knew. The older man said.. I shot that buck running through the hard woods. I saw it was shot through the guts on the off side. And then my shoulder shot. So I smiled and said.. congratulations!! And walked off.