i just missed what would have been my biggest buck and i have been watching him all year he has been visiting the plot and has been coming from the same placejust about every time. I finally setup on him and he showed up with 3 other bucks as he usually does and he was a little far but i thought i could make the shot but i shot right over his back, do you think he will be back to the plot and if so you think he would use his usual routine.

Did you hit him at all? Graze him?

If Not, I suspect he'll be back.. He doesn't now what spooked him and I doubt he was that scared.

I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago, I stayed out of the area 4-5 days. When I went back he was back to his old habits, I just never could get close enough, he was a little wiser the second time!

Lesson learned, happily not the hard way. You could as easily wounded and lost him. We shouldn't shoot outside our comfort zones even for "the" buck.

Like was said, if he didn't see, hear or smell human, he'll return.

I hope he does come back -- within range -- for you.

BUT I have to ask one question. Why are we coming to the forums daily and seeing one post after another about people taking bad or questionable shots? We read the posts and then it is like it goes in one ear and out the other. Are we not learning from others mistakes? I have never in my life been able to imagine so many poor decisions about taking a shot on the game. Bad angles , bad timing, too far, partially obstructed, running, the list goes on and on. What is it we are not understanding? Bad shots in the least could ruin future opportunities, or at the most waste the animal we were after. Come on guys, lets try to respect the "natural Resource ", we love to hunt and eat, a little bit more. I really liked the idea that another hunter stated when he shot , injured, and lost the animal. He took that tag and destroyed it. He didn't recover the deer, but he knew it was dead, so that tag was forfet. It went to that dead deer. He had no right to shoot another.

Thanks for letting me vent... I did not mean to hijack this post...

mia culpa.