-DeerSlayer-

I have hunted this 180" buck all season long. Moved stands, scouted hard, watched him numerous times and everytime I think I would have an opportunity, he came out on the other trail with his does he hangs around. I could simply not pattern this buck.1st shotgun season I grunted him in to 80+ yards, and couldnt shoot it with my shotgun because it was not close enough, 2nd gun season we went over and I was tagged out but went with my buddy to try and get him one. Saturday night before we went out the farmer who owns the ground we hunt came and asked us how we were making out. He then mentioned that in the same timber I had been bowhunting this buck, a guy he lets shotgun hunt had killed a monster buck, scoring around 180". My beast is dead, I feel so dishearted and broken apart, am I selfish for feeling like this? I killed a 140+" buck during the 1st gun season, but I sill feel like I almost "needed" that buck. I kept telling my friend that I was going to kill that big buck with my bow during the late season. I am devestated, and I can't do anything about it.

I appriciate you reading my story, and answer me this, am I being selfish for feeling almost as if I "deserved" or desired this buck to a point where I feel sick to my stmach thinking about it.
I am including a picture of my 1st shotgun buck, he is a beautiful buck, but he is not the 180" buck I was after ...

ikillsdeer

im sure wed all feel that way, but thats life. mabye next year. enjoy the meat!!!

HAZCON7

Put a scope on that slug gun and never have that problem again.

But yes, I feel your pain.
My friend and I scouted/hunted a particular drop tine for months only to have it show up in the local newspaper with some other archer.

Hiawatha

I almost know how your feeling. Here's my similar story but a happy outcome so far. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1840085

il coyote

Kick in the nuts???? Yes.

Having a feeling of the deer being 'stolen'??? No.

I'd feel bad too, but it happens all the time.Chased adeer all year long and then some dude who bought his liscense the night before jump-shoots him on the gun opener from a fencerow in his uncles back yard, right next to my property. Been there, done that. Last year, still bummin'

Just have to start over next year.

MOTOWNHONKEY

Congradulate the shooter and move on. I'm sure you know you have no specific right to a deer just because you have been hunting it. I sure know what you mean though. It takes a ton of hard work and luck to bag one of those brutes. Theres more out there.

Killer_Primate

Yeah, it sure is tough. You are being selfish. But, I have felt the same exact way, and I was being selfish too. You'll get over it, it will just take another buck to make it happen.

While I was bow hunting this year I saw a six point buck that was really big, and really aggressive a bunch of times. Normally I can call does right to me, but when he was chasing them, they were just trying to not get raped! Even though he only had six points his antlers were big and thick, and he seemed like a fun deer to hunt. I decided that if he came by, I was going to take him. The next time I saw him he was chasing a doe and went right past my stand. I had only been in the stand for 30 seconds at best. My line was still tied to the bow, so I decided to wait. After he's past, I got the bow untied and started grunting. He almost came back, as if he couldn't decide whether to fight or well, you know...

Anyway, about 1 min later after he'd made it over a river (really a creek, but it's called a river), and onto another piece of property, a shot rang out and the doe came running back through. But, with out the buck. The part that really pisses me off is that it wasn't gun season yet!

Good luck, and try to have fun! Don't let it ruin your season. I've found that the best thing for me to do in that situation, is to find a new place to hunt that I have not been to before. It makes it exciting again for some reason.

nubo

I think we all may feel this way ,espeacially when you've worked so hard at trying to pattern him ,but you took a great buck as well and should be satisfied . Sure he wasn't the big guy ,but he's certainly not too darn shabby as well. It doesn't alway's work out the way we think it should ,but that's hunting.
Just consider this ,not many of us have even got close to a buck of the status that you took .So you ought to be pleased ,you can't take every great buck in your neck of the wood's ,you need to share .

nubo

shed33

Well, your not hunting behind a fence of raised deer that you paid for so there is no gaurantee. We don't own the wild ones, they are fair game. All you can do is learn from it and move on. Decide what kind of bowhuntingwill work for you in the future, stay ethical and most of all be happy with what you do decide to kill. Hunting specific bucks isnt for everyone and most of the time disheartening for most.

The hard work you put inand lessons you've learned this year, apply them to future hunts and or bucks.

Double Creek

I never felt sorry for a guy that lived in Pike County Illinois, sorry.....