Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Choke job....brain dead moment....moronic shot placement...etc etc EVER!

Here's mine...Last October 9th my friend and I went hunting just outside of town on some land that bordersa 80 acre wood lot that belongs to the University of Illinois, of course you can hunt it, and it's loaded with P&Y deer, anyways, at about 830am he comes and gets me andtells me he seen a giant go into a thick hedge row about 1/2 mile long and50 yards wide. We had a strong 25-30 mph south wind and he proposed a deer drive...I said "With a bow"? Well we ended up doing it, I got situated on the North side, he drove around to the South side, he couldn't of taken 2 steps out of his truck and I heard the sound of deer running in the standing bean field, they all were within 25 yards but all were does, prob. 13-15 of them, then I seen antlers running through the hedge row at me "I can't believe this is actually going to work" I told myself, I pulled my bow back when he was still 80 yards out but closing fast,well he was following in the footsteps of a mature doe, she got dead even with me about 5 yards away, and stopped, then let out a snort and bolted...when she did that hestopped, staring right at me at 8 yards away, with morethan 1/2 his body behind briar's and aa small tree, I aimed a little further towards his shoulder not wanting to hit the tree, and to be TOTALLY honest, my thinking was at 8 yards away and shooting 68pounds, with my Muzzy, even if I caught the shoulder, I'd be able to get more than enough penetration...well maybe I would have if I hit the actuall shoulder blade instead of the shoulder joint[:@]He spun around and on the 2nd jump my arrow fell out...I watched as my first ever P&Y (somewhere around 150")bounced away forever. I literally became sick to my stomach. I second guessed EVERYTHING, should I have aimed for the neck NO...Should I have just put my pin as close to the tree and him as possible and hope I don't hit it...Should I have have waited 10 more seconds to see if he messed up and took another half step....YES. Do this day I can replay this moment like it happended 30 seconds ago, it's what is making me a better hunter I believe.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Oh I know the feeling, It was 2004 I was hunting a 180 class buck I had seen 5 times in this same picked corn field and I knew what run way he was going to use that night he had a pattern to him. I was set early so that I wouldn't blow anything RIGHT!!!! Well I had bought a new pair of binco's and at about 2 hours before dark a 130 class 8pt came out chasing a doe around and around the field so I was just sitting there when I heard a branch break 10 yards behind me and there he stood mister 180 class 10pt himself. Well as slow as Icould I got my binco's off and hung up and as I was picking my bow up I was watching the buck to make sure when I could maove and not move and little did I know the tip of my broadhead was hitting a tree branch and when the arrow took as much bend as it could Thawack there went the arrow up agaist the riser and to say the least that buck was going mock 10 across the field and no shot for Wally!!!! :(:(:(

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Took a buddy out with me a few years ago. It was the first time that he had been in the whitetail woods. I told him where the deer were likely to come from and where the shoot opportunity would be. Right after daylight the nicest 8 that I have ever had the chance to shoot came in from the opposite direction and let me miss a chip shot at like 16 yards. Then I could have had a follow up at 9 yards, but I was shaking too bad and banged the arrow off the bow. My friend went on to kill a 118" 8 in rifle season that year for his first buck ever and followed it up last year with 18 1/2 inch wide 115 inch 9 point this year. He still rides me to this day about the buck that I could have "fell" on and made it easier. I can't wait until he gets turned to mush sometime.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I hate to laugh, but that's funny!:D:DIt's sooo easy to figure the right way to have done things, after the fact! And speaking of that, here's a good one.
I shared this not long ago, but here it is again. Last year I'm sitting in my stand a I'm listening to the squirrels rustling in the leaves. I usually look each time to make shore it's not a deer because at times they can sound similar. Anyway it gets to the point where I'm tired of looking, only to see another squirrel.
A short while later I hear a slight rustling again, only this time it's quite close to me (10yrds). So I turn (too quickly) to look, thinking it's just another tree rat. But it's not! It's a nice10pt, for my area anyway. He see's me move, turns and BOLTSthe other direction!!
That was thebest buck I've ever seen in my area in 6 years of hunting
there! Oh well, that's what happens when you get lazy and break the rules. Always turn veeeeeery sloooooowly to look at things.:D

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

The first year or two I began bowhunting I saw a beautiful 8 pointer running on the base of the small hill I was working. I bleated a couple of times. About 2 minutes later he comes walking down the trail and was about ready to give me a perfect broadside shot. I wasa newbie bowhunter so I drew wayyyyyy too early andthen he stopped right before he was going to pass the last tree in my way, right before my shot opportunity. I held my bow on full draw for what seemed like minutes. Finally he stuck his head out and for some reason, just on cue, I saw my arrow launch( I was like what the f.......!).I guess my arms were so tired that they just gave out.The arrow proceeded to hit him right in his beautiful 8 point rack. I wanted to kill myself.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Last Fall....stuck a young doe on the morning of a hunt. I knew I smoked her.....but I didn't see her go down.

A little while later....I had another shot opportunity at another doe. I didn't see her go down, either....but I thought I put a good shot on her, too.

I recovered the first doe....but not the second.Temps were not in my favor, either.

I'll never take another shot on a subsequent deer.....unless I see the first one go down, within sight.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Oneida bow + Climbing Treestand with front rail 20' up + deer at 8 yards = loud noise, poor arrow flight, no deer, and a whole lot of cam retiming!

Whats sad is I did it again the next year with my new Hoyt Ultra-Tec....

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

In 1995 Halloween night I was on stand on some property near my home in Livingston County Michigan. I was 21 years old and I was using traditional equipment on ALL of my hunts then. I had my osage stick bow and I was using cedar shafts and Zwickey broadheads at the time.

About 5:30 PM an 18inch 8 pointer fed off to my left (Probably a 120 class and it was the biggest deer I had ever seen at that point in my hunting career. He fed towards my stand and when he got along my right side....at 8 yards...I shot and blew 4 feet over his back!!!..

In disbelief I knocked another arrow and thought about what had just happened. At 7PM I looked out in front of me and saw what appeared to be the tallest spike I had ever seen in my life....what I was looking at was a 21-22 inch 10 point with 8 inch brows and 10-12 inch tines....the body on this animal was like something I had only seen in Alberta or Saskatewan...I'd say he was 170 - 180 class...Long story short...I made it to full draw with my osage stick...after a 3 minute stare down....When I releasedI drilled the buck in the shoulder blade....The entire area where he stood smelled like a barn yard...it was like someone took a gallon of tinks and dropped it on the ground...I looked for 3 days and never found him....In 22 years I've never had another shot opportunity like that...I have thought about that buck everyday of my life... since that Halloween night in 1995.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

It was the 3rd day of bowseason and my neighbor (builder/developer) told me I could hunt a new piece of land he bought. It was 2:00 PM and I figured I would drive out and find a tree for a stand. I got out of my truck and closed the door VERY slowly and silently. I walked 3 steps and heard a noise about 20 yrds away from me so I froze...watched a beautiful 8 pt 200# buck come out of thicket.

Did I mention my bow was in the passenger side of my truck?

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Great Stories guys.....the rest of you need to fess up, because we ALL know it's happened to 99.9999% of us.:D

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Mine is short & sweet. Buck fever 100% I put the 30yd pin on a big 8pt that appeared out of nowhere at 8 yds and at a 30* angle from my treestand. After I triggered the release I wanted to either cry or start punching myself in the face. Instead i shook my head smiled and said to myself 'what a rush' this is why I luv bowhunting!

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Had a 150" deer within 15 yards.

He came in with a presumably hot doe and stopped for a brief moment on the other side if a thicket. I was at full draw with a 4" circle to shoot through perfectly on his vitals. I can easily make the shot. Don't know for sure if it qualifies as a 'choke' or just acting on the safe side. I say I acted safely.:D

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Not exactly a choke moment, but funny none the less. Had a mature doe walk up to about 5yds while I was doing the #2 backed up to a big pine tree. I carefully reached my gun(12 Gauge 00buck) and eased it up to my shoulder, she stopped, I shot, she ran 50 yds into a creek, game over. I sat my gun back down, finished my business and collected my backstraps.[:-]

LT

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I had spotted a Nice buck bedded down next to a highway here in michigan. It was bedded on public land I slammed on the breaks parked off a side road and began a 3 hour stock I got to within about 40 yards took my boots off and got within about 25 yards but couldnt see him through the brush instead of just waiting him out I grunted a couple times and he jumped up and took off without even thinking twice about stopping... turns out it was a perfect 6X6 with about a 21 inch spread massive as all hell and probably mid to upper 160's. very sad day. But in all good news hes still alive saw him 3 weeks after the season. so keeping my fingers crossed.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Saying.....I Do!


Just last fall I was bow hunting in PA. After three days of fine tuning my stand location and seeing six bucks (3 shooters). It was my last morning before having to head back to NH and I was pretty excited about my morning hunt. Pulled up to the property around 5:15 am and started to get ready.First thing I did wasturn off my phone and put it my fannypack along with my keys. Gotall my gear on and grabbed my bow and started up the hill to my stand. About 20 yards from my truck I realized I was missing something........my fanny pack!

Sittingin my drivers seat was my fanny pack....with my release and all my accessories including my phone and truck keys[:@] I never got in the woods that morning and didn't get in my truck until 8am. I decidednot to head home until after my evening hunt which was another mistake. While at my truck taking off my Scent Blocker suite and gear, I lost my phone. Drove half way back to my Dads farm before I realized it and went I went back I found it right where I parked. Only bad part was thatI ended up running it over while backing out[:@]

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

exact thing happened to me two years ago first year bow hunting. i had just got permission from a guy that i know to hunt his 80 arces a month before bow hunting i was out here almost every weekend looking for the prime spot to put a stand. i finally found the spot. Opening morning of bow hunting i got out there about an hour before light. i got just to where i could see maybe 30 yards infront of me. maybe an hour went by and i have been seeing squirrels all morning and i heard some rustling from my left and i didnt look at first because i didnt care about it at that point in time, i just figured i was another squirrel. but i heard some more rustling and finally i looked and there stood a buck maybe about 130-140 class 8 point deer. i turned back as slow as possible to see if i could keep him there so i could get a shot. i grabbed my bow i turned around and he was gone. the next weekend i got out there and i moved my stand a little bit to see if i could get another shot at this deer. i saw him again. and i did, i got a shot at him that tim but missed. and that is my bone head move. getting a second chance with a nice deer. still to this day i talk to the people around my land and people see him but never get a chance at him. never got a chance at him last year...so hopefully i will get a shot at him this year.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Last fall, i had two big boys come out feeding on some soybeans, i would say the larger of the two was in the 170's. they were about 300 yards away across the field. I pulled out my buck growl and hit it hard, they both looked my way and started in my direction, about half way they stopped and started feeding again, so i growled again, the smaller, buck, still in the high 150's came with in 15 yards and was pacing back and forth staring into the tree line were i was, i was on the ground behind a few trees, the larger buck stayed just out past what i felt comfortable shooting, 40 yards. that smaller buck gave me every chance i needed, i would come to draw but kept thinking the big one will come in any time, i slowly let it down , drew again and waited as long as i could, let it down, the smaller buck has now gone to my right and the big boy just cuts the angle and never gave me a shot. btw, i ate tag soup last year, hunted that big buck exclusively, saw him 3 more times but never got another chance. maybe this year...............

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

My brain dead moment...

I stalk a very nice buck in velvet. All I needed was one more step to the side to clear some brush for a shot. He busted me. He wasn't sure what I was so he circled half ways around me. He walked up close straight on, I passed not like the shot.

Fast forward about a week. Tyler and I snuck into the area to see if we could see him again. He showed up and was out of velvet now. Tyler was sitting 30 yards away from me and got the show of his life when the buck feed right in front of him a few minutes. Tyler hadalready shot a buck so he was just there to watch. He finally started working his way to me but he didn't look so big now out of velvet. Figured he would go 135 - 140 and since it was early I was shooting for 150 or better. [&:] I passed up a 25 yard broadside shot and watched him amble off.

Fast forward to the end of bowseason when I ate my tag. I had seen him the day beforebow seasonended so was glad he made it. Life is still good at this point.

Fast forward to spring whenTyler found his shed by his very dead body. :(I was kicking myself now. Tyler found the other shed the next spring. The buck grossed 152. Opps, I lied...we just remeasured him and he grossed 149. I don't feel so bad now. :eek: [:o]

Tim

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Just this last season, i had just got situated up in my stand and took my quiver off as i always do and hung it on a hook on the side of my tree. About an hour later i stood up to stretch and somehow knocked my quiver off the hook and onto the ground. I thought oh well, i still have an arrow knocked. Well about that time i hear some thrashing in the woods up ahead and two good size does show up about 30 yards out. I come to full draw and release my arrow, right over the back of the doe and into the tree behind her. The two does didn't even hardly flinch, in fact they decided that it seemed like a good spot to take an afternoon nap. I didn't want to alert them to my position so i decided to wait it out until they left before i climbed down to grab my other arrows. Well about an hour into there nap i hear more thrashing coming. Of course, it's the best looking buck that i have ever seen in these woods. At one point he was almost directly under me next to my quiver. I just wanted to grab my knife and jump down on his back and fight it out. Still makes me sick.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

After getting on a roll without missing for a few years I had a doe walking in and i said she's dead. Well she came to 5 yards and I shot under her! I was for sure she was dead before I shot! OVERCONFIDANT!! I thought all I have to do is draw back and release and I got her! That day changed me for good I NEVER let that happen again!

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

My first year bowhunting, (3 years ago),I had my first opportunity at a buck. I was sitting in a natural ground blind when he came in. I drew and had my left index finger holding my arrow to the shelf. I drew the string but not the arrow! The arrow fell alerting the buck. As I fumbled around trying to renock the arrow I was busted and off he went. I have not repeated that mistake!

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Last year in Shawnee National Forest on our annual hunting trip my most disappointing moment happened. After only a half hour in the stand the wood exploded. Four does sprinting around like they has lost there mind. So I stood up preparing for the big boy. Ten min later... nothing. So I sat back down and waited patiently fro any more passer buys. Right after I sat down a very nice tall racked 8 point come following the path the does had taken. Only on problem some how my frickin' stabilizer got tied up in the front bar of my climbing stand (still not really sure how? think the front tip got wedged under the zip tie of the foam pad). I struggled with that for what felt like forever and by the time I look up he is right on me looking right at me. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Well being the hunting that I am I still stood up and by the time I got to full draw he was 40 yards looking striat back at me in between about 50 trees. You better believe that bar no longer exists!

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Woodchuck at 15 yards at my house. I crepted up to the upstairs window, opened it undected, loaded up my recurve, drew, and didn't take the window sill into consideration. [:@]

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I'm going to say it was 2002 or 2003 I don't recall which. It was the first or second week in November and I decided to call in sick from work that day and head out to my hunting spot. It was a Friday so I figured I'd make it a long weekend. So I woke up nice and early, drove the 2 hours to my spot, and headed in.

About 1/2 hour after sunrise I was standing up in my stand, looking to the West where the sun was rising. I figured the deer would be coming down a hilltop from behind me into the woodlot I was in. Like a moron I had my bow on the hanger, and both hands in my pockets (it was cold that morning) as I leaned against the tree. Not seeing or hearing anything I decide to stretch out a bit. Just as I take my hands from my pockets and turn my head to the left I see a 150"+ buck standing 30 yards away looking at me. He had been working a scrape line to the South and was headed right for me, I just wasn't paying attention. Off he ran into the neighbor's property. I'm not sure how big he was, but he was huge to me at the time.

That evening I decided to hunt one of my dad's stands and set a decoy out. He told me the day before when I talked to him "If you hunt my stand and a buck comes up the fencline in front of you, it's a 30 yard shot. It looks closer than it is, trust me." Of course this was before I owned a rangefinder and when I got up in the stand I said to myself "He's nuts. That's 25 yards tops." Sure enough, a nice 140-ish buck with some broken tines came right into the decoy, stopped, and I let an arrow sail right under his chest.

Saturday morning I saw at least 4 different shooter bucks, one from the ground while walking back to camp at about 10 yards that I couldn't get a shot at. The rut was kicking for sure.

Sunday morning I went to another spot that was on the ground. This time my dad told me "If a buck comes up on the other side of the ravine from you, that's only a 20 yard shot. It looks longer because the ditch is so deep, but it's not." Sure enough, the sun came up and I spotted a nice buck working down the ravine. A few hits on the can call and he was headed my way. As he got into my lane at what I thought was 30 yards (of course I knew better than my dad at the time) I stopped him and let an arrow sail so far over his back I think it ended up in the next county. Off he went, taking is 140-150" of antler with him. I threw my bow on the ground and all but gave up for the season.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Last year, for some reason i can't remember, i left my stand early. On the way out of the woods, i decided to walk through the pines where i shot my first buck. Well i get to the pines and their is still a little light left, but im not really being that cautious about moving around. I get to the edge of the pines and look across the field and, of course, a large 9 point is staring me down from 100 yards away or so. I quickly jump back in and hit the horns but when i look back out hes gone. later that week i shot a button buck ([:@]), and then the next week i saw the 9 point from the road, not sure if he made the season or not but the chances are good. Heres a vid of when he was feeding across from my house:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=03tsKu-ONtg

The video is shaky and dark but you can still tell the size of the buck

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

Drawing back on a buck and not realizing my glove got pinched into the trigger, causing the trigger not to lock all the way. In mid-draw the trigger blew open, shooting the arrow god knows where....and as a cherry on top, I punched myself in the face b/c the trigger let go.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I don’t feel that I have ever panicked on a deer with my bow. I made a lot of mistakes and misses, but none I feel were due to panic.
Now this past spring gobbler season might be a different story. I had the shot I dreamed of and panicked and rushed it badly.

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I got a bad one that still haunts me.

2 years ago i was bow hunting when i saw a giant 165-170" 10 point dogging a doe. I grunted and he stopped, but quickly moved on after this doe. Out of desperation i hit the horns together and to my surprise he stopped, paused for about 10 seconds and came trotting toward me on a string. Well when i saw this I put my antlers on the tree but the rope was not around the limb i was trying to but them on. As i reached for my bow, the limb of my bow hit the antlers and they both fell out of the tree, hitting the ground when he was about 10 yards away. He was stopped behind this big cedar for about 10 minutes just looking toward me. I had no shot and he just went back to the doe. I never saw him again although i did find one of his sheds. The single shed scored 76" with a broken brow tine at the base. Still one of the coolest things i have ever seen while hunting though!

RE: Ok...Fess up to your biggest....
 

I was about 13 and hunting with my bow during the firearm season with my dad on some public land. I was toying with the idea of shooting with both eyes open. I didn't use a peep at that time either. A doe walked up and stopped about 20yds away broadside. I drew back and anchored but I kept both eyes open. creating a pin and a phantom pin. I shot using the phantom pin and missed the deer by about 5 feet[:@]