Too many. The last three that come to mind where:

1) My first year of bowhunting about 5-6 years ago...last day of bow season and I hadn't seen anything. The last hour comes and two nice bucks come walking down the trail and stop at 20 yards. I was so dang nervous I missed low--TWICE on the same 8 pointer.

2) Maybe 4 years ago a beautiful 8 pointer comes flying by at warp speed chasing "something". I call him in with a can call. He walks down the trail and looks to be walking right into a great shooting lane. I come to full draw with my old Bear bow (with like 50% let-off). He stops at the last tree...I am on full draw for probably 90 seconds. He starts moving again, then stops. I look down below my tree and a dang doe is standing motionless. I had to let down because I couldn't hold my bow any longer.

3) In 2005 I bust out of work and get in the woods about 3 hours before sundown. Right when I am about ready to cross over to my spot, a huge/massive 10 pointer was standing in a doe crossing area scent checking. He was 35 yards from me. I lowered my climber and hid behind a laydown. I got an arrow ready and began the stalk. He was now at 35 yards and broadside. The only problem was we had a major storm system moving in and the winds were gusting at 30-40 mph. I chose to not shoot! ahhhhhhh. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is stalked all the way around the bedding area and caught him broadside at 15-20 yards as he patrolled the downwind side. I was too scared to spook this buck because I believed I could set up in the future and see him again...never saw him again. He was truly a magnificent animal.

Oh god, dozens and dozens of times. Beginners luck put me into a lot of big bucks but rarely helped me close the deal my first five years bowhunting. My first year I shot a nice buck, easy as pie, and that ruined me for several years. I thought I had this bowhunting thing down....ha. Now I mind the details, constantly re-evaluate my approach & try to always stay flexable and it has payed off, I have not screwed up one single oportunity on a buck in three years and I am proud of that. We will see how long the streak lasts.

This is an interesting, although sometimes painful subject. I believe there are a few situations in my history that would have sped up my progress away from shooting the first buck that would walk past me.

The 1st buck (deer for that matter) that I ever loosed an arrow at. It was a real nice 16-18” wide 100” buck. I missed @ 4 yds. ‘88
A real nice 110-115” 9 point that I saw 4 times over the course of the season, only for me to finally get a shot at him the next to last day and miss due to a limb deflection. ‘90
A VERY nice 115-120” buck that my dad should have shot, but shot the smaller buck instead (long story). This buck circled around and skirted just outside my max range at the time and I never took the shot. Although presently, I would’ve taken the shot at the buck without hesitation as it is now well within my max range. ‘93
A 90” buck that I watched walk just out of range and past the tree I usually hunted out of, but for no real reason I decided to move that evening to a tree 10 yds away. ‘94[/ol]

These encounters all came very early in my hunting endeavors and I believe had I connected on 2-3 of these 4 chances, I would have started waiting on a chance at a decent buck much earlier in my hunting career. Which in turn would have led to much more time in the stand and experience gained, and may have led to some nicer bucks on the ground.

Im mounting my first deer I take, so A fallen over three that was still connected to the trunk was in the way of the vitals. Stupid October Storm

Three that I know of.
First one was a 140 in class deer in Illinois. I grunted him and stopped him at 20 yards. I shot and hit high on the shoulder right on the ball. Never found him, just about 20 drops of blood. I am still sick.

Last year I saw a big ol deer in another field and it was just because I sat in the wrong stand.

The other one, I was in the srong stand and someone saw the deer run right by my stand.[&o]

I forgot one. Back about 6 yrs ago I had a 110" 8pt chase a doe full speed by my stand, he stopped at 5 yds and I shot, my string caught my grunt call and then hit my watch and my watch went flying! He never really knew what happened, but he offered no other shot he was gone after her in a split second.

Too many! I know of4 in the last two years:

1) 135 class eight point at 6 yards that I drew on on the 1st day of a 7 day hunt in IL. I let down, thinking I'll have plenty of opportunites in the next 6 days. Wrong!

2) Same hunt, day 6, a 150-160 class comes in, but got no closer than 70 yards. Man was I nervous after that encounter.

3) Last year (IL), 180 class ran past me at 15 yards chasing a doe, only to stop at 65 yards and look back in my direction. Just in case you don't believe the 180,I was not the only hunter in my party to see him.

4) Last year also in IL, 140-150 class 8 point with 22" + spread ws coming my way when a dog came in and ran him past me at 4 yards.

This year I feel it, my luck is going to change.