Enough to make ya cry....
 

So tonight I decided to try a different property. I hunt on wildlife management areas and had only hunted one property for the last few years. It's simply not holding that many deer and no big bucks at all. So without having done any scouting I look at the map and hike about twenty minutes to a spot on the edge of a field that I will be able to see a large area from. After about an hour a big mature doe comes walking by at about sixty five yards. At this point my hunt has been successful since I have actually SEEN something in a spot I have never been in before. Well, about five minutes later I catch a glance of something coming from the same exact spot as the doe. Then I see antlers... About a 160'' 11pt. I got pumped, this would be the biggest deer I have shot and it would be with a bow. Turns out this buck was thinking with something besides his head....as he follows the EXACT same trail the doe did. JUST out of bow range. Now i know not putting yourself in bow range is your own fault but when I have never even scouted this area out, where I put my stand was a total shot in the dark. I could not get that deer's attention for the life of me. He disappeared and I watched about half a dozen does move out into the field as I slipped out of the tree. That deer is going to haunt my dreams for a long while...

Anyone ever have one deer that they never got that they just cant forget about?

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Yes, just this past Nov 25th I missed the biggest buck (150"+)I've ever hada shot at.Can't you hunt this area again before the season is over? With a buck of that size in there, I'd try to find a way.;)

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Yea i'm gonna try to hunt that area again. Just with the pressure from other hunters it would take a lot of luck. There is also a horse trail that runs near the area and they get the deer all out of wack.

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Imissed this one the first morning of bow season. It still haunts me to this day!

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

sorry to hear that man, i missed the first buck i ever saw in the wild...havent see him or even a buck for that matter on stand since that was 3 years ago...horrible i know
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RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

go back as soon as you can, but he may never show himself again in that area, but you gotta try!

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Did ya have a chance to read my return from IL thread?[&:][8D]

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

After over 30 years of bowhunting.......all I will say is more than one! Good luck hunting that buck and keep us informed. Hope you get him.

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Thanks for the posts and encouragement everyone. I went back out tonight, this time with my secret weapon that I forgot yesterday of course...some good ol' tinks #69. Had numerous bucks get down wind of that and spin on a dime to come my direction. Storm front is moving in tonight so I figured the deer would really be moving. Needless to say I didnt see a darn thing. But I'm going to keep hunting that sucker and hopefully I get him before someone else does. Bc naturally i deserve him most;)

RE: Enough to make ya cry....
 

Don't feel bad about today's hunt. I went back to the same place as yesterday, but hunted about 150 yards away. Nothing showed up near me. This time 6 does were feeding on the other side of the field, but never saw a buck tonight.