Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

2 years ago I was hunting in southern Illinois. Very cold morning the last weekend before gun season. Sat from 5 till 10 and saw nothing. I was hunting the edge of a thicket right on a setaside field. Had my bow hangin on my EZ hanger and I was standing up takin one more look over my shoulder before I got down. When I turned around there was a huge buck walking the edge of the field comin right too me. It all happened so fast. He had his nose to the ground so I was able to grab my bow. He stopped right about 20 yards from me and looked straight in my direction. I was already drawn at this point. I did somethin I've always known not to do. I looked at the rack right before I shot and I got excited. I didn't hold a little low and I hurried the shot. I took a little piece of flesh off the top of his back. That's the worst feeling seein that huge buck you dream about bounce across a field. Just wondered if there are any " what might have beens " out there like mine. Happy Hunting ------- > CH

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

No not yet, but I hope I even get the chance to take a great trophy this year.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

does a bear pooh in the woods:) and why you got to bring this memory back;) I lost many nights of sleep over big misses...

Hood

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

not during bow season had a nice ten come in with eight does during shotgun season last year never got a shot at him though

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Yeah I blew it last year on the biggest buck I had ever seen. Turns out my buddy blew it on the same deer during gun season. Hes still running around out there.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

I missed a 145 class 9 point two years ago on a Friday afternoon hunt. Shot right under him. That same weekend on my Sunday morning hunt I missed a 150 class 8 point. Shot right over his back. Needless to say, it was a bad, bad weekend for me. :(

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

2 years ago, tha biggest rack I have ever seen. 2 weeks in a row I got glimpses of him and finally the last weekend of archery season I was in my stand, actually I had just gotten my stand and all my equipment back up the tree after a meal break at the truck. Well, I had made so much noise I thought I'd smoke. I was blowing the first drag when I heard a sound. I looked DOWN and saw the deer about 10 feet from my tree. Bow layinb in my lap, arrow in the quiver.
It was more than 10 points, but I don't know how many there were. I never try to look at the rack. After speaking to other people who hunt this area I have come to the conclusion that this deer was anywhere from 10 - 18 points, and 130 - 200 pounds. Some people have a tendency to exagerate as there are no 200 pound deer in this section of Florida, so I don't really beleive it had more than 14 points either.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

yep last year missed a nice 160 to 170 class 10 point becasue of 1 tiny lil twig that i didnt see thought i was gonna be sick right there in the stand.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Last year I had to watch a huge 8 point walk right buy. He He was very simular to Rack's buck. I screwed up and thought it was early enough in the evening so I decided to shoot a 10point that was big but I knew I wouldn't get mounted. He had a very nice rack but was still shy of being huge. When I pulled back back on the 10 point the other deer below must of sensed something because they all just froze. I held at full draw as long as I could before I had to release it back down. When I did get the shot off about 4' away it took a sharp dive into the ground. I still don't know what it hit. I wasn't that upset since I wouldn't have gotten him mounted. 20 mins later here comes that 8 point. I was worn out. All I could do was watch him walk by. I kick myself because I knew better but I got greedy.

I did get to see him and a bigger 10 point everytime out but I never got either within bow range. A freind of mine had the 8 point below him but let him walk since he already shot a 10 point earlier.

Moral of the story, if your hunting for a wall hanger then don't waste the energy if you know your not going to mount it.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Well.........I still shudder to think about it:( I missed one of the biggest bucks I ever rattled into bow range about 4 years ago. He was a 150 class deer and his G2's were somewhere in the neighborhood of 12". He came in behind me, thrashed a bush around and began pawing the ground. All this while I spun into position for the shot. I drew, placed my 20 yarder on him and let if go. Soon after the arrow left the bow, I heard it whack off of a limb and stick in the ground on the other side of the buck. He just stood there, dumbfounded for a minute. I tried to get another arrow, but my quiver decided to fall off the hook and hit the ground under my stand.

The rest was nothing but big horns and tail.:D

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Missed a very nice one last year and think about the darn thing every single day. Ah, the memories...

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

I didn't miss him, but it was my fault regardless.

I watched a very thick, wide, and tall ten point walk up from behind me and to my left, on a trail I knew existed that's about 25-30 yards from my stand. I'm comfortable out to 30 yards in the woods. However, I never bothered to clear a shooting lane through the branches of the tree I sit in because I figured that anything that would come up that trail would turn right and follow the trail 10 yards in front of my stand. This guy turned left. He must have made a lot of 'left' turns over the years to live to get that big.

I suck at guessing sizes, but he was big and I still kick myself for not having a lane cleared to hit that trail. I have one cleared now, but I'm sure lightning will never strike twice, but then, maybe it will... That's why I love this sport.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

It's happened to me more than once. [:@]

The most recent one was last November. I rattled in the "king of the woods." He was a 140 class buck and would be considered huge by local standards. I drew just before he cleared the last bush and then held at full draw for 2 1/2 minutes while he stood facing me head on at 20 yards. I can hit a baseball sized target every time with a broadhead at that range, but refused to take the straight-on shot. When he FINALLY turned and I got a clear view of his vitals, I took careful aim and touched off the release . . . hitting the overhanging limb between us because of the trajectory.

I have beat myself up every day since then reliving that nightmare--especially when I went back 3 days later and saw where someone had back their truck up to that exact spot to retrieve a deer. I never saw him again.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Well i have done some things and had mechanical failures to miss a few monsters.....The first one was a nice buck and i mean nice, it was nov 8, 2000, it was really cold that november and at 7:30 here comes this heavy 10pt right to me in a stand i really didnt have faith in, he just was cominng in on a string smelling some buck poppers i had laid out. Well he turned broadside at about 25-30yds and i went to put my realease on my bow and it was frozen shut it would not grab the bow string for me to pull it back.........so here i am blowing hot air on my realease trying to warm it up and finally it grabs, i draw back and tap the realease and "BONG" My arrow shoots high over his back!![:@] Second time happend in 1995 during ohio gun season, my uncle had sat me down against a tree and wished me good luck...........i had sat there seeing turkey and trying to stay awake and at 900oclock i had lost faith again in the spot my uncle had sat me.........i leaned my shot gun up against a sapling tree in fromt of me and turned on my side to get up and only 30yds behind me stood "MR.BIG" he had a bull winkle spread and he was an old deer from what i can remember and we were haveing a face off, while i am trying to feel around behind me trying to reach my gun...........well it didnt work on this ol boy and he just trotted of into a honey suckle thicket![:@][:o] Later that day my uncle had a shot at him and missed him due to how big he was!!! lol!:D

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

My first season with a bow was last year, missed a huge 6x6 at about 25 yrds on the second day, figured minimum 180 deer....minimum. But thats how it goes for rookies, called a wolf in my first try too, but never got a shot...came in behind me. Never saw either again, but i'm gonna keep hunting the same area for the buck. So each year i'll hope and pray for a chance at him...hope to get a glimpse of him this year...he's a whopper whopper.

B

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

maybe........:eek:

You want to talk about pain? Try having to watch a panting huge nontypical standing in the open at 5 yards.........while your bow is on the other end of the haul rope 20 feet down.:(

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

My 1st season 1st day hunting I missed an 8pt. I aimed too low and the arrow hit a tree stump instead. It was harsh because my best friend was with me that day. I heard it over and over and over about how I blew a great chance.[:@]

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Been there, done that Matt. :(
It was for the best, he wasn't a giant, and my brother was hunting with a muzzleloader about 60 yards away, and shot the largest in the state that season about 10 minutes later.

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Last year a few days before the rifle season opened I was sitting in a snowstorm with temps in the low teens. It was snowing so hard I put my glove over my arrow rest as my bow was hanging on a hook. I turned to my left and a big ten pointer was standing about 15 yards away. I stood up and pulled back the bow as he entered my second shooting lane. But when I looked through my peep it was packed with snow. I tried blowing out the peep, but that didn't work so great with a scentlok mask on. By the time I cleaned the peep of snow, he was gone.:(

RE: Ever miss a Monster up close?
 

Unfortunately,YES![&o] I have come to think that every hunter that has a wallhanger, has another that they have missed or fouled up. Anyway, that rule pertains to me.[:-]