Scott/IL

First let me rewind this story back 6 years. I'm hunting a great spot where a line of pine trees runs into a 1/2 acre food plot sourrounded by a thicket. Last 10 minutes of shooting light the does start coming in. I hear a real light grunt and look over and see a monster 12 pointer coming at me. I find him in my peep and release my arrow. 20 yard shot and CLEAN MISS over his back. I wanted to crawl up and hide.All I could say about him is he was huge. 3 more sightings by 3 seperate people all had him scoring between 180-190 as a perfect 12 pointer. I ended up filling my tag on a nice 120 class 8 pointer that year, my firstbuck with a bow.

Fast forward to the following year. My friend is hunting that same stand and once again here came the big boy. 40 yard shot, right under his stomach. 1 week later I'm in that stand here he comes again. 60 yards is as close as he ever got and he has never been seen since.

This stand was nicknamed my Unlucky Stand. 2 years ago I return to hunt this spot for the first time since my last run in with the big buck. Right at dark I see a real nice 130 class 9 pointer come feeding in the food plot. I return the next afternoon and once again you guessed it shot under his stomach at 40 yards. Come the next morning I was in a different stand and had shot a doe. I waited an hour and decided to get down. As I was lowering my bow to the ground here came that same 9 pointer. I got my bow back to the stand, got an arrow on and came to full draw and got busted. 2 weeks later I only have a doe tag for shotgun season and he is out parading around me at 40 yards. I'm heartbroken.

Now last year I'm hunting very close to my "Unlucky Stand" and I see horns coming through the pines. Sure enough it's the same 9 pointer, but he is going to miss me. Never got a shot as he passed out of range at 62 yards. At least I knew he was still around. Then after the season went out we got some pics of him while out walking one day.

Back to present time. This year has been pretty tough for me. Had a 130 class 8 pointer the 2nd day of season at 40 yards, but no shot. I have not been able to get a doe in the freezer either. This afternoon I set up about 200 yards from my "Unlucky Stand", and 20 minutes before dark here comes the does. 3 of them and they are nervous. I look behind them and see a small 5 pointer, then keep the binos moving back and see a nice 8 pointer (2 1/2 yr. old) and then I see HIM. He's a 150 class animal easymaybe pushing 160. Past his ears, good mass, and hes got some tines. Definante shooter. I get ready and draw. I'm holding my 40 yard pin on him for a 42 yard shot and a doe spots me. The gigs up.

THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!!! this deer bothers me more than that Booner does since this is my 6th meeting with him in 3 years.

I'm trying to post the pictures of him from last year, but I need some help on this since it's not working.

HNI Jim

I think that you need to practice to more if your missing all these deer.

Scott/IL

Haha I knew that comment was coming. But trust me I am out in the yard practicing throughout the yearanytime I'm not hunting. I am very confident shooting a deer at 50 yards.

I can take the criticism as when the big 12 pointer came in I was fairly new to the sport of bowhunting. I had only shot one deer before with a bow and my range was limited to within 30 yards. I can admit that at that I was not the best shooter that I could have been.

I now consider myself to be pretty good with my bow and feel that it comes down to me getting nervous and rushing my shots.

HNI Jim

Yeah man i start shaking when i hear a deer coming and then i see it i almost fall out of the tree, even on a doe.

Predator19

Maybe move the stand a bit and then you'll be closer to all these hogs!

Scott/IL

Good thought, but I am already on the last tree that runs towards the plot. Where these deer come out is a thicket that have no trees suitable for a tree stand.

OneMustFall

Maybe its time to ditch the stand and get up close and personel,if these deer keep commin out at the same place just get in on your knees or belly or whatever you have to do,its not law that you have to be in that stand...good luck though .............[&:]

Wiaxle

Couple things that I would try, just to build my confidence up.

Make sure you know your distances, ie, the distance your arrow is flying, not the number of paces from your tree, a couple yards could be the difference.

Have you practiced at elevation? ie, off the roof of your house or ideally from the height of the stand you hunt out of.

A buddy had issues like this 4-5 years ago, that would pulverize his block level on the ground, then he would go out, put the climber up around 30 foot and couldnt figure out why he kept missing deer.....now whether that was due to buck fever, not bending at the waist, or just holding the pin on the wrong point, dunno.... but after going out and practicing from the stand, he did go on a little of streak of 3-4 deer harvested, not saying that he hasn't had issues since then, but he hasn't had any out and out misses either. Little bit of confidence will go a long ways next time you have a longer shot in front of you.

Scott/IL

After I missed the first big deer I went out and bought a range finder. I also have a 12 foot deck on my house that I practice off of about once a week.

I have thought about hunting down in the thick stuff, but I fear that I am going to bump one of the many deer that bed in it.

8pt~Bowhunter

.