I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
10-21-2003, 06:52 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 162
I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
I am SO HATING myself at this moment....
I got off work at 1600 hours, and drove out to a private property where I took my doe last Thursday night. I got into my stand at 1700 hours, and settled in for the last good 1 1/2 hours of shooting light.
I didn' t see any deer for that whole 1 1/2 hours. Things didn' t seem right for hunting tonight. Maybe it just was preoccupation with work on my mind; the chainsaw that just started up in the distance; and the stupid dog across a treeline that was barking it' s head off at infrequent times.
It was beginning to get quite dark at the edge of the woodline where I had put my ladder stand this last Sunday. The field that I was overlooking from the woodline was clear of deer, and nothing was coming up behind me either. Even the squirrels had taken off for the night. Dejectedly, I decided to disengage from my hunting activities.
So I stood up and turned around. I spun my release on the outside of my wrist so I could climb back down 15 feet without breaking my neck. I pulled my arrow off of the bowline and carefully replaced it back into the mounted quiver. I set my bow down on the seat in front of me, and then I unhooked my safety strap from the tree.
As I was taking off my face mesh and stuffing it into my hip pocket, I heard a crunch below me. I immediately froze and looked down towards my left and couldn' t believe......
....that a HUGE buck was cruising past me, totally unaware that he was going to live for at least another night.
I could' ve jumped off of the stand onto his back, it was such a close encounter. His friggin horns were so wide, I thought of a Texas steer for a fleeting moment. This buck was just HUGE. I coudn' t see all of his tines; it was too dark but he had a rack full of them....
I couldn' t do ANYTHING but watch him glide by. I was lambasting myself mentally by crying " YOU IDIOT, why didn' t you wait?" to myself, over and over . I couldn' t stop him, because I left my grunter back in the truck (that won' t happen again ), and he moved too briskly for me to get an arrow from the quiver; nock it and get the damn release spun back around on my wrist so I could get a shot behind his magnificant shoulder.
I WILL be out there tomorrow night, I hope that this beauty has made this route past my stand a regular evening occurance.
I just can' t belive that I was minutes away from scoring another nice deer, in such a short period of time. My stand must be located at " Maryland deer crossing" , USA....
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
I got off work at 1600 hours, and drove out to a private property where I took my doe last Thursday night. I got into my stand at 1700 hours, and settled in for the last good 1 1/2 hours of shooting light.
I didn' t see any deer for that whole 1 1/2 hours. Things didn' t seem right for hunting tonight. Maybe it just was preoccupation with work on my mind; the chainsaw that just started up in the distance; and the stupid dog across a treeline that was barking it' s head off at infrequent times.
It was beginning to get quite dark at the edge of the woodline where I had put my ladder stand this last Sunday. The field that I was overlooking from the woodline was clear of deer, and nothing was coming up behind me either. Even the squirrels had taken off for the night. Dejectedly, I decided to disengage from my hunting activities.
So I stood up and turned around. I spun my release on the outside of my wrist so I could climb back down 15 feet without breaking my neck. I pulled my arrow off of the bowline and carefully replaced it back into the mounted quiver. I set my bow down on the seat in front of me, and then I unhooked my safety strap from the tree.
As I was taking off my face mesh and stuffing it into my hip pocket, I heard a crunch below me. I immediately froze and looked down towards my left and couldn' t believe......
....that a HUGE buck was cruising past me, totally unaware that he was going to live for at least another night.
I could' ve jumped off of the stand onto his back, it was such a close encounter. His friggin horns were so wide, I thought of a Texas steer for a fleeting moment. This buck was just HUGE. I coudn' t see all of his tines; it was too dark but he had a rack full of them....
I couldn' t do ANYTHING but watch him glide by. I was lambasting myself mentally by crying " YOU IDIOT, why didn' t you wait?" to myself, over and over . I couldn' t stop him, because I left my grunter back in the truck (that won' t happen again ), and he moved too briskly for me to get an arrow from the quiver; nock it and get the damn release spun back around on my wrist so I could get a shot behind his magnificant shoulder.
I WILL be out there tomorrow night, I hope that this beauty has made this route past my stand a regular evening occurance.
I just can' t belive that I was minutes away from scoring another nice deer, in such a short period of time. My stand must be located at " Maryland deer crossing" , USA....
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
10-22-2003, 05:35 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,784
RE: I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
Well Will. Sounds like a good end to a noneventful evening of hunting. It sucks he didn' t come by 5 min sooner but at least you know he' s there. 
10-22-2003, 05:52 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Posts: 1,086
RE: I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
Don' t be mad for not waiting. Unless you are climbing down with tons of light left. Forcing a shot in the dark(sorry for the pun) can lead to a lost deer. The peak rut is nearing, he' ll be moving earlier. Hang in there and good luck.
10-22-2003, 11:38 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hampton Virginia
Posts: 1,607
RE: I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
That stuff happens to the best of us. I am a big guy and when it is time to leave I have a time getting things togethr and down. I was hunting one evening and I lowered everything and started to climb down the ladder and I heard a stomp and turned to see a big boy staring back at me. I did nt see him again until he was killed during shotgun season by another guy in my club. Good luck and maybe next time you will get him.
10-22-2003, 12:51 PM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gambrills Md US
Posts: 6,080
RE: I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
I hope you waited until he was long gone before leaving, and left in some other direction so he didn' t detect you. I would go after him on the afternoon hunt right away before testosterone gets the better of him and his pattern changes.
10-22-2003, 06:22 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Harford Co. Maryland
Posts: 1,574
RE: I was WITHIN MINUTES of scoring a HUGE buck tonight!
The good news is that the buck might not have seen you or known of your presence so he might be back! How many times will you wake up thinking about that tonight? 
I hope you get him!
I hope you get him!
