Runningun

I had a Buck coming this morning down a dry creek bed, he stops about 50 yards out and stares at what I think is the cloth marker on my tree stand blowing in the wind or maybe me. After staring for 5 min. and stomping his foot twice he turns sideways like he doesn't like this picture and is thinking about leaving. So knowing it is now or never I put him in my open sights and send one his way.
He goes down right away and tries to get up but his back half will not work so down he goes again. I know the rule about waiting 30min. to a hour but this guy is laying right there, I can see that his body has not moved for 10 min.
So I climb down and get within 20 yards and I see his head and he is looking looking around. After I cuss myself for not being patient I try to put one in his head to finish him off, since he is laying down in the river bed and I am elevated and I do not compinsate, my shot right goes right over his head.
Now my boy gets up with blood coming out of his nose and starts slowly towards me, so I chamber my last shell now he is 10 yards away and click the bullet is a dud. I do have 1 more round in one of my 6 pockets but I can not find it and Bucky is 15 feet away and still coming. Backing away with my hand in my pocket I find the shell, by this time Bucky is walking the other way on top of the ridge, I get a angle on him and put one in his head. he hits the ground. you can let me have it guys and gals.... Lesson learned the hard way (Wait the freakin hour)

Angus74

Hey, I would have done the same thing,, if I can see him and he hasnt moved in a few minutes I will get down and go to him,, you did the right thing by looking him over and noticed that he was still alive, if youd just walked right up to him withouth checking first it could have been bad.. Congratulations on your buck,, how big was he?

young_gun

hey,
i would have done the same thing. in fact this last wkend this happend to my stepdad. but he didnt fumble through the 6 pockets lookin for shells. its hard to wait when you can see them, and its even harder to wait when youcan see there still alive. and so close. congrats on the buck.

Runningun

He was prob 130 pounds, he had 4 good points and a couple that were broken off at the surface of the antler. His rack was really skinny(not wide at all) kinda funny looking for his body size.
Thanks for the replys................ makes me feel a better

cardeer

Never know,But I never wait in gun season. If you wait to long around this area someone will run up and shoot and try and steal it. I would of taken him on with my knife. Did it before can do it again

SPLITG2

Three years ago my dad had something like this happen to him on a very good deer. He shot the deer at 60 yards and he droped like a brick. After a few min. dad got down and while he was getting his gun off the rope he heard sometihng. He looked back at the deer and he was stumbling down the hill. By the time he got his gun the guy across the fence shot at the deer and missed him. This was at 9:30am. We looked for that deer for three days and never found him. All I can figure is his bullet hit just below the spine and above the lungs. Thus enableing the deer for a short time. After that happened to him I sit tite for 30 min. a least even if the deer is laying in front of me. I know if I need another shot I can take it from my stand. It is hard to think about shoting while climing down when my gun is on the ground tided to a rope. Beter safe than sorry. I,m glad you got your deer. Good luck to all the rest of season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KentuckyBuck

Good job man, you did alright.

onebullet

i dont know which is harder waiting for them to come or waiting after ya shot em i had one doe who caught the bullet in the spine and dropped immediately but was not dead then she sat there and screamed i had never heard a deer do that it sounded like a young calf at a dairy farm, this day i happend to be carrying one spare round and shot her in the head as it turned out a buck was watching the whole ordeal snorts and walks away[:-] oh well live and learn

Buck Huntin Girl

Well, what else were you going to do? You don't want to let it get away wounded, and I definitely don't think YOU want to walk away wounded! LOL I woulda done the same thing, I think, that or I would have passed out and fell to the ground when it started towards me! LOL

I'm glad you got him, and man, that's a story you'll never forget, eh?

avid_bowhunter2005

I did the same thing last year bowhunting, I shot a doe and she didn't move for aabout 45 minutes, so I get down to find her looking dead at me with the most awful looking face ever, I couldn't take it and I went to the house, got my big knife (planning on slitting her throat) and I headed back out and thank God she was passed away.