The one that got away

[Brandon_Collins]

 I was doing a camp ripley hunt 2 years ago and i had just gotten my deer stand up in the morning it was around 7:40 i think cuz they let u in the place at sunrise. I was having a hell of a time getting my stand up for sum reason and it was going rite then wen i finally did get it up i realized i have i big branch that i couldnt break rite were i needed to shoot so i had to drop the stand down about two feet and rite wen i got the stand dropped i sat down and grabbed my bow and jsut looked up and here comes a doe about 100 yards down the trail and right behind it i see wat appears to be a big buck. So i stand up instantly to get ready for them. The doe comes right under my stand and the buck weaves in and out of trails in front of me. I figured he wasnt going to come down the same trail the doe did so i just stood there waiting it took him about 15 minutes to reach me on wat should have been about 5. So he comes right into the opening that i had and i drew back just before he got to the opening and he walked into the opening and i released the arrow chip shot 30 yds. and my arrow was looking beautiful going right at the vitals all of a sudden it flings up into the air. I thought wat in hell just happened i was already thinking about taxidermy before i shot. So i jumped out of my stand all mad and ready to just let all my anger out. Then i realized that there was about a 4' tall tree that was right where the deers vitals were and i had hit that branch dead on and it had deflected my arrow up and over the deers back. So to make matters worse he walked 50 more yards and stood and make a scrape were i couldnt shoot him. Also my buddy was about 150 yards past me and wat happens he takes a shot at the same buck at 50 yards and didt he same thing that i did hit a branch. But i guess thats why they get big. So i grabbed my arrow i checked for blood just in case i thought i was seeing things. I just get back up into my stand and here comes i decent sized 7 pointer walks right under my stand. I just watched him i was not about to shoot him after missing about a 160 class whitetail. Half hour later about a 140 class ten pointer i see comes down the trail i get excited but he just stays out of reach of my shot in the brush he had like and oragish tint to his antlers they were really cool looking. Then about 2 hours later i see about a 120 class 8 pointer come right under my stand and i held off from shooting him to cuz after seeing two wall hangers i wasnt going to shoot one that i wasnt going to mount. Next day that ten pointer comes back and he starts going up a ridge and all of a sudden he comes tearing back down it running at about thirty yards across in front of me and i grunt and he stops instantly but of course behind a tree 30 yds broadside then he start running again. But owell at least i got to see all those nice bucks. Till that day i hadnt seen that many nice bucks in my life that were alive. But i have seen several since. It was an awsome trip and i had a great time.

Share Your stories Please

Brandon

[Mayfly]

Ok..Maybe I shouldn?t share this story as I am a complete idiot but I will. This was the first time I had ever been deer hunting in my life. I was in high school and a buddy and I scored some private land near the metro. We scouted for months and got everything perfect. I had my stand in a great spot and I was confident I would see deer.
Opening morning: Well about an hour after being in the stand I hear something walking in the snow. I am looking but see nothing then all of the sudden coming down the trail that was heading right into my shooting lane was a nice looking 6 point buck. Now remember, this is my first time ever deer hunting. My heart is going and am now beginning to experience what everyone has been talking about...?Buck Fever?. The deer comes in perfect and stops broad side. Things could not have been more perfect. I slowly raise my slug gun and BANG! Deer drops....2 seconds later that deer is standing straight up looking at me! In a panic I raise my gun and fire again, this time it sounds more like....BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG. I unloaded everything I have and the deer is still there staring at me. I?m now as confused as you are reading this! Oh yeah...I am now out of slugs! I figure he was hit from the first time and he will eventually maybe go down so I sit and wait. The deer eventually meanders off and walks up the other side of the ravine and onto the next property. The deer sits down so I get out of my stand and run to my buddies stand. He is sure I have a deer but I explain the story to him. He throws me down a couple slugs and I retreat to my stand. I watch where the deer had bedded down and see him eventually rise. He then begins to walk farther into the other property. He slowly disappears and I hear BANG! My hunt is over...for the day. Man I was mad. Being so inexperienced I had no idea what to do so I decided to sit and watch him ???

[Brandon_Collins]

He must have just dropped from the shot being scared i had a doe do that to me she dropped after i shot and all of a sudden she was back up so i figured i hit her good enough the first time and i would find her about another 30 yds. But nope i never even hit her. That was also my first year hunting.

Brandon

[Ryan]

This is about the worst I have done.  My first year hunting we were making a drive.  We were getting towards the end when I heard a shot in front of me.  Right after that I could hear something running at me.  All of a sudden I see a big buck running right at me, all I can remeber is seeing those big white antlers.  I probably could have touched him as he ran by and all I could do was holler to my dad that I saw a buck.  He yelled back telling me to shoot, but the deer was already gone.

[Spinach]

Last year slug hunting in Afton, i had a very large Doe at the top of the ravine, approximately 100 yards, a little out of range with the woods being so thick and no snow on the ground. She was walking down the trail very cautiously, she finally stopped about 80 yards away, but behind a few large trees, i was ready for her next move, she slowly started walking away and stopped again about 85 yards, I raised up and looked for a clean shot, counted to 3 and told myself to breathe, all I could se was part of the neck, I took the shot and she dropped in her tracks.

About 5 minutes later my cell phone rang, my dad was just over the next hill and asked if I needed help dragging her out, The deer was on the ground and not moving at all, i told him I'd wait a half hour and drag her down to the driveway myself. This was the last weekend of the season and we still had 3 tags to fill. A half hour goes by and she is still laying in the same spot, i get out of my blind and shoulder my shotgun, walk up and poke her in the back, at this time I seen my shot went right through the neck, i turn to lay my gun down and hear her get up and start running, she is probably 5 yards from me and crashes into a large tree, I aimed the gun at her again and watched her run off without a shot, I knew i shot her in the neck and then she crashed head on into the tree, so i figured she'd go down any second, I kept watching and watching...... finally she's out of sight, I'm upset and wondering what the hell just happened? The blood trail was very easy to follow, I walked about a 1 mile following her up and down every ridge, I'm off the property by now , so i knocked on the neighbors door and asked if i could take a look around? After explaining my story to the neighbor, he said 15 minutes ago there was a real big Doe behind his garage and walking real slow, i made my way around the side of the garage without a gun because we were in city limits, there she was just standing there again, she took off up the ravine and laid down on the hill, I figured I'd let her lie again and come back before dark. I went back 3 days in a row and never did see her again.

[jigglestick]

holy crap spinach! what was she part cat? nine lives?
it made me think of another story.
an old buddy of mine and myself were hunting when i saw this doe run across into some state land. we parked the truck grabbed our gear, spread out and started making our way in slowly. they usually don't go to far to fast unless something is chasing them, and like i hoped, she hadn't. she was standing about thirty yards away in the black spruce, but all i could see was her head. well me being a pretty fair shot with the model 94, i put it right between the eyes, drop it just a little and touch it off.
down she went like a ton of bricks! cool! that was easy. my friend makes his way over to me. i slip a rope over her neck and he slits the throat. boy was that a mistake! being shot in the face, all it did was nock her silly and mess up her airway. when he cut her throat, she took a big breath of life through her new airway and the rodeo was on! let me tell you, this little filly had her legs under her allright. she started leaping  and pulling and i kept hanging on. my buddy had to run after the one of the guns when we decided we were going to have to shoot her again. the ol back of the head did the trick.
boy what a hoot. now i watch'em before i get right to 'em. i like to see if they're still breathing or not, then when i feel confident they're down to stay, i even do the ol poke em with the gun barrel.
lessons learned.

[Brandon_Collins]

Thats some great stories guys keep them coming

Brandon

[GRIZ]

Come on jiggle ya gots more stories than that havn't ya.  ::)

[Outdoors Junkie]

I have a story to share.  I was about 15, must of been my 4th year hunting.  I had sat in a stand all morning, didn't see anything.  We planned to meet back at the truck about 11am for lunch.  I got down from my stand about 10:45am and started walking slowly towards the direction of the truck.  I am walking along the edge of woods next to a meadow.  I come aroung a corner, there stands a big doe.  I freeze.  The darn thing is 10-15 yards from me.  We have a stare down for (what seem to be 15 minutes) about two minutes.  I finally decide to raise my gun real slow.  The doe just keeps starring at me.  I put the cross-hairs of the scope right on the vitals.  I pull the trigger nice and slow, bang!  She starts running into the woods.  I just start there waiting for her to drop.  It had to be a kill shot.  Nope, just keeps running, until she was out of sight.  Not a drop of blood, not a piece of hair.  I had my scope sighted in at 100 yards, I must of shot under her at that close range is all I can figure.

[jigglestick]

OJ, it's stories like these that make us feel less stupid and more normal.
everybody makes simple mistakes when it comes to all our outdoor adventures. the slightest thing can make a sure thing into the biggest blunder we have encountered to date.
i know Griz is just bustin at the chops for me to tell you all about my screw ups last fall.
i think i will wait a little.
maybe i'll go cut paste them from another site. it's a long storie :-[
in fact they're all long stories :'(

[Outdoors Junkie]

Thanks Jigglestick!  All we can do is learn from our mistakes.  I have cousin that hunts with us that I could share a lot of stories about.  He has tons of bad luck.  Except this year, he finally shot his first deer.  In fact, he got a buck and a doe.  His 14 year run of bad luck came to an end.   

[jigglestick]

this is for those who have not read it yet...and Griz ya rat bastard!
Griz usualy never misses an opportunity to roast me on this one.
Griz, let this be no exception.

to summerize, i have never shot a deer with more than four points. until six years ago, i could have give a #$%! less. then i got to thinking why is that.
i thought the reason was simple. i shot the first legal buck that came by each year. when my brother shot the nice eight pointer the first year we started hunting my other brothers property, it got me thinking.
so from that point on, i told myself i was going to raise the bar.
i was going to at least better myself each year, or i wasn't going to shoot it. five points or more was my seemingly modest mark.
i spent the first couple years with near misses. i mean i saw a buck and doe in the cedar, and thought "oh boy, the ****'s on"! only to have the buck pull a quickie on me.
fine, i can accept that.
each year it would seem that i got a little closer to finaly taking that mature buck, but something always got in the way.
this has been tormenting me. getting up early staying out late in efforts to put all possibilities in my favor.
scent free shampoo, laundry detergent, watching the wind. day after day. i even buy the all season deer license not for the extra tag, but it allows me to hunt all of the seasons including the muzzle loading season. that is what i am doing right now.
i did take a doe a couple years ago with my traditional CVA fifty caliber, but i decided this year i wanted to shoot a new in-line.
i bought a winchester apex fifty caliber muzzleloader. it fits nice and is extremely accurate.
now i am not new to muzzleloading. i have been doing it my whole life. well darned near. my dad belonged to a muzzleloading club in the twin cities. i got to tag along and i had my own gun when i was sixteen.
after going out each day this season so far, i stayed in this morning because my wife was working midnites, and would not get home until eight o'clock a.m.
i chose to do some things around the house and hunt the afternoon hunt.
i chose a spot just up the road that can be realy good at times if the pressure has not been to great.
i have hunted this spot for years, and i know it's a crap shoot, but if they come in, there's a good chance to get a clean shot.
it is a forty acre piece with private borders that does not get hunted after rifle season. it is made up of aspen slash, about 10 acres worth of year growth. the south part of this forty is patchy balsams which are great cover. to the east, is mature hardwoods.
the transition between the slash and the hardwoods to the east have been very good throughout the years.
today was no exception. we recieved four inches of new snow monday night, early tuesday. i could see they had been moving throughout the area like usual.
one set of tracks caught my eye. a large, single set of tracks made there way out from the area i was looking to head to. slow moving tracks. shuffleing it's hooves between each step. this one had my interest.
as i made my way inside the transition area, i found many sets of tracks. does, fawns, even one day old bed. i searched for a tree to put my tree seat on. i use this sometimes when i am not sure where exactly i am going to end up, or if i don't have alot of time.
i found a tree that gave me pretty good visibility, yet offered fair cover in front.
i got set about three o'clock. staying as still as i could, i waited until about four forty five. i started thinking about maybe getting out and still hunting my way back out the trail cuz i wuz getting cold. then thinking about the trail as it wandered out through the slash, i couldn't imagine a realistic opportunity to make a shot without being busted, so i stayed put. the wind could have been better, but the only way they would wind me is if they came from behind, which i guess was quite possible, but i didn't think it was likely.
i stayed put.
then like out of a dream, there it was. a large bodied deer making it's way into an opening right in front of me. it had horns!! what looked to be an eight pointer! glory be. if i can just get the hammer back without him hearing me. no problem.
i looked towards the area he was moving to and found a nice opening that he would, in seconds be just fifteen feet on the other side of.
i raised the gun, he didn't even suspect anything.i found the sights,he steped into the opening, i rested the bead on his front shoulder.....and squeezed the trigger......SNAP! went the 209 primer with the smallest cloud of smoke exiting the barrel. NO!!!! he lifted his head and just stood there. i had to think for a moment, what the hell just happened???? then it dawned on me. the other night after hunting out in the rain, i brought my gun in and cleaned it. i discharged the weapon out the back door into the creek, then cleaned it.
in minnesota, it is legal to have the gun loaded, cased, in the vehicle, as long as there is no primer in the gun.instead of shooting it empty each day, i simply take the primer out, then case it and leave it in the vehicle until the next day, when i put the new primer in and go hunting.
after cleaning it, i put it in the truck, but failed to load a charge in it. EGADS!! WHAT HAVE I DONE! i tried to get another load out of my pocket and into the gun before he totaly busted me, but i only got the pre-made load out of my pocket when he turned and bounded out almost the same way he came in. ARRRGG!!

[beerguy]

Great story. Thats why it s hunting and not shooting!!!!!One to share with the little ones for many years.

[GRIZ]

This story happened last fall and I was not there but have heard the same story from 3 different people, so I gotta believe it.

A couple friends were hunting at thier place along with family members. It was about dinner time they were all going to meet at the house for some soup and discuss reports and new plans.

Well Larry was walking up hill to the house and there stand 2 does right under a buck hanging in the tree. He was not able a shot for fear of hitting the house. He did spook them, one of which went right past Tom and he dropped this doe with one clean shot. He claimed it was nearly self defense.

The other doe ran right past the deck around the corner the corner of the house, seen Tim coming so spun around. Tim wasn't able to get a shot for fear of hitting the pickups.

The deer bolted back, took a route around the garage. Well 10' around the corner Boo was coming. Now his first reaction was rather interesting. With the deer coming right at him full speed he dropped his gun and tried bulldogging the deer.

He did get his arm around the neck of the doe but couldn't bring it down. Instead the deer kept running but right into a fence used to hold the elk in. Streatching the fence real good it snapped back throwing the deer and Boo 15-20' backwards. Now Boo ain't a big guy but he is a rather determined individual. Boo didn't let his grip of the doe go but he no longer had ahold of it's neck.

By this time his cloths had a few taers in them, he had a few cuts from hooves and the fence, with a broken nose to top it off. His grip he had now was of both front legs which did bring the deer down but keeping wasn't that easy. While trying to keep the deer down he was also trying to get his knife out.

Well the deer got up and started running but Boo was still on her back, with his folded up knife in his hand. He manages to grab a front leg which brings the deer down a second time. This time Boo is on the bottom but has a grip around the neck again. His knife slipped from his grip and he was hollaring to Art to cut the neck of the deer.

Well by this time after all the comotion there was 6 other party members watching  this. They all had thier guns loaded yet so Art said "let her go we got enough guns here and besides she's cornered" So Boo let her go.

Well Art had set his gun down when he was planning (he changed his mind) on cutting the neck of the deer. The other members were so busy laughing they didn't even realize the deer was running away. Well not a shot was ever fired at this doe and after Boo caught his breath all he could say was "After a minute and a half of wrestling the deer would have tasted like poo anyhow, good thing we let it go."

Now I believe this story not only because of the people who told me of it but I also seen Boo that evening. He had torn clothes a few nice cuts and scratches with a big bright red nose. Wished I could have been there to see that.

[jigglestick]

i think boo's old lady was thinking differently than boo when he told her i'm going to camp whether you like it or not.
i think that's the real story.
 8)

[GRIZ]

Boo don't have an ol lady.

[Spinach]

Come on, there has too be a few more emberrassing stories.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Anyone have another story to share?

[GRIZ]

This one should be called the luckies buck alive.

I had went to town for dinner after sitting the morning. I drove down to the farm place where I was hunting and could see a doe about 50 yds from my stand. After parking my truck in the yard I grabbed my gun and started over the hill. Not having a doe permit I wasn't too excited about the doe but knowing where there is a doe there might be a buck got me a bit more enthusiastic.

Upon getting at the top of the hill I heard a bunch of crashing in the brush at the bottom 50 yds away. It was a nice buck 12 point that was wide and tall, now my heart was beatin. I was unable to get a shot due to the brush.

The deer was bounding on all fours kinda like a pronghorn would, which I've never seen b4. I think he was trying to get his head above the brush to see what had disturbed his afternoon nap.

I seen he was heading right for the tree I had my stand in which had an opening by it which was about 20yds across. The problem was it was the opening was on the far side of the tree so the tree blocked the opening and it was about 200yds away.

I have allot of confidence in my shotgun so the range didn't bother me none, just then I noticed an opening about the size of a TV in the branches of the tree. So I aimed for that hole and was hoping the deer would go behind it. As luck would have it he did and at the right moment I squeezed the trigger.

Well at the wrong moment he tripped with his front feet and landed on his elbows. Me and my buddy watched the slug smash into the ground on the hill behind him dead center on his vitals but a foot above his back. That deer survived for another season just because he was so clumsy he couldn't bound.

That happened to be the biggest buck I've seen hunting before and since. Talk about a lucky deer.

[Outdoors Junkie]

We have a lot more members now.  There must be some more stories out there about the one that got away.  Please share.

[tripnchip]

This was during the 03 season. We had gotten a heavy snow through the nite so I told my son that we would set in the stands that were in or close to the heavy spruce cover figuring the deer would have taken cover there for the nite. I chose a stand that sets in an old logging road. The stand is on the transition between the spruce and the 10 year groth of aspen. The road runs through the spruce which made  a natural shooting lane of about 75 yrds down through them. When day lite came I discovered that the snow was so heavy on the brush you couldn't see 10 yrds. into it so I was mainly trying to keep an eye on the shooting lane.
In the prosses of getting to and into my stand my hands got soaked and I didn't have my extra gloves with so around ten I figured I'd lite the little stove to warm up my hands  and dry my gloves. I get the stove going and takes a peakover the stand rails to check things out and all is clear so why not have a cup of coffee. I bend down and pour a cup and peaks over the rails again, this time there is a 8 pointer standing about thirty yards down the shooting lane from me. Ok, I slowly bend back down and get rid of the coffee and pick up my handgun and just peak over the rail to see where he is. He is now walking streight away down the shooting lane at about 35 yrds. so I lays the handgun on the rail thinking this is going to be to easy. I takes careful aim center of back alowing for angle into the boiler tank, At the shot I look up to watch him fall but he just keeps mossisng down the shooting lane like nothing happen. I'm shooting a single shot so now I'm trying to get the gun open and reloaded without spooking him. He stops a couple times to just look around but stays in the shooting lane,I finaly get reloaded and back on him just as he gets to the next trail that crosses the shootinglane. He turns to go down it and I squeezed another round off and down the trail he gos but to my relief I hear him pile up about 30 yrds down it. I sat there thinking about what happen on the first shot and it dawned on me that I looked up to watch him fall as or before a had pulled the triger. Just one of those shots that can't be missed.lol

[Crazy4Outdoors]

My husband and I were group hunting with my brother and sister in law and another couple.  I was posted in a ground blind as some of the others were making a drive.  I wasn't sitting more than 15 min. when I saw a monster buck moseying along in my direction coming up the hill; he was about 200 yds. away when I first saw him.  He keeps walking slowly up the hill toward my blind, and my heart is just racing like a maniac!  I cannot believe I'm seeing this!  I had myself all prepared, ready to shoot when he got a little closer.   That damn buck walked right in FRONT of my blind; right in front me!  I shot; he darted; I shot again; he kept running back in the same direction he had come from.  I poked a couple more hail mary's at him as he ran out of sight.  By the time the drivers got to me and asked if I got him, I was in tears.  I thought I saw the deer buckle after my 2nd shot, so I pointed out to the guys the last spot I had seen him at the bottom of the hill.  Sure enough they found blood, and they trailed him and they trailed him ...all afternoon, but we never found him.  That is one heartache I will never forget.  Oh -- you wanna know why I missed?  #1) I'm pretty sure I was aiming at his horns (they were so white and massive), but #2) As I watched the buck slowly approaching me closer and closer, all I could think of was...... MY BUCK IS GOING TO BE BIGGER THAN THE ONE MY HUSBAND HAS HANGING ON THE WALL!)  Moral of the story -- aim first, brag later!

[Grute Man]

Good one Crazy4Outdoors.  That reminds me of one from 3 years ago.  My son, Hockey #12 was taggin along with me while I was bow hunting.  He was only 11 years old.  Well we were doing a lot of walking and evertime I looked, he was right on my heels.  I kept telling him to stay back 5 or 10 feet as he wouldn't miss anything.  Well he must have been nerveous or something because he kept creepin up on me.  At one point we see a buck walkin towards us from a kitty corner angle.  His antlers were white as snow.  We crouched down on the trail and this buck is coming dead on towards us! Im pumped and just waiting for him to come into range.  Well as soon as he is, I start to draw back and since Hockey boy was so close, he had to lean back to keep my elbow from hitting him in the face.  I had no idea he was this close.  Anyway, when he leaned back, he put his hands out and let them land on the trail and that made a little rustle of the leaves.  That was all it took for that buck.  He looked right at us and took off like a bolt of lightning.  We tried to call him back but he had nothing to do with us.   We stuck around a bit longer but he was our only chance that day.  Well we finally left and just told that buck that we'd be back some day.
Grute (Don)

[tripnchip]

This is from when I was a bit younger. Dads house was on a 40 acre field and during rifle season(9 days shoot anything times) riles where left in the porch rather then bring them in a hot house. It was mid day and I had come in to warm up and get a bite to eat.After eating I headed for the out house and when I steped out of the porch there was a nice buck walking across the field about 200 yards from the house.I reached in the porch for the 30-30 but a hold of dads 257 instead.I walked to the closeline pole and braced myself on it to steady the shot. I came down on his front shoulder and raised a bit to alow for bullet drope  and sqeezed off the shot. Tfhe buck droped streight to the groundand never moved. Dad come out to see what was going on so I pointed the deer out to him and we stood and watched it for a while incase it tryed to get up, never moved. Pops say we might as well finish our coffee and then go get him so we went in and finished coffee. When we went back out to retrieve the deer it was no wheres to be found. There was 6 " of snow on the ground so it was easy to find were he went down and laid until we went in the house . There was not one spot of blood or a peice of hair any where in the area or down his trail. He just simply went down at the sound of the shot and stayed put until we went in the house. The realy moral here is always use your own gun. I shot high alowing for 30-30 dropage and withe 257 there was not dropage.

[Mayfly]

Great reading guys....thanks. I also have to bump this one up, great topic!

[laker]

Those stories sure bring back good memories and get me laughing for sure! thanks for sharing.

Years back I was headed to my uncles farm on opening morning of slug season. It was still a bit before light and coming around a corner I see this decent buck standing out in a field maybe 50 yds from the road ditch. I drove past a bit and got out and snuck back down the ditch and stuck my head up over the edge. I could make him out ok although it probably wasnt exactly shooting light. Anyway, I couldn't wait, so I pumped one in the chamber and let it fly. Down he went. I walked out to him and he was just sitting there  with his head up looking at me. He seemed as tame as my collie dog, so I decided not to shoot him again being it really was sort of early in the morning and I didn't want any crowds. So I grabbed my buck and stuck him in the throat.  I just sort of poked it right straight in, 5 or 6", up to the hilt. Well I was sort of excited and dang if he didnt get up. here I was holding onto an antler with one hand and my knife with the other. Well things happenned fast, and he took off without me doing any more damage to him. I went and got a friend, and we chased that deer through 3 or 4 woods before finally getting him about 1:00 in the afternoon. He almost got away.