Need some advice

[CForar]

So today I pushed a swamp by myself and kicked up a doe and BIG buck... Well they were running at about Mach 10 and I wiffed all three shots with my shotgun at 50, 75, and 100 yards on the buck. He ran off to some private land and the doe just ran deeper into the swamp and I'm pretty sure bedded down somewhere in there. My question is, do you think he's gonna come back to this swamp for the doe tomorrow morning? I shot at him so I'm not sure if he would come back. There's not much trees in the area I'm hunting (farm country) but there was probably 2 acres of trees/thicket and 100-120 acres of swamp on this WMA.

So should I go back and try the same spot or did I scare him off for good? All the corn is picked in the area and there's only small patches of trees of 3-5 acres around the wma. Since I shot I'm a little worried he won't come back but the doe could be in heat.

What's your guys thoughts?

I did buy some doe in estrus urine that I could possible spray the area down before the sunrise tomorrow.

Only 2 deer I saw all day.

[MN Shutterbug]

Depends on if the buck thinks the woman is worth risking his life for.

[96trigger]

Highly doubt he will be back, sorry, probably not the answer you were looking for.

[Tom Sawyer]

He's already hooked up, or will be with her by morning somewhere at her choosing.

[Boar]

every day the game is reset, hunt the doe youll never know what will happen, different buck maybe same buck, who knows.

[ETH310]

A few years ago I shot a doe. I didn't see the buck with her until I after I shot the doe. I took a couple of shots at the buck as he ran off but missed him (you could shoot more than one deer at the time). I went in for lunch and then came back to load up the doe in the truck and the same buck was standing next to the dead doe. I got out of the truck, got my gun out of the bed, and dropped him right next to the doe. Moral of the story...anything is possible during the rut.

[CForar]

Thanks guys, went back and saw nothing. But it was worth a shot. Can't shoot a buck laying in bed.

[NWKR]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a buck come back through within a couple days. But this time of year it seems like they can easily move along and be a mile away as well.

Quote:

Well they were running at about Mach 10 and I wiffed all three shots with my shotgun at 50, 75, and 100 yards on the buck.

One thing I would do if I was you is try to avoid shots like that. When I started out hunting I took far too many shots like that, and I ended up gut shooting 3 deer. I did find those deer, but I always wondered about my "wiffed" shots where I never found any blood. Thinking back it nakes me a little sick to my stomach thinking about a deer that could have been wounded and I didn't find the blood. In recent years I have passed up on running shots to avoid those situations. They may have been the only chances I had that year, but I feel better about not getting my deer than making some of the poor shot selection I did when I was younger.

Sorry for the lecture, but thought I would share some additional thoughts. Good luck hunting !

[CANOPY SAM]

What is said above, particularly with a shotgun. I've made a couple incredible shots at running deer with a shotgun, but I'll openly admit, connecting was likely more lucky then truly a reflection of experience.

There aren't a lot of people out there that can consistently make good shots on running deer. More often then not they are just throwing lead at em' in a Hail Mary long shot attempt, and too often this only results in wounded deer, or deer that are typically not going to stop running for at least a few miles.

I distinctly remember hunting deer with my father when we jumped a doe that took off running broadside across a black dirt field. I watched my Dad take careful aim and shoot three times at this running animal. The deer was only maybe 50-70 yards away. His shotgun slug was hitting the ground at least 10 feet behind the deer with every shot! He was shooting directly at the deer's vitals.

My guess is that this buck you saw will return to this spot eventually, but more likely then not he won't come back until well after dark. This depends of course on whether he survives the rest of the gun season after being chased out of his bedroom.