Highs & Lows of bow hunting in one morning..........

[MUSKY18]

Woke up this morning super stoked about getting into the stand. My girlfriends father got permission to get in and hunt a piece of property that is awesome land. Just a 40 acre parcel, but is almost all mature woods with some swampy area that the deer are using heavy for bedding areas. The outside areas are numerous ag fields that the deer are feeding in at night, and then making their way back into the woods we would be hunting. Talking with the owner, deer movement is at its peak between 9-10, so I had time to get to the stand and setup.

Climbed into the stand just after daybreak (never been to the stand and needed some light to find it). Got my hangers screwed into the deer, bow pulled up and got an arrow nocked. Was still getting my situated, when I here crunching coming. Look around the tree and here comes a nice 8 pointer walking down the trail. I hadn't even had a chance to range any of the trails around the stand and here he comes. Grab my bow and get ready. Not sure if he heard me moving, but he stopped and locked up looking directly at me. I freeze!!! He looks for a few more seconds and continues to walk the trail, soon as he goes behind some trees, I come to full draw as he clears the group of trees. He walks into the shooting lane, I give me a "bah" to stop him and he complies and stops dead. I settle my 30 yard pin on him and let the arrow fly. As I watch the red nokturnal fly towards the buck, everything looks good. The arrow hits him, but its a tad high and back. The arrow buries into the buck, he mule kicks and takes off on a dead run and I watch him go back to the south, head east and then back north on the other side of a little pond. He ran behind some thick brush and I lost him. From the way things look, I thought that even though it wasn't a perfect hit, it was good enough to be a lethal shot, so I just sat back down and figured I'd give him an hour or so and then take up the trail. While waiting I had two more bucks and two does come through, but thinking I had a buck down, I let them walk. At this point I'm just pumped that I think I have finally shot my first deer with my bow. It's been three years of passing on does and small bucks to get to this point.

After about an hour, I climb down and go to look for my arrow. Find it in the snow right where the buck was. Find 3 big piles of hair on the ground but no immediate blood. I start following his tracks and go about 300-400 yards and still no blood. I left a mark and went to get my backpack from the stand as it looks like I have a tracking job. When I get back into the stand, I finally remember I should range the shot. Ranged the shot and my heart sinks. It was only 24 yards, not 30 like I shot it for. Probably explains the high hit. Got back on the trail and after about another 200 yards, finally find blood. Not great blood, but blood. Call my buddy so he can help and we start off. Well after two hours and about a mile of tracking, we lose all sign. Found 3 different beds were he laid down and then got up and took off again. Lost sign in a CRP field and with the snow melting and grass, we couldn't find anymore sign. Grid searched the area for about another hour and couldn't find anything more.

So within a matter of hours, I went from the high of shooting my first buck with my bow to the low of losing my first buck I shot with my bow. I know it happens to everyone at some point but it just makes me want to kick myself for not making a better shot. Going back out tomorrow morning to look again, so my fingers are crossed.

[eyeguy 54]

good luck! if you are like the rest of us that have had it happen to, you will think about it for years. part of hunting.

[sticknstring]

That's too bad Bret! It's crazy how much we prepare and wait for the right opportunity and in an instant the moment arrives and we're put to the challenge. Try and take away something positive from the encounter.

[SmellEsox]

On a positive note, if you don't find him I'm pretty sure he'll probably survive the hit. Been there, done that, but not on a nice buck. Sorry man.

[not_nuf_time]

Hope you find him, but I'm pretty sure you plagerized my story from last year, you just changed the yardage from longer to shorter. Good luck.