Ok so I work at Scott AFB but live an hour or so away. I hunt my land I have 25 acres that backs up to another 100 acres of a neighbors that gave me permission to hunt the entire patch of woods so I have 105 acres in Fayette county Illinois. I just share it with my wife, and 3 other guys that have permission. I get off work around 4, and after taking leave and hunting hard Monday and Tuesday and not seeing anything I decided to go out when I got home around 515. My wife who has been hunting her whole life ( i started 2 years ago for deer, and this is first year with a bow for me)told me that's too late to go in, I said no it isnt nothing is even moving but i want to sit out there because im hard headed, well on my way in I see a HUGE doe standing under my stand. Of course I bump her. That was mistake 1. Mistake 2. I notice I didn't have my release, so I went back to the house and got my release (mistake 3). Then i sat in my stand patiently and right at dusk i see antlers now i think it was a 6 or 8 but had a huge neck and antlers past the ears so I think awesome shooter. It was about 35 yards out so I shoot (mistake 4) and my arrow deflected off a tree limb and stuck in a log on the ground in the opposite direction. The buck snorted and ran off. I was shaking like a leaf. I guess my question is this, have i scared all the deer away or will they be back. If they do come back do i have a chance at seeing either of these two again? I plan not to hunt tomorrow to let the area cool off but figure I could go back out Friday as I have a 4 day weekend. I need advice. I feel like crap.
Hunt a different place for few days, and listen to your wife. If another guy who has hunted for 20 or 30 years told you 5:15 was too late would you listen to him? She is your expert.
How long before I can go back to stand? My other spots are on the ground. And no I Prolly would have went anyway, like I said I'm hard headed. Besides the missed shot is what hurt the most. But yes from now on I will do what I'm told.
Let it cool off, you'll be fine. If the buck didn't see/smell you, he'll most likely be back. Just keep in mind, shooting at a live deer is not the same as shooting at a target, especially in the woods. You may be better off waiting for 20 yards or less for your first couple of kills.
Got it ill wait til Saturday or Sunday before going back to that spot. And I will heed advice of more experience. Thanks for advice.
Definitely give it time to settle down. Good rain wouldn't hurt to get your scent out of the area. Obviously try not to educate the deer; if this continues to happen they will avoid this part of your property.
rain will re-activate scents but anyways did he see you? wait a few days and go back in the morning. prepare the night before for your hunt, make a check list if you have to. a solid practice rutine is key. if your hunting from a stand you need to practice from an elevated area.every shot you take should have a solid purpose. and by that i mean an exact spot you want to hit,rather than a "general" area. if im shooting more than one arrow at a time ( only elevated practice, from the ground i shoot one and retrieve, i feel it helps pound into your mind to make every shot count )i pick a different spot every shot. if your shooting at a 3-d target for example 1st arrow try the very back of the lung , then dead center, then heart. picking that fine spot every shot will train yourself to automatically do so when buck fever kicks in.
You've probably given yourself an advantage. Next time you go... listen for laughter... that will be that giant buck... slip up on him and shoot him. You'll be fine... lesson learned... just don't force things in the future.
This is why it is called hunting. This will not be the last screwup. It has happened to all of us. If it hasn't it will. Trust me.
You need to ask yourself how you would like that if you were one of the three other guys that have permission to hunt there. How would you feel if you had been in the stand early and one of them came in late bumping deer off the property? The deer will be back, but give them some time.
I guess consensus from other hunters here at work is that most likely i shot was under him and he doesn't know I'm there. The stand is about 100 yards from my house so chances are my scent is out there anyway. I'm still waiting til friday evening to head back out. The wife said she will be going out tonight around 3, she seems to think he spooked but not bad enough to run off based on the miss. She said he probably thinks a branch fell so she plans to get him. @muzzyman- I thought i heard him snort last night so i guess he laughed then even though i still thought i hit him. @fletch920- Funny thing is one of the other 3 guys told me to go out at that time and i listened to him over the spouse. One his his dad who rarely hunts there, one only gun hunts and is over a mile away and then my buddy. And he has two areas. He told me go out but be careful. So yes valuable lesson learned. Move more careful and go in earlier and practice practice practice.
Well then, if the others that share the property have no problem with it and you are only going in a hundred yards or so, then hunt when you can and enjoy. One thing is for sure, you wont kill one in the house. Good luck.
Might be upsetting to have missed but I'm sure u'd (I know I would) feel way worse knowing u hit it and it was a bad shot.. So id def be thankful that didn't happen. good luck
To my way of thinking, Mistake #2 was not realizing Mistake #1. Putting yourself in position to give Wifey the upper hand to say "I toldja so" is a sure-fire way to be served a big ol' piece of humble pie. :p The common thread to most of the mistakes I've made in the outdoors is tied to my preparation, or lack thereof. My recreation time is a rare and valued commodity (like many people), and I try and get out when I can. But I've found that when my preparation is rushed or compromised is when bad things happen to me. Doesn't always work, but I try to tell myself to wait until next time if I feel like my preparation or mindset aren't "just so."
I recommend getting in the woods any chance you can. Your odds of getting a deer go up proportionately to the amount of time you spend hunting. That being said, pick your stands based on when you are heading in. If you know deer usually walk by your stand an hour before dark don't sit there, figure out where their destination is and try and get a little closer to that.
