If you could have just one back..... which hunt would it be?

If you could have one past hunt back, one to do over, one to make a different decision on etc.. which hunt would it be, tell your story and why you would like to have it back, one more chance to do it over again..

 

I will start, mine would be on a big mule deer I wounded as a 12 year old. I really wish I could have that day over, because my dad was with me and I would like to be able to make a better shot on that deer so that I could have that memory of me and my father recovering my first buck together. I ended up shooting a whitetail buck that year on my own, just me and my irish setter tagging along on a gun hunt. But man I wish I could have that big mule deer buck over with dad.

 

Mine would be the buck I shot and wounded on Nov. 14 of this year. Watched my arrow hit a limb on the way to a nice 8 pointer, which would have been my biggest deer to date. Then the arrow hit him right in the back leg and he ran off with nearly my entire arrow sticking out of him. He ended up being shot by a neighbor later that morning, so at least I know he isn't out there suffering.

 

Easy choice,

October 25th, 2008. Maybe if i would have done somethign different, i would have got a shot off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcYzEXP8LmI

 

I was 14 and had a 15 yard shot at the biggest buck I've ever drawn on. It was an 8pt in the 130" range. I rushed it and hit guts. The buck made it to a neighboring property, and the owner of the property I was hunting wasn't getting along with his neighbor at that time. He refused us permission to look for the deer, which he ended up finding and keeping. I was one crushed teenager.

 

Have you had that deer aged yet Caleb?


And you need to update Brett Favre's stats!

 

Nope, but i would say 4.5



sick

 

What a jerk of a neighbor. Golden Rule.

 

I don't know if you would qualify this...but when I was a teenager, there was this really hot lady who lived down the street...all the kids in the neighborhood loved to watch her lay out by the pool and stuff....well this one day I was riding my bike home from schooll and I found a cat that had just been run over...so I put the cat in my basket and took it home...that evening I took the cat and hid in the bushes by her drive way...when she pulled in I tossed the kitty in front of her and WHUMP...she ran over it..

when She jumped out of the car I stepped out of the bushes going "Here Moxxy moxxy moxxy"...she started crying and I pretended to be distraught over my kitty...she took me inside and I lay on the sofa as she comforted me.....I guess I should feel bad about it but Damn it was .....umm never mind.

SB

 

In 2005 I walked out to hunt in the early afternoon, maybe 1pmish. As I arrive to set up, I notice a huge buck for my area, maybe a 130 class standing in a doe crossing, scent checking a scrape. The wind was perfect for me to make a stalk, yet I did not have enough cover. I stalked to within 40 yards of the buck and had a clear short for a couple of minutes, yet did not shoot due to the winds as they were swirling and whipping around at 25-35 mph. I decided to wait until he left, then set up downwind of that scrape. He never came back. I could have stalked down a thicket edge and probably had him at 15-20 yards upwind if I would have had some gravel in my guts that day. I did not however and I never saw that buck again. I just know I would have made it happen if I could have done what my predator brain told me to do, and that was to cut him off and wait about 50 yards down the thicket edge.

 

4 years ago I stalked a 175-180+ on a fense line. He was laying with a doe. It was real high winds and it took me 2 1/2 hours of sneaking on my belly behind the fense line up to him and the doe. I got within 10 yards and layed there to catch my breath for about 10 min. I got to my knees and realized that I could not shoot through the fenseline because it was to thick as he was laying right on the other side of it. So as I've done once before I grabbed a little rock and threw it in the fense line next to him to get him to stand up. While the rock was in the air I was planing on drawing back. Well everything went as planed and he stood up and took a couple of steps away from the fenseline and turned broadside at 10 yards. Well while I was drawing back the wind was so strong it knocked my arrow off my rest and put it in between my rest and the riser. I was on my knees at this time at full draw trying to get it back on my rest while he is looking at me. I undrew and got it back on the rest while he was looking at me and when I started to draw back again he and the doe trotted off. A ten yard gimme at a freak of a deer! That is the one that I wish I could have back. I seriously I almost threw up and cried at the same time I was so disapointed.

 

wow... intense... and bummer!

 

Pretty easy choice for me. I would have this past Halloween back, would have been my biggest buck to date and I really wish I had put a better lick on him. While I am damn near sure he is alive or killed by someone else, I 'm still pretty tore up about it.

 

This years buck that I wounded with out a doubt. Most already know the story. What would've I done differently? Not real sure but not a whole lot I don't think. I'm a recurve bow hunter and I think possibly I didn't pick a spot good enough. I think I picked an area Instead.

 

This year, I was set up on a bean field.

Across the bean field I noticed several does bedded up, and so I decided when I got down, that I'd go across and check it out. When I got over there, I decided to quickly set up a trail cam and a stand. I set up the camera just inside the edge of the woods where I thought they were entering at, and set up the stand about 50 yards in, in between the runs that were entering from the field.

They would have to pass the camera first.

I came back that afternoon to hunt it. 30 minutes into the hunt, I had 3 does come in followed by a 160+ bruiser. They got to the area where I had been working with setting the trail camera up (about 45-50 yards from me) and the big buck froze. The does continued to browse without much concern, but the buck froze and WOULD NOT go anywhere past where I had been standing while setting up that camera. He stood in one spot for 45 minutes just looking around. The wind was in my favor the whole time.

I think he either noticed the camera or winded the brush I had moved through in order to set the camera up.

After a while, (45 mins) he turned around, and went back where he came from...

 

Are you guessing he was 4.5 this year?

 

Just one hunt, last year on that big prick I lost. I really dont know what I would do different. Other than hope for a different result. The year I wish I could get back would be the last year my grandfather hunted. For to many reasons to list. He was a very incredable wise man.

 

This I set up off a swamp that was boarded by an oak ridge. There were huge rubs all over the place I had 2 places I could have set up. I picked a stand with a pond behind me. This was a evening hunt on a cool fall night.I got in the stand and sat for an hour then decided to rattle. I rattled twice and was waiting then about 45 minutes after I rattled he he comes about 170" 9 point. He was trying to circle me and kept looking in my direction. He was moving slow and it was coming together. He was working his way to the edge of the pond when I heard someone laugh. I'm like wth I look at the otherside of the pond and the neighbors decided to take a walk and skip rocks in the pond.The deer took off. If I would have set up in the first stot it would have been a 12 yard shot.

 

When I was 18 five friends and I went to a day lease in S. Texas. We had seen a few deer (young bucks and does) but nothing big. We could only shoot deer that were 3 1/2 and older. I had a great buck magically appear in front of me at 20 yards. I used my 30 yard pin because I was so nervous. I whiffed a 140" 5 1/2 yo mature buck. The only shot anyone had all weekend

I've missed another buck (two years ago) but it didn't sting quite as bad as this one

 

October 20th, 2007. I gave up the morning hunt to take off to nashville for a friends birthday. As we are leaving, the buck I had watched for three years and a solid 170" deer was sitting at the back of my farm, 50 yards from my stand. I never saw the buck again. You only get one opportunity at certain deer, I just wasn't in the right place at the right time. I've kicked myself for not being in that stand. I still woudl have made the party. I have some great pics of him but never closed the deal.