So today I was sitting in my stand, I had 2 does walk under me but that's not what my mind was on. Its the rut and I couldn't stop thinking about this 8 point I saw the other day in the same stand. Its about 30 minutes before sunset and my concetration is slipping, I'm playing on my phone, watching squirrels, thinking about how much homework I have to do when I get down. I hear something behind me and I start to turn around, I see a squirrel moving and go back to day dreaming. Next thing I know I hear a suction sound coming from a swampy area 15 yards behind me, I turn to see my 8 point at 15 yards and walking away, I hurry and grab my bow, almost falling out of my climber. He turns and looks but can't see me, I draw back and stop him. I then realize my glove is still closed (I have the kind that have fingers with a mitten that covers the fingers for extra warmth) I quickly pull the mitten part off with my teeth, set my pin on the deer and shoot....I go about a foot over his back...I used my 40 yard pin instead of my 20. Now how does this help you? Let me explain. You should always be ready, constantly looking everywhere, even directly behind you! Know your distances and constantly check them so you don't have to think. I ranged where he was once and I knew how far he was but it wasn't burned into my mind so I aimed way to far. Finally don't rush, he was in my last window I could shoot so I rushed and took a bad shot. Thankfully I missed and wasn't tracking a wounded deer through swamp and property that wasn't mine. I was disgusted at myself after making these mistakes. I got down out of the tree early because I could no longer think straight and knew I wouldn't be able to make a shot again if I needed to. I will learn from this experience and it won't happen again. The positives I can take from this outweigh the bad. I know I have big deer moving during daylight hours, they are moving by my stand, mature deer aren't busting me, and I now know what it takes to kill a big deer. So next time your in your stand, don't worry about who is fighting on facebook or what your significant other is snapchatting you. Just be focused and don't miss an oppurtunity like I did! Best of luck to you all.
Unfortunately I think this happens to everybody at some point. But, like you said - it was a clean miss and not a wounded deer. Get some rest and go back out when you're refreshed.
The deer didn't think anything about it at all. He thought a limb almost fell on him. Get the homework done and go hunting!! Good luck.
Similar thing happened to me a few years ago. It was late morning and I was texting my brother to tell him I had not seen a thing. When I put the phone down and looked up I saw the biggest deer rear end I have ever seen disappearing into the woods. I still think that deer was watching me from cover and waited for me to look away before it walked across the road.
If you learn from your mistakes and don't repeat them, you have just experienced a life lesson. keep studying, keep learning, and keep growing as a hunter and person. Good luck out there!
No idea what Snapchat is... and im 18, i have facebook and thats it, as for everything else my generation is into i could care less, thats why I live the simple life
I found a fresh scrape and big buck tracks 40 yds from my tree on Saturday after I got down. I am hoping they were there from the night before and not during the hour or so I was out cold in my tree stand lol. I got a new baby at home so going hunting early after getting a few sporadic hours of sleep makes it hard to stay awake. Even a bad day hunting / napping / snap chatting in the stand is better then working. Chalk it up as a good lesson and go again. It's supposed to be fun
