Just sitting her reminiscing on some bucks and getting more and more excited for the season. What’s the one deer that got away that you still think about? Whether it be neighbor shot him, disappeared, etc? What’s the one that haunts you? Mine was this deer, a deer I chased all year and never saw once. He just looked like a tank to me. Don’t have permission to hunt there anymore. Always wonder what happened to him. Another deer I always think about, that wasn’t mine, is Cactus Jack. I know Clinton responded to a post of mine a long time ago saying he had disappeared and didn’t know what happened. Idk if that ever changed. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
These two. I got a ton of images of these two, plus another 8-9 pointer on cam last year. I got drawn on the 8 pointer with a questionable shot. 35 yards and would have had to shoot under a tree limb, my tendency, on my missed shots, is to shoot about 4 inches high... which would have put my arrow in the aforementioned tree limb. Never saw him during shooting light again. I know he survived the firearm season so hopefully he survived the winter and he'll be back and bigger than ever this year. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
I hunt a fairly open area of farmlands with some great genetics for WV deer. I was after this one for 2 years. I finally had him chasing a doe.... and he gets nailed by a car. I watch it all from my stand. Naturally the doe run 15 yards from me.
some people on here may remember a few years back I shot this guy at 11 yards, broadhead opened in flight and I hit him in the brisket, best guess is one lunged him, trailed him for over a mile... still haunts me Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
42 yards. He bedded down at 42 yards and the brush was too thick to make a shot. Two does ran diagonal away from me out of bedding and I watched him run off like a cheetah. The neighbor has his left side from the year of the pic, I had the year before, and have had him on camera since 2016. Not the biggest buck in the area, but I had a lot of pics of him
Most haunted a buck that crossed the road staggering dead on his feet. Some POS driving by saw it cross the road and fall and took it nice 10 point buck. My wife saw them load it up when she was pulling in with the horse trailer. I was waiting the hour to track.
Piggy I posted 3 years of pics on here awhile back, can't find now but I'll get some later and post. Not a booner rack wise, but a giant pot bellied mature buck that I think was 8 years old and the neighbor got him. I just "knew" he was going to get killed that year, he got way too active in the daytime. He was a big 4-5 year old 145" 10 the first season we started getting him on camera. I hunted the first and 3rd weekends of the season- neighbor hunted the second and dropped him. He was definitely on the decline probably wasn't even 120".
This guy here. He was a 3 year old that my grandfather was in love with and I really wanted him to shoot. I was actually going to pass him that year because he wanted him so bad and I kinda wanted to see if he would make another jump. The jump he made from 2 to 3 was quite something. He disappeared late October 2018 so maybe he shows back up. Wouldn’t be the first time. I think he would be recognizable. If a deer like this is shot in the area he was in I usually know about it, although that’s far from the only way they die. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I have two no pics they were never seen before. One I was drawn on a doe waiting for her to take one or two more steps. When She looked past me and I heard a snap. I glanced over my right shoulder and down. What I saw caused me to literally nearly pass out. . In fact I saw those twelve inch brow tines with the rest of his tines towering over them at 10 yrds and lost all muscle control. My arrow released to my horror gliding under the does chin. It only spooked them a few yards. Though by this time I slammed myself against the tree trying not to fall or drop the bow. I was seeing multicolored dots floating across my eyes and my knees kept buckling. They finally walked away and I saw him again a week later in the local gun shop. Pic. of lucky hunter STANDING behind him holding his head up. Tines reaching his hips. He'd taken him 3 miles away in the valley. That reaction was so bad I went to Drs. To get checked out..lol Second I shot a monster WIDE 10 or 12. He was so big I just glanced rack but refused to look at his head again . He jumped a brush pile then stopped and walked away tail down and flagging. Worried about recovery I immediately called deer search. They came out 8 hours later and we tracked every where no sign no visible blood ( though it was a clean pass through). Found out following year a neighbor farmer had recovered him while I'd waited for deer search.
Maybe 6 years ago or so all my hunting areas were closed, so I map scouted and picked a spot on the map. Hiked in and set up in a little swampy area, but with very little back cover bc I was rushing before the sun rose. Mistake. I should have hugged the better trees with cover, even if my shot range dropped. Well about 20 minutes after sunrise I hear all hell breaking loose. Sounded like a 400 lb redneck was setting up on the worlds loudest tree in the woods. I mean it sounded like he was taking a 2x4 and smacking a tree repeatedly. This was about 50 yards from me and I was really getting ticked. The sound stops and I think my morning is a bust on this cold November morning. A few minutes later I hear something and look up. Widest racked buck I have ever seen is at 30 yards and walking away. I would say he was every bit 24 inches or wider. Well I am a terrible caller, but I whipped out my grunt call and popped him with two grunts as he was at 50 yards and walking away. He turned around and headed right to me, but stopped at the edge of cover (which he was in, and I stupidly was not). I come to full draw....but he stops at 20 yards, chest on, staring at me while I am sitting in my lonesome little non cover tree. I couldn't bring myself to put an arrow into his chest with a full frontal shot. He thinks literally backs up, turns around, and walks away. I never saw him again. It would have probably been the biggest buck taken on that 40k acre spot that year. I cried.
Here's one that got away from me.............twice! I had been getting this buck on camera fairly regular. When it came time to hunt, he was really my main target. I had gone on my annual trip to Ohio and I just new I would get a crack at him. It was a very cold early fall and frankly my brother-in-law and I were beginning to wear down a little. He was out of hand warmers and we decided to take a morning off to go get some. It was a really crappy day and it didn't take too much to talk ourselves out of going. Well wouldn't you know it, my cell camera goes off about 1300 and my target buck had been right at 15 yards from my stand that morning. I, to say the least, was sick! So we decide to really toughen up and hit it hard. THE VERY NEXT DAY, my buck appears near my stand again, only this time he is at about 50 yards. Now keep in mind this is my very first year hunting with a crossbow. I guess him at 40 yards and sailed the arrow right underneath him. He looks around and trots off toward the doe bedding area and out of my life forever! So this guy lived because of 1. my laziness and 2. my ignorance. Ahh, such is life. Here's some picks of him. The second one is when he was 15 yards from my stand and I WASN'T THERE!!!! Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
This is why I might take my cell cam down before season I just know the one morning I plan on going and decide not to and sleep in there will be a giant go by my stand. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Yeah, I cringe every time that thing notifies during the season and I'm not there. Cameras always tell on you! Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I have too many to name. But, here is one in particular I called Flame. He as hit by a car and killed and it destroyed his rack. I shared many pics of him for a couple of years here on the site. He had the turkey foot on both sides and was a typical buck with some serious mass. A great NC buck!
RIP Piggy- the screenshots of video were from 2016. That video was taken on Friday at 1pm on I think October 3rd- 2 hours before we got to camp- in a wide open pocket less than 20 yards from my stand. He had even more horn in 2015. You can see in 2017 in velvet he was on the downslope. He'd probably not have made it another winter anyway. I had pics of the neighbor's kill in 2018 on my old phone. Happy for the guy but I know he just shoots the first 6+ he sees every year. Piggy was barely 115" and much smaller bodied when he finally hit the dirt
