The one that got away

[DUCKDUDE]

Have you guys ever shot a big buck and swarn you killed him?  Well thats what happend to me on this big old blacktail.  Shot him in his neck at about 90yards while he laid in his bed looking at me.  When i went up to get him there was no trace of him just some hair in his bed.  Called my brother to help me look whitch was a big mistake.  My brother was on a old skid road about 500 yards from me as soon as he made it up to me and i told him the story and the situation a gun shoot rang out from the location my brother just can from.  At first i thought it was a smaller two point that was with the big boy seince he had kind of headed that direction only to later find out it was the toad.  An older gentelmen herd my shot and came down the road only to shoot him dead in his tracks as he chased a doe right in the middle of the road.  This was right where my brother was standing.  So note to self dont call for help till you have a dead buck in front of you.  It was so frustrating to see the biggest blacktail you have ever seen being tagged by someone els that not half hour earlyier you shot yourself.  you can see my bullet hole  in his neck just below his right ear.

[elkoholic1]

 

[h20hunter]

This older gentleman.....do you think he may have been coming to offer help? Consider this....I wasn't there but just throwing this out to maybe ease the pain a bit......Maybe he was coming to help, maybe he is pretty much "roadbound" at his age. You may have just helped him bag his last buck?

Sure is a dandy....I appreciate you posting a pic of him up.

[Boss .300 winmag]

That's what's bad about neck shots, either they good or not.

  to what H2O said. 

[vandeman17]

I was thinking the same thing. I would have been bummed but being that it was an old timer who shot him, I wouldn't have felt as bad. Only thing better would have been if it was a youth. Sucks that it happened though. Maybe next time shoot for the vitals. 

[DUCKDUDE]

Yeah it did help that he said it was the biggest buck he has got in 30+ years of hunting. 

[DUCKDUDE]

To rub salt in the wound, what do you guys think he would of scored.  Do you think he would of made book.

[vandeman17]

To rub salt in the wound, what do you guys think he would of scored.  Do you think he would of made book.

I bet he would have broke records....  Actually I am not sure what it takes to make book for blacktails but I will say that he is a beautiful buck and those dark horns are what dreams are made of. Things happen for a reason and maybe it just means there is a bigger buck out there for you

[h20hunter]

Yeah it did help that he said it was the biggest buck he has got in 30+ years of hunting.

There you go......I feel for yah but focus on that....who knows....maybe next time you go out he may be there also and point you to an even bigger one!

[DUCKDUDE]

Thanks guys maybe i can get off these depression pills now.

[Elkpiss]

To rub salt in the wound, what do you guys think he would of scored.  Do you think he would of made book.

Bummer  But at least the old man was happy. If it makes you feel any better I think he is a ways off from making the book. I'm sure not a master of scoring but from what I can see from the pics my guess would be he goes between 110-115, book is 135.

Isnt blacktale to make book 125?? ..

[pianoman9701]

Dandy buck the old man got. Nice he let you take pics!  Better luck next time.

[tgomez]

Next time wait till a buck stands up, then shoot him square in the chest. Theirs a reason they tell you to shoot game in the heart and lung area. I've hunted deer sense I was 12 and have never attempted to shoot a deer in the neck. You wounded the buck, but did not make a fatal shot. We call that a flesh wound. But hey, atleast you were close my friend. Lesson learned, and at least you have a few pictures of him for memory sake.

[pianoman9701]

I've taken more than half a dozen bucks in the neck. Never had one take a single step - dropped in their tracks. This was plain unlucky.

[Bean Counter]

This topic gets me more butt hurt than the ladies who have turned me down over my life.