how to cope after missing a buck of a lifetime?

[2MANY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuz3KXUZj3Y

Just Sayin.

[gaddy]

Love that song ! reminds me of my youth, but still doesn't help with the one that got away.

[jjhunter]

Here is a heavy 180" class buck from this past week bedded at 17 yards.   I got bored waiting for it to stand and snapped a pic with my cell phone.  How does this not end up in my pack?   

[The scout]

honestly you will never get over him. just be glad you didn't wound him and never find him, it's a worse fealing believe it or not

[2labs]

Crawl in a corner stick your thumb in your mouth and cry like the little kid you are.

[throttlejocky20]

Missed a giant last year and the only thing i could do besides see the damn buck every time i closed my eyes was to  then some more  then after i was dont beating myself up i some more. even writing this i shed a little tear 

[hunter_sean08]

Back in my rookie years, I crossed over this knob that I loved (this was the 1st year I hunted this particular knob) and saw my Dad go into panic mode as he scrambled to get into a shooting position. I looked down the hillside to see the biggest muley 4x4 I've seen to this day get out of his bed and start moving towards the buckbrush. I wanted to make sure it was my bullet that put him down, so I got into position and fired a quick shot that sailed over his back. He then did three or four big muley bounds into the brush and disappeared forever. I literally was sick to my stomach, and Dad wasn't happy. I was so desperate, that I went running down the draw in a full blown sprint, hoping I'd catch up with him for one more shot. Of course, he was gone.

Now I'm all about being patient, calm, cool, collected. Haven't missed a buck with my rifle since that fateful day, 10 years ago, but I'm still constantly reminded of that experience. Every season, I visit the same spot, just hoping a relative of that buck is bedded down in the same place. I guess the silver lining is that I've taken 3 other nice bucks from that knob, but none that rival how large that one was. As bummed as I was, it was a great learning experience for me.

[elk247]

Dang, I could never shoot a buck that my dad had sights on. I have way more bucks and bulls to my name and he dreams of the "one"  nothing would make my season more than watching him fill his tag on a 160+. Unless it was a 300+ bull. I wish he had been with me last weekend to shoot at the the 290 and 270 bulls I passed up but he was 4 draws over.

[Elkpiss]

You don't, trust me.

You will never get over it...  I missed a 350 bull at 28 yrds right over his back, I thought he was 40...  That was 10 years ago and I still think about that and get teary eyed all the time..  You will never get over it, you have to learn to deal with it with lots of alcohol and should of woulda could of it to death..   I think why oh why lord why didn't I put my 30 pin on him....   

[runamuk]

I don't dwell on it but... and I didn't miss I flippin choked  on what would have been my first anything.  Sigh season 6 approaches and I do not forsee hunting at all this year. 

[idahohuntr]

I shot and lost a buck.  First and only deer I've lost in my life.  I was so sick about the whole thing and still am.  I went out the very next day and killed my best archery buck ever.  Losing one still stings, but getting back out and focusing on hunting was much better than stewing and losing confidence. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Really hope I misunderstood what you just said? So you shot and wounded a buck and instead of notching the tag and spending the next day or days looking for it you went out and shot another buck?

I'm sorry I kind of derailed this very serious thread. Just kind of bothered me when this most likely paid wolf advocate jumped in. He does this on many threads, shows up with a cameo appearance acting like he has something to offer. This time the story he tells rubbed me more than usual. As usual he randomly sneaks in a few comments across the forum trying to defect attention from the wolf issue where 90% of his posts have been made, and 100% of those have been pro wolf. The comment he made that I quoted in the previous post really bothered me. Maybe he really is ok with the wolves if he will shoot a deer and not find it that afternoon and instead of looking for it the next day go shoot another?

I hope you have a successful season of hunting cboom.  I've done alright this year, got a nice 4x5 white-tail in archery season and then I invited an Army officer who recently returned from Afghanistan to hunt in one of my stands and he got a buck too.  I was happier about his buck than the one I got - Now I've got a couple of youth hunters that I hope to get out soon for their first archery deer.  Anyways - thats partly why I haven't been able to post a whole bunch.  Again, I wish you the very best in your hunting seasons this year. 

Take care,
Idahohuntr 

[M_ray]

I shot and lost a buck.  First and only deer I've lost in my life.  I was so sick about the whole thing and still am.  I went out the very next day and killed my best archery buck ever.  Losing one still stings, but getting back out and focusing on hunting was much better than stewing and losing confidence. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Really hope I misunderstood what you just said? So you shot and wounded a buck and instead of notching the tag and spending the next day or days looking for it you went out and shot another buck?

I'm sorry I kind of derailed this very serious thread. Just kind of bothered me when this most likely paid wolf advocate jumped in. He does this on many threads, shows up with a cameo appearance acting like he has something to offer. This time the story he tells rubbed me more than usual. As usual he randomly sneaks in a few comments across the forum trying to defect attention from the wolf issue where 90% of his posts have been made, and 100% of those have been pro wolf. The comment he made that I quoted in the previous post really bothered me. Maybe he really is ok with the wolves if he will shoot a deer and not find it that afternoon and instead of looking for it the next day go shoot another?

Not saying that your comments might not be accurate but first off its a bit of a and second I would need more of the story before I passed judgement??? A story of which it looks like you're surely not going to get now  A lot of assumptions are made in your post.