Help pick me up while I'm down!!!

[boneill]

I missed a very nice 4x this AM. REALLY tall rack, long G1s, outside the ears, average mass. 115 class.

I was sitting 25 mins before light, heavy fog was lifting, cool morning, new moon, everything was lining up. He came in just as I imagined at about 8:30 following a draw toward my stand on the edge of a cut. This is literally what I've been visualizing over and over in my head to help pass the time. 125 yards, slightly quartering to. Calmed myself, steadied, and squeezed. Saw him after the shot for about 1/2 a second and he was out of sight (I elected to hang a stand this year because the reprod is now 10-15 feet tall...tough to see through in some spots).

I did a grid of the area for two hours and found nothing. Found his fleeting tracks...not a sign of blood.

I'm embarrassed to say, but I bumped my gun last time out and I spaced re checking the sites. I'm now thinking that might have cost me this buck...I'm going to go shooting really quick after work to see if I can see if that was indeed the issue. If it is, I'm going to be extremely disappointed in myself. That would be in-excusable in my book.

I've harvested a few nice bucks in previous years, but this is my first miss with a rifle (missed a few does with my bow when I was 12). Trying to have a short memory as I'll be hunting all day Sat, Sun, and Mon. Super bummed! How have others gotten their confidence back after missing a dandy??

[seth30]

Did you hear a impact?  Did the deer stand still?  If he did the bullet probably passed over his head..  If you heard a hit, lets get a HUNTWA party together and find him!   Don't post your location on the open forum if you have a search party in mind, keep that in the PM's only.   

[Dhoey07]

Remember that you did something right to be able to get a shot off at that class of buck.  Keep doing what you're doing and you will redeem yourself.   

Go shoot your gun though, and make sure it's zeroed

[Rainier10]

Never got it back, had to actually give up hunting. 

JK, it happens man, get out there and practice up.  Nothing you can do about the miss, all you can do is try to be ready when you get another opportunity.

[PastorJoel]

I have stood next to someone and watched them miss a really nice buck twice, at 80 yards, all because their gun was off.  It's a bummer, but you are not alone.  Check the sights and get back to that same spot, he may come again!    Optimism is one of the most important things to bring when you go hunting.

[boneill]

Did you hear a impact?  Did the deer stand still?  If he did the bullet probably passed over his head..  If you heard a hit, lets get a HUNTWA party together and find him!   Don't post your location on the open forum if you have a search party in mind, keep that in the PM's only.   

I didn't hear impact. I'm pretty confident if I hit him anywhere I would have seen some blood/hair etc. He was standing with a bunch of saplings as a backdrop- they would have had splatter. I checked and re-checked where he was standing by marking the spot with my hat and then walking back to my stand. Pretty sure it was a flat out MISS. Possible it was a gut shot and he clotted or something, but IDK. Hard telling not knowing. I initially felt good about the shot, because I didn't actually see him running away outside of the half second after the shot- thought maybe he took a few steps and dropped in the reprod where I couldn't see him. But, after going down to where he was, it would have been pretty easy for him to run out w/o me spotting him. Really thick and 10-15ft tall, back down into the draw where he came from, and out of my site. I feel good about my grid searches...I had a hard time leaving, but I was finding nothing time after time. I spose I'll try to keep a closer eye on the ravens in the area. If I did hit him, they'll let me know.

[elkboy]

Boneill-

Hunting can be *heartbreaking* sometimes.  Be glad that all signs point to a clean miss! 

Take a moment and remind yourself of all you love about hunting, including the things that don't necessarily depend on a kill.  Be grateful that deer and elk are difficult to hunt- it is one of the main reasons we still are able to hunt them in a world dominated by humankind.  Remind yourself that hunting, even with modern firearm, is HARD.  Remember that tomorrow is a new day.  If season is over for you, focus less on the close of this season, and more on anticipation of next season with all of its opportunities.  Remember that you now have an entire year to become an even better hunter.     

Good luck.  Know you are not alone; every hunter has a difficult hunt or hard memory from a hunt at some point.

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

Keep at it.  Thats why its  called hunting not harvesting.  Hard to get over it but stick with it man!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[theleo]

Stop whining, you still get to go hunting with a tag in your pocket. Also be glad, a clean miss is better than a terrible hit.

[Elkpiss]

The pain of a miss on a big one will haunt you for the rest of your life.. you just got to keep hunting...  Ive missed some and its been 10+ yrs ago I still have nightmares about...      This will Haunt you forever... but it happens... 

[boneill]

Stop whining, you still get to go hunting with a tag in your pocket. Also be glad, a clean miss is better than a terrible hit.

 

I know, first world problem. Poor me...I missed a deer and had to go grab some bacon out of my fridge for bfast instead of some fresh tenderloin...

Thanks for all the encouragement, though! I just told the lady I recently started dating that I can't get together tomorrow...going to be hunting all day. Should be a good test, ha!

[Humptulips]

I missed a big bull one year, two shots because of something I did to the scope. Nobody to blame but myself. I spent the next day looking for him but I know they were clean misses because the gun was shooting way high.
On the other hand my BIL shot a deer one year in a pretty open clearcut just above an old fir windfall. Perfect landmark but when we got down there there was about waist deep salal. We looked for that deer for three hours before we found it and he saw it go down.

[Jason]

Stop whining, you still get to go hunting with a tag in your pocket. Also be glad, a clean miss is better than a terrible hit.

 

I know, first world problem. Poor me...I missed a deer and had to go grab some bacon out of my fridge for bfast instead of some fresh tenderloin...

Thanks for all the encouragement, though! I just told the lady I recently started dating that I can't get together tomorrow...going to be hunting all day. Should be a good test, ha!

That's the spirit!! 

[hunthard]

I missed a monster buck one year, was walking up a road in the fog and boom there he was standing broadside in the road, I looked through my scope  several times before I could see him, 1st shot he just stood there, I thought to myself " this dude is dead on his feet" 2nd shot nothing, 3rd shot he moved a little bit forward, 4th shot he walked off the road. I swear if that gun wasn't my fathers I would have thrown it in the wood and worst of all up to that point I had never missed with that gun. The next day I shot a 2pt, keep at it

[fishnfur]

Stop whining, you still get to go hunting with a tag in your pocket. Also be glad, a clean miss is better than a terrible hit.

 

I know, first world problem. Poor me...I missed a deer and had to go grab some bacon out of my fridge for bfast instead of some fresh tenderloin...

Thanks for all the encouragement, though! I just told the lady I recently started dating that I can't get together tomorrow...going to be hunting all day. Should be a good test, ha!

That's the spirit!! 

HaHaHaHa      LMAO!