missed a bruiser today

[deerhunter_98520]

well went out to my honey hole today..got there about 6..waited for enough light to move into my glassin point and i sat down and not even 2 min there i can hear a deer running....didnt take long to find that one..just a yearling running all over the place..she/he would run from one end of the clear cut to the other and stop..then just take off running ..it was pretty funny to watch the little one playing and havin fun...after 15min of watching that deer it disapeared in the brush and i spotted another doe about 50yds into the cut then another one came out of the timber...after verifiying no headgear i started glassin the rest of the cut....couldnt find any other deer so i scanned back to where the 2 does were and a 3rd deer showed up but much bigger...then he lifted his head...oh boy buck fever set in...he was huge..he was atleast twice as tall as his ears...not sure how wide i only got a broadside view...by the time i got my rifle up and on my shootin sticks he walked behind some brush and i only had a head shot...so i patiently waited for him to step out and he did but didnt stop..he started chasin one of the does..he eventually stops behind a stump of course so i wait and wait then he takes 5 steps and stands in the wide open broadside..perfect shot...i put my crosshairs on the top of his back and squeeze...i try to find him in the scope and no luck...did he go down?..i grabbed the binos and scanned and i see him just walkin up the ridge..didnt look like he was hit..walkin at a normal pace..no blood in the mid section..no limp..so i grabbed the gun again and try to find him in the scope to get a follow up shot but he disapears over the ridge.. ...so i make the long trek down to the  spot he was standing when i shot...there was a few white hairs sittiin in the dirt and no blood...i tracked and tracked and tracked...no blood at all...after a few hours and replaying the shot in my head i think i just shaved his belly?  im gonna be back out there tomorrow and look some more with some help..maybe they can see somthing i cant...im hoping i just shot under him..with him chasin that doe he may just be back out in the morning..hopefully ill be able to get some pictures of him on the ground  in the next few days

[ser300wsm]

  O.K, so how far away was he when you shot. You said you put the cross hairs on the top of his back & you think you shot low ? Need more info. I hope you get him sounds like a big boy in the rut. Good luck.. Was his tail down or up ? My experience is if its down a good indicator of him being hit.. 

[bobcat]

Sorry to hear you missed it. How far was the shot? If you were holding on the top of the back and you think you shot under, it must have been at least 350 to 400 yards? If you were just guessing at the distance, my guess would be that it was closer than you thought and you shot over him.    Supposed to start raining tonight so if there's any blood it might be gone by tomorrow. Hope you get another chance!

[deerhunter_98520]

it was 377yds..didnt think to use the rangefinder before i shot..gotta love buck fever lol...the only reason i think i shot under him is the white belly hair on the ground...but not a drop of blood...i dont think i compisated enough for the angle of the shot..down hill quite a bit

[bobcat]

A steep shot would mean your bullet would hit higher than if it were 377 yards horizontal. So what's your rifle and how is it sighted in?

[deerhunter_98520]

im shootin a .243 2" high at 100yds with fed. premium with nosler partitions...so i shot over its back...maybe he just ducked at the shot and rubbed his belly on the ground? and left hair that way?

[300UltraMagShooter]

Man, I've had bad luck with a bow, but that really sucks with a rifle.

I feel for you....  white hair is found on the belly and on the legs....  hope you just grazed him. 

Maybe you'll get another chance.

[littlemac]

100 gr. Federal Premium Nosler 243 drops 16" at 375yds.  Holding on his back most likely gave you a shot under him as the white hair would indicate.

[bobcat]

Yes I would agree, probably shot under, if you're 2 inches high at 100 with a 243. That's a long shot with any rifle. I definitely wouldn't feel too bad about missing it. It's too bad you couldn't have cut that distance in half.

[deerhunter_98520]

i wanted to cut the distance but there was no way without him seeing me...ive made that shot several times with the same gun and same bullet...this is my first miss..thats what i dont get...ive shot 4 deer at over 300yds with one shot on each and none of them went more than 10yds...i feel real comfortable shooting long distance

[Martinhunter]

Ya I agree with bobcat, if your shooting a significant angle and you said you aimed high then your bullet went extra high. Always shoot lower when your at any angle up or down. You said you made that shot before, but was it at a angle? That will make a huge differance. Hope you get another chance at him.

[deerhunter_98520]

alright thanks guys...i have a feeling im gonna see him again...i have 4 more days of vacation and he wasnt spooked..he just walked off so im hoping that doe he was after will show up in the cut again in the morning

[PacificNWhunter]

Stay at it, you'll get him.

[boonerboy]

I think you have a pretty good plan. show up in the morning, if he doesn't show then check for blood again. They can go a ways without leaving blood if gut shot. Stick with it, season's not over yet.

[deerhunter_98520]

Ya I agree with bobcat, if your shooting a significant angle and you said you aimed high then your bullet went extra high. Always shoot lower when your at any angle up or down. You said you made that shot before, but was it at a angle? That will make a huge differance. Hope you get another chance at him.

yeah the shot was about the same angle...i did shoot at the top of his back and missed 3 times and shot for his heart and took it out..never thought about the angle thing untill you guys pointed it out...wish i would have realized it this mornin lol