I missed!

[SirThumper]

I haven't been here for a while cause I have been doing alot of scouting for the big boys. Anyway, after trompping my butt off all over this state I got a shot at a nice buck standing broadside about 400 yrds and I flat missed, blew dirt all over him but I missed. My friends and I both were in disbelief that such a thing was possible:p . I will never live this down. Of course I blamed it on my rifle, but after firing an couple rounds later on, I was shamed. I was made to eat outside of the cook tent and everything. There was no sympathy to be found in camp, just a bunch of smirks and giggles. I just laughed and got a big kick out of everyone making a big deal out of it. I told them not to worry that it was only dawn of opening day and the season is not over.

It can't happen twice....can it?:eek:

 

[VintageDirt]

400 yards is pretty far, were you shooting uphill? What rifle? Any wind? Man there's gotta be a legitimate excuse in there somewhere.

Oh yeah, it was buck fever.:p

 

[SirThumper]

Buck fever is something I (usually) dont have a problem with, but that is exactlly what it was. I was just to anxious.

I was shooting from one side of a canyon to another, it was a clearcut inbetween some pines. I shoot a Rem. .300 Ultra mag.(not a problem at that range) 0 wind, with my bipods down.

I just plain missed. My mom even adds to it by saying " you must be getting old" I just turned 34.

 

[firecracker22]

Shame on you! Bad redneck! Bad!

Just joking. ;)

 

[SirThumper]

:o Yep.

Ok, here is the rest of the story. I have been chasing this buck for a long time, he has an outside spread in the mid 30's. I was excited to see him first thing and I had him in the scope for a minute or two but for some reason I just watched him. He was awesome, Shane kept saying "shoot him", "shoot him" and I was afraid that if I didn't shoot him my friend would. I felt something I could not explain and I let him go. There was no time for a follow up shot and that is the way I wanted it. I had a big grin on my face as we went down that ridge. I had him, I knew it.

This (dumb) Muley has out smarted me a few times before, and I have been as close as 15 yrds of him while trying to push him for my dad. I had him that day too but only had my .45. We stared at each other for a second and instead of pushing up to where my dad was his just looked at me and ran right past me in the opposite direction of my dad. I could not believe it, I was standing there the whole time with my .45 in hand, and I just watched him go. My dad ask why I didn't take him and I said "it was your hunt". I never saw the buck again that year.

I got a great deal of satisfaction from all the guys joking around and had alot of fun the rest of the day because of it, kind of like the time I shot a friends first deer for him and convinced him he is the one who shot it:p .

 

[XRpredator]

Trust me, if you've had several chances at him and haven't got him yet, your appreciation for his prowess is only going to make it harder for you to shoot him later on! It's almost like you're chasing a ghost! I've been there. Those ol' bucks get pretty wily in their old age.

Whaddya doin' going after some stinky ol' deer when you should be out after an elk anyway?!?

What am I doing typing on a computer when I should be out there after the mighty wapiti?!? (don't worry, I'm heading out tomorrow morning!)

 

[380EXCman]

Whaddya doin' going after some stinky ol' deer when you should be out after an elk anyway?!?

I dont know about that, a big bull is dime a dozen but to find a true trophy mulley is getting hard to come by these days.

Dont be to ashamed thumper... 400 yards is quite a distance. Not a problem for that anti aircraft gun of yours... Still a needle to thread though... Remeber to breathe out and hold, and to squeeze not pull.......

I got my deer about 5 minutes after daylight opening morning, 3rd year in a row. I always shoot for the throat and since I hunt for meat if it has horns its dead. Im not to picky.........

Sir what unit you hunting in?

 

[SirThumper]

I'm hunting unit 49 in the east fork area (way up high). I heard they got 6 inches of snow up there today, can't wait to get back up there.

XRP, I'll be hunting elk in unit 49 also, but it is only a spike hunt and is in Nov. Should be a piece of cake. I wasn't fortunate enough to draw anywhere near here so a spike it is.

As for the trophy mullies, the next record will come from the south east of me as soon as I draw. It will come from unit 56. I've been puttin in now for 15 years and still no luck.