Jimmyfunk60
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2019
- Messages
- 658
I’m pretty lucky to have access to 3 really good private farms in Ohio. I take 2-3 weeks off every fall to bow hunt. Like most of us I strive to better myself and the size of the animals I harvest. I made it a goal to shoot a 135 inch or bigger deer this year. My last two harvest went 133 and 131
The deer before these two didn’t put a tape on but I’d call it a 120. I made a split second decision on him and had some ground shrinkage. However it was still a nice deer.
This season I saw a hand full of really good bucks. Over my 14 days off hunting I passed quite a few bucks. I had some close encounters with a couple solid shooters that fit my goal but never presented a clean opportunity at harvesting them. Fast forward to my second to last night of vacation. I have a 135-140” 8 point that I’ve seen multiple times on a doe. She runs by at 18 yards but no shot in the thick stuff. Buck is in his core area. They run around a bit. At one point this guy stops out at 115 yards. I grunt and snort wheeze and he is just staring. He ends up walking off and the night closes out without him coming by again.
The following morning I set up on his primary bedding area. I get to the farm early park at a further away location than normal. Loop way out around and drop down into the bottom and get set up in my tree as quiet as possible. In the darkness I can hear a buck grunting and walking down the edge of the bedding. As day light breaks it continues to get closer. To my left in a small opening in the pines I see the buck it’s the big 8 working my way. How he’s walking he’s going to come by at 32 yards broadside traveling left to right. I get ready and nothing. Can hear him working a rub. Then I hear him get in the creek. As I look out in the beading cover I can see his rack sticking up here and there. I throw a grunt and a snort wheeze and he continues to work out away from me left to right. He then starts to hook around and come back into me.. I get excited I know he’s now trying to find the grunting buck and get down wind or do the J hook before he beds down. He continues to walk in now coming into my opening working right to left. This process took about 45 seconds and multiple times I had a good look at this buck and knew I was shooting him. He continues to walk into my lane. I am being patient I’m not rattled and let him continue to close. At 25 yards I hit him with a “meh” he stops I hit him good.. He bounds off for ten yards… Slows down and continues to walk away. At 40 yards away from shot he gets death wobble and goes down. At this point I’m pumped. Nothing like sealing the deal on your last morning. I call my daughter and wife send my buddies texts. I’m hanging in the tree shaking like a leaf and super pumped I’m 100% certain I just smoked a mature 135-140” perfect 8 point. I let him lay for 30 min. Rappel down. Pack up my gear and go to get my hands on my buck. As I approach him in the tall grass my heart sinks. My 3.5/4.5 year old 135” 8 point is a 2.5 year old 110” 8 point. I am still bewildered on how I misjudged the size of the deer so bad. I took a video of him going down after the shot and still feel like on the hoof this deer looks much bigger. About the only thing I can figure is I had such a strong notion the big 8 was bedding here that in my minds eye that was the buck in front of me.
I want to say that I know to some this deer is big and you would say I should be grateful. To that I say I am am grateful for the opportunity to hunt. I’m happy I was able to make a clean quick ethical kill. I’m upset however I did not achieve my personal goal for the 2022 season. I am just can’t quite get over the regret I have for shooting this deer. I put a lot of hours in a tree and really wish I could take this one back.
For anyone else that has gone through a situation of ground shrinkage like this, what are some things you can do to prepare yourself to not make a mistake like this in the future?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The deer before these two didn’t put a tape on but I’d call it a 120. I made a split second decision on him and had some ground shrinkage. However it was still a nice deer.
This season I saw a hand full of really good bucks. Over my 14 days off hunting I passed quite a few bucks. I had some close encounters with a couple solid shooters that fit my goal but never presented a clean opportunity at harvesting them. Fast forward to my second to last night of vacation. I have a 135-140” 8 point that I’ve seen multiple times on a doe. She runs by at 18 yards but no shot in the thick stuff. Buck is in his core area. They run around a bit. At one point this guy stops out at 115 yards. I grunt and snort wheeze and he is just staring. He ends up walking off and the night closes out without him coming by again.
The following morning I set up on his primary bedding area. I get to the farm early park at a further away location than normal. Loop way out around and drop down into the bottom and get set up in my tree as quiet as possible. In the darkness I can hear a buck grunting and walking down the edge of the bedding. As day light breaks it continues to get closer. To my left in a small opening in the pines I see the buck it’s the big 8 working my way. How he’s walking he’s going to come by at 32 yards broadside traveling left to right. I get ready and nothing. Can hear him working a rub. Then I hear him get in the creek. As I look out in the beading cover I can see his rack sticking up here and there. I throw a grunt and a snort wheeze and he continues to work out away from me left to right. He then starts to hook around and come back into me.. I get excited I know he’s now trying to find the grunting buck and get down wind or do the J hook before he beds down. He continues to walk in now coming into my opening working right to left. This process took about 45 seconds and multiple times I had a good look at this buck and knew I was shooting him. He continues to walk into my lane. I am being patient I’m not rattled and let him continue to close. At 25 yards I hit him with a “meh” he stops I hit him good.. He bounds off for ten yards… Slows down and continues to walk away. At 40 yards away from shot he gets death wobble and goes down. At this point I’m pumped. Nothing like sealing the deal on your last morning. I call my daughter and wife send my buddies texts. I’m hanging in the tree shaking like a leaf and super pumped I’m 100% certain I just smoked a mature 135-140” perfect 8 point. I let him lay for 30 min. Rappel down. Pack up my gear and go to get my hands on my buck. As I approach him in the tall grass my heart sinks. My 3.5/4.5 year old 135” 8 point is a 2.5 year old 110” 8 point. I am still bewildered on how I misjudged the size of the deer so bad. I took a video of him going down after the shot and still feel like on the hoof this deer looks much bigger. About the only thing I can figure is I had such a strong notion the big 8 was bedding here that in my minds eye that was the buck in front of me.
I want to say that I know to some this deer is big and you would say I should be grateful. To that I say I am am grateful for the opportunity to hunt. I’m happy I was able to make a clean quick ethical kill. I’m upset however I did not achieve my personal goal for the 2022 season. I am just can’t quite get over the regret I have for shooting this deer. I put a lot of hours in a tree and really wish I could take this one back.
For anyone else that has gone through a situation of ground shrinkage like this, what are some things you can do to prepare yourself to not make a mistake like this in the future?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk