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Redemption! Buck Down...

B

Bach55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
231
Location
Indiana
Hey everyone, wanted to share some success I had this past Friday evening (18-Oct). I’m just a deer hunter - I don’t hunt for antlers, but I was pretty excited about this one for a number of reasons. I’ve been on a journey since last deer season. The past few years I have unfortunately hit but not recovered two bucks during archery season. I really took those losses hard, and after some reflection I realized that I was not putting in the time that is required for success. I really doubled down this off season. I had shoulder surgery last November, so I couldn’t even pull a bow until June. Since then I’ve been shooting 3-4 days a week, and I’ve gotten much more consistent. Based on some feedback/reading on the forum I also moved to a one pin system to try and simplify things. My personal comfort range right now is 25 yards, and I was able to put a good shot on this guy at 20 yards. This is also my first year in the saddle. I had read about them for a few years, and I figured it was time to dive in head first. I’ve definitely had a bit of a learning curve – I feel like getting setup the first few times has been a comedy of errors. However, this hunt definitely showed the versatility of the saddle. I was setup on a tree no wider than my thigh; it offered the best shooting lanes and was where I needed to be. I also shot this buck directly behind me; I would not have been able to attempt this shot out of my climber. I ended up double lunging him, and he only ran about 100 yards. Blood wasn’t great, so I initially backed out and came back in with a friend and his dad who helped me track him and drag him out. We got him skinned out and hung out with some beers it the garage until the wee hours of the morning – man I really cherish those times!



After a few years of huge disappointment and living with that feeling that lingers over you for months when you don’t recover an animal, I was ecstatic to come away with a clean kill! The fact that it’s my first bow buck and nicest buck to date is just icing on the cake!489D10DE-4D9E-4866-8A8A-97464866D4E7.png136121C9-5195-4E77-BB87-08BC84EE4B0C.png
 
Nice shot on a stud buck - redemption feels good doesn't it :)
 
Good job sticking it out. And congrats on success. The more you practice the more you'll get comfortable setting up and the smoother it will become.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Bach55 said:
Hey everyone, wanted to share some success I had this past Friday evening (18-Oct). I’m just a deer hunter - I don’t hunt for antlers, but I was pretty excited about this one for a number of reasons. I’ve been on a journey since last deer season. The past few years I have unfortunately hit but not recovered two bucks during archery season. I really took those losses hard, and after some reflection I realized that I was not putting in the time that is required for success. I really doubled down this off season. I had shoulder surgery last November, so I couldn’t even pull a bow until June. Since then I’ve been shooting 3-4 days a week, and I’ve gotten much more consistent. Based on some feedback/reading on the forum I also moved to a one pin system to try and simplify things. My personal comfort range right now is 25 yards, and I was able to put a good shot on this guy at 20 yards. This is also my first year in the saddle. I had read about them for a few years, and I figured it was time to dive in head first. I’ve definitely had a bit of a learning curve – I feel like getting setup the first few times has been a comedy of errors. However, this hunt definitely showed the versatility of the saddle. I was setup on a tree no wider than my thigh; it offered the best shooting lanes and was where I needed to be. I also shot this buck directly behind me; I would not have been able to attempt this shot out of my climber. I ended up double lunging him, and he only ran about 100 yards. Blood wasn’t great, so I initially backed out and came back in with a friend and his dad who helped me track him and drag him out. We got him skinned out and hung out with some beers it the garage until the wee hours of the morning – man I really cherish those times!



After a few years of huge disappointment and living with that feeling that lingers over you for months when you don’t recover an animal, I was ecstatic to come away with a clean kill! The fact that it’s my first bow buck and nicest buck to date is just icing on the cake!View attachment 18901View attachment 18902
Click to expand...
Congratulations young man...that's a mature whitetail... very nice shot placement
 
Congrats on a great buck and the accompanying story. I have a similar story with hitting and not recovering animals the last 2 seasons. In my case, it was more so due to poor shot choices than poor shot execution and that has had a big negative impact on my hunting confidence. It is forcing me to double down and focus more on practice, scouting, tree selection and setup to make sure the next opportunity I have is successful like yours.
 
Congrats! I know how it feels to lose deer, as I did the same last year. Well done on putting in the work and making a great shot!
 
handsome buck sir. awesome job. I launched an arrow a good foot over a doe this evening cuz I was on the wrong pin. your story helped me feel better and also has me considering the one pin for next year. thanks man!
 
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