Bad luck Buck

Big John · Post by **Big John** » Fri May 13, 2005 5:11 pm

While hunting from my stand this past November , a trio of Deer pass within range of my Exomag ready with carbon express bolt. Pass on the yearling and Doe and take a shot at the 8-point Buck at about 35-40 yds.
The power of the Exomag sent the bolt through a branch and through the Buck just behind the rib cage. Destroyed the bolt and broadhead! Amazing power! Five people tracked that Buck with me for two days and couldn"t find him! I never got another chance. However I have enormous faith now in the Exomag and it"s power!

Any other people with the same sad story?

Hawkeye · Post by **Hawkeye** » Fri May 13, 2005 5:38 pm

John... Can you think of anything you could have, or should have done differently to harvest that buck?
...Maybe make sure your shooting lane was clear? You said the bolt hit a branch, right?

Big John · Post by **Big John** » Fri May 13, 2005 6:38 pm

I was qiute high up the tree and the lane looked clear. However as I was slowly following the buck through the scope I must have moved toward a low dead tree and the branch didn"t show up in the scope. Maybe only a little obscure.

chris4570 · Post by **chris4570** » Fri May 13, 2005 7:30 pm

John,

I took a poorly disciplined shot in 2003 on an 8 point buck. It was a low percentage frontal shot and I knew it was the wrong time to shoot but did anyways. I tracked the buck, with the help of my friend and a dog but never did find it. I thought about giving up deer hunting as a way to punish myself. I felt horrible, and still do to this day. But I learned a lesson, it is far better to pass on an iffy shot. Theres always next time, even if it means waiting another year.

Last fall I was presented with a frontal shot on a doe, and knew in my heart that I could never shoot a deer like that again. I waited her out and she turned broadside. There's still a little left in the freezer

!

Big John · Post by **Big John** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:07 pm

Chris4570: I had the worst feeling in my stomach , every minute that went by not locating the Buck. We were out at night with high powerd lights and early morning with coffee, longest 50 hours I have spent. I definitley only take clean kill shots. I didn"t see this coming. That"s what Bow hunting is all about.

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:50 pm

John,

Don't sweat it..

Anyone that hunts any length of time at all has hit an unknown and unseen limb.

Concentrating on the deer and the shot sometimes puts other stuff in a haze and out of focus.

Been there... done that.

Beter luck next time

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Fri May 13, 2005 10:15 pm

John,
I had a perfect bowhunting record until this year. By perfect, I mean no losses! Either a complete miss or a clean kill, and I was about 50/50 on the results. I've completely missed several because of unseen branches, weeds, and even a fence wire once with the recurve! It's a sickening feeling to draw blood and never find the animal, but it happened to me last fall on a very close shot with the Exocet. About 8 yards, and I thought the shooting lane was clear for a perfect double-lung hit. I never found out for certain what happened! It looked good, but when I went back to the stand and re-created the shot as best I could, I found there were some small cedar branches that could have deflected the arrow, and they were so close they didn't show up in the scope! The shot looked and sounded good, and the blood trail looked good for about 80 yards, then stopped! We hunted for hours and found one drop of blood about 30 yards from where the blood trail dried up, then nothing! I went back to the area for days afterward and found nothing to indicate a dead deer in the area, so I hope I hit way too high or low and it was just a flesh wound. To top that heart-breaker off, I shot another one a few days later, and he moved just as the trigger was releasing the claws. I saw the hit - right through the guts

I found him, but the weather was hot, and he had already started to spoil. (bloated and the meat was already white colored and stinking) He fed the buzzards, possums, coyotes, and other critters that have to eat (and aren't quite as weak stomached as me). I felt bad, but all I can do is learn and improve from these mishaps. I'm sure the antis love to use this stuff to fight our right to hunt, but I'm just as sure the DNR, farmers, and auto insurance companies are glad to reduce the deer populations. So........ I'll keep chasing them with a "pointy stick", and I hope you do the same!

STEELWORKER · Post by **STEELWORKER** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:49 pm

wabi wrote:John,
I had a perfect bowhunting record until this year. By perfect, I mean no losses! Either a complete miss or a clean kill, and I was about 50/50 on the results. I've completely missed several because of unseen branches, weeds, and even a fence wire once with the recurve! It's a sickening feeling to draw blood and never find the animal, but it happened to me last fall on a very close shot with the Exocet. About 8 yards, and I thought the shooting lane was clear for a perfect double-lung hit. I never found out for certain what happened! It looked good, but when I went back to the stand and re-created the shot as best I could, I found there were some small cedar branches that could have deflected the arrow, and they were so close they didn't show up in the scope! The shot looked and sounded good, and the blood trail looked good for about 80 yards, then stopped! We hunted for hours and found one drop of blood about 30 yards from where the blood trail dried up, then nothing! I went back to the area for days afterward and found nothing to indicate a dead deer in the area, so I hope I hit way too high or low and it was just a flesh wound. To top that heart-breaker off, I shot another one a few days later, and he moved just as the trigger was releasing the claws. I saw the hit - right through the guts I found him, but the weather was hot, and he had already started to spoil. (bloated and the meat was already white colored and stinking) He fed the buzzards, possums, coyotes, and other critters that have to eat (and aren't quite as weak stomached as me). I felt bad, but all I can do is learn and improve from these mishaps. I'm sure the antis love to use this stuff to fight our right to hunt, but I'm just as sure the DNR, farmers, and auto insurance companies are glad to reduce the deer populations. So........ I'll keep chasing them with a "pointy stick", and I hope you do the same!

it happens to us all sometime or another,but in my case i have had very bad luck in this category the last two years

--------STEEL