You can add me to the list of hunters who can’t shoot for chit. Watched a 10 pt yesterday evening for about 10 minutes tending two does. That buck was probably big enough to put on the wall. The deer gave me plenty of opportunity’s for a shot. Finally decided to take the deer and wouldn’t you know it, I pulled to the right. I think I even closed my eyes🫤. Most likely a gut shot or wounding shot. To top it off, I went to see the deer too early. Both doe and buck take off to the swamp. There was very dark blood at the impact area and very little after that. Had very faint blood trail to a fork in the trail. No blood from then on. I looked for 2 hours this morning to no avail. Most likely the deer is dead way past the property line or maybe has a survivable wound. Secnd best buck I’ve seen on the property in close to ten years. This field however, has a reputation for immortal bucks. Two have been lost in the same manor as mine from yesterday and one that was laying in the field dead upon inspection to only jump up and run off.🧐 That is disheartening IMO. Nothing but poor marksmanship is to blame. Alls I can say is, it be’s that way sometimes.

Get you a BOG Pod Deathgrip. It's takes out a lot of the human error and sure beats trying to prop in a shooting house window on a tough shot.

Yup, that box doesn’t have one yet but the one I’m in this morning does. I ordered a second one last night.

Dare I ask, what caliber are you shooting?

First - dont beat your self up! It hurts and i been there! What Degambler said x1000

Also - i practice every year for that reason! Also - know your equipment. For 25 years - i never missed a shot - running or what ever. As i got older - i lost some nerve and missed deer. After missing a 10 i had to play back in my mind what was happening. I told myself - i had to come up from the trigger 4 diff times for a breath after pulling and thats screwed up. Took it to a gun smith and it took 8 pounds to pull it. Terrible - jerk waiting to happen!! Put it around 2 pounds and ain't missed since. But i practise!!. I reshot my 308 the other day - already knocked off from pre season sight in.

Also - the longer u watch - the more chance for buck fever. Once i know he good - i try not to look at horns again but for shot. And with all this said - i will one day miss again

Also - call the dang dog - u may be looking at your deer right now if u did!! I hav bumped bad shot before - then back out - call dog 12 hours later - got my good deer

This. I shot an 11 point last year and would've bet my paycheck I clean missed him because no blood hair or anything. I gave it a little while and looked maybe 20 yards the direction I thought he went. Called a good friend of mine with a dog and didn't take him 15 minutes and I was sitting next to my deer.

2 more tips - when i killed my first mounter about 22-23 years ago - deer came to back tree line of field to make a scrape. Imagine - good buck making scrape at back of field without corn - it’s a miracle 🤣🤣. I was so nervous and shakey i could not shoot. I had shot at bigger deer and not gotten shakes before but i had them then. All i did was slide the gun to the corner of the shooting house wall and press gun against shooting window wall very hard - shake went away - deer did a bang flop. Also - on this new shoot house i had built this year and helped with - i put a screw in center of shooting house window sticking up about an inch. Its there incase i get the shakes - i can mash my gun against it. I hav bang flopped them running wide open on diff occasions - but as i got older - i aint as steady as i use to be. But oddly with my crossbow - i dont need a rest - just seems balanced
I hunt for me and not to impress - as i got older i realized hero stories were just for egos. Its me against animal all that matters and i am the only one i need to impress 😀
Good luck man!!

270
150 grain

Hate that for u. It sucks. I’m not sure I’m buying a jinxed food plot though🤣

If you hunt enough it will happen.

Call a dog

I’ve made my worst shots on bucks I watched for a while and the best shots on bucks I just pulled up and shot. The longer I think about, the worse my shot.

My wife did that this morning. Shot. 240 yards and it dropped like a sack of rocks.
Took about ten minutes watching it. We could see it. But could see the horns above the grass or
What we thought. We get down and ease that way and got about thirty yards from it and saw it.
As soon as I said there it is. It went to flopping trying to get up. Too late. I had the gun already ready.
Bang flop. She hit it in the next. Didn’t break it. From what I could tell. Bullet went through and through.
It would have however survived that shot but I sure am glad we were ready even though it hadn’t moved a muscle
From what we could tell.

You know one in Pike county?

Brian Morris will help you out

Thanks, I did contact him earlier.