ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

[TheRogue]

Last 15 minutes of the last day of the season, and I missed the biggest non-typical Boone & Crocket rutted up wallhanger I've ever seen in my life!! Got home about 3pm from the doctor and the hardware store, headed off to my favorite new spot off Hwy 18 in the VanDuzer Corridor. Covered a lot of country behind a locked gate, walked to the end of a couple side roads. Getting late, I walked up another side road that went through some old re-prod. Walked really slowly on the way back, because it was getting to be "that time" and it had just started raining good.

Had a deer poke it's nose out, and went bouncing off before I could see it good, probably a doe (the bouncing). Got back almost to the bottom, just going under the powerline. Looked up the hill to my right, and trotting down towards me is a great big swollen necked white faced animal. I sat down in the middle of the road, and got my rifle adjusted. The animal went behind a giant clump of vine maple right in the middle of the right of way (Panic!!) I waited for it seemed like minutes (seconds) and it didn't come out!! (bigger panic!!!) Looked to the right a little bit, and there he was, out in the middle of the grassy right of way, coming right at me!!

Mistake #2 I turned up my scope to 9X, and looked up to his rack real quick (Major Panic!!!!) 18-20 inches wide (about 2-3 inches outside his ears)....left side looked like a classic 4 point with a big eyeguard....right side was a huge deep fork, about 2x as heavy as the left side, with some funky points coming off of this. Amazing what you can see in a split second!!

I pulled back down to his shoulder as he kinda went broadside going around a clump of sword fern...Mistake #3...I didn't whistle to stop him......almost jerked the trigger....took a deep breath, and then pulled it.

That deer hit 30mph in about 16 inches, running low to the ground, head laid back.....RIGHT AT ME!!! Here's where Mistake #2 comes into play, as I can't see a darn thing through the 9X scope!!! Now Mistake #4, I stand up....the deer sees me and hangs a sharp right, I finally get shoulder in the scope, pulled one more time. Saw rocks off the road fly that time, high and behind him. Into the brush he went, crashing through the vine maple for a long ways.

I miserably went up and did a blood check, even went into the brush a ways with my flashlight.....but knew I would find nothing.....shooting a 300winmag with 180gr Ballistic Tips, loaded up as fast as they can go....you KNOW if you hit something (instant explosion). Found nothing..........No blood, no meat, no incredible wall mount. Wahhhhhh!!!

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering what Mistake #1 is......I only shot 4 rounds through that rifle in the last year.....I used to shoot 75-100 rounds through each of my hunting rifles throughout the summer!!

:depressed: :depressed: :depressed:

TR

[tag-a-long]

:shocked: :shocked: I just hate that...... You had better luck than I did.. Didn't even see a horn to shoot at. Better luck next year. Might put dots of tritium paint on the scope at 4X setting so you know where you are at. We call it buck fever back in the midwest....

[GutshotApe]

Well TR, you've heard the old saying: "When there's lead in the air, there's hope!"

20 years from now you will remember that buck and your encounter with him much better than others where you brought home the venison.

I made two hunts yesterday - in the AM on the south side of a small butte rising from the valley floor. Found where the big buck bedded but didn't see him sneak off. And in the PM went out to a small flat along the Siuslaw - reprod and vine maple. Fresh sign but nothing doing. Still dry under the trees - and noisy.

Next year.

[Salmon Stryker]

Too bad Rogue. Sounds like you got the ol heart pounding and knee's a shaking in before the season closed anyway. Thats the fun part.

Gutshotape, that is so true. I've gotten a lot of bucks, and I've missed a lot of big bucks. The big ones that got away still haunt me. One time I was walking down this road and was supposed to meet my dad on it. I sat down on a stump and waited for him. After about 10-15 minutes of waiting I looked over my shoulder to the right in very thick dark timber and there is a HUGE buck staring at me. I mean not more than 20 feet away. You know how you get the feeling that someone is watching you or you are not alone....thats how I had been feeling. That buck had to have been there the whole time I was sitting on the stump. As soon as I made eye contact with that buck he took off on a dead run through the trees. I got one shot at him but missed.
It took about 10 minutes for my knee's to quit shaking and my heart to stop pounding.
I had dreams at night about that deer for a few nights afterward. Now its just a good memory. A haunt.

[Don Becker]

Here's an idea . . . . print your post and decoupage it onto a plague to hang alongside of your other trophies. Seriously, an experience like that is it's own trophy! Gee, why can't I be this philosophical when these things happen to me????????????????? Don

[Gus Orviston]

Mmmmm, vandooooozer

[ 11-07-2002, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: Gus Orviston ]

[bigshark]

You do know I hope that you had all the fun and none of the work. Your a lucky guy with a fun hunt under your belt. Hope you have as much fun next season.

[blacktail]

Tough break Kyle.

At least you got some action......and you know where to go next year.

Mike

[Trick]

Hopefully that old white faced buck lives another year, avoids the poachers and gives you another chance.

Cool story anyways!

[Tilla]

It seems that the key to this fishing and hunting thing is the elimination of mistakes! :shocked: Sometimes it seems that the definition of a successful trip is that no mistakes were made. I might not have brought anything home, but at least I didn't #@!& up!!!!
If you really want to get serious about mistakes , try bow hunting, the possibilities are endless!!!!! :shocked: :shocked: