Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting The buck of a lifetime that got away

well, wont say he was "the buck of a lifetime" but i really wanted him....last fall was our first year on our new place, invested a lot of time & effort into developing it as a hunting property, and i wanted him.

saw a few glimpses of him on cameras, but no real good pix. After blackpowder season i am bowhunting & he steps out at 55 yards, broadside, and stops & stares. he stands there a good 5 minutes, he's a good framed 8pt with about 5 or 6 stickers. his right side g-2 tine is actually a three way split, one sticker going straight backwards, another going to the side.

i watch him through the binocs, then he walks off. Sure hoped that day i'd see him in rifle season in 2 weeks...

but, no luck. i dont see him in rifle season, took another decent deer instead...but a few weeks after season, he shows up again, & i get several pix, 1 series at night, the other in the day. he had several stickers busted off, fighting i guess, but his main beams & tines stayed intact. i got plans for him come next deer season...

Mine was A 160" 10 point in Iowa that I must have got A single lung hit on with my bow. He was rubbing a tree, when I rattled and snort wheezed him in. His body looked like a bull. Awesome deer.

It was 1985 on the opening morning of buck season in Pa. The previous year I had shot my first deer, a small 8 point, on the last day of the season. It surprised me by coming out of the swamp but I did like Dad taught me and lightly whistled when he was broadside. It was a small 8 but around here that was considered quite an accomplishment, especially for a 14 yr old.

Opening morning the following year, I wasn't expecting much since it took me the whole hunting season to bag my buck the previous year. The spot I was at was known as "The Log". There was a downed pine tree whose butt end was between 2 large hardwood trees making it a perfect spot to sit and have cover. I still remember the 2 hardwood trees being much larger than myself which was a good thing for young boys who would wiggle.

I was sitting there piddling around with something or another when I heard a shot about 1/4 mile away. I trained my eyes on where the shot came from and shortly I saw a set of antlers running directly towards me at 200 yds away. I'm nearsighted and have trouble seeing at a distance so I knew this was a big buck. I slowly raised my gun and got a great look thru the scope as the massive buck continued coming straight at me. What I saw was a non-typical buck with at least 14 points but it was happening so fast, I couldn't count(nor should I have been counting). As it was coming directly towards me, I remembered looking at a heavy trail when I first got to my spot that went within 2 ft of the trees I was at. I saw this buck was coming on the same trail and my heart started to beat uncontrollably. Now the monarch buck was within 40 yds of me and slowed down to a halt. It was near some small saplings when I tried to whistle to get him to stop for my shot. - Nothing came out. I tried to whistle again, - just air. My hear was racing so fast and I was in a near panic by now. I quickly took my gun off the buck and hid behind the tree. I quickly formed what I thought was my next plan of action, - I would wait until he came around the other side of the tree I was behind and shoot him at point blank range. I wait for what seemed like minutes but was probably 10 seconds when I hear the buck stop and snort not more than 7 yds away on the other side of the tree. - OH NO!!! Knowing I was busted, I quickly brought up my rifle and swung out from behind the tree to take a shot but he was already in a thicket and was going so fast, I couldn't get a bead on him. In a panic I took a pot shot.

My uncle arrived shortly after and we checked the trail for blood but there was none. I was in such shock over everything that happened, I didn't tell anyone what I saw.

Later that evening when we were sitting around at Grandma's reflecting on the day, Dad asked me about the buck I shot at and what happened. I proceeded to tell him and everyone else all the details of the day and how when the massive buck was within 40 yds how I tried to whistle and make him stop just like Dad had taught me to but he didn't stop so I couldn't shoot.

I'll never forget the look in my Dad's eyes when I told him why I didn't shoot.

It would be a long and hard 8 years before I saw another buck in the woods during hunting season.

'06 Archery Season I chased a 6x5 Whitetail around for the better part of the season. Would see him about every other night, but just couldn't ever get a shot.

One evening I had two small bucks down and behind me and the big guy started heading their way. He was walking a fairly good pace and at about 15 yards I made a soft grunt to stop him.

He was looked right up at me, I was at full draw and let an arrow fly but he dropped down and I clipped hair of his back.

I didn't see him the rest of the season until the night before rifle season. I was sitting in a completely different area and it just sat down and hung my bow up. The leaves were very dry and loud and I was on the edge of a grove and you don't ever see anything there until at least a 1/2 hour before dark and I'm a good two hours before than.

Just sat down, bow hung up to my left and I looked over to see the 6x5 staring at me from about 20 yards away (still cry thinking about that) Never saw him again, nor did I ever hear about anyone taking him that year.




First time archery Elk hunting in the Black Hills. First day out, very hot out. I was off by myself and heard a bugle, quickly closed the two hills separating where I figured it was. Sat down on the edge of a very small clearing and used my cow call. Almost immediately a 380+ class bull came charging in and stopped probably 20 yards from me facing me with his chest covered by brush. He just stood there pissed off at the world because there was no cow to be scene. Few minutes went past and he turned and left

I am under the philosophy that 'the one that got away' gets bigger each passing season as the story is retold again..and again, and again..

like my favorite senior citizen bumper sticker: the older I get the better I was...

which pretty well describes us older guys.. just ask Seafire Jr.