SunDevil Report post Posted November 29, 2006 Come on - let's be honest - how many others out there have done this (I have heard of it happening to a few people I know)? Fortunately it was a coues buck - unfortunately it was a dink. Fortunately I shot it in the head - unfortunately it had the potential to be a really good buck in a couple of years. Fortunately it was close to the road - unfortunately someone else shot the buck I was looking for the 1st weekend of the hunt. Here is the the short of it. The day before the hunt we went scouting and I found a buck I really liked and wanted to go after. Friday morning there were a bunch of people in our spot. Heard some shots and never saw the deer I was looking for.... Until a guy roDE by our camp at lunch time and I saw the buck I was looking for on his quad. I was pretty bummed. That buck had bladed main beams out at the end kind of like a putty knife. The next weekend. I found a nice buck but he had bedded before we could get up to where he was at. We busted 3 little bucks while we were hiking up there and Scout'm thought he was long gone. Glassed for awhile but never saw him. Scout'm and I split up that evening and sure enough, just after 5:00 the buck came out of the cut he had bedded in. He was with a smaller buck. Didn't have a shot from where I was so I moved about 50 yards to my left to a rock pile. They were over 300 yards away so I thought I would be safe to move. Must have spooked them a little because they started to get a little ancy. Looked in my binos and saw the big buck was on the left. Put my binos down and got my rifle up. It took a couple of seconds to find them in my rifle scope. There was only enough light to tell the deer on the left was a buck so I fired. Got my gear and hustled over to where they were. Was only wondering if I got him or not (not if I got the right one). I walked up and was excited to find a dead deer only to be shocked that it was the little buck. Was initially a little ticked but then shook it off because there wasn't anything I could do about it now. Later I was a pretty bummed because the little buck I harvested really had potential and would have been a really nice buck in a couple of years. Oh well - first time for everything I guess. CB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DEERSLAM Report post Posted November 29, 2006 Guess it happens even to the best of us. Should be some good eatin and atleast you didn't waste any meat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScottAdams Report post Posted November 29, 2006 What a bummer Chris. I take you were alone and didn't have a spotter to help you out uh? Well, the hunt's over, you have some mighty tasty whitetail to get you through the winter and time to scout and plan for next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted November 29, 2006 This is really not a bad thing, you could have came home empty handed. I still want to see the pic! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted November 29, 2006 Chris, I can easily see the oops happenning. Last November I had a hard time distinguishing two similar bucks apart through the rifle scope as they moved around in and out from behind an oak at 400 yards. Ended up not shooting as I decided both were under 90". Even a smaller set of antlers can be a useful trophy to make a bow rack, coat or hat rack, door pulls, candle holder, etc. Doug~RR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunDevil Report post Posted November 29, 2006 Doug - Love your toilet bowl cartoon! I was alone. If Scout'm had been with me it would not have happened. Very rarely do we split up but we did that evening. There were however several benefits to this situation. One I did not mention is we found a little spot that holds deer but is difficult to hunt correctly. I am sure we will scout this spot in the future and who knows, maybe the bigger buck that got away will be in there next year. Anyway, here is a pic of "W" (short and code word for 'wrong'). I wasn't even able to get any field pics because I was alone and it was dark. Oh well - better pics would have been tough anyway because he had a hole in his cheek and his mouth wouldn't shut because his jaw had been shot out. Later. CB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
25-06 Report post Posted November 29, 2006 Thats a great looking buck How much bigger was the other buck? Terry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunDevil Report post Posted November 29, 2006 A LOT BIGGER - 3X3 with probably about 8 inch G2s. Short thirds but good main beam and great G2s. Probably a mid 90s deer. CB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesertBull Report post Posted November 29, 2006 That's still a nice buck. Congrats. One time I was hunting antelope and the area I was hunting was not a place that had a lot of goats. Well, I finally found a herd at the very end of the first day, watched them bed down right at dark, and snuck out so I could come back in the morning. There were two bucks in the herd, a nice 14"er and a really nice 16" or so buck. Next morning they were right where I had left them. I got in front of them and waited. The herd kind of spread out and I saw the bigger buck walk behind a juniper about 300 yards in front of me. I got on the shooting sticks and waited for him to walk out from behind the tree. A buck walked out, I shot, he died. As I was walking over to him, I see a big buck hauling butt across the praire. I'm thinking, ok, that smaller buck was bigger than I thought. Wrong. The small buck been behind the same tree I saw the big walk behind. The small buck came out first and sacrificed himself! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted November 29, 2006 here im think you shot like a fork or something, thats atleast a 75" buck, nothing to be ashamed about at all! it is too bad you didnt get the bigger buck but it happens right?! i agree, he would have been a toad in a few years! either way, congrats! look at it this way, you didnt ruin any meat! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daryl_s Report post Posted November 30, 2006 As Im reading your post about the "little" buck I'm mentally picturing a true dink, spike or something like that, just like Casey said. I scroll down and see the pic and that's not a bad buck at all. I guess it's all perspective. My biggest buck was about that size, and I have only killed two total. One day I'll have the experience and be able to hold out for the big ones. Either way you harvested a nice buck and have some good meat to put on the table, congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunDevil Report post Posted November 30, 2006 come on Casey - 75? just for kicks I put a tape on him and came up with 64. oh well - maybe I can change my name to 'seventhcoueswas64'. naw I'll stick with sundevil - even though they fired my coach. CB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesFanatic Report post Posted November 30, 2006 come on Casey - 75? just for kicks I put a tape on him and came up with 64. oh well - maybe I can change my name to 'seventhcoueswas64'. naw I'll stick with sundevil - even though they fired my coach. CB Hey Sundevil, do you play for ASU Football? I have a cousin who does, maybe you know him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullwidgeon Report post Posted November 30, 2006 I have seen it happen. Me "Shoot the buck on the right" Buddy "You mean the one on the right?" Me "Yeah the one on the right" KABOOM Buck on the left flops over dead. Buck on the right runs off never to be seen again.... There is always next year I guess. That's what I told him anyways... Bret M. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted November 30, 2006 ok, so maybe at 75 i ws trying to make you feel better... or maybe i had one two many crown and cokes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
