Angus74

Well last year I heard a buck grunt behind my stand in a thicket. I grunted back and he grunted again, so I can called to him. When he heard that he went nuts and started breaking brush and running towards me. I grabbed my bow and turned around to see him jump the fence coming right at me and was about 45 yards out. I looked down to clip my release on the loop and heard a huge crash to my left. So I look to the left to see a huge limb falling out of a dead tree about 60 yards away, needless to say when I looked back at the buck he was going right back where he came from. Sad part is he was bigger than anything Ive ever killed with a bow, probably about 140" Never saw him again that year but finally took a 125" from tha same stand.

PAhunter86

one word.....WIND[:@], especially when it changes directions!! Anyone agree???

atlasman

Went to hunt with a friend in PA a couple years ago. He gave me a 30 '06 that he sais was a tack driver. After getting pushed all over the Allegheny state forest by the orange mob I found a little beaver dam hidden back by some pines........I crossed the dam and found a great little opening between the pines and the hardwoods.

I hung out mainly thankful no one else was in my back pocket hunting. About 15 minutes later the biggest buck I had ever seen (at that time) walked out of the pines with a doe. I almost dumped in my boots.....I picked up and aimed right behind the shoulder......the shot was 60 yards max. I squeezed the trigger and BANG!! The deer ran like the wind. Clean miss. After checking for blood for over an hour thinking for sure I had to have hit the deer I decided to go back to the spot I shot from and pick out a knot on a dead tree and take a couple shots. I squeezed off 2 more shots and they were touching holes about 1 foot below my point of aim [:@] I wanted to scream......and strangle my so called friend. I saw my friends brother before I saw him and he tells me that the gun he gave me is a piece of garbage that has never shot well and he has no idea when it was even shot last. Nice friend.

Beautiful 8 point gone......at least it was a miss and not a wound. That friend to this day doesn't see what he did as that big of a deal. He just says "last I knew the gun shot pretty good"

[:'(]

JoeA

Last Jan, I missed huge hen turkey while my friend was video taping the scene. It was a close shot, and the choke was too tight at that distance. He ribbed me about it until 2 weeks ago. The only point we got flushed a quail. He saw the bird, and knew where it was going, a low rise straight out in front and....air. He doesn't mention my miss any more.

Idaho hunter 58

my first day of bow hunting for deer at my new stand.....

a deer walks out 20 yards from my stand stops broadside. I pull my bow back and am just getting ready to release when my mask i am wearing goes over my shooting eye. Tried to adjust it.... the deer ran away... i was so mad/sad![:@]

jimpok61

Pheasant hunting years ago I had bagged a nice cock. My uncle, a career West Point grad had just returned from Viet Nam and had accompanied me and my dad for the hunt. We approached the downed bird and noticed it had only been winged. I figured I'd be ringing the Ringnecks neck like dad had taught me to do. Lo, my uncle unloads both barrels from about 10 feet. When the dust and feathers settled my dad and I turned and looked at Uncle Ed. With a sheepish grin he said, "I guess I'm still a little keyed up". We both nodded in agreement and know that our unlucky venture had a silver lining. Ed, was home safely and we had the pleasure to be hunting!!! Since then we have all had a good chuckle from time to time recalling the fateful day of the VANISHING PHEASANT.

adams

I'm no unlucky just stupid. Walked out to my tree stand in my honey hole with my shotgun the monday before Thanksgiving. I loaded it up as I often jump deer on my way in and I have seen a nice buck a few days earlier on my way to the stand. Well, I get to my stand, unload my gun, climb up in and pull my gun up and load it. I was sitting about 45min when two doe pass directly under me and when they get to about 15 yards out I catch movement coming out of the creek bottom which is very thick. I watch for about a minute this beautiful 8 pointer walk out of the creek bottom at 25 yards broadside. I raised my gun, clicked off the safty. When my sights meet up with the vitals I squeezed the trigger and click. I never chambered around. The deer came to attention as I slowly tried to get a shell into my chamber. All was well until the shell dropped into the chamber at which time the buck bolted back into the creek bottom.

As I said not unlucky, STUPIDIYT!

rockytop

I was easing down a tree line on the edge of a 30 acre field. A large 10 point came out below me and walked right out in the field. I couldn't believe my luck, I just happen to be next to a large tree and the buck didn't see me. I slowly raised my rifle for this easy broadside 80 yard shot and took a good firm rest against the tree. I slipped the safety off and squeezed the trigger and all I got was a click. The factory remington round didn't fire. The deer still didn't know I was there so I quickly pulled the bolt back and ejected the bad shell, when I pushed the bolt forward to load the next shell, the shell went straight up in the air instead of in the barrel. I did the same thing again and the same thing happened. I reached down to grab one of the shells and just push it in the barrel and the deer saw me and took off. Two malfunctions on one deer. First the remington coreloc didn't fire and second, the spring in the bottom of my top fed clip had come loose, causing the shells to eject instead of load. The gun was a ruger .243. We tried the shell in another rifle and it would not fire.

Runningun

Guys and Gals Thanks for the laughs!

charlie (ky)

Many things come to mind, but probably the worst was this year during bow season. A doe had waked across in front of me about 50 yds out , and a nice buck with bright ivory antlers, 8 points, very big, followed her about fifteen minutes later. Too for out for a shot, so I just watched as he searched for her.I have never called in a deer with a grunt tube,but what the heck, I know he isn't going to get close any way. I grunted a couple short grunts, and damn if he didn't start toward me at a quick pace. I draw and notice one of the blades on my mechanical head had opened up about a forth of the way.I'm at full draw, trying to decide if my arrow will shoot straight or spin out and cause a bad shot.
So I decide to wait for a 15 yard shot, but too much to hope for. He scented or saw me and jumped back gave a snort and trotted off .