Bad buck experience

75

Well-Known Member
Out last night with the mobile seat as we've been watching a lot of deer on one part of the ground but it's flat and hard to get near them (watched 12 last Thursday night but couldn't get a shot).

Beautiful night, few deer moving about as I walked in, set up and in the seat in no time and within half an hour a good buck appeared on the edge of a wood. Pinged him at 220yds and he gradually worked out from the wood grazing as he came. About 30 or 40 yards out from the wood he presented a good broadside shot and I took it. Knew it wasn't right though as soon as I pulled the trigger and he ran like the clappers with a bust front leg.

He did two fields and dissappeared into a dense, scrubby wood. I stayed a while longer then went to look for him - no blood trail and no sign other than a couple of fresh slots on a well worn deer path. Followed it as best I could but it was getting pretty dark. I scanned the torch around an adjacent field of long grass and picked up a pair of eyes. As I got closer I could make out it was a buck lying almost hidden in the grass, but couldn't be sure it was the one I'd hit. I got to within about 20 yards and he got up and hobbled away but i had to do a loop around him to get a safe shot but dropped him on the spot.

As it happens the second shot was a bit high and touched the spine (and has probably damaged a bit of saddle) but I put that down to shooting whilst holding a torch and having a heart rate af about 220! Bloody relief that I found and dispatched him but a rather troubling experience and I needed a stiff dram when I got in last night. Hopefully just one to put down to experience, but not one I want to repeat any time soon and I'll be checking zero before I'm next out just to be on the safe side :(
 
The main thing is that although it wasn`t a perfect night the outcome was the best you could possibly achieve and there isn`t a deer suffering out there somewhere.
That saying springs to mind,
Shoot enough of them and it`ll happen sometime.
Well done on an honest post.
basil.
 
Should be using a decent calibre then 6.5x55, dont get many runners with them, even if badly shot! :evil: joking :!:

Happens to all of us at some time.
 
Deer

At least youmanaged to complete e follow up and put him out of his missery. once an animal is hit non fataly the responsability has to be to get the animal dead and meat damage is of little concearn.

Dave
 
Excellent post 75. The person who says it has never happened to them is not being truthful or they don't shoot enough. Great outcome and proves your worth.
 
Thanks for the kind words chaps. I know it happens but never pleasant - at least take some comfort in the fact I found and dispatched the animal.
 
75 said:
Thanks for the kind words chaps. I know it happens but never pleasant - at least take some comfort in the fact I found and dispatched the animal.

It is very unpleasant,but,it came good in the end,and,that is what really matters mate,well done................'M'
 
75

Many thanks for the very honest post. I had something similar over the weekend (see in Articles) but didn't find the muntjac buck until the next morning. None of us like it when experiences like this happen, but well done you for persevering in the dark and picking him up.

willie_gunn
 
A refreshing change to hear that things do go wrong occasionally! Well done on the follow up and the honest post!
 
What do you do if you have leave off a trail until the next morning? Is the carcass always spoiled? I'd imagine so.

I have pulled out of a couple of shots because it was getting too dark to track and I didn't fancy the idea of clambering around in the pitch black on my own.
 
I continue to be (very pleasantly) suprised by this site - always positive and support unlike many of the other forums. Long may it continue!

Well I checked zero last night and it was a fair bit out (that's a different issue though - http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5345 ) so that won't have helped my low shot. Anyway, got it back to where it should be and then put a couple through at 200 yards just to make sure everything was spot on before taking up position in a likely high seat.

Not a lot other than midges at first then two roe bucks appeared and wandered along the skyline, but at the same time a couple of munties appeared about 100 yards away so I took the buck - felt like a good shot and he disappeared behind a tree but I didn't have much doubt I'd find him.

Within about 5 mins a roebuck appeared from pretty much the same spot as I'd shot the muntjac and wandered towards me in the high seat - he dropped on the spot with a head shot at about 50 yards. Thought I'd give it another 5 or 10 mins for everything to settle down before going to find the muntjac and within minutes one of the good bucks I'd seen early made an apperance. Clearly a bit spooked by the couple of shots, he came trotting down the hill, through the trees and stopped in front of the high seat about 60 yards out. Another head shot and that was enough for me for one night. I quickly found the muntjac and was back in the truck with 3 deer within about 25 minutes of taking the first shot!
 
the deer stalker who trained me told me once ....`

THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER MISSED OR WOUNDED HAVE NEVER KILLED !

it stays in my mind always ,
dont let the insident bother you , just carry on and enjoy your stalking !

it happens to usd all !!!!


cheers lee
 
Just to take this argument to the logical next stage, does everyone exhaustively search for a wounded rabbit or fox and if not why not?
 
Armo said:
Just to take this argument to the logical next stage, does everyone exhaustively search for a wounded rabbit or fox and if not why not?
i hav to be honest here
the answer is YES
make it a woodcock and the OH joins in with her team of labs :D
if i hav pulled the trigger then i like to make sure i hav gathered if i can
if i can't find it that night then i go back out the next morning for another look
regards
stone
 
YES I always do, to do otherwise is not the mark of a good hunter, and this is where the dog comes in.
 
Back
Top