Well, that wasn't pretty.

[Looper]

I got in a quick hunt today, but was only able to go out from noon to about 4:30pm.  I was hunting on my river bottom property, which is the haunt of a nice mature buck I'm playing cat and mouse with.  This big boy is laying tracks all over the place and I've seen him several times, but never within bow range.

After sitting for a few hours in a likely spot, it was getting close to the time for me to attend a family dinner, so I packed up and decided to still hunt back along the river on the way to the truck.  I had my Waldrop Pac Seat on my back and was slipping along quietly.  As I approached a couple of well worn river crossing spots, I heard a ruckus on the other side of the river.  I caught a glimpse of a something gray moving through the brush right on the opposite river bank.  I got on my knees and quickly nocked an arrow.

The closest crossing was about 20 feet in front of me.  The second was about 20 yards.  This deer, if he/she was going to cross, would have to come up one or the other. The wind was in my favor and I was fairly well hidden.

After a few seconds, I heard splashing in the river.  Then I heard a deer scrambling up the bank.  This was going to be a close shot.  It was coming up the closest crossing.  I got my bow up and sudden a little buck steps out right in front of me.  He wasn't the big boy, but was probably a 2 year old.  A brief glance revealed a little rack, maybe 5 or 6 points.  I picked a spot above his elbow and drew back slowly.  He was just standing there looking out in the field ahead of him.  I hit my anchor, burned a hole in my spot and loosed my arrow.

WHANG!!!  In what seemed like slow motion, I watched my arrow zip harmlessly between his legs.  He looked like a cartoon character running in place as he retreated back from whence he came.  

I couldn't believe it.  What the heck had happened?  A little investigation revealed that my bow string had caught on the buckle of my chest strap on my Pac Seat. Bummer.  That little buck was less than 7 steps from me.

I had to laugh, though. I don't think he ever did know what happened.  He stopped running after he crossed the river.

[Mudd]

It sounds like fun time to me.

It also sounds like you weren't hunting alone.

Murphy shows up at the darnedest of times..lol

Better luck next time.

God bless,Mudd

[J. Holden]

Well, sounds like an exciting hunt.  I bet that was replaying in your head all afternoon.  "Honey, can you pass the cranberries?  Honey?...  Honey!?"  "Huh, what?..."  Thanks for sharing the story with us.

-Jeremy  

[greyghost]

Hey, you stealing all my bad luck.

Still a nice little hunt.

[KellyG]

if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all
blues, despair and agony on me.
Better luck next time and heck it may be the big boy.

[MCNSC]

All the fun, without the work

[Thumper Dunker]

Now you still have your tag for the big guy. You was doing catch and realeas.

[Eugene Slagle]

Sounds like my luck this year.  

[Wannabe1]

Should have just shot Murphy! Great story, thanks for sharing that with us.  

[Jim Boettcher]

Great story, you had me laughing. Hope you get a shot at the big boy. Good luck Jim

[Looper]

Thumper Dunker, we don't have a tag system here.  You can shoot 2 a day, does at any time, for a total of 7 deer for the season.

In retrospect, it was a good thing I didn't shoot him.  I would have missed a great evening with my sister's new family, who I hadn't met before.  I set up a time to take my nephew hog hunting.  We were talking about it, and the Makala, my sister's new 12 year old stepdaughter, pipes up and says "You're not going without me! I love to hunt and nobody ever takes me!" So, I've found a couple of new hunting buddies. Now I need to get them some longbows and get them started right.

[maineac]

Sounds like a fun hunt.  Not the big boy you were after, so a nice catch and release!

[GingivitisKahn]

Fun stuff but don't ya hate it when that happens?