And go...

Knock on wood.....

Never done it

well how would I know how big it was if I never found it??

Hunting with a friend in the a.m. He was coming to get me and must have jumped the deer. Came running off a hill and jumped a creek. I shot when he landed on the other side. Not a far shot. A shot I reasonably expect to make. He ran. Blood everywhere when friend gets there and we find the trail. Then three shots on neighboring property. Blood trailed him right to their truck. 156" 8pt. You can see him in the
Alabama Record Book or what ever its called.

I would have a great story had I not found the deer this past spring after 3+ years

Illinois 2012 shot a big mid 140's 9pt with my bow at last light had good blood for several hundred yards up and down the hills, crossing ravines and the thickets of Shawnee National Forest. After 400 yards or so and couple hours of tracking we found the deer. Then left the deer and tracked back 3/4 of a mile or so to the truck to get the deer cart, make it all the way back in to where the deer was at and the deer was no where in sight. Only thing we could come up with is a big cat, bear, coyotes or even another hunter got it in the time we was gone. Yes we went back the next morning and looked for several hours with no sign of the deer. Only thing we seen is where he fell and died you could see the leaves and ground had some drag marks for about 10-15 yards and not another trace. You talk about a sick lost feeling yet pretty spooked out at the same time . I still think about that deer and if I'll ever have a shot at another buck of that caliber with my bow.

Don't have a story because I've never shot a buck and not found it...


....but also, I've never shot a buck....

Gut shot about a 160" in IL when I was 17. He had been shot in the shoulder earlier in the season by a friend of the landowner. He came limping through following a doe. I got him to stop and about the time I let it go he started back after her. The shot looked pretty good to me on impact, but when I found my arrow, I knew it was no good. Gave him the night and went back with a search party in the morning. We covered the property pretty thoroughly to the lines and never found any sign of him.

Rushed a shot on a prolly 120" buck last year that CNC came and helped track. Deer ended up being more quartered than I thought and I hit high shoulder. Neighbor had pics of him this spring.

I shot at a 160"-170" that I evidently missed. It may have been bigger than that. This was in Fitzpatrick probably 8 years ago.

This year in Missouri. Watched a buck walk a scrape line for 300 yds up a fence row. Shot low at 20 yds and clipped in. 170s deer. All on video. Still makes me sick.

I can't. It's too painful.

Cool! You hadn't told me that. I'm glad to hear he made it. Shoot him again this year.

A perfect chocolate horned 150 class 10pt. with my bow in Kentucky back in 2005. Shot him for 35 yards and he was 39 yards. Hit him too low. He bedded down about 400 yards from where I shot him within sight of a buddy of mine. Went back the next morning and never found another drop of blood after he got back up.

Was walking in the last afternoon to hunt a plot in a corner of a 60 acre cut corn field 4 seasons ago. As I turned the corner into the field I was going to be hunting there was an 8 point, nothing huge but probably a 125 inch deer. Solid deer. Tall rack with good tine length. Walking right across the field at 2:00 pm. About 150 yds out. He never knew I was there. I knelt down and got steady. He stopped and put his nose to the ground, I pulled the trigger, he mule kicked and ran in the woods. Ridiculous blood trail for about 40 yds then it just completely stopped. Never found him. Our neighboring land owner lives at the end of the road, I started noticing a rack when I'd ride by that looks like the deer I shot hanging on an old tv antenna pole last year. Looks like it has been laying in the woods for some time. Been meaning to ask if he found it down in the bottom by his pond or something by chance.

Can only think of one decent rack one about 5 years ago. Was prob too late to be taking the shot to be honest. have had many more that busted me with my finger up my arse than wounded

It was during the rut and I had gotten in the shooting house just before noon to eat lunch and sit my midday hunt…… when this doe walked out and started feeding before I ever got my sandwich in my hand. The pole in front of her is 200 yards from the stand. I watched her for several minutes and nothing happened so I snapped a couple pics with my camera and started eating my lunch. All of sudden another doe comes running out of the woods 250 yards down the powerline in the OTHER direction. She’s acting like something is chasing her so I get my gun and get ready. She runs in and out of the woods several times but I never saw another deer. In the meantime I’m steadily looking back the other direction at the feeding doe in the pic that had walked out first.

Well, about the 4th time I turned back to look, she’s walking off of the powerline to the left with a stud already about even with that pole. I swung my gun around and hollered out a “WHOOOP!!” in one motion. He stopped for a second just as I got my gun settled. When I got the crosshairs on him he was turning his head to start to walk off……and in the excitement of the moment I yanked my trigger and put one right into his guts. All I found was a big wad of hair that I blew out of him. I looked for him for days but never found him. It was just after losing him that I bought a tracking dog……..Here’s the doe. I suppose he was just standing over in the bushes watching her the whole time…..

I'm still so butthurt over it that 3 years later I still don't want to talk about it. I'll just say that after I shot and saw where the arrow was sticking out, I knew that because the broadhead didn't come out, I wouldn't have any blood but I wouldn't need any. I knew he wasn't going to make it more than forty yards. After looking around in one spot right where I shot him and not seeing him or blood, I backed out and waited 3 hours for a tracking dog and he couldn't find him. I looked for that deer for 2 weeks and still ain't seen his ass. Legit 135" 8 pt on public land in alabama

Two jump out at me. The first was October of 2014. I had a history with a particular buck that had busted me the prior year. Had him regularly on cam going into the season and on my second sit of the year he came out with another mature buck just like he should. I shot him for 30 and he was closer to 38. Hit him high leg and got about 3" of penetration. Definitely not likely fatal, although I never saw him again. Prob a 130" 9 point.

The other was sometime around 2000-2001. It was rut and I was bow hunting an older, flooded cutover. I also had my rifle with me. Heard a buck chasing a doe in the water so I started grunting with my mouth. He bristled up, turned and made a beeline 12 yards from my stand and I center punched him smooth as butter. Watched him trot off about 100 yards or so and could have shot him as he eased off several times with my rifle, but the thought never crossed my mind. Trailed blood for 250-300 yards before it played out. He wasn't a giant, but was a real, solid 4 or 5 year old buck. Prob a 115-120" deer.

2005 I shot a really nice 8 point. Didn't know exactly how big he was because it was fast. I was in the woods, he came down the hill chasing a doe. He was chasing her around in some thick stuff. I knew he was going to come out into an open spot. But, it was behind my tree and on the wrong side of the tree. Instead of waiting for a good shot, I took a shot leaning around the tree right handed (I am left handed). I hit him never knew where. He ran and ended up stopping behind a tree with his rear end clear. I should have shot him again in the hip. But, I thought he would step toward. He never did. He turned and walked directly away offering no other shot.

I found blood trailed him forever, couldn't find him. Ended up finding his head and skeleton the next summer. He ended up scoring in the mid 120s.

I would. But not hunting there thisnyesar