Well, the rifle opener has come and gone. I sat in the stand for 11 out of 12 hours again. About 7 am I saw three deer moving through the woods but didn't have a shot. I thought about moving so I could see farther down the trail but didn't at the moment. Then an hour later six more came through on the same trail. That was it. I was moving. I changed trees and set up where I could see up and down the trail for about 100 yards each direction.
All was quiet except for some squirrels and a couple of foxes. I texted my buddy and my daddy-in-law to see if they brought something to eat. I packed some food in my pack and had planned on staying all day on stand. They hadn't so we came out about 11 for lunch.
I came back in to my stand about 1 pm and shimmied up the tree. I had just pulled my rifle up and noticed something moving in the woods. I turned and saw a big, old 10 pointer stand up. He was bedded 50 yards from me and about 25 yards from where I walked by on the trail. I slowly turned and got ready for him to cross the trail. He moved slowly to the trail and then stepped out, broadsided and stopped to look at me and see what I was. I placed the cross-hairs of my 30-06 right behind his shoulder and squeezed one off.
I saw him through the scope rear upon his back legs and fall over backwards. He hit the ground and started flailing, kicking and bawling. I stood there watching him and he suddenly stopped. Then I got excited. I new I had him. I think it was the big one my buddy and I had seen during Archery season. My buddy texted and said he heard the bawling and my daddy-in-law texted and asked if I was the one who shot. I relayed what had happened and started to come down.
Now it gets interesting. When I got to the bottom of the tree, he jumped up and took off. He ran about 25 yds. and fell over again. I grabbed my rifle and watched and waited again. He didn't get up. Well not until I hit the ground that is. As soon as I jumped out of my stand and hit the ground, he jumped up and headed for the next county. He was gone so fast I didn't have a chance to shoulder my rifle.
I went to the spot where I had initially shot him and there was no blood, no hair no nothing. I then went to where he fell again and there was nothing there either. I walked for quite a ways in the direction he had ran and never found anything. I even jumped a smaller buck in the process. After about three hours, just after sunset, I gave up and headed out. (Note: The general consensus is that it was a gut shot.)
I just don't know how I missed unless it had to do with my scope being on 9x for a 45 yd shot. It had gotten moved when I was cleaning some mud off of it and I didn't notice it. I am going to the range to find out where it hits on 9x at 50 yds.
It has been eventful so far to say the least. Two deer missed with two rifles that are dead on out to 100 yds. It just makes me wonder what I did to deserve this. I'm going back out in the morning (the 28th) and see if I can finally close the deal. I just can't take all of these misses anymore. Three this year and one last year. I've never had that happen before. Oh well, we live and we learn. I guess I need to learn what I'm doing and fix it. Later y'all.
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