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finelyshedded's hunting log

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I've only been out once(Sun. 25) and saw one doe at 25 yards but no shot opportunity. I will only be able to hunt the weekend afternoons to evening for the first 3 weeks of the season. Towards the end of Oct. I'll be hunting some mornings after I get home from work but till then I'll be just hunting sparingly. Work schedule,family and crap I got to do around the house are what's keeping out of the woods for now. OH FUGG! lol
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
This shit of having to make a living just gets in the way of life, don't it Ric?
Yeah, but I'm dang thankful for being employed! I just wish I had a clone to go out and bust some ass in the stand for me! Fugg it! He can go to work and I'll go bust some ass in the stand!rotflmao

Yeah Charles, the movement might be slow but I know the hunters around the land I hunt are hitting it pretty hard right now and I just wish I could be there to monitor the movement some. Oh well, like you guys say, it's going to just get better later.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
Here is a pic of one of my three sets on this particular farm! The wind is in my face and trails between me and that beanfield you see in the distance. It's only favorable for a N, NW oe NE wind. I had a doe come thru at 35 yards with her tail up. That was at 6:15 pm and nothing else showed up. Did hear some neighbors dogs going nuts around 7:15. I got out of the stand at 7:30 undetected and will be back tomorrow PM if wind doesn't change.




Sightings Talley so far:

Bucks- 0
Does-2
Yotes-0

Hours hunting so far: 5.5
 
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Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
I feel your pain Ric. I have only had one hunt so far on my own, and the neighbor dogs boogered it up just before dark. Like Beenie said, the deer aren't moving great yet, but get out there when you can.

I TOO am a bit worried about what is going on around the farm I am hunting, but I have faith the big boys will continue to elude to out-of-towners as they have the last two years.

Keep at it buddy, we still have four months to go!
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I am so depressed right now I could vomit! I got to my stand at 5:00 this evening and it's the same stand I hunted yesterday and the one above in the picture. The wind was perfect, blowing N and NW right in my face or left cheek. At 6:45 this evening I heard some thrashing and looked to my right out to about 30 yards down in the little ravine that runs NE to SW. I saw this tree top(8 to 10 ft. maple) rocking back and forth. I started to fetch for my binos but saw the bucks massive horns and knew it was one of my two target bucks. He was the one I've got the last two matched sets of sheds to. So I reached for my bow and got into kill mode and positioned myself for the shot. I was actually pretty calm and focused and ready to get down to business. He finished rubbing that tree and started up the bank and around the hillside I was on right in front of me at a mere 15 yards and in the middle of a 12 yard wide shooting lane! I mean nothing but air between him and me and I was already at full draw! I settled the 20 yard pin center deer right behind the shoulder and kept it on him till he was right in front of me broadside. He was walking slowly and just before I was going to stop him he stopped and I touched off the trigger and shot! I was so focused on my shot I didn't see my arrow hit! I just knew he was a dead deer walking and there was NO way he could escape!.............WTF happened! After the shot he sprung up from his tracks and took the other 160" 10(avatar deer) with him to a thick flat right in front of me about 60 yards out! I calmly reached for my binos and waiting for him to tip over any second! They both sort of just melt away in the brush. I pan my binos down to where m arrow is sticking out of the dirt right where he was standing. I can't believe what I was seeing. From my perch, it looked like my arrow was clean. Long story short, I climbed down about 30 minutes(while it was still somewhat light) to examine my arrow. NO FUGGIN BLOOD ANYWHERE!!! He was 15 fuggin yards right in front of me while I was already at full draw and pin settled behind his shoulder...........and I missed him! I don't know what happened but I am still depressed and sick about it! I was within 20 yards of 2(two) 160 inch main framed 10 pointers tonight with my sights on the target deer I was after last year and this year and I missed him at 15 yards! I'm telling you guys I didn't get buck fever either! I was calm before, during and even after the shot. I feel down deep inside if the same shot were presented again, I wouldn't change a thing! My arrow just had two small 1/4 inch long strands of hair but NO blood anywhere.(tip,shaft,fletching or nock) nada, zilch! I do know my arrow appeared to be up the bank alittle from where he was standing so I must have shot over his back. My good friend Stacy thinks during the heat of the moment I might not have been anchored correctly and unintentionally aimed higher possibly and if he did drop some it added more problems to me shooting over his back. I just know I feel like shit and to have a perfect opportunity laid right in my lap and blow it like that!!!............and I shot for 30 minutes before going out and drilling the kill zone at 20 back to 40 yards! I will be shooting again in the morning or afternoon checking my gear and anchor point. So close fellas! Like JD said, at least I didn't wound him or hit him badly and I know he's still out there! But I'm afraid I just made my hunting more challenging by educating my two target bucks tonight! We'll see.


Hours hunting: 7.5

bucks seen: 2
does seen:2
yotes seen:0
 

Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
Dang Ric, so close. I feel your pain man, I have been through that a dozen times, only never with a 160".deer. keep your head up buddy and keep at it. You will get another opportunity.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
DANG !!!

How many kicks in the ass was the walk back to the truck. I hope they come back in after a couple days to settle down buddy. Don't worry man, it happens to the best of us.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
This is the buck I loosed an arrow at:



This buck was with him:



I've replayed the whole shot sequence over an over in my head all night! Didn't get much sleep as you can imagine. Here is what's going on through my head: I missed, but I'm not sure why! As soon as he finished tearing up that tree, I never looked at his rack but just a millisecond of a glance to make sure he was the target buck I was after. I think that's why I was as calm as I was. It's as if I was gun hunting and missed a deer at 20 yards because someone played a joke on me by slipping me a blank.......and me not knowing it. Well, off to my target for some shooting! lol
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I can't remember Milo, but thats a great point. The angle wasn't TOO steep. Imagine the deer up hill from you at 15 yards with the bottom of you stand approx. 8 feet above the deers back. If that WAS my problem that could be why maybe my anchor wasn't proper.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
I whiffed already this year too and i ran the scenario through muh head time and time again and it came to me i dropped my bow arm bad...i was so excited to see the arrow nailed her ass i forgot my mechanics. brisket hit her...and i was shooting a touch high at that distance on the flats..i even held center mass..i didn;t see where my arrow hit her either so i was confused like you were..
 
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hickslawns

Dignitary Member
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39,720
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Ohio
I've truely been humbled!

Ric, I feel your pain. Opening day- killed a tree limb. Last Tues, hit high and never found her. Finally connected on Thursday. I was touching fletchings at 25yds. I really believe mine was a combination of things, but ultimately they were MY mistakes. Things happen, and it sucks. I am so bummed for you bro! Both of them are dandies!
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
This is the large shooting window he was in. There is a sole yellow leave just above the trail he was on right in the middle of the window. I did examine my arrow again a found lots of small fragments of tiny hairs in and around my rage broadhead but NO blood anywhere. I must have given him the least little haircut! FUGG!

 
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