Legionnaire
New member
Yesterday I was on stand for the last ninety minutes of shooting light. Already got a doe, but am still trying to get my buck.
On a stand in a hedgerow between two fields, when a three-point (spike on one side, fork on the other) entered the field to the south of me. I watched him for five minutes work his way to within 80-100 yards of me. I had just about decided to pass on him, as he wasn't very big, when I noticed he had a pronounced limp. As he grazed the cut corn, I was able to determine that he had been wounded, presumably by another hunter, in the left rear leg.
Well, I was hunting with my Encore, and I'm not very confident in my ability at that distance, so I had to weigh the risk of missing/wounding with taking a deer I didn't really want to put it out of its misery. I decided that since I had a fairly steady rest to hand in the form a tree limb, I'd take the shot.
I missed.
The deer spooked, and ran to the other end of the field, where he stopped and looked back. After a couple of minutes, he disappeared into the brush. I waited twenty minutes to be sure, then climbed down and spent the next half hour looking for any sign of a hit. But there was no blood to be seen anywhere, including the place where he had stood for several minutes before leaving the field.
Conclusion 1: I missed.
Conclusion 2: I need more practice with the Encore.
Conclusion 3: I don't regret taking the shot on a wounded deer, nor losing fifty minutes to waiting and searching for signs of a hit.
Conclusion 4: I enjoyed the learning experience.
Conclusion 5: I'm going back out!
On a stand in a hedgerow between two fields, when a three-point (spike on one side, fork on the other) entered the field to the south of me. I watched him for five minutes work his way to within 80-100 yards of me. I had just about decided to pass on him, as he wasn't very big, when I noticed he had a pronounced limp. As he grazed the cut corn, I was able to determine that he had been wounded, presumably by another hunter, in the left rear leg.
Well, I was hunting with my Encore, and I'm not very confident in my ability at that distance, so I had to weigh the risk of missing/wounding with taking a deer I didn't really want to put it out of its misery. I decided that since I had a fairly steady rest to hand in the form a tree limb, I'd take the shot.
I missed.
The deer spooked, and ran to the other end of the field, where he stopped and looked back. After a couple of minutes, he disappeared into the brush. I waited twenty minutes to be sure, then climbed down and spent the next half hour looking for any sign of a hit. But there was no blood to be seen anywhere, including the place where he had stood for several minutes before leaving the field. Conclusion 1: I missed.
Conclusion 2: I need more practice with the Encore.
Conclusion 3: I don't regret taking the shot on a wounded deer, nor losing fifty minutes to waiting and searching for signs of a hit.
Conclusion 4: I enjoyed the learning experience.
Conclusion 5: I'm going back out!
) So I hustle over to the other side of the cove I'm on. As I get over there I see the buck is still walking along the water line. I sit down along the cutbank. As it comes into view I notice several things.