That is me.

Was hunting with Admiral/Subsailor74 in South Carolina last week.

The Admiral shoots a 6 point velvet buck at 200 plus yards in thick stuff drops in right where it was standing.

I have a nice buck walk up to my stand. The stand is located 70 yards from an elevated tree stand. It is an open field with only tree that is 30-40 yards left of the feeder.

The buck walks in from behind the tree. I see him and take of my glasses and put them on my knee. I get my Nikon monarch binoculars and carefully glass the buck. This is around 7:15 pm and it's bright and 90 degrees.

The buck slowly walks around the tree. The buck then walks around the feeder and stands in the open around 15 yards to the right of the feeder. The buck then turns around and faces me broad side and is standing there like a cardboard cut out.

I am now ready to shoot him. I get zero buck fever as whitetails are just not the super most exciting animal in my hunting ranking system. Whitetails are no bush pigs. I like hunting whitetails but I don't shake every time I see one like some hunters do.

I have a ruger number 1 in 30/06 that I bought on ar and it is super accurate especially with Barnes 180 grain Tsx. I have a high end Zeiss dyralyt 1.2x5 that is crystal clear and turned to 5. I really want to shoot the buck or any deer with the ruger single shot and then make fun of Biebs with my deer picture.

I click the safety off as I slowly bring the rifle up. This is as easy as it gets. I am ready to shoot but in the process I manage to knock my glasses off my knee. They bounce on the soft carpeted floor of the deer stand. The buck has not moved. However, the second bounce is out of the deer stand and 20 feet down. The glasses hit the stands metal ladder twice and the deer is gone.

I am frustrated. I unload the gun and go down to find my glasses. I find them below the stand and come back up and throw them back down. Not a sound. They land on the ground that is covered in pine needles. I come back up and drop the glasses a dozen times on the carpeted floor of the tree stand - no noise and no second bounce.

I call it quits. Go down and walk to where the deer was - 91 paces. Just then the Admiral drives and ask me to come help him haul his deer out of the thick stuff.

Next time I am buying costa bands to hold the glasses or not wearing my glasses. Sucks I can't rub my single shot deer in Biebs face. I will never get as easy a shot on a buck as I had.

Pictures to follow in a few days once I get back in front of a computer and not a iPad.

Mike

That sounds strikingly similar to my hunting luck thus far. It almost rivals my terrible fishing luck!

Oh well, better than being at work I suppose.

shucks, thought you missed a shot up close like my coyote partner did one day. We'd set the squaller between us about 15' away. Six came running in, one came right up to it. I couldn't get a shot as my bipod legs were down and that put me over the dog before I could get them kicked up Earl shot and missed. How in the hell can anyone miss a coyote at 15 feet?? I got the legs up and made an offhand running hit at 80-90yards as it was jumping a bush.

Hell, get contacts! cures the glasses problems.
better luck next time. They sure have mine. and they don't make my nose sore or pull my ears either. I'm 73 and severe stigmatism, am so blind I can't find my own zipper without eye helpers on/in.

George

Stuff happens some days it seems deer are so stupid that one can jump up and down in the stand.

Other days every thing is right and you blink your eyes and one well bust you.

But if it was easy all the time it wouldn't be hunting.

As the story went on, I was thinking prescription glasses and it would end with a dead feeder mechanism but perfectly healthy deer. Tried the shot anyway even though without glasses I am blind kind of story.

Happens to us all at some point. I launched my bow once when I shot a doe without the wrist strap actually around my wrist. Then I watched a pretty decent buck wander by as I climbed down to get the bow.

Live to hunt another day, and you can always give Biebs crap about something. There seems to be many ways to capitalize on that.

Jeremy

Live and learn brother, live and learn.

besides, I probably know someone that will give you another chance!

and Biebs has the last laugh.....

Hard luck old fruit, hard luck...

Whilst making no admissions, I maintain that one does not the meaning of the phrase "burn with shame" until responsible for a long suppressed and painfully changed fart sends a hitherto unseen deer bursting out of a thicket 30 yards away from the stand...

Mikey, 91 paces? That Deer was as safe as if he was in another state! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Mikey, 91 paces? That Deer was as safe as if he was in another state! :-)

I wondered how long this would take.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Mikey, 91 paces? That Deer was as safe as if he was in another state! :-)

So, are we simple observers to gather that you think Mike's marksmanship skills could use some polishing up?

Polishing? Polishing? Do you have an industrial grinder????

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Polishing? Polishing? Do you have an industrial grinder????

I will need to raise these issues of internet bullying with my therapist next week

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Polishing? Polishing? Do you have an industrial grinder????

I will need to raise these issues of internet bullying with my therapist next week

Mike

Can't we just cry and petition AR to be a designated "safe space"??? That's how those things work, isn't it?

quote:

Can't we just cry and petition AR to be a designated "safe space"??? That's how those things work, isn't it?

Every computer comes with a safe space it is called the power switch.

Mike - thanks for helping me haul my buck out of that nasty cutover! I admit I do admire a hunter who can tell the whole truth about messing up an easy shot. It is a good trait to be able to laugh at ones self. There will be more forays into the South Carolina deer fields in the weeks ahead. Your time will come, and you may have the last laugh yet!

If we hunt long enough and often enough, things happen. It is just life!

I redeemed myself

The honor of the worst whitetail hunter and marksman goes back to Biebs.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I redeemed myself

The honor of the worst whitetail hunter and marksman goes back to Biebs.

Mike

Mike redeemed himself big time with a very nice South Carolina 8 point!!!!!

Congratulations Mike, did you bungee cord your glasses on?

I hunted South Carolina a long time ago when I was in Sub Group 6 & Sub Squadron 4, and an 8 pointer is a good deer there.

Any pictures?

https://imgur.com/a/PYQ6P

Mike

Nice deer and nice smile, Mike

quote:

Originally posted by jjbull:
Nice deer and nice smile, Mike

Took me two years of hunting to get my sc free range 8 points. He ranks high in my hunting achievements.

Mike

Well done Mike. A whitetail is a hard animal to take.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Well done Mike. A whitetail is a hard animal to take.

If one just wants to shoot a while tail that isn't very hard.


Well all depends on where one lives and the local deer population.

That said in most areas a real decent whitetail buck can be hard to take consistently every season.

But that also depends what is considered a decent buck.

Where I live shooting a decent 120 plus buck isn't done every season for sure. Shooting a 140 plus class buck is most likely a once in a life time buck.

Just because there are not a lot of them around.

I seen 3 160 plus class bucks around here in 60 plus years of living and only one of them was during season.

There are a few shot every year that make the local paper. But that is thousands of hunters.

The Jordan buck that was the world record was shot 60 miles from here.

So it can happen but it is very rare.

Any way I have a lot of fun hunting them every year and they are good eating.

Nice buck, Mike. Congrats!

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Well done Mike. A whitetail is a hard animal to take.

It is and I would say it is near impossible via spot and stalk. Nothing one does in Africa would work for it (in areas it is hunted or not fenced).

They are also jittery - I have never seen a relaxed whitetail.

Mike

Mike, are you allowed to tag road kill in SC?

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Mike, are you allowed to tag road kill in SC?

You guys crack me up.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Mike, are you allowed to tag road kill in SC?

I am going to turn you in to Melania Trump for cyber bullying.

Mike

I live in SC and have all my life with a few layovers in CO,TN. I have shot a mule deer, antelope, and still love the thrill of taking the SC deer.I have killed a dump truck load because of our season length generous limits,but at 65 I now shoot maybe 1 a year, either a late season doe or a big buck during the season.I no longer play the numbers game.
Congrats on your great SC deer, ya'll must have been hunting the low country based on the dates.

Well, it could be worse.

My bow season didn't go well. A little background. I've hunted with a recurve or longbow for about 50 years with a few years off here and there. Tried a compound once and didn't care for it. I get cancer, lose massive amounts of muscle mass and strength, can't even string my recurve let alone pull it back.

My dear friend lends me a compound and all the goodies, I can pull it back, about 50 pounds, and I actually shoot it very well. I practice till I'm dead-on every time out to 30 yards. Good to go. Archery season rolls around and I am ready.

I go out to a friends ranch north of here, that being Livingston, Montana. Sit in a tree stand and that evening there are whitetail laughing and running around all over the place, all under 30 yards. Finally a nice doe gives me a perfect 30 yard broad side shot while she looks in the other direction. I draw and before I can get on her the release goes "bink" and the arrow slams into the dirt 5 yards to her left.

Half an hour later a nice 3x3 buck walks directly under my stand but never gives me a shot. Then a doe walks out of the bushes and stands broadside maybe 7 yds. out. I don't even get to full draw before the release goes "bink" and the arrow lobs over her back.

Next morning I'm up in the hills north of town and about to fill my private land cow elk tag. Elk are slowly walking by me at under 15 yds. Finally, a nice cow elk stops and looks the other way and I come to full draw and before I can get the pin on her, yep, "bink" the arrow screams over her back.

I pack up the bow and return it to my friend, obviously the technology is beyond me. Nothing like that ever happened to me in hundreds of practice shots from every angle, sitting, kneeling, whatever.

I did kill two does opening week with my 270 and they are very tasty, currently smoking a couple of hind quarter "hams". It was extremely satisfying to whack those two and having a couple of more tags left I will be able to put my bow hunting disasters behind me. Next year my recurve and I will avenge the compound humiliation...

Hampton, SC.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Tunkis:
Well, it could be worse.

My bow season didn't go well. A little background. I've hunted with a recurve or longbow for about 50 years with a few years off here and there. Tried a compound once and didn't care for it. I get cancer, lose massive amounts of muscle mass and strength, can't even string my recurve let alone pull it back.

My dear friend lends me a compound and all the goodies, I can pull it back, about 50 pounds, and I actually shoot it very well. I practice till I'm dead-on every time out to 30 yards. Good to go. Archery season rolls around and I am ready.

I go out to a friends ranch north of here, that being Livingston, Montana. Sit in a tree stand and that evening there are whitetail laughing and running around all over the place, all under 30 yards. Finally a nice doe gives me a perfect 30 yard broad side shot while she looks in the other direction. I draw and before I can get on her the release goes "bink" and the arrow slams into the dirt 5 yards to her left.

Half an hour later a nice 3x3 buck walks directly under my stand but never gives me a shot. Then a doe walks out of the bushes and stands broadside maybe 7 yds. out. I don't even get to full draw before the release goes "bink" and the arrow lobs over her back.

Next morning I'm up in the hills north of town and about to fill my private land cow elk tag. Elk are slowly walking by me at under 15 yds. Finally, a nice cow elk stops and looks the other way and I come to full draw and before I can get the pin on her, yep, "bink" the arrow screams over her back.

I pack up the bow and return it to my friend, obviously the technology is beyond me. Nothing like that ever happened to me in hundreds of practice shots from every angle, sitting, kneeling, whatever.

I did kill two does opening week with my 270 and they are very tasty, currently smoking a couple of hind quarter "hams". It was extremely satisfying to whack those two and having a couple of more tags left I will be able to put my bow hunting disasters behind me. Next year my recurve and I will avenge the compound humiliation...

Still good hunting

Mike

Great hunting always has failure and struggle and maybe success. Success does not exist without failure. Epic failures not only make great stories but without them how much gratification would we really get from our success?

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Tunkis:
Great hunting always has failure and struggle and maybe success. Success does not exist without failure. Epic failures not only make great stories but without them how much gratification would we really get from our success?

So true for nearly everything in life.

Mike

Another picture. As AR members can infer I am rather proud of my deer.



Mike