Stay strong in your faith…
2022 Failure Thread
- Thread starter Beignet
- Start date
westbranch
Well-known member
ID archery Pronghorn - hunted 3 partial days since that is what fit the schedule. Was doing spot and stalk, only found them in wide open country and never made it closer than 120 yards. But fun to explore a new part of the state. Crappy cell phone pic of the bucks we found:
WY general elk - five days of the best elk hunting I ever experienced. Then poor shot on a bull and did not find it. Last sign of the elk, small drop of blood on little stick:
Plenty of hunting to do still, tags remaining:
ID general elk tag - hunt the next couple of weekends.
CO mule deer second season - me and a friend
ID regular deer tag - wife and I
ID extra antlerless whitetail - me
ID late season cow elk - wife and I
I have not shot a deer since 2013, deer hunted 5-10 days every year. Passing up young bucks or does early in the season because I wanted to spend more time hunting and then having something come up where I end up not shooting anything. Haven't even fired a shot at deer since 2013. Maybe this will be my year for deer.
WY general elk - five days of the best elk hunting I ever experienced. Then poor shot on a bull and did not find it. Last sign of the elk, small drop of blood on little stick:
Plenty of hunting to do still, tags remaining:
ID general elk tag - hunt the next couple of weekends.
CO mule deer second season - me and a friend
ID regular deer tag - wife and I
ID extra antlerless whitetail - me
ID late season cow elk - wife and I
I have not shot a deer since 2013, deer hunted 5-10 days every year. Passing up young bucks or does early in the season because I wanted to spend more time hunting and then having something come up where I end up not shooting anything. Haven't even fired a shot at deer since 2013. Maybe this will be my year for deer.
My GF said she appreciates the encouragement!
Chama Grande
Well-known member
Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
I shot right over what would have been my best bull. Beautiful wide frame double brows both sides, ivory white tips.. then he gave me another shot 10 yards further and shot right under him. I was shaking terribly of course…
A week later another bull comes into my lane with no light left and I’m needing to back out, and I had it ranged prior so knew I was good. This one had tall main beams but small otherwise- still, my first potential bull.. I took a shot and heard the thwak and thought it was money. He wandered off out of sight and I backed out- since there were wayyyy more elk in that field than I wanted to blow out. I had my brother in law come help me look for him in the morning my arrow was clean, minus some hair in the fletching. Looking at my shooting window in the daylight now, it had a branch through it, that deflected my arrow and caused me to shoot him in the lower leg.. almost 0 blood straight up a mountain until it ran out about .5 mile up.
We saw him again two days later. He’s fine. But I’m not… lol I’ve passed like 25 opportunities on cows… I’m kicking myself.
A week later another bull comes into my lane with no light left and I’m needing to back out, and I had it ranged prior so knew I was good. This one had tall main beams but small otherwise- still, my first potential bull.. I took a shot and heard the thwak and thought it was money. He wandered off out of sight and I backed out- since there were wayyyy more elk in that field than I wanted to blow out. I had my brother in law come help me look for him in the morning my arrow was clean, minus some hair in the fletching. Looking at my shooting window in the daylight now, it had a branch through it, that deflected my arrow and caused me to shoot him in the lower leg.. almost 0 blood straight up a mountain until it ran out about .5 mile up.
We saw him again two days later. He’s fine. But I’m not… lol I’ve passed like 25 opportunities on cows… I’m kicking myself.
Been there. My sympathies. Bet that b@&+#*^! ran off, fluffy tail just flowing in the fall breeze too.
Probably fighting mirage with that telescope
wolfpup
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2015
- Messages
- 496
Last 30 minutes of shooting light during muzzle elk with a bugle response on the other side of the ridge... the drainage I was in threw sounds in areas they were not. Anyway the bull was way closer than anticipated and I spooked him. Would have only been a 1/4 mile pack out on flat trail if I judged better.
Antelope - I was trying to coax antelope to go towards my wife at the other end of a field so I went into the pasture next to her and drove to the corner completely expecting them to bolt in her direction. Well they didn't budge so I watched them for a minute, took several ranges, got settled in, ranged again, toggled between multiple does trying to pick the fattest one. At 350 yards with a steady rest I shot right in the dirt. Connected the next day no problem but shooter error is the only thing to blame. Doe fever.
Antelope - I was trying to coax antelope to go towards my wife at the other end of a field so I went into the pasture next to her and drove to the corner completely expecting them to bolt in her direction. Well they didn't budge so I watched them for a minute, took several ranges, got settled in, ranged again, toggled between multiple does trying to pick the fattest one. At 350 yards with a steady rest I shot right in the dirt. Connected the next day no problem but shooter error is the only thing to blame. Doe fever.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
My dude, I've been failing HARD at archery mule deer since September 1st... 27 days left to the season though!
SaskHunter
Well-known member
This is the way!!!
Scott85
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- Joined
- Nov 22, 2018
- Messages
- 3,005
My life count?
Shangobango
Well-known member
I’ll add on. Wyoming mule deer, tag sandwich.
Two Louisiana softies got their butts kicked by the elevation.
Still wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.
I am sure I will have more to add as my fall and winter adventures continue.
Two Louisiana softies got their butts kicked by the elevation.
Still wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.
I am sure I will have more to add as my fall and winter adventures continue.
Yesterday I burned a PTO day to make a last ditch effort with my archery tackle of finding a local bull I’ve seen. Hiked back to the elk zone bright and early with stars still blazing in the sky and was feeling good and determined.
Before long I sunk my leg into a cold, wet, muddy bog, generally made a ton of noise making missteps on every dead stick in the woods, and winded my stink all over where I believe his hidey hole to be. It became apparent by noon that the only threat I posed to that bull was annoyance.
On the way back to the truck I flushed four grouse and thought taking a quick limit would be a nice participation trophy. Having already lost two arrows to a single elusive grouse this year I decided I’d run back to the truck and swap the bow for my little .22 Ruger pistol, then zip back the mile or so to the grouse zone.
Naturally they were long gone by then and I went home a day shorter on PTO and empty handed. All in all I’d consider that a pretty typical day of archery hunting for myself.
Before long I sunk my leg into a cold, wet, muddy bog, generally made a ton of noise making missteps on every dead stick in the woods, and winded my stink all over where I believe his hidey hole to be. It became apparent by noon that the only threat I posed to that bull was annoyance.
On the way back to the truck I flushed four grouse and thought taking a quick limit would be a nice participation trophy. Having already lost two arrows to a single elusive grouse this year I decided I’d run back to the truck and swap the bow for my little .22 Ruger pistol, then zip back the mile or so to the grouse zone.
Naturally they were long gone by then and I went home a day shorter on PTO and empty handed. All in all I’d consider that a pretty typical day of archery hunting for myself.
My knees are getting so bad that my archery elk season consisted of four 3-day camping trips where I too my bow for an hour walk each morning. Didn't get anything but it's hard to call it a failure with that little effort put into it. I've still got a couple of weeks of deer season left, but it doesn't look good.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
Watch me NOT fill my Wyoming *super duper secret* Elk tag...
Edit to avoid the million questions I got about the tag... should've known better.
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Came home empty handed from a Colorado muzzleloader hunt- tough hunt, didn’t see a ton of bucks and only a few nice ones. My dad came along to keep company, so it was nice to have someone else at camp for sure.
On Wednesday of the week-long tag I made the call to pull up stakes and turn the trip into a fishing and camping trip. That turned out great, and certainly can’t classify the trip as a failure. We had fun.
On Wednesday of the week-long tag I made the call to pull up stakes and turn the trip into a fishing and camping trip. That turned out great, and certainly can’t classify the trip as a failure. We had fun.
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5 years of back to back rifle elk success, now two years of back to back archery elk failure. The empty freezer is the worst! We put in 15 days this September. I just had a cortisone shot in my foot this week for nerve damage I did on the 11 days with no rest that we put in during the rut.
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