The one that got away?

[Khunter]

Opening this thread as a place to share our most compelling “the one that got away” photos and videos.

I guess the intended or preferable criteria is photo documentation of the critter so we can all see why it was so memorable and perhaps painful.

I will start with a giant bull abqbw and I found at first light opening day on my WY archery elk hunt. video below.

We were within a few hundred yards and as close as 190 yards of this wildly rutting and distracted bull and brilliantly took time to video and photograph just like the pros, LOL, before closing in for the kill in perfectly stalkable terrain.

Finally we decide I should trot down there for an “easy” opening day kill on this bomber bull that is running amok among a herd of cows and running off satellite bulls. Total pandemonium.

I get to about 80 yards and the bull is actually coming my way! In rides a couple cowboys pushing some cattle and off runs the herd with this bull never to be seen again despite our best efforts over several days. OUCH!!!

If I had not delayed the final
stalk by 10 minutes to enjoy the scene and photograph the bull, who lnows how it may have turned out.

But at least I have video and pics. Ugh.

 

[Oak]

Chased this ram for a week before moving on to find one more accessible.

 

[Oak]

Only saw this ram one time while scouting, from about 2.5 miles. Would have liked to see more of him....

 

[duckhunt]

Hunting Iowas early muzzleloader season I had my gun laying beside me. I had my phone in my hands trying to take pictures of turkeys for my wife. Happen to look to my left and theres a great buck staring at me. Hes spooks and runs off. About 2 minutes later I hear dad take a shot. I spooked it right to dad. He laughs every time we talk about it.

 

[Irrelevant]

I've never taken the time to take a photo/video. When I see a big one I jump to action. Then they jump away. That's usually how it goes.

 

[Sask hunter]

I missed this guy just low a few days after spotting him. Spotted him waited for a storm to come in and wind was perfect. He came out minutes after I got setup except I wasn’t able to setup quite where I wanted since does were in the field already.

 

[ZBB]

I bumped the elk about 10 minutes in to shooting light opening day of South Dakota archery elk. Never saw him again. I didn’t pick a spot on the mule a couple months after I took the picture and shot under him...from 15 yards. If I would take more pictures I could fill this thread pretty well myself.

 

[Jerky]

Not a Big Hank story, but a doe pronghorn hunt this past Sunday.

Peak over a hill and there are are about 30 pronghorn bedded on a hillside around 500 yards away. I backed out to Get out of sight. Plan was to make a large circle and get on the back side of the hill they were on. Wind would be in my favor then.

About a mile of walking later, I'm on top of the hill claimed by the herd. Each step I take reveals more country below me. I'm getting confused and feeling lost because I can't find the herd at all. Then I see another guy in orange down below. The herd had apparently boogied off while I was out of sight.

Everyone walked away empty handed. Hurts really bad right now because I guess I'm going to have to buy some meat this year. I have one more day I could go out, but I doubt it will work out. This area in eastern CO doesn't have as many pronghorn as I hoped.

 

[Oak]

I missed this buck in 2013 and then killed a bigger one about 30 minutes later.

 

[Kaitum]

Back when I was 13 or 14 I was archery hunting deer just across the road from my parent's house. Two nights before I had gotten a brief look at what had been the largest buck I had seen in my brief hunting career. That night I was sitting along the trail where I previously saw the buck.

After two hours of sitting nothing came along so with 15 minutes of shooting light left I walked out to the field 30 yards behind me. Got to the edge of the field, saw a deer, and didn't process what I was doing before acting. I blew my grunt tube and the deer was immediately running straight at me. It was the same buck from two nights ago. Before I knew it he was standing broadside at 10 yards, posturing, neck swollen and ready to take on the world. And what was I doing during that time? Fumbling with my arrow release I had already stuffed into my pocket and frantically trying to nock an arrow. The buck was patient enough to let me do all that messing around and just start to draw back before he bolted.

Think I walked around without my release on my wrist after that?

My archery hunting highlights have been fairly ho hum thus far in my life, but I remember that night like it was yesterday.

 

[mplane72]

I have more then I like to think about. 2 that I have TC pics.
First buck I ever drew a bow on.....


2019. Totally choked.

 

[EYJONAS!]

No pics to share, but I totally blew it on a very very nice Montana Shiras Bull when I had a tag 15 years ago. I can still see him running away......... I wanted to off myself at the time. Missed a couple giant bears and solid bull elk. No pics though.

 

[SaskHunter]

No pictures, but although I had a great season (2x Antelope Bucks, WT buck, MD Buck, couple MD does), I did miss two beautiful bucks during archery season.

The first was the opening evening of archery WT, a beautiful 150" velvet buck jumped the string at 40 yds. He came out trotting and I had to stop him for a shot, he looked straight at me up my treestand and he ducked straight down, barely missing.

The second was the opening morning of archery MD, a very nice 5x6 with all sorts of junk. I had him at 42 yards, arrow flew through the hair on its back, literally. No excuse for that one, completely my fault...

Here's an other one, 2017, I missed a 150/160 inch typical deer during rifle season, I blew a chunk of hair off its back. The following morning, I shot my biggest deer to date (167 3/8 with double drop tine on the left beam), so I was pretty happy I missed that previous one.

 

[JLS]

This guy at 60 yards in Nevada....

 

[JTHOMP]

November 2016
A friend of a friend’s dad coincidentally was hunting the same area I was at the time. Scouting separately and both found good sign...

Any I was hunting along the western edge of a ridge that ran N and S through the swamp. Sitting on the ground next to a big oak facing mostly N.

I could hear something walking behind me and getting closer, but I couldn’t tell if it was walking the ridge I was sitting on or if it was across the slough on the next ridge to my left. If it was on the other ridge I would have to swap hands to make a right handed shot. I’m listening intently and impatiently trying to know which ridge it was on. I turn my head trying to key in on location and heard the gut wrenching sound of an animal taking off 10yds behind me. Much closer than I expected. I look just in time to see an impressive buck with 5 on one side bounding off never to be seen again. I told my buddy what I saw and he sends of pic of a heck of 10pt in the area. Still kick myself for screwing that one up.

 

[coloradoguy]

Got him on trail cam at my small piece of land bordering public before archery season, the wife had him at 60 yards opening day just after shooting hours. Then saw him driving out one night from a sit.

then the neighbor let the ups man have access to the public behind his and our place....yup he killed the buck we were targeting. We named him “jugs” do to his very large rack

 

[JTHOMP]

January 2013
The water was on the rise in the Basin and the deer were rutting. I’m still a novice at swamp hunting and especially then. Me and a buddy put on waders set out for a hunt. From the main road he would follow an old hunting club road west into deeper water and make a loop back hunting his way toward the road. I would do the same a half mile north of him, but follow a pipeline then turn into the woods. He told me to be looking for rubs in the water.

I went too far down the pipeline before turning in the woods and the whole time slipping back towards the road all I saw was trees and waist deep water. After about 3 hours of slip hunting in the water my legs were tired and I was lazy. The water was finally getting shallower and I saw the first patch of green vegetation on the ground, but my hunting senses never tingled at this sight. The was a limb in front of me. Rather than quietly going around it I just went right through it in the water. And then crashing through the water from that green vegetation was a giant set of horns.

That was at the last 5 minutes of daylight. To add salt in the wound, the remainder of the walk to the road in the dark I heard deer running through water the whole way back. Hunted that area 2 days later and only saw 1 doe.

 

[teej89]

January 2013
The water was on the rise in the Basin and the deer were rutting. I’m still a novice at swamp hunting and especially then. Me and a buddy put on waders set out for a hunt. From the main road he would follow an old hunting club road west into deeper water and make a loop back hunting his way toward the road. I would do the same a half mile north of him, but follow a pipeline then turn into the woods. He told me to be looking for rubs in the water.

I went too far down the pipeline before turning in the woods and the whole time slipping back towards the road all I saw was trees and waist deep water. After about 3 hours of slip hunting in the water my legs were tired and I was lazy. The water was finally getting shallower and I saw the first patch of green vegetation on the ground, but my hunting senses never tingled at this sight. The was a limb in front of me. Rather than quietly going around it I just went right through it in the water. And then crashing through the water from that green vegetation was a giant set of horns.

That was at the last 5 minutes of daylight. To add salt in the wound, the remainder of the walk to the road in the dark I heard deer running through water the whole way back. Hunted that area 2 days later and only saw 1 doe.

I feel like the absolute second I give up due to laziness/exhaustion/boredom is when it always goes down.

Still trying to kill my first wild pheasant out here in washington and 3 weeks ago I was reminded of why I don't give up until I'm at the truck, as luck had it we were 100yds from the truck and the dog had a perfect flush on a rooster in which I was caught dumbfounded haha

 

[TheTone]

Freakishly large (for the area)bull elk in 2013. Called him in to about 10 yards within 500 yards of my pickup right at daylight. When I drew back my arrow popped off the rest due to an issue with the cord on my drop away rest. I then called all his cows back in about an hour later and he wasn’t with them. I don’t know exactly what he was, either a 6x7 or 7x8,but his mass was crazy and he had a big kicker off his right side 4th point. I would guess his score between 360-375. I remember being depressed at home that night thinking I should be able to just walk out to my garage and look at him if it wasn’t for the rest issue

 

[Oak]

Hey @Dinkshooter, want me to send you some pictures to post?