Well Gentlemen, I'm here to report that at 8:42AM this morning -
Big Buck Down!
I've never put down a buck this big before - his neck was the first thing I saw....
And he walked in slowly, stood broadside and offered me the shot, didn't have to rush, just laid it on and squeezed....
knocked him over, BAMM! He lay there, legs twitching, and I thought "Excellent, that's a short tracking job..."
And to my surprise, the sumbich jumped up and started running down a gametrail (the same one the doe took earlier in the week), running on 3 legs and his left front leg just dangling. Big Buck back up!?!?!?! What the fuck? I heard him running, then it stopped, but I didn't hear a crash.....
So my plan for the day was to hunt until 10:30, be out of the woods by 11:00, then load the truck and be on the road by 1pm. I was on stand at 6:30. Just enjoyed the morning, then at 8am I remembered something - yesterday I'd filled out my game log, but when I went to town (where reception is better) I'd forgotten to do the telecheck for the deer I took. I looked at the phone and saw that i had a single bar of reception. AND...i felt a bowel movement coming on....so I decided to leave the stand and hot-foot it back to the cabin, where I could multi-task, doing my telecheck while in the bathroom. Mission accomplished, so I fast-walked heel-toe back to the stand. Made it back, sat down, and not 15 seconds after settling in, I saw the buck. I was coming down the lane on one side of the fenceline and he was coming in from the other side, I just beat him. What timing! Amazing! He did exactly what he was supposed to, right up to the point where he jumped up and ran out of my life.
I waited 30 mins then went to the spot where he went down - no blood anywhere!?!?! I went back to my blind and replayed my motions, then went back to look for first blood, I was in the right spot...nothing. So I went down the trail....no blood until about 30 yards, then a little, then a little more. I followed the blood down, down...and it stopped. I circled, circled, nothing. Then I turned it into a grid-type search. Got excited when just by chance I found more blood about 30 yards farther downhill, but alas, that was the last blood I'd see. Long story short, I searched high, I searched low, I searched thru cedar thickets and every blowdown I came across. I gave up a little after 4pm.
Needless to say, I'm disappointed. It's crazy. I think I must have shot him too far forward, in the shoulder. Maybe the shoulder blade deflected the .357 bullet. But still, a 180grain Hornady XTP shoulda blown right thru there. I just don't get it. He went straight down, BAMM. What the actual fuck? I gotta believe he's still walking.
What have I learned? I need to adjust my aim point back a little bit. I've been very hesitant of gut shots, but I gotta get away from that shoulder. I also think I might need to consider a new cartridge, something with more knock-down power.
I'll get 'em next time.
