highs and lows of oppening day

[gonefishin1]

so I was excited as a little boy on Christmas morning when I got to the woods at 4:30 am even though I have to hunt the national forest this year instead of a lease... but I have been scouting for months so I know a great spot or two by now.

I get to my tree, climbed 20 feet up in my climber, then about 30 minutes before daylight a guy tries to come sit 150 yards in front of me after crashing through the brush, I flash him with my light so he walks another couple hundred yards and sits on the ground. then another guy comes up about 20minutes after daylight and does a complete circle around me about 3-400 yards away. I continue to see those two moving around me walking all the game trails they could find until about 10am now mind you I was almost a mile from the main road and way off the beaten path so to speak... no trails close by.

so now to the somewhat positive stuff. after them 2 cleared out the area I was sitting in my stand half asleep and eating. when I hear a twig snap, I look down and all I see under me is HORNS!!! huge mature 8 point. I calmly put my cell phone and pizza I was eating away grab my rifle and by this point he was about 50 yards away boom he jumped got behind some trees and calmly walked away, no blood nothing complete miss. hmm something is fishy I have no problem hitting what I am aiming at with that rifle.

so I climb back up in my stand wait until 6pm and out walks a doe about 100 yards out boom again no blood complete miss. something is seriously wrong with this picture. I check my scope and its broke. the zoom like fogs it up and makes it blurry when I tried it and the end cap is wiggling.... grrrrrr should've checked it before I took it hunting.

sorry for the long rant guys needed to vent

 

[juk]

That sounds awful. All of it. I hope you have much better luck on your next hunt. At least you know that you need a new scope. I would much rather hear of a clean miss than a bad hit.

 

[courtgreene]

you saw deer, you came back safely, you harmed or killed no one by mistake (or malice)... you, therefore, had a successful HUNT. The HARVEST didn't go so well, but the HUNT was very successful. Well done. I've hunted public land, and it's hard to do. It's also QUITE dangerous, when you consider who the public usually is (maybe that's just in NC). I think you should lighten up on yourself, and build on a successful HUNT, regardless of today's undesired HARVEST results.