I let myself down

Opening day Saturday morning I had worked up quite a sweat getting out to my spot and up the tree. I decided to pour some doe urine down the tree as a cover scent. About 30 minutes later a huge monster buck came crashing through the bushes, strait to my area at full speed. I leaned forward and raised my bow but he turned around and ran back the way he came without stopping. I'm pretty sure that my movement caught his attention. I was wearing a leafy suit and mask but it made some noise on the back of the treestand cushion when I leaned forward. If only I would have just been more patient. This is on public land so I'm afraid I may have missed a huge opportunity for my first bow kill. Also kinda surprised that he would be chasing girls this early.

Won't be the last let down. Doe scented me opening morning, didn't blow just left in a hurry. I saw a fawn full spots on the teet. Seen ton of new fawns late this year...

It happens brotha! We have been seeing a ton of new fawns late this year too

I wouldn't beat yourself up over that. If you rushed and took a bad shot and left him wounded, then start hitting yourself. He'll be back.

It happens, the excitement gets the best of us all at one time or another. At least you know where he is, keep at it

Stuff happens. I let the biggest buck I have ever seen walk straight past me during rifle season a few years ago. Thought I didn't have a shot, probably did though, who knows. Sucked.

Last season's opener I did exactly the same thing. Sitting in a ground blind with a .270 I had sighted out to 150yds. Next thing I know, just as the whole ground was gold with daybreak a huge buck, I named 'Prime Tine' crossed briskly from left to right .....10 yards in front of my blind. I had two...maybe three seconds and he was gone. What I wouldn't have given for a 30-30 with iron sights. Some say I should have just did a point and click at that range. But honestly, how you take a really nice deer means as much to me as the deer. It was truly majestic and I just couldn't go gangsta on it.

Hard to say what spooked him deer are very unpredictable. I've been hunting all week, Friday I moved to my gun feeder and made a ground blind fifty or sixty yards from the feeder, about 5:30 two (non-shooter) bucks walked five yards from me with strong wind from the north they came from the south, I was sure I'd get busted. They went to the feeder and I watched them for five minutes or so, then I let them see enough of my upper body to see how they would react. I didn't move, just sat still, one was curious, he would look and then eat then quickly look back up, then his ears perked up, then a bite. After a few minutes he wandered off into some cover, shortly there after the other followed him, but the second buck was never alarmed.

Don't blame yourself; you never know what cause him to dart off. I've coughed 20 yards from a buck and he never took off, yet I've drawn on deer that weren't facing me and they took off like a Obama on a lie detector.

Sometimes a cover scent is not what is conducive to that particular area and can actually cause more harm that good. I doubt that the scent stimulated his desire; too early in the season. I guarantee if he was that big of a buck he KNOWS exactly what is going on in that area.