Missed a buck. Will he come back?

[Ken Swenson]

Well, I blew it on a really nice buck tonight in Colorado with my muzzleloader. He was in a bachelor herd of four bucks, all four were shooters in my book. I sat at an ambush for three hours, and before leaving, stood up and turned around to see the bucks 200 yards uphill from me feeding. I’ll spare you the rest of the sob story, but a shot was fired and it was a clean miss. All four cleared the nearest ridge and disappeared, not before their racks were silhouetted in the sunset as they crossed over… brutal.

So besides feeling like crap about a missed shot, I’d like to ask the mule deer experts if there’s any chance those bucks come back to the general area. I have until Saturday before I have to head home.

I know archery is a different story, people can blow stalks and still kill the same buck later in the same day sometimes. Is it a lost cause on a muzzleloader hunt?

 

[yellowbeard]

I'd say good chance you see at least some of them again, in the general area or even in the exact area.

Instances I've had where I bumped bucks and then saw them again in the last two years:

- Bumped three nice bucks at about 50 yards, found one back within 100 yards of that spot a week later.
- Missed a shot at one of three bucks, found one of them in the exact same spot three days later.
- A couple nice bucks smelled me at 150 yards, saw them again the next day on the other side of the ridge, less than a half mile from where they had been.

I don't think Mule Deer go anywhere near as far as Elk when they are bumped.

Admittedly only one of my examples was a missed shot, but I still think you have a good chance. I've seen deer have a bullet fly past them and not react at all. In my opinion, most times a missed shot is less scary to them than them smelling you.

Good luck!

 

[Taudisio]

Last year we watched a Polaris razor full of “banshees” drive 150 yards away from 7 bucks feeding together and seems like they shot every round they had. I was about 800 yards away and 2/3rds the way into my stalk on them. Never heard a hit and watched where the bucks went. I shot one from the group that evening when he came out of the aspen grove/creek he ran to about a half mile from where they were shot at. They did split into pairs and I didn’t see where the others went.

 

[AHayes111]

There is a good chance. My father and I muffed a stock on a big buck one Thanksgiving and he was back in the same place on Sunday.

 

[Ken Swenson]

Thanks guys, gives me the motivation I need to get back out there.

Hopefully one turns back up!

 

[yellowbeard]

Thanks guys, gives me the motivation I need to get back out there.

Hopefully one turns back up!

Let us know how it goes!