The one that got away...

I'm sure everyone has a story or two with this tag line. So I was just wanting to start a thread to alleviate my pain at the moment.
What's your "One that got away" story?

I'll kick things off with my weekend.


Have an area of private that I have been hunting for a couple of years now and although I've known there were stags there, big stags at that, I haven't been able to get on to them. My brother went spotlighting last week and saw a nice young 12 pointer feeding in a nearby crop and told me the next day that it'd be a good one to have a go at with the bow.
So yesterday I took the bow and thought I'd give it a whack.
The wind was a northerly so I spent about 20 minutes skirting around the bush to come from the south. I zig zagged through the bush in the area where they have always lived and after about 2 hours of patient stalking without one footprint or one piece of shit and coming into an area they have never stayed in I un-nocked my arrow, a little bemused.
I kept walking along the game trail to where it branched into a Y. I ummed and ahhed and eventually decided to go left, took a few steps and thought "fuck it, I'll go right". I walked on a another 30 seconds maybe and paused staring at the ground wondering "how the fuck is there not one track, not even an old one". I looked up and there 50 m in front of me is the biggest fucking stag I have ever seen. A monstrously wide and heavy 12 pointer, about 35"+ long main beams, a small bodied, very skinny and old looking guy standing completely broadside. Well having no gun and no nocked arrow I may have well a tried to throw a stone at the bugger to kill him. I slowly dropped and tried to nock an arrow as quick as possible but he took off.
I am only a mere man, I stood there for a moment not sure whether to be angry at myself for not thinking a bigger stag was in there, angry for taking the fucking bow instead of the rifle, or whether I was going to cry. As stupid as it sounds, my passion became the obsession, it was one of those really powerful moments in my life that made me question what I do and why I hunt. I got up at 5:30 yesterday morning with 4 hours sleep and was rooted all day but I was still staring at the ceiling last night at 3am picturing that stag. I haven't put pen to paper today at work because he's still in my head and the sick feeling in my stomach just won't go away.

I am as gutted as I've ever been right now but there is one positive I can cling to. To know that I feel this way and that I'm attached to hunting so much, as stupid as it sounds, makes me feel like I have a purpose. He may be the "one that got away" but I'm a hunter, and I'm going to get him....

Whoa mate, I haven't had anything near to that yarn....keep you head up , he's still out there....this weekend perhaps??????

The one that got away can therefore still be the one that gets got today! :wtfsmilie:
Made that up, dribble but makes sense to me ha ha ha.... Go get him!! :thumbsup:

Yeh he's still out there, somewhere... I'm not allowed to use rifles on the property after 10am which is another reason why I took the bow, I followed his tracks and caught up with him an hour later but he busted me and ran into the mountains which is illegal to hunt. Wish I could chase him this weekend but I've already booked off time to chase sambar in the high country. A week off might do him good to settle down again, there's a lovely oat crop next door so he'll be back. That is unless he finds a lupin one also nearby which would make him harder to find

Jeez Jack you enjoy far too much success to let the odd one that gets away bother you that much.

True Rushy; I don't care about not getting things normally but reds are my passion and I've never taken a decent one by myself one despite living amongst them my whole life. We have the genetics here just not the numbers so opportunities are generally few and far between.

I am gutted but I deliberately went a little overboard to try to get someone to top it. I'm interested in other peoples experiences of the one that got away - we've all had em.

Good story

Ok here's my story of the one that got away. It's very simple and short, but still has me shaking my head after a year has gone by.

End of roar (1st weekend of May) I was on a private hunting block. Dawn came with a misty type of drizzle, and no wind. I was off to a track not far from the hut and began my quiet stroll down the due layered grass and soft mud. It was eerily quiet and upon reaching the end of the track I looked around and decided breaky was in order so began my walk back. Half way back around a bend I spied a mob of goats doing what goats do best, nothing. They saw me, and I stopped to see what they would do. One goat in particular was looking at me, then back up the hill along the track and at me, then up the track again. Must be another goat up there I thought. So I took 5 small steps around the bend to look up the track I had just come down 30 minutes earlier. There before me on the track in the mist 60 yards away standing side on looking at me was a stag with a head full of points. Bloody oath! I lost count at 8 points before raising the rifle and having deer full in my scope let rip. Looking up from the scope, the stag looked at me some what confused but not crumbling like I had imagined. Fark, I missed? Another bullet up the spout, Boom! Again nothing? Then he decided it was an appropriate time to fark off and casually trot off into the bush. I chased in pursuit, and fired a hale marry at the back of its head. Again nothing. I then stopped and checked for any blood in the area and grumpily admitted defeat. Upon returning to the hut, the old buggers with the kettle on and breaky cooking looked at the expression on my face and new something was up. Without a word to them, I set up a target 60 yards away on a stump, let 3 shots go and hit the target every time. Not the rifles fault, just the muppet behind it was my conclusion. I decided I must have pulled the trigger all 3 times as I certainly didn't have buck fever and was composed in at least 2 of the shots. This is my story of the one that got away which would have been my first stag!

Bummer Rusky but there will be more.;)

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Originally Posted by Rusky

Ok here's my story of the one that got away. It's very simple and short, but still has me shaking my head after a year has gone by.

End of roar (1st weekend of May) I was on a private hunting block. Dawn came with a misty type of drizzle, and no wind. I was off to a track not far from the hut and began my quiet stroll down the due layered grass and soft mud. It was eerily quiet and upon reaching the end of the track I looked around and decided breaky was in order so began my walk back. Half way back around a bend I spied a mob of goats doing what goats do best, nothing. They saw me, and I stopped to see what they would do. One goat in particular was looking at me, then back up the hill along the track and at me, then up the track again. Must be another goat up there I thought. So I took 5 small steps around the bend to look up the track I had just come down 30 minutes earlier. There before me on the track in the mist 60 yards away standing side on looking at me was a stag with a head full of points. Bloody oath! I lost count at 8 points before raising the rifle and having deer full in my scope let rip. Looking up from the scope, the stag looked at me some what confused but not crumbling like I had imagined. Fark, I missed? Another bullet up the spout, Boom! Again nothing? Then he decided it was an appropriate time to fark off and casually trot off into the bush. I chased in pursuit, and fired a hale marry at the back of its head. Again nothing. I then stopped and checked for any blood in the area and grumpily admitted defeat. Upon returning to the hut, the old buggers with the kettle on and breaky cooking looked at the expression on my face and new something was up. Without a word to them, I set up a target 60 yards away on a stump, let 3 shots go and hit the target every time. Not the rifles fault, just the muppet behind it was my conclusion. I decided I must have pulled the trigger all 3 times as I certainly didn't have buck fever and was composed in at least 2 of the shots. This is my story of the one that got away which would have been my first stag!

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Jeese Rusky, still to have that experience, sitting here all calm & collected, i would like to think i will control 'stag fever' and the adrenalin......but time will tell......nice admission mate, thanks

Tell you what scouser, it was still a magnificent site to such a big animal up and close. Hopefully it grows a good set of timber for next year

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Originally Posted by Rusky

Tell you what scouser, it was still a magnificent site to such a big animal up and close. Hopefully it grows a good set of timber for next year

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That's the way, you gunna go chase him again next year?
The bloke I'm chasing is pretty old and I reckon he's going backwards now.

Got any good ones Scouser?

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Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

That's the way, you gunna go chase him again next year?
The bloke I'm chasing is pretty old and I reckon he's going backwards now.

Got any good ones Scouser?

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Sounds like you need to stop chasing Rushy around :P

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Originally Posted by Gibo

Sounds like you need to stop chasing Rushy around :P

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haha better watch out mate, he'll be after you with a vengeance if you say that stuff!

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Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

That's the way, you gunna go chase him again next year?
The bloke I'm chasing is pretty old and I reckon he's going backwards now.

Got any good ones Scouser?

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Not really BH, the last time i was in the Kiamanawas, I was 'barked' at by a Sika hind, knew she was behind some windfall & bush, put one in the pipe, shouldered the rifle and held me breath....

she then appeared where i was not expecting, so put my crosshairs on the the next open piece of ground, held my breath....held it a bit longer...then heard her crash away to my left.....goneburger....that was it out of 2 days hunting!!!!!!

till next time...........

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Originally Posted by Scouser

Not really BH, the last time i was in the Kiamanawas, I was 'barked' at by a Sika hind, knew she was behind some windfall & bush, put one in the pipe, shouldered the rifle and held me breath....

she then appeared where i was not expecting, so put my crosshairs on the the next open piece of ground, held my breath....held it a bit longer...then heard her crash away to my left.....goneburger....that was it out of 2 days hunting!!!!!!

till next time...........

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Doesn't need bone to be a trophy mate or in this instance a trophy lost ha

I missed a 230DS fallow a few years ago and got caught with my pants down by a 25"sambar and it didn't bother me but losing a good red is my kryptonite.

Persistance pays off mate, go back. Probably saw this during the roar but this stag gave me the run around for years


http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...vendetta-6737/

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Originally Posted by JoshC

Persistance pays off mate, go back. Probably saw this during the roar but this stag gave me the run around for years


http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...vendetta-6737/

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I remember that story, the first two lines are what I live by and why I'm so gutted that I stuffed this chance up.

Kaimais yesterday:

Spooked some hinds lying up next to a dead 6 point stag which looked to be few years old, very unusual I thought. The tag along was a old mate of mine who wanted to test out his fitness levels and see what this hunting thing is all about. The hunting was almost over with 20 minutes left of walking to do, and I had chosen a open ridge to walk back along as I couldn't be bothered with the nightmare supplejack no more and either could my mate. Then from my right 25m away a animal erupts from the bush and crosses over to my left (Insert slow motion here). As it was doing this I saw timber on its head and then began whistling several times. It stopped just before dropping over the ridge, arse on and looked back at me. What an impressive sight I thought! Rifle raised, and I looked down the scope but couldn't see it? I should add here I had to take a shot through a gap in two trunks 30cm apart which was making finding the stag difficult. Looked up from the scope, and saw it still in its stare position. Rifle up, this time I can find the stag, steadied myslef best I could and let rip for the neck. Silence follwed. I chambered another round and walked quickly to the spot I had last seen it. Nothing was found :oh noes: I looked over the ridge into the green canopy of fern and saw and heard no movement. The desperate grid search for blood drops followed but to no avail. I owed the stag that much to make sure it wasn't hit. Stags 2, homo 0.

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Originally Posted by Rusky

Ok here's my story of the one that got away. It's very simple and short, but still has me shaking my head after a year has gone by.

End of roar (1st weekend of May) I was on a private hunting block. Dawn came with a misty type of drizzle, and no wind. I was off to a track not far from the hut and began my quiet stroll down the due layered grass and soft mud. It was eerily quiet and upon reaching the end of the track I looked around and decided breaky was in order so began my walk back. Half way back around a bend I spied a mob of goats doing what goats do best, nothing. They saw me, and I stopped to see what they would do. One goat in particular was looking at me, then back up the hill along the track and at me, then up the track again. Must be another goat up there I thought. So I took 5 small steps around the bend to look up the track I had just come down 30 minutes earlier. There before me on the track in the mist 60 yards away standing side on looking at me was a stag with a head full of points. Bloody oath! I lost count at 8 points before raising the rifle and having deer full in my scope let rip. Looking up from the scope, the stag looked at me some what confused but not crumbling like I had imagined. Fark, I missed? Another bullet up the spout, Boom! Again nothing? Then he decided it was an appropriate time to fark off and casually trot off into the bush. I chased in pursuit, and fired a hale marry at the back of its head. Again nothing. I then stopped and checked for any blood in the area and grumpily admitted defeat. Upon returning to the hut, the old buggers with the kettle on and breaky cooking looked at the expression on my face and new something was up. Without a word to them, I set up a target 60 yards away on a stump, let 3 shots go and hit the target every time. Not the rifles fault, just the muppet behind it was my conclusion. I decided I must have pulled the trigger all 3 times as I certainly didn't have buck fever and was composed in at least 2 of the shots. This is my story of the one that got away which would have been my first stag!

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bugger in the words of Yoda " there is another "

Even good hunters like me miss a few . I still check that I missed & do the walk of shame if no deer found . Your misses teach you to be better at shooting your deer .

It was a difficult shot for myself, but one that could have gone either way if the bullet had connected. That walk of shame is horrible, especially back to the car replaying the scene over and over and thinking what I could have done better. In this instance I couldn't wait out the stag and I had stopped it with a few whistles to generate some curiosity for the shot. So all was in motion for the taking, and my lack of skills (shooting) let me down. Back to sulking and dreaming.

Many years ago was walking into Totara flats in the Tararua's with two mates, they were yapping theirs heads of and one was pretty unfit. Stopped for the twentieth time! So I said I'd quietly walk on ahead, this I was on the main hi way in, had an old cut down 303, with rounds in the mag an bolt close dose them,not expecting anything, fark me round the corner and two hinds haven't a latte in the middle of the track, how long does it take to cycle a bolt!!!!! Then to totally confuse me one went up the other down, shit I was pissed!

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Originally Posted by Rusky

It was a difficult shot for myself, but one that could have gone either way if the bullet had connected. That walk of shame is horrible, especially back to the car replaying the scene over and over and thinking what I could have done better. In this instance I couldn't wait out the stag and I had stopped it with a few whistles to generate some curiosity for the shot. So all was in motion for the taking, and my lack of skills (shooting) let me down. Back to sulking and dreaming.

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Pick ya lip up, it will still be there next time :thumbsup:

I nearly married a good looking pig, seen her lately, Im glad she got away, I think I saw her just enough!:O_O: