@RM.510bigbore Using a thermal drone would be nice, but it is not legal in Louisiana. Where you hunt it thicker than this? Damn!! The messed up here is I had not long just got into the woods as I walked along a road coming from upwind so my scent didn't blow into the deer. This area is below the area where I photographed the buck that's on my social feed I posted a couple weeks back. I felt like literal minutes of stepping into the woods and I was almost busted. It saw something. I don't know if it was my orange cap or what, but I heldfast and he eventually started moving again. He moved slow, remained cautious, and kept looking in my direction. I took the shot because he would stop and look. It's when he stared that I felt like I had a shot. I really intended to work my way up the hill for a better vantage point and the ability to turn and shoot in in several directions with better visibility. The shot was a shot of circumstance and perhaps a bit of haste. I was afraid that If he walked I wouldn't be able to track him without being heard and jumping him. I messed this up. I think getting to a clearing would've provided me more confidence in my shot. I figure that since I could see his head clearly through my scope that I could thread a shot through. Now I'm thinking that it's possible that I misjudged some small branches or something. I can't say.
@Nealgl1985 I've never crossbow hunted. I can say this, I've hunted with an airbolt and there's no way I would've taken that shot with an airbolt. That tells me that it wouldn't have been a good shot opportunity to take with a crossbow. I had a thermal scanner in the truck. I didn't bring it because I've tried using one last year in high humidity and I ended up finding the spike using a flashlight instead. The thermal image was too hazy. Additionally, my thermal scanners don't pick up heat well in dense brush and that is on alive moving animals. I had just tried to see some deer moving through some brush within past week when I was out looking for armadillos in the yard. I really didn't feel confident that it would help several hours later when I returned after I'd left to grab my other boots and some food. To your point about verifying zero, I'd done that the towards dusk the night before from 50 to 20 yards standing behind my Trigger Sticks bipod. I could stand to do more shooting with this rifle, but it still performs like it should and my 20 yard group that I shot in a rush was acceptable, which is why I felt comfortable taking the shot. I didn't even cock the rifle after the shot because I thought it was a decent shot. I can't say a good shot, because it didn't drop. I thought I might have to follow up on a wounded deer. When it turned and walked, that's when I cocked the rifle and tracked the shoulder for a broadside shot. I could view the high art of the shoulder and was confident I could finish the deed even hitting a single lung. These thoughts are racing through my head in the moment. It is possible that I shot over the shoulder because this rifle jumps and that was a small target area that was moving slowly.
@Airgun79 Congrats on your hunt. This just wasn't a good outing for me and it sucks. I did manage to check my gear the evening before and to lay out most of what I wanted to take. I was only confused about the boots. I guess I mistook a pair of work boots for my hunting boots and left the hunting boots at someone else's home. The tracking with out a blood trail is rough. It was tough to find tracks because the leaves are literally falling all day. So when I went to the edge of the creek i was looking for skid marks or scuff in the damp earth. I saw one. I couldn't see tracks to tell which direction it went. This really sucks to think about man.
@Hal4son I could have packed my original Bulldog .357 and some airbolts, but this is not the place for it. It's too thick in these woods and I had not picked a particular spot to post. I had intended to move around, spot and stalk before I went out. I didn't setup a tree stand, blind, or identify a natural one. I was going to areas where I'd spotted deer on multiple trips to the property throughout the year. I have a place that I may try airbolts later in the season, but before I do I'd like to practice more with them. I haven't been shooting them because I've been focusing more on shooting the M357 since purchasing it.
The bottom line is I messed up. What I'm taking away from this is to pass on a "maybe" shot and take the shot that you believe provides the best chance at putting fur in the dirt. These aren't squirrels and I'm very confident at taking unobstructed broadside shots within 50 yards. I would even take a 60-65 yard broadside shot in a clearing because I've done it before with this rifle.
