well last night i went bowhunting at the age of 17 i set this stand found the tree did it all by myself ive hunted this buck for 4 years at 30 mins before dark i heard a crack i look and theres a deer 10 ft away from my stand i dont know how he snuck in so quietly so i got ready and everything he must of sensed i was there he walked out he must of been 20' wide and 10 inches tall a monster and he looked up i thought draw slow he saw me draw and ran 20 feet and walked away ill admit im 17 i balled like a baby in a toystore not getting his way im still upset but im moving the stand and gonna camo it up and the whole ten yards decoys scents the works ive got 14 days left and i plan to hunt them all

Good look! Keep a postitive attitude and you'll get another chance.

thanks my dad and alot of people said at my age just to have sen a mature buck and setup on him on my own was great and was a lesson to be learned

That's huntin~!

Thats a successfull hunt in my opinion!  Getting 10' away from a mature buck is an accomplishment.  Sounds like you've done your homework.  It just didnt pay out "this time".  Keep at it, you've done something right or you would have seen him at all!!!  

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

just be patient, put your stand where the does are gonna be, i saw you live in pa. the rut should be kicking in real soon. he's still out there. the best of luck. i suggest you pray first, that's the most important thing you can do.

I would call that one of the best nights hunting. You are so fortunate to be hunting the same deer for four years. Especially in PA. When you take him it will be a memory of a lifetime.

thanks guys for the encouragement and i prayed to god and thanked him that i got to see him ill just keep hunting and ill keep you all posted yes the rut is here bucksdown im def gonna hunt it    i just pray that i dont get so nervous lol thanks guys good luck to all of you this season too

Sounds like you are knocking on the door of this bucks house. Keep after it......it's all gonna break loose here in the next week or so. Hopefully you'll get another chance. Just remember........."Pick a spot"........a very small spot.

Winterhawk1960

Sounds like pretty exciting times! Good luck and I hope to be looking over your Hero pics soon.

Don't be too hard on yourself. You'll look back and smile on this someday. I promise!

Well, I'm an old fart, but I had a similar experience last weekend and thought it was a great night! The buck never knew I was there, but he never offered me a shot. Still, being in bow range of such an awesome creature is one of the greatest thrills in hunting as far as I'm concerned.

Forty years from now, you'll appreciate those moments more...trust me.

A bit of hopefully helpful advice: don't attempt to draw, even slowly, if he's looking at you. Many times they aren't sure if they are in danger, just on alert. Anything, even a subtle movement, can confirm their fears. Stay calm, stay still, don't look him in the eyes, and he'll likely relax (not completely but enough). As he turns to walk away, that is the time to draw. You still may not have a shot, but he probably won't bolt.

Good luck on the buck. At your age, there will be many more so savor the experience and look forward to the next.

rambo,  I've been doing this for 45 yrs. and did the exact same thing on a good buck a couple of nights ago.  That's why we call it hunting and not just killing.  Keep your chin up because it's simply amazing to be that close to such a great creature.

Don't over do the changes that you are contemplating. You could hurt yourself if you change too much. It seems to me that your telling of the event you simply need to learn to read animal's body language. If that buck had not seen you draw perhaps he would have presented you with a better shot. If that buck did not smell you you may see him again. However, the rut is about to go full blown and he may be miles away at any particular time. The things I suggest that you do is to learn patience and enjoy the experiences you have. Can you look back and see if thee is anything you can learn about how you handled the situation? Sometimes, the change that need to be made is mental. Sounds like your set up is good or he wouldn't have come in. I just have this gut feeling that you needed to take your time.

I always try to keep in mind that if success happened easily and often it would not be special or even considered success.  Keep at it--when it comes it will be that much more sweet

At 17 look at it this way.. That's one of the first disappointments you'll have in a life time of hunting, and any encounter that does not wound the deer, is far better than those that do. Believe me all of the downers just make the successes that much sweeter.

For whatever it's worth I have never been able to make a slow draw on a deer that is watching either.

Might want to rethink your hobby, as Trad Archery for whitetails will be filled with lots more moments when things don't go right compared to  when they do. LOL

Seriously, I know that when those opportunities don't work out it seems disappointing and that's where it test your character. Lots of people quit this game cuz its just takes more dedication and stamina than they are willing to put forth. Stick with it an it will pay off in Spades.

I'm betting that in 40 years or so, this night will look pretty good. You are going to have worse ones, trust me.

well guys no buck but i saw him he was up there last night after i moved my stand 100 yards down the ridge and in the bedding area 20 yards so I'm on his turf and i went up to 24 feet high on a 10 ft bank high but extremely good and i zip tied a big branch to the bottom and one side
its 4 trees in one one one behind me and 2 to the side great shooting lanes and it goes on its flawless know I'm gonna use our decoys and scent and draw him back  know its a hunting setup       he comes to me
god bless david

well as you know i spooked a monster whitetail on 10/27/10 well i hunted Saturday November 6 2010 i was at a foot ball game the night before with all my friends hanging out i was so tired i slept in the next day till 8:30 got up ate got dressed and walked 2 miles to my stand i carried all my clothes so i didn't sweat it was 34 degrees perfect temp and the rut is on so i got down in the thick hemlocks and realized i forgot my tree steps so i walked back to the house got them and walked back ad i laid a 50 yard scent trail over the fence hoping the buck would come through smell it and come to me. well i had just taken a pee (bear in mind i use tight hot water botttles like the wensels do) and 5 mins later all i see is a white chest and a huge rack i thought pretend u saw a spike that calmed me down i grabbed my bow as fast as i could hes so in rut doesnt realize and he walked to 6 yards ofered me a shot about 2 feet around cause of so my branches he was about to jump the fence and i drew down and thwack i saw blood immediatley and thought yes i was jumping in my stand oh i was so happy he was crashing around then silence so i waited 1/2 hour got down and found first blood went home and told my father brother mom and sister oh i was so happy we went and found the blood and there was blood every where and there he laid dead as a stone a monster 7 pointer
hes 3 1/2 years old and mature  

if some one can give me their email i will send pics so that they can post them for i dont know how to do it i will score him up and get pics of the view from my stand also
thank you and god bless