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Would you take the shot?

This picture is from Nov. 4 2009 as I remember. I had a small natural ground blind over looking the pictured field. I slipped into the blind around 1:30 PM with the intent of hunting the field for the evening. Unknown to me, right next to the blind in the overgrown fence row was a hot doe bedded down. Maybe 10 feet away and well concealed. That doe stayed put and allowed me to setup in the blind. I was not settled for more than two minutes with my bow on my lap and this guy appeared not 20 yards up the fence row. I had enough time to take this picture, go to full draw, contemplate the shot, and then let off. As soon as I let off, the undetected doe busted out with the buck in tow. I about crapped myself. Never saw him again.

Would you have taken the shot? Are you confident that you could punch through the tangled mess and put a fatal shot on him? He haunts my dreams to this day. God, I love bow hunting.

In case you are wondering, I took it with a flip phone.

You were there not me.

Therefore, only you know for certain of the shot situation.

Everything else is idle speculation.

Punch thru with an arrow? He had you and would have string jumped. Neck only? Good choice made imo.

I'm out. No way I take that shot as it is in the picture. Very high prob of a deflection and thus poss a wounded deer. Passed a 160 I had at full draw a few years ago where I only had a very small opening at 30 yrds. I don't regret passing on the shot. You made a good choice.

From what I see in that photo there's no chance I would have taken a shot there... My question is why you would have taken a picture before drawing your bow?

No shot. He has you...string jumper, too much in the way...deflected arrow. Miss at best, wounded at worse.

Nope not a chance in hell I would take that shot.

Looks like a lot of buckthorn around the field edge...LOL

Nope, Now if he took 3 steps forward we mite have somthing to think about

No I saw a hunt on the sportsman channel last week- it was a hunt in Colorado the hunter had a facing slightly quartering too shot on a big 6-6 with a rifle-I thought to myself-this dummy isn't going to try the shot- he did and wounded it. It ran on neigboring property-snowed that night and was lost- the rest of the show the guy comes back on a second season mule deer hunt-but really to look for the bull-they spot it minus the head-confront the neighbor who gives the horns back and then the guy gets it mounted and they show him picking it up at the taxerdermist with a different cape- everything is just fine- thats pure bullshit. Im sure that most good hunters watching thought the same thing-bad angle even with a rifle- yet he took the shot!!!I was on my lunch break at work and didnt see what show-but they should not have aired that. One thing that stuck out is they kept showing big City lights from a top the private land ranch looking down- did anyone else see that show? I think it was last Thursday.

Duke-Great question. I was just stunned that he appeared. What I didn't know, to the right, in that dark area, the doe was bedded, literally. I had the phone open, and was actually going to take a picture of the field to send to my brother in law. We always communicated with each other when one of us got on stand or in a blind. I'm not kidding you, saying I had been on stand a couple of minutes might be an exaggeration. I hardly even settled in. And, when I say the doe was ten feet, it may not have been that much.

Lame-a ton of buckthorn. With the price of corn the farmer removed the entire hedge row and plowed it under for more corn. It is amazing the amount of deer habitat that has been lost in SE Wisconsin because of the spike that occurred in the price of corn.

Dogg-exactly! That is what raced through my mind and I had hoped for but, she busted out of there when she finally realized what was up. In one bound, he went over the entire hedgerow. It was a cool thing to see but demoralizing at the same time. It may look like he was starring at me and that is what I thought. I believe to this day he was focussed on finding that doe. The wind was blowing from my right to my left. I still shake my head over that one. LOL

Hope you guys enjoyed seeing this. Anything to make the winter days pass a little quicker.

I think you made the right call 10. Great deer but too many things could go wrong trying to fit an arrow in there.

Not a chance.

Nop, From the picture the shot would just cause a miss or worse a wounded deer.

I got lucky once. Thinking I could punch an arrow through some small brush I took the shot. I couldn't punch it through but the arrow deflected into the brain housing group.

I'll wait on this picture to get better.

I wouldn't even take this shot with a rifle. Too much brush and more importantly, you can't see what is in the distance behind the buck.

I definitely wouldn't take a shot with this sight picture. I've had an arrow deflected from an unbelievable small bit of brush when the sight picture looked clear. I actually practiced shooting thru small brush openings in my yard and I can tell you it doesn't take much to deflect an arrow enough for a wound or miss.

I would take that shot....and flush it down the drain. You did the right thing.

I agree with everyone else. NO way I take a chance, given what I see in the picture. Nice looking deer and a great story. Hate to have it end with a story of a wounded deer that was found by an angry land owner, neighbor, or coyotes.

You made the right decision. I have tried dump shots before and they have never had good outcomes. Heck I tried one this year with a buck quartering toward me and it ended with a shoulder blade hit. Do I regret the shot? No, but only because I know the deer is still around (The neighbors blew half his rack off during the gun season.)

Only with a rifle. Imagine what that buck's gonna look like this upcoming fall! He'll be a beaut!

This fall will be 6 years later making him at least 9.5yo. Think a walker, depends, glasses,dentures and a viagra pez dispenser.

Nov. That is about right. Even with the viagra he might be shooting blanks.

IMO, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. in this situation you put the pin in front of the shoulder and out the arrow right through his broiler house. but this is a very difficult shot with a bow so the ethical thing is to wait until he steps out and then plug him.

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