So a couple of weeks ago I posted I had shot and wounded a nice buck. Haven't seen him since on camera or anything until this weekend when I found these pics. I thought the deer I shot at was another buck until seeing the below pic.

The wound can be clearly seen on his left front leg. Come to find out my rifle was hitting low and to the left when I shoot him.

Thoughts? Score? Age? Will he be ok or will his rack suffer?

Come to find out? I would suggest this is something fairly important to know before firing a rifle at anything, much less a deer. Yes, there is a fair chance he will suffer from the injury rack wise next year and there is a chance he will be just fine. In the meantime, find a rifle range.

Thanks for the criticism and condescending remark.

I have two deer that look very similar from the side. I mistook this one for the other. I didn't have time to sit and watch him for long as I walked up on him as he was moving through the brush.

Knew he was a shooter. Nothing behind him. Took a bad shot at a distance while standing. Guess you've never done that eh?

I think the point that was being made is that it is the hunters responsibility to ensure a clean shot. If your rifle was hitting low and left, it's kinda on you for not making sure it was properly sighted in. Then you said that you were standing; if you didn't have confidence in the shot then why take it? Either way I think the point being made is that it is you, the hunters, responsibility to make sure wounding shots don't happen for any reason. Some times it just happens, and when it does that sucks, but you have to do everything in your power to mitigate the likelihood of a wound happening. Just my 2¢

Glad he still out there and seems like he will be fine since he is back on the groceries.

He'll be fine but I'd be surprised if his rack didn't suffer next year for it.

Good to know there's a lot of perfect hunters out there who have never ever wounded a deer, or ever got excited and rushed a shot, or anything like that. I bet they've never broke a line fishing either, or cut anyone off in traffic too. Don't let others get you down, I'm judging by the pictures of the three dead bucks that you have a clue what your doing. Looks like the deer will be fine, but I would expect his rack to look a lot different next year. Good luck to you!

Sharts of a gun being off is you don't know till you miss.

He looks like he is doing fine and I bet will pull through just fine. Not sure what it will do to his rack. I kinda always assumed it had to effect skeletal system/be a large injury before it would affect his rack. Doesn't look like it bugs him much. We had a buck a few years ago turn up with a bum front leg mid season barely walked on it etc. He healed over great watched him for 2 more years and he never had any abnormal antler growth.

As TCollinsProFish stated if your rifle is shooting low, it is your fault and yours alone. I always sight my rifle in a week or two before the season starts and then again in the middle of the season. Why, because it is amassing how much a little bump on the scope while climbing into a deer stand can knock it off. 4 or 5 years ago, I shot my rifle two weeks into the season to check it and it did not hit the paper at all and I swear I was careful with it and did not hit anything at all, but I guess I did. Don't loose the trophy of a lifetime because you "think" your rifle is sighted in. Just my opinion.

So your climbing in the stand opening morning and you bump the end of the barrel or scope on the door.... by your logic you climb down go back to camp and check the Zero right???

If he sited it in before season it just a whoops a dasy like so many others have had.

Damn. I sighted the damn thing in 2 weeks before. Honestly don't know how it happened but the day after I wounded the deer I checked it out.

I've missed before but never wounded one and it got away. Shitty feeling.

Once again, thanks for the input on the deer and NOT my shooting ability.

Sure going to be a whole lot of sighting in to be done. Some of us would be sighting in every Saturday and only able to hunt on SUndays. The sighting in will cut your hunting time in half. Some of you excessive, over achieving, nothing else to do sighter inners might be some of the people that are running all of the deer out of my country. The word fan comes from fanatical and anything to that degree sort of scares me. Sounds like to me some you may be more of a fan of sighting in your rifles than you are a fan of hunting.

The way that buck is pictured with weight on the wounded leg I doubt there is enough skeletal damage from that wound to effect his rack bad next year. Then again if he steps out again he might not make it to next year.

Good luck with him and glad that he looks like he will be fine just wearing a scar.

I shoot mine once before season.. chit happens.. hope you get him.

Got to feel good to know he's ok..

It could cause nontypical points next year. He's probably going to be okay, though, unless you shoot him again.

And how anyone is supposed to know every time their gun is off zero is beyond me. I'll end up shooting my barrel out in a couple seasons checking it before every hunt.

Hell yeah. If he's seen again my 8 yr old boy gonna have a nice mount.

if your by yourself are you going to shoot him?

No. I had my chance and my son will be with me every chance I get to go. He's my son's now.

What yall think he'll score? Im thinking low 130s.

Firearms are just like any other tool that people have available to them. Some guys never pick them up until it's time to use them, and then get ticked off when they don't work as they should. And most of the time, the problem isn't with the tool but their inability in remember how to use it. At the other extreme, you have those who practically sleep with their firearms to make sure they're ready at a minutes notice.

Personally, I fall somewhere in between and shoot often enough to know my capabilities don't hinder the effectiveness of my firearms. Shoot often enough, and it becomes something that will nag you once you eliminate it from your routine. And likewise, those who never practice never miss it.

Dan, well said. I always shoot mine before the season to make sure the gun is sighted in so that if I decide to take an animal, the only variable is me. I dropped my .270 hard in my blind week before last. I have a place on my lease to shoot and I paced off 100 yds and shot the gun to make sure it was all good. It was but in my mind, it is imperative that the weapon is ready to roll.

4W

Ya know, sometimes its not worth posting about something if your going to get ridiculed by the guys. He said he had bad feelings about the miss. We have all had something happen before.

If you can bump your scope and throw it off and not remember bumping it hard then you better check the torque on your mounts or even the scope itself. My dad had a old Weaver that had loose reticles.

It is interesting to know how many perfect hunters are out there and how critical they can be of others. I've shot a bunch of deer over the decades and I'll guess that the percentage of shots with perfect placement is around 75% or so. And I'm pretty good at hunting and shooting. Last buck I shot, I put the bullet a bit far back. I had only seconds to do the job and he was walking fast. I got him, but I was worried about that shot placement.

Personally, I would not be criticizing the OP.

It's worth noting that comments are not always directed at the person who starts a thread, but as points of general thought and discussion. In fact, some of the best points made are often secondary to the starting topic.