Well had an awesome hunt this morning in the fog in Leon county. Saw a good many deer and shot a 10. No pictures of the deer on cameras and he quickly went from a 130 to a 110 when I got down to him. But my 7mm-08 reloads worked awesome. Double lunged him right behind the shoulder and had a big exit wound. He ran maybe 30 yards but was able to to watch him fall and just for the heck of it back tracked the deer to where I shot him with a nice blood trail. Opened up the chest cavity and his lungs were soup. Little disappointed in myself that I shot a young deer, just got caught up in the moment but the way he looked coming in had my heart beating almost out of my chest so that was a good enough reason for me. Looking forward to the next two days of hunting.

Congrats and i think most of us has shot bucks that shrink 20 inches or even more by the time we walk from stand to where deer is laying.

Don’t be upset at yourself. It’s hunting and you did good

Ground shrinkage happens. Nothing to be ashamed of. You've got meat for the freezer and a head that you can practice home taxidermy with!

Congrats! We have all been there......or will be......enjoy the memory and the meat!

Congrats

I had something similar happen to me.
I was about to go up the steps to my deer blind and see a wide 8 in the food plot about 40 yards away staring at me through the brush
Shoot he is wide and I am excited, he starts walking away I hurriedly get up in the blind look out the window and he is walking directly away from me and about to go onto the neighbors property.
Of course when they are walking away antlers look bigger and wider right! Rifle out the window hoping that he would turn a little before he hops the fence, he looks back at me and BAM, drops in the Sumac and briar. Excitedly I walk up to him only to feel really bad about shooting a 2.5 year old buck

He did have a 17 7/8 inside spread which is mainly what my eyes were locked on, live and learn. However most of the guilt went away every time I made a meal with the meat he provided.

I have a hat rack in my office with all my ground shrunk deers horns wrapped around it. 4-1 versus the ones on the wall. It’s all about the rush of the hunt. The wall hangers will come.