Missed with a rifle on a hood buck. Public land/national forest. How long to let him cook off, before re hunting? What are the chances of driving him out of the area?

Go right back at it.....They get kind of used to human noises and people more than one may think...

I had a good buck walk back around after 20 minutes after I shot over his back. Granted, it was private land and a feeder setting.

Good luck, and don't tell anyone where he is.

Go the next day.

A deer does not have the mental capacity to deduce a hunter shot at him

He just knows there was a loud noise in the woods.

Sooner the better. I missed a nice 10 point, 10 years ago and he was back at first light the next day. I shot him and he ran like he wasn`t hit and I was like wtf, I missed again. Well, I found blood about 20 yards and the buck was about 20 yards from there.

Sooner the better. I missed a nice 10 point, 10 years ago and he was back at first light the next day. I shot him and he ran like he wasn`t hit and I was like wtf, I missed again. Well, I found blood about 20 yards and the buck was about 20 yards from there.

I shot a hog Thursday morning at one feeder and 2 minutes later I had several deer walk up to my other feeder. At the private range where I shoot I have a feeder hanging about 75 yards from the shooting bench (for watching, not for hunting) and routinely see deer there while we're banging away.

Go right back. You miss him again, it might be a couple days before you see him again (if he doesn’t get shot going out to hide). Wishing you good luck.

Same day. Deer prob has no idea what happened

How good was he? Old?

Don't change a thing. If you don't see him for a few days it's not because of the sound of the shot. I have good bucks that only appear at my set up every 2-3 days during day light. The good ones don't get to be good ones by having the exact same pattern every day. There are a lot of other factors that come into play each day that effect the routine of good bucks.