Big Buck at 3 Yards!!! (Hard Lessons Learned)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Nick gets his chance at a big buck at 3 yards after 11 days of hunting.
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As a tracker myself I feel so appreciative of the honesty in the episode and letting that tracker talk and all the details along the way. My dog does the same thing. She turns around and looks at me it’s game ever. I’ve seen the steep angle shot a couple times one just 3 weeks ago and the soon as I seen you glassing and it was still on hoof after you shot I knew you where in deep. Sucks man. Keep your head up and lessons learned. The best part is you may save someone from making the same mistake and that’s the silver lining in it all. If you bow hunt long enough it’s gonna happen. It’s not if it’s when.
Drones can help if dogs don’t recover. Lots of drones have thermal and can find the heat source. Look at your state rules/laws!
Boots was never really into this one. I had a sinking feeling from the word go. After I decided he wasn’t going to “track” this deer, we had a perfect wind and I let him scent check the whole place.
@@joshwhelan4690no drones allowed in IL.
Appreciate you boys having me and Boots out. Always tough leaving tracks without a deer on the tailgate, but it happens more than 50% of the time. Boots was pretty confident this one was not fatally wounded.
Yet ANOTHER example of why this is THE best hunting channel on YT, it's real. Thank you Nick and Warb.
That was the most professional closing interview of a non- resolved hunt I've ever seen. Great work Nick and well done on stressing what we can learn from your experience. Great channel, great episode.
Totally agree. Showed a lot of maturity and character.
Agreed. That was integrity. Some people wouldn’t put much thought into it.
Nick is the best addition to THP please never let him go.
This is why I love watching this channel, you get the good and bad. That is what hunting is about!
It happens to all of us Nick. Don't let you eat at you. I appreciated the honesty and the effort put into finding that deer. Keep at it!! Good luck.
It does happen to all of us and it should eat at us. It's what pushes us to make sure we are better next time.
Best video of the year. So many lessons to learn. With 32yrs bowhunting i recently changed from the standard 20,30,40 pins to a single non-rover set to 30yrds.... this does 3 main things for me. *frees up sight picture *restricts my max range to 40 *keeps my straight down shots from going low. For those trying to grasp the concept- when shooting from a 18'treestand down at a less than 10yrd shot will make your 20yrd pin hit 3" low. with 500gr at 240fps my single pin is 3"high at 15 & 8" low at 40. So those straight down shots are dead on, close shots i hold lower 1/3, & my max distance i aim at the spine & let it drop in. This isnt for everyone & yes it is the exact opposite of $300 3pin rover sights with 120yrd sight tapes!
Class act in every way Nick, very sorry you didn’t find your buck, but the lessons learned and all that you shared with all of us invaluable and I truly commend you for being such a classy sportsman on this really tough day. Also well done Warb, you kept positive with Nick and busted the brush the whole way with the dog, tracker, and Nick and that’s what being best buds and outdoorsman is all about, being there to support your homies in on the best and worst days. Like Larry Wiseman used to say on the outdoor channel when we were kids “Sometimes you hit, sometimes you get ‘em’ and sometimes you don’t”, but keep your head held high Nick, you’ll 10 ring the next one bub🤙🏼
You did everything you could to recover the deer. I respect your decision to use the tag 100 percent. I’ve hunted over 40 years and tagged my biggest buck ever after shooting a big buck a week prior and not finding it. I felt horrible searching for hours. I ended up seeing it alive a week later hunting with my son. Thats hunting and how the things play out. Keep hunting if you have a tag
You guys are great, and it's great to see the humble mentality. The entire hunting public crew should be very proud about your production and what you are teaching. It's a breath of fresh air after years of overdone hunting videos wheres the hunters had sponsors on their chest like Nascar drivers. You're production is real and you can feel it. Thank you guys!
It happens to everyone. Every hunt is a learning experience. I enjoy the closing of this video as it shows that even people who hunt for a living, who shoot thousands of arrows from many different situations, can miss the target. To me, this channel is as real as it gets. Most of us can't realistically hold out for a 4-5 year old, 140" deer. We enjoy the 15", 110"ers and the joy of being out there. Keep it up, THP!
Thompson should be in a highlights video if and when you do one. That belly flop on the turkey was probably onexof the top 10 funniest moments I've seen on THP.
Nick has been a great addition to THP.Love watching his videos
I wouldn’t have stopped trying to kill that big 8 point last episode.
Do they get a deer?
I'm with ya on that! That 8 from the last video was ridiculous! That's a once in a lifetime rack, I'd do anything legal for! Lol
No shit
@ both of them bucks in that video were ragging that doe. All them bucks were worried about that doe. Even if they bumped him he isn’t gonna stop rutting or just leave the area. He may go nocturnal but if a doe is hot he won’t stop unless another buck makes him or dies or finally breeds her.
I thought that was gonna be this hunt when I saw it pop up. That thing was a freak
As a young hunter, you will get better at finding the right spot to place an arrow at steep angles. Keep up the great videos, looking forward to seeing your development. We are glad THP added you to their team, they will help you a lot with your hunting.
Nick and Warb are in the BUBBLE again. Great vid, best content ever. Informational and REAL WORLD CONTENT. You guys are the greatest show on dirt! Thank you again.
Great to see positive messages from real people that understand, unlike my Hunt and didn’t wait long enough, but still recovered the deer, and caught rude comments. Great real video👊
I shot at one before at that distance but missed him because of the angle. What I learned from that is to let them pass and shoot quartering away. Enjoy watching THP!
The realness of the hunting public is unmatched on TH-cam.
My father in law were talking and most won’t show bad shots or no kill hunts.
You all have peaked my Interest into bow hunting and as of today I am the new owner of a bear Alaskan xt for the upcoming season
Well played punching your tag Nick. That's true and honest ethics right there. Solid.
Matt and Boots are a class act and excellent tracking team. Appreciate you guys airing this so others can learn.
That's hilarious! I knew exactly who you were talking about when you said, "He's the turkey belly flopper." 😂
Young man im proud of you...Hitting that buck and not finding it but still punching your tag shows what kind of hunter you are...
Bullshit ….no deer in back of my truck or my wife’s truck ?
No deer tag punched
@ericstevens8744 ...Shows what kind of "hunter" you are too...
Excellent video and learning experience. I have shot a number of bucks straight down out of a pear tree, with compound and longbow. I have much respect for your decision Nick.
I've had that kind of season, Nick. I feel you brother. Onward and upward!
Crazy hunt. Man I thought I smoked a buck this year and just could never find him. Hurts but that’s part of the game
Happens to all of us. Hang in there.
Bowhunting, even for a veteran of it you always learn something. Great Episode Guys. And congrats to Thompson on his first archery buck.
Man that sucks. Poor nick I'm sure he feels bad. I hate when stuff like this happens but man when u hunt a lot it's gonna happen all we can do is our best
Thank y’all so much for sharing this video. Amazing lesson to learn from someone. Those of us who haven’t been able to experience one yet this provides so much insight. Amazing to humble yourself as well. My hearts with you as this is never easy to stomach wounding an animal.
Hard lesson learned, I definitely feel for Nick on this one!!
Thanks for the honest video guys, appreciate you letting us in on the ups and downs
The belly flat turkey so funny😂😂😂
As everyone else has said please keep Nick around.. He is a good one!
Bowhunting is tough, anyone who hunts long enough is going to hit one they dont find. Whitetails are amazing animals with an incredible will to live. You did all you could to try and find him. Appreciate you showing both the highs and lows of bow hunting. Cheers from NW PA.
Just food for thought. After many many 3 D shoots and some with targets at 3 or 4 yards, remember the arrow doesn’t have a chance to rise. Your sight window is higher than your arrow. At three or four yards on level ground you have to use a 30 or 40 yard pin to hit center because the arrow height is below the sight height. If you aimed normal with your first pin, you would hit lower than you expected anyway. I made the same fatal error that you did on a 160” buck in Illinois some years back, and we never found it either. It was a sad day. But I learned a valuable lesson from it. I just wanted to mention this so you could possibly pass it on. You’re always afraid of shooting over them, but at that close range, you will shoot lower than you realize. Try it on a target at 3 yards with your first pin. You will be low. Try again with your 40, you will be right on. I learned from very experienced 3 D shooters that shot at a high level. Great show guys!
Man I was sure rooting for you Nick, you definitely educated us all and thanks for sharing the hunt 👍👍
Great lesson learned. Thanks for sharing. There's a lot of information to unpack in this video.
Great informational content fellas!
Anyone who spends any time in the woods has had something very similar happen. All we can do is learn and apply that to the next one.
Keep them coming!!
Nick all I can say is there are 2 no man's land on deer that spot between the spine and lungs, which cost me a 170 pa buck I had been hunting for 4 years. Never recovered him and a doe I shot at 3 yards where the arrow went right behind the diaphragm and in front of the guts but didn't go out the other side it came out the same side it went in if that makes sense. Only way I know that for a fact is my pop killed her with a gun a week later after I tracker her for 2 days. Big props to you for punching your tag. Ture hunters know this feeling and you can only grow from sir. Archery hunting has never been for the weak willed. Very proud of you sir and you definitely earned all of my respect. All the boys at thp and even the old man have been where your at. Take it in stride learn from it and keep on keepin on. ❤
We have all been there Nick. It makes you sick and you hate it for that deer but, that's hunting and it happens to everyone at some point. Good luck the rest of the season fellas!
I didn't see the turkey belly flop video before, but that might be one of the best things I've seen in a long time 🤣🤣👏👏 Get ya some buddy!!
Yes , we enjoyed your videos Nick. Sorry it didn’t go how you wanted. Been there and done that. Probably will again. You did very well at exhausting all efforts to find it. I admire your honesty and good character
When I'm putting my pins on a deer Ive learned to try to think about the exit point rather than the entry. This helps especially on a very steep angle such as yours and on the different quartering to you or away shots to ensure you pass through the most vitals as possible. Great content guys ive been watching you for a couple years now. I get to live out some great hunts I'll never get to try through you guys.
You guys continue to do it right with or without a punched tag. I appreciate that!
Those steep angle shots are tough regardless of range. You guys did your best to recover the buck, that's all one can do.
Great training and follow up. Appreciate your candor and humility for all hunters.
Tough luck gentlemen but y'all gave it your best effort to recover that buck. Thanks for all the helpful information about steep angle shots.
Great episode. You have given us all some great information on practicing different shot angles that you don't think might happen. You guys are the best.
Had this exact thing happen last year on a great public buck…called in tracker…same story. You learn a lot from inside of 5 yards
I appreciate this part of your guys channel the most… this is part of hunting, unfortunately not the glorious part. Man Nick you had a week! Was hoping it would turn out better for you! Great interview at the end.
Feel for you Nick - had this happen to me this season on a really nice public buck, small limb deflected the arrow back, watched him walk off slowly but hurting. Got out quiet, didn't bump him, tracked with dog about 10 hours later...and he either bumped or was chased by coyotes onto private with no viable track after beds half a mile from the hit site. Really appreciate you sharing this, reminds me that its not just me this happens to.
It's sad that you had to go through that so we could learn. Your channel always teaches us something new, but this I feel for you Nick.
BROTHER nothing is a guarantee. Its respect that you do your best to look for a deer you shot. You are a good person and hunter
I vote for you to keep hunting, because this happens, you're respectful and understanding.
First hunt tomorrow for rifle, long time coming been around it my whole life but this channel helped me finally decide to take the leap as well as friends and family. Excited for the opportunity!
Tough luck Nick. I lost a big one on public a few years ago, dog tracker and all. Not all of us were born with a horse shoe in our hind end haha.
Really enjoyed this episode boys!
New to the channel, but gotta say you guys are the best! All your hardwork pays off and it shows in the videos. Looking forward to binging your videos and watching new ones in the future!
Have taken similar shots several times aiming for the exit usually works for me easier sed than done tanks for showing it not just the high light reel like most
First deer I took this year was very similar. My shot was more a hard quartering to, but similar angle. I thought I shot back like Nick did on this, but got really lucky and slipped it in high in front of the shoulder and it came out the bottom of the opposite ribs. The arrow had some stomach matter on the fletching, but didn't smell rank like a true gut shot. Backed out and found the doe 10 yards off the trail I saw her leave the next morning. Ended up sending the arrow through the bottom of the trachea, through the aorta and out the bottom of the heart. Like Nick, learned a lot on this hunt about shot placement and angles when not ideal. Good luck on the next one!!
That’s a tuff one Nick! If it helps any? I did the exact same thing. I Took a steep as shot from a tree at a moving deer when he didnt stop after making a doe call. I hit him in a very similar spot as Nick did. A mate of mine shot and killed the buck 9 days later. The Buck was in full rut mode croaking with does when he was gunned down (fallow Buck). I appreciate the honesty, the effort to recover the deer and breaking it all down after. Chur chur Nick 👍
Nick, it happens. Everything you did was right. When seconds become minutes, nothing you did would have changed. Great job on trying every road . Great video THP. Thanks
Great video series, much respect Nick.
Nick is such a humble guy. He wasn’t focused on making excuses. Did everything in his power to recover the deer. I think a high percentage of hunters would have taken the same shot with the same outcome. Considering the lack of blood the buck was producing it’s a good sign your arrow didn’t pass through anything too vascular such as arteries/lungs.
To close of shots are tuff man! I learned just not to take them, always learning, awesome video!
Keep at it nick, glad your part of thp... keep your head up bud!
I got my Ohio 8 point in a similar steep angle shot October 19. I was trying to hit it about mid body but hit it high just under the backstrap. Arrow exited halfway down the other side, double lung. Deer only made it 40 yards. I definitely learned you need to hit closer to the spine than you think with a steep angle.
Love these videos. Upgraded and enhanced my tactic many times through these
I feel for ya Nick. A tough lesson. But if you learn from it all is not lost. Like you said hopefully someone else will benefit from this experience. And yes the belly flop was still funny the second time around. Good video. Keep after it. Good luck next time.
I've had that scenario a handful of times where you know the buck is on the move. I spined a good 8 pt. shooting straight down one October morning years back. Last year I got lucky on a 8 pt. that I couldn't stop at the base of my tree, I stuck an arrow in the ground right next to his front left hoove and he spooked 15 yards and stood broadside and watched me nock another arrow and send it. Luck was on my side on that one for sure. 🦌🤺
It's a decieving shot. It looks easy because it's close. I hunt pretty high up in the tree with my saddle set up where I'm at to get into some cover and I practice this shot for this exact reason. I had a similar situation a few years ago where I clipped a bucks lung. Found him out of pure luck. Blood trail stopped after 100 yards. It was a high angle shot. I feel for him. I enjoy that THP doesn't hide these things and let's these situations be learning experiences for everyone. What happened to him could happen to anyone.
Always lessons to learn…been there I am sure we all have made our share of mistakes over the years, it is part of the journey
Nick you are a great addition to the team. I truly respect your decision to "punch your tag". I think that is the proper ethical decision and one I adopted many years ago, draw blood and I'm done....I think too many hunters think "if I can't find him, it must not have been fatal" and keep hunting. If you start the hunt with your attitude it helps refine your decision of what is an acceptable shot. Sorry you didn't get him.
Bummer Nick, it’s part of bow hunting. Really enjoyed the episode. Good reminders for all of us!
Great video. Great lessons learned. Wonderful production.
Can’t wait until we get to moved to Iowa !!
Gonna be epic me and the wife !!
Just looked at houses 🏠 in Van Buren and black Hawk county, the wife was shocked at the land/home prices but she said that’s not stopping her from chasing giant Deer 🦌 there
When she seen that giant standing on the side of the road after we crossed the Iowa state line a few days ago she was so Giddy with excitement that she couldn’t contain herself 🤣
I had a very similar shot last season maybe hit it a tad more forward but it came out his brisket and plugged up with solid white fat. No blood I gave him the night luckily he only made it 100 yards. I found him next morning. Lesson learned for sure! Thanks guys
Man I know that’s a bummer. As always guys what a class act using this as a learning tool for the rest of us! Buck I arrowed in KY had to go get an atv to get him out. Less than 2 hrs had buzzards perched in the tree above when I returned.
Hard lesson to learn been there Nick. It happens to the best of us.
Nick you have a great outlook on the hit! We all know if you bowhunt long enough its not gonna turn out in your favor sometimes but keep moving forward! You did your best with the recovery! Dont be to hard on yourself! Good luck and try again!👍
Great attitude and message Nick!
You guys are public land Gangsters. That's some great video content, Thank's Dudes !!!
Thats awesome that you decided to punch your tag. I am a firm believer that if you draw blood like that you should punch your tag. I have punched a few tags that way. I have only lost a few deer in 35 years of hunting in 5 states but when I loose them, I am done with that tag. I get another one. I have more respect for you now then I have had for you because of this episode. Keep up the awesome videos.
God Bless and Happy Hunting
We have all been there many of us haven’t handle it as well. . . True sportsman. Good for you nick
That's a tough one, i know. I had almost the same scenario years ago. Add this to your tool box and keep your head up. Can't wait to see what's next.
Brother I lost a dandy 8pt a week ago ... keep your head up Nick, it's another story for the camp fire!
Nick is the absolute best!!!
❤️ the Bobcat footie
Great effort guy's!! It happens to all of us at some point.
Yall did the most you could. If you bow hunt this is going to happen. Great work Yall! Showing the real agony of defeat. Get um next time Devil Dog!
Had a similar scenario a few years ago. Stand was set at 26' and the buck was @ 7 yards. I only set up at about 16' now. In my situation the deer ran onto private land and the land owner would not grant me access to the property. Lesson learned .
Good video, great for everyone to see to learn or be reminded,, awesome group of guys, keep.ypur head up and get em next time
Hey thp yall are a real big inspiration to me im normally a hunting club rifle hunter but i got me a bow and been hitting the public land and watching thid video was like reliving the hunt i had last week i mean right down to having 1 drop of blood at 100 yards i looked for 2 days and god know how many miles had a buddy tell me a week later he seen the buck i shot roaming around just fine
This is the exact reason I hate broadside shots with a bow. I love the slight too hard ¼ away shots, so you know it goes up in the boiler room. I had to many of your experiences. Best of luck, and thanks for the content.
Love me some warb&nick wild adventures keep em coming
Buddy the same exact thing happened to me this past october!! I am still sick about it but thankfully the buck showed back up and is in there pretty regularly still
Just did the same thing last week. Never found it. But I swear man those big bucks just don’t give up during the rut. They refuse to die. More so than any other time of the year. I double lunged a 10 point last year middle of the rut and he went 300 yards and bedded twice and still got up and went a little further. He was dead pretty fast but still never wanted to call it quits.
Been in that situational shot myself with the same result. Lesson learned for me, 2 lungs or not at all. Tough to swallow but Nick is still an inspiration in ethics on all his episodes.
Turkey flop was awesome 😂😂😂😂