Missed one !!!! argh

[rippinlips]

Great night to be hunting had a couple does and there fawns hang around and the fawns played for awhile and at 6:00pm here comes a 145 to 150" 10 pointer just wondering down the trail and he had no idea I was there (scent lock baby) and at 14 yards I stop him in my shooting lane and put the pin on him and let the arrow fly only to see it kick to the right and miss him. My heart just sank and I went from sad to mad trying to figure out what happened. After the shot he took one jump and stop in another shooting lane now he is at 22 yards so I knocked another arrow draw put the pin on him and take a deep breathe and let the arrow fly again only to see the same thing happen, after the shot he took another jump and just kept wondering down the trail like nothing happened. So I started looking at my bow thinking something was wrong with it right and after a couple of minutes of looking at it I notice my sleeve on my jacket all lumped up and I could see where my string hit it both times. Man is that fustrating and a simple and costly mistake atleast the buck never got scared or alert by the shots and I can only thank the high winds for that because it was loud and windy in the woods last night but the deer were moving and it was chilly it felt great except for missing that buck not just once but twice for crying out loud I am so bumped I don't miss shots like those in the 18 years of my bowhunting but I guess it happens to everybody and I'm thankful I did not wound him.

[Mark Christianson]

Same thing happened to me a week ago...... Although, thankfully it was just a lone fawn. Missing a nice buck would be awful on the confidence.

Be very thankful for the clean misses though. It could have been ugly, had you hit him bad.

[harvey lee]

I have a better one yet, I had a doe and a couple fawns walking a trail within 10 yards of me and the doe caught me drawing back. She stopped and there were some leaves in my sight path and while I was trying to find her front shoulder in my pin to shot, a buck walked by on the other side of the doe. I didnt know the buck was there until I played back the video that we were filming.

I must have really been concentrating on the doe to not even see the buck walk by the back side of this doe.

[Shwangman]

I never even got a chance to miss!!! A nice size doe was coming about 40 yards and I nocked my arrow and she put the brakes and and looked right up at me, and then stared for about a minute until she said, thats enough.. I was ticked off.

[Surface Tension]

Bulky or loose fitting jackets and bow strings.

I use two arm guards to gather loose selves or cut the toe out of a long wool sock and slide that up my arm.

[BLACKJACK]

Luckily it was a clean miss, you'll be able to go after him again.

Instances like this is why I tell rookie bowhunters to shoot a few deer so they can work the kinks out before they set their sites on only Mr. Big.

Good luck next time you see that buck!

[frogtosser]

blackjack are you saying the a deer is less important because it has smaller or no antlers. that is a very irresponsible statement, the way you come across is theat if its a bad hit or a miss on anything but a big buck its no big deal. that is probably not what you mean but you should word your phrases better.

[Royce Aardahl]

ruh roh scubby, somebody got thier feathers ruffled

I was in a stand back in 1998 and a nice 2 X 4 came into my shooting lane. I was shooting a PSE G Force at the time. Had a huge coat on and when I shot it sounded like a rifle shot when the string hit my coat. I almost jumped as hi as the deer! The arrow did zip right through him tho. Just hit back a bit from where I was aiming. That bow had some power!

[bigbucks]

I tell people the same thing as Blackjack.

Wouldn't you rather get that screwup miss out of the way & learn what you did wrong early in your bow career rather than a few years in when you maybe get your first shot at a really nice buck? He didn't say take a couple of "bad" shots at smaller deer. Also in all likelihood if you make a poor hit on a smaller deer while you're learning, you have a much better chance of recovering that deer, a lot of fawns & yearlings are still killed pretty quickly by very poor hits.

Why do you have to a pick a guy a part for trying to add a little insight? That's what this site is for.

[96trigger]

I'm backing the Jack. When I started out I got so nervous when a deer got within bow range that I could hardly keep my knees from knocking. Shooting a few does early in my career really helped calm my nerves later on. Now only horns really get my knees knocking. I believe that shooting the does really helped me become a much better bow hunter, now I'm just waiting for the big boy to come in. I don't think it's uncommon for people to tell others to shoot a few does to get a deer under their belt. Not that I wouldn't have wanted to take a shot a nice buck right away, but the does really helped my confidence, and the ratio of does to trophy bucks is a lot higher.

I don't think he meant to ruffle any feathers.

[harvey lee]

Thats right trigger. When my son started bow hunting a few years ago I asked him to either shot a doe or at least draw back on all the deer that walked by. If you wait until show time, the knees will be knocking and one will have a very hard time. I really believe that the hardest part of shooting a deer with a bow is to get drawn back on the deer. One has to learn when and where to draw and then the game is on.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the support guys. Froggy, my point was that before rookie archers say "I'm only going to shoot a big buck" they need to shoot a few deer in order to work thru the problems that can cause a shot to go bad - being busted while drawing back (the biggest obstacle in my opinion), the string hitting your arm (the original problem in this thread), the arrow hitting a branch due to poor trimming, equipment failure like your site coming loose - theres lots of things that can go wrong, but shooting a few deer gives you the practice and reduces the shakes when a big buck does come along. And nothing draws you back to the archery butt for more practice like a clean miss!!!

As far as not respecting small deer, I think they're all beautiful animals and spend a lot of time watching them when its not hunting season. And I've also shot a lot of does and small bucks over the years. Frankly this whole 'horn porn' craze that infects deer hunters really pi$$es me off, I used to be very happy shooting a nice 6-point, any deer with a bow is trophy in my eyes, but now you're looked down upon if you shoot a 'small buck'. But I digress, thats a subject for another post.

[Surface Tension]

Heck my knees still knock after 30 some years of hunting.. Would I pass on a buck my first time archery hunting, not on your life.

Between being tensed up from cold and adrenalin running, drawing the bow back smoothly and silently isn't like shooting targets. At least you can prepare by being proficient in different scenarios. Practice shooting out in the cold and out of a stand. You should be wearing the same clothes you'll be wearing while hunting and with gloves on if you plan on wearing them. Vary the your yardages too. Line of sight to your target is a straight line and not the same line the arrow will take. Those twigs above the line of sight will sang an arrow.

[tengauge]

i'm new to this hunting forum but here it goes. I'm an avid bowhunter and have taken 23 deer with my bow as well as 2 very nice bucks. Everyone told me when i started "get a few under your belt first" so that's what i did. and i have to attribute that to the 2 big bucks i've taken. Long story short i had a guy new to bowhunting wanting some pointers. I told him shoot the first couple deer that walk by you to get the feel for it. Well he didn't listen and passed on a couple does and fawns the 4th or 5th night we went out he had a beautiful buck walk out and he hit him way to far forward, we never found him. He learned his lesson and has since shot 3 nice does. The people that think they are just gonna go out and shhot the big one especially with a bow are sadly mistaken, it takes lots of practice and lots of patience and disciplin. That's why i love the sport.

[frogtosser]

I am not trying to bash anyone, all I was saying is that to some people one deer is no more important then another. I do agree with the idea of getting some experience and deer under your belt before you think you are going to stick a monster.

[96trigger]

BlackJack Whats "hornporn". Sounds like the name of a bad adult movie. HaHa, I know what you meant.

[eyefever]

I've also noticed that smaller deer tend to die a little easier. Last season my dad shot a SMALL fawn (our golden retriever was bigger) in the front leg. It hardly bled, we had to leave it overnight, but managed to find it the next day. My first deer I shot at with a bow was a basket 8 pointer and I made what seemed to be a perfect shot and was dissappointed that after two days we still couldn't find it. The only explanation I have is maybe I was too far back. There's still no substitute for practice, and I believe people that want to bowhunt should be advised to practice for at least four months before they go out for the first time - seen a few too many deer wounded.

[Royce Aardahl]

Sheesh! ANybody can hit the big ones, takes a good shot to get those little ones. Crap happens. Even for seasoned veterans. If I shoot a small buck I am very happy with it. Don't care what others think. If I shoot a dandy, well I get to brag for a while. Set your own standards. I hunt with guys that only go for mr big and I hunt with meat hunters. Nothing wrong with either group.