Concerns about crippling

[AndyMo]

Whats up everyone.  Heard lots of great stuff about this site for a long time.  I'm a member of a few others, but none really focus on much of the simple stuff... if its not Mathews and Rage broadheads, or covered in APG then its just not good enough for them.

I've taken close to 100 animals with a compound now, and have recently picked up a recurve.  I've been shooting a lot through the late winter, spring and summer.  I've improved a lot, but I am still VERY concerned about the VERY real possibility of crippling an animal come fall.  I've gotten comfortable shooting at 20 yards (which is longer than average for my hunting situations), and for the most part can put 6 out of 6 in the 8 ring of my 3 D target... and most of those 8s are really 10s or even the odd 11.  However, every 18 shots or so... I'll have a flyer.  We are talking neck, or back of the front leg... or hams... or backstraps.... and I'm not totally sure why.

I've NEVER had an arrow of mine enter the body cavity of an animal and not recovered it within 10 hours of loosing my arrow.  Its a track record I'm right proud of, and saving face aside, I'm sure nobody likes how that feels.

I don't not sure exactly what I'm looking for in the way of comfort here, but are these just neophite concerns?  Is one flyer out of 18 enough to keep me on the compound for another fall?

[vermonster13]

It can happen with any weapon hunted with no matter how good you are, these are living animals not targets and they bring variables to every shot. Hunt long enough and you are going to miss an animal or not recover one. These are things we each have to decide for ourselves if we can accept or not. Make the greatest effort to stay within your comfort zone on shots and every effort to recover every animal and you're doing all you can. Personally I can live with myself within that context, you need to decide if you can.

[Luke Vander Vennen]

Stop shooting groups. Shoot and retrieve. Make yourself think about every single shot that you take. If you get a flyer, analyze it. Figure out if it was from a bad release, poor concentraion, or whatever. If you get a lot of flyers, try notice some trends as to why they are happening. If it's because of a random release problem, try going back to bale shooting and focusing on the release. If it's a mental problem, make sure you shoot every shot like it's the only shot you get at a deer all season. Make it count. After you've figured out what caused a bad shot, forget about it. Don't let a bad shot hamper your concentration on the next one, simply find why it happened and fix the problem.

my 2 cents

Good luck

[Ian johnson]

I like taking one arrow and practice shooting a coke can at various distances, you only have one shot, so you have to make it count, try that and see if it helps

[Biggie Hoffman]

I agree with Luke but caution one thing, don't overanalyze your flyers. Concentarte on form and don't try and put too much thought into it. Let your instincts take over.

[Roger Norris]

It's good for you to be concerned about missing or wounding. You should. I have passed up many good deer because it didn't feel right.

Spend some time at a traditional 3d shoot. You will discover that your groups are pretty good at that range. 20 yards is a long way off in the woods.

[Bonebuster]

Even my favorite rifle can have a "flyer" in 18 shots.  

[MI_Bowhunter]

I recently switched from compound to trad, about a year and a half ago.  I like to practice by shooting 3D.   I did this a lot with my wheel bow and have started to do it more with my trad gear.

This makes me focus more on each shot because I know I only get one.  It also presents me with a good variety of shots. I tend to ignore the scoring rings and really try to shoot where I would in a hunting situation, playing the angles on elevated/quartering shots etc.    

If a shot doesn't feel right, don't take it.  If you have to make the shot happen, then don't.   I think that's what separates the good (ethical) hunters from the bad.