passing on a shot

[dougedwards]

It is already Dec 8th in a Virginia hunting season that started on Oct 5th in my very first year of hunting exclusively with a longbow. No kills as of this date.  

Had I been hunting with my compound bow there would have been a few deer on the ground but the trad style of hunting requires that not only the prey be close, but also unencumbered by even the smallest obstructions such as bush or limbs in addition to meeting a requirement that it be at an angle that exposes cleanly the pathway to vital organs that supply oxygen to the brain.

This is challenging me like never before but I still have a burning desire for my first kill with a longbow!

Yesterday, a very nice 8 point came meandering in the direction of my treestand but chose the cover of very small pines as he approached within 30 yards of my position.  Eventually he came to a clean broadside halt that begged a response.   But One Problem...........the buck was standing barely beyond a pine that I had previously scanned at 20 yds. He honestly appeared to be much closer than that but my Leica rangfinder does not lie. Sometimes the moment of truth requires a quick decision and response and at this moment I chose to wait for him to meander a little closer.

When warmed up and standing on level ground I average about 6" four shot groups at 20 yards. Sometimes a little better than that but back up to 25 yards and it gets ugly averaging 10-12" so I have limited my hunting attempts to 17 yards max. At the moment that the buck stood broadside and waited for me to shoot it all looked right......but something just didn't feel right. He continued on his intended path and I visually followed his trek until he was out of sight.

Did I do the right thing? (I ask myself) No one is able to answer that question for me. All I can say is that I feel very good about the discipline that I have exhibited to myself in keeping with the compliance of the 17 yd range limit for hunting. My heart was pounding, my adrenalin levels were pumping, my blood pressure was rising......and I feel that my head chose the right thing.

We who have chosen to place limitations upon ourselves by hunting with more primitive types of weapons evidently find some enjoyment in the challenge. Rifles, shotguns, crossbows, compound bows and the like are all options for us but yet we choose to hunt in such a fashion that requires that we make quick decisions as we intimately engage with our intended prey.

My question to each of you is.........

AIN'T IT GRANDE???

[Stone Knife]

I try to keep all my shots inside 20 paces but on occasion when everything feels right I will shoot out to 25 paces but no farther.

[ChuckC]

it is a different road, for sure.  One not so well traveled in this day and age.  There are still pilgrims, however and more and more are beginning to  allow their eyes to see.  It isn't better, it isn't worse.  It just..... is.

For some, it is not a way to make it more difficult, to do it "the right way", better bragging rights, or to make it more enjoyable or any other descriptor you can assign.  
It just.....is.

I don't know why I choose to do it this way.  For certain, with compound, shotgun or rifle I would have eaten much more wild game in this life.  It is a feeling, a need, it is me.  It just.....is.

ChuckC

[damascusdave]

Feel is a huge component of hunting with a stickbow...you made the correct choice

DDave

[Mike Bolin]

I agree with damascusdave....."feel" is what cues me to shoot or to pass. I have passed up close shots just because the shot didn't "feel" right. I do not consciously think about yardage any longer. I shot a caribou at over 30 yards because the situation felt right. Earlier that same day I passed a couple of shots that were much closer. Trust your instincts. Mike

[Todd Cook]

Yes you made the right choice. We as hunters should know when we release the arrow it's going to it's mark. Do we mess up sometimes? sure . No one can tell someone else how far is too far, but we know it when we see it  

[dougedwards]

Great comments!

Very early in the season I shot just under a younger 4-point that stood about 21 yards from my stand.  All of my experience with a compound bow kicked in and told me that this was a gimme shot.  I watched the arrow head for the lower chest area only to dip toward the ground right before it reached it's intended destination.

The "feel" aspect of this trad endeavor is developing but was not natural as I began this hunting season. My feeling towards this recent 8 pointer was that it was within the realm of possibility for him to come closer. That feeling was not wrong.  It just didn't materialize that way and the result also challenges me to adjust the placement of my climber next time that I choose to hunt that area.

There is one thing that I have learned from all of my years of hunting and that is this.......

It only takes one instance of being in the right place at the right time to make a whole hunting season a thoroughly exciting and rewarding one. The exact time and place remains to be a mystery but that is allure of hunting.  You just never know.

 Doug

[reddogge]

Yes you did. Only you will live with your shots and if you don't feel 100% confident or uneasy with a shot don't feel bad for not taking it.

In my opinion you did the right thing! I cannot remember the last time I shot any critter at 20yds or more and I don't think I have ever taken a shot at a deer at 20yds!

Bisch

[Gdpolk]

You did right. I let the prettiest buck ever walk last year at 10yds out because the shot didn't feel right. He was SUPER cautious taking 1-2 minutes between each step and was facing right at me. I could have easily hit his vitals if he were still but this old buck was so cautious I thought he would likely jump the string and just get hurt. I couldn't take that risk so he walked.

[Stumpkiller]

Yes you did.  I passed on an 8-point this year that was within 20 yards but never with a clear shot.  

If you are not 100% confident you will make a killing shot then don't take it.  I truly think that is critical with instinctive shooting.  You have to be focused and confident or it falls apart.