Ever done this?

[Vesty]

Two days ago I had a dandy 6pt. pick up the scent trail I laid down when I came in to my stand. He was on a string. I was up and ready and already had him in the freezer. Then I did it. I committed the cardinal sin of instinctive shooting. I started to focus on his eyes to see if he sensed me. You guessed it. Rather than staring at the ribcage I never took my gaze off his eyes. Yep. Arrow right over his antlers!!! Did I mention he was probably 8yds. in front of me. I'm still kicking myself. Ugh!

[kevsuperg]

That's the fun and frustration of trad gear. Keep at.

[Pine]

That must be why the old timers say " don't look at the rack " .

[ChuckC]

more folks do that than not.....

[mec lineman]

Your arrow is going were ur looking.  Once I decide I'm going to shoot,I follow the crease behind their legs. That helps me focus

[Yewbender]

Thats a bummer. Well on the bright side you learned not to look'em in the eyes like the hot girl sitting at the other table    

[Vesty]

It is a bummer but a lesson well learned. This buck is unscathed for which I am grateful. If I'm going to miss I want it to be a clean miss.

[degabe]

Ben there and done that more than once.

[Friend]

Often, what looks like failure is just a step on the journey.

My own journey has gratefully been a long one and have learned to take my falls more gracefully and attempt to find humor in them. Many more falls lay ahead as long as I continue to recieve the gift of the hunt.

[kuch]

They are never in the  freezer ,until they are in the freezer. There are never"slam dunks". 8 yds " should " be  a slam dunk, but if your mind is not properly focused on the killing shot.....you will miss or worse. Whenever my mind strays to : should I...I have work tomorrow; this is easy....; what about the other deer... BAD results. Clear mind in the predator mode.....nothing but " I'm going to shoot a clean kill shot and pick a small spot on the animal"....usually goes well.

Easier said then done.

[bucknut]

Been there, done that! It sucks! Its the heat of the moment that gets you over thinking and you think of everything but what you need to do. I have Pick a spot and anchor on the belly of my upper limb just to remind me!

[imbowhunt10]

Sadly I say, I have been there and done that on the biggest buck I have ever seen on the hoof. It wasthe Saturday before Thanksgiving several years ago, heard him coming, seen him coming, and at about 8 yards i shot over his back. It took a long time to get over that. I was not looking at where i was shooting. I broke the golden rule of shooting, PICK A SPOT. After all these years i still get upset when i think about it. But one has to learn and not make the same mistake twice.

[highlow]

Oh yeah. I've made a clean miss at distances closer than that, sad to say. These kinds of experiences are what make trad archery so addictive. We never stop learning.

[SELFBOW19953]

Not quite the same, but I missed a doe on an almost straight down shot because I concentrated too hard.  I practiced straight down shots and found that I was always about 2 inches high.  This doe came in stopped below me, I concentrated on a spot about an inch off of her shoulder, knowing the arrow would be 2" high and I'd have my deer.  The arrow went right where I was looking-nothing but dirt.

[hnt2mch]

lol       yes I have!!!!the first deer I ever got I done the exact same thing only Imy arrow struck him just below and a little behind his ear!really short tracking job lol

[BAK]

During police firearms training while going through the shooting house I often would find most of my shots were near the bad guys weapon as that's what my eyes were looking for.  Same principal.

[Overspined]

Yes I have....but I got a second shot and connected!  Lol. 26 years ago. A real brute