I missed !

[rugerbh103]

Well I feel sick. I just had my first try at a doe with a bow. It was overcast tonight and the deer started moving alittle early. Two does appeared on the trail heading towards my stand. I stood up and got ready while they were about 40 yards out. A yearling doe was  the first followed by an adult doe about 10 yards behind her. The small doe walked under my stand less than 10 yards away, picture perfect. The larger doe started to get real jumpy so I figured I better just take the "gimmie" shot on the yearling. The end result was an arrow flying wild over her back and a broken broadhead. The sound of that arrow bouncing off the rocks was the loudest sound I've ever heard. Left me feeling sick to my stomach. So I guess the lesson is that there are no gimmie shots.

[Dave2old]

Ruger -- I am not trying to be a wise-acre, but rather deeply empathetic, when I say there are two truths I have learned in life that have made "failure" easier to swallow for me:

1. In marriage -- the tragedy worse than a broken home, is an ongoing dysfunctional family (esp. for the kids, and I have been there).

2. A tragedy incalculably worse than a miss on game, is a wounding hit.

Thus the term "clean" miss, which I and tens of thousands of other hunters, no matter the weapon, have uttered with the highest gratitude in the worst of times.

Bottom line: Thank your lucky stars for this wake-up call. Practice to overcome target-panic (the archer's version of buck fever). Never take a risky shot. Do your best, always. And doing thus, never feel regret. Your family will not suffer from this loss, and neither did the doe. And as "they" say, what does not kill us, makes us stronger (that is, wiser). Good luck -- which comes to all who persist. dave

[RightTrailWrongTime]

Well said Dave-

[Sharpster]

Dave is absolutely right. I would rather miss cleanly than make a poor hit. There aren't many feelings in life that are worse than knowing you have wounded, possibly killed an animal that you will never recover.

Misses happen. That's one of the reasons we call it hunting not killing. To echo Dave, practice, practice, practice. When you're confident in your shooting skills then hunt! Learning to hold it all together at the moment of truth when your heart is pounding in your chest and your body is convusing can be harder than learning to shoot well.

Chin-up! You'll get many more chances and if you shoot well on the target range, then you can shoot just as well from your stand. Pick one specific hair on that deer to shoot at and block everything else out when you come to full draw.

Ron

[5deer]

practice -  practice and thank GOD  for the experience and practice some more so next time -dinner

[mscampbell75]

YEP!!! I know how ya feel.

[Pointer]

Ruger...the only guy to never miss never released the arrow. Count yourself lucky that it wasn't a bad hit and don't dwell on it. Re-certify yourself to yourself...get some practice time in so you are confident that you can hit what you aim at and then get right back to it. Good Luck to you!

[tarponnut]

Last weekend I killed a very nice hog with a good shot.
Two weeks before I cleanly missed a boar hog not once,not twice,but three times on three separate trys in two hours.(that's right the same hog!One time it was at ten yards!)

Keep plugging.You'll get other chances.

[Traditional-Archer]

Well,
I am not trying to make out what happend sound special. All I can say is you went into the woods with your bow, and exspected to kill a deer. I think you did in your mind, but the mind likes to play tricks on us as you have witnessed. I have done the same thing.
Listen you can practice all you want and I can tell you this much and so can my wife, there are not many archers out there that practice as much as I do, Year round everyday. I still did the same thing, we practice and practice the smallest miss we are able to achieve that is the goal for most of us anyway. But a guy who goes into the woods and experience what you did is more common than you might think. All that happend was your computer broke down, in you brain that is, you go through a routine wile practicing and if you think about what happend you will probably remember something you did different. That my friend is live game panic not target panic, although the same thing you will not have it happen while practicing for most of us. What happend to me was pretty much the some thing as what happend to you.

A nice buck came into my setup the other night and I saw he was a shooter, so I started looking for a spot to pick out. He came in on my best trail, 15 yards away. I waited for him to hit the trail that would put him quartering away. He stopped at a post I shoot at and started to lick the post, he then worked the post from bottom to top tilting his head and lick the post when he reached the top he picked me out, so I thought. A couple seconds later He started on his way down the trail 30 seconds later, I was looking for a spot on the deer but could only see the whole woods with the deer in the middle, no spot to shoot. this is what I call game panic not buck fever. I have killed many deer with a bow and know buck fever.  
Anyway I shot at half draw, because of the game panic monsters. Some of the best advice I recieved from friend was slow thing down, just let it happen or not.  

[rod sarver]

Roger- Everybody has been in your shoes, except for the unlucky one who dont get the chance. Like said I'd rather miss clean than wound one and never get it. And always remember when you shoot close and more of an angle,you need to look alittle lower because you will want to shoot high at close range. I always tell myself when I shoot down,lookdown. When I shoot up, look up. That just my thoughts. Good luck and you'll get another shot. - Rod

[ductape]

I know how you feel I missed one this morning to and like everyone will tell you, better a clean miss than a bad hit, besides that deer is still out there and next time might not get so lucky! Good luck on your next hunt  

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Like everyone has said, better a clean miss than a poor hit.  Aside from that good on you for attempting the better shot on the calmer yearling rather than the risky shot on the nervous mature doe.    

[Butts2]

No matter how much you practice, if that is the last time you miss, then you are a blessed man. Keep at it  

[Stinger]

Lots of good advice here.  I had the same thing happen this past weekend on a 6pt buck.  I haven't missed with a wheel bow in years.  I know what I did wrong however - didn't pick a small spot.  The only thing I didn't see mentioned in the posts above is a reference to the shot being high.  My experience has been that at those close 10 yard shots that most high misses are because you didn't bend at the waist and instead just dropped your bow arm.  Doing that almost guarantees a high shot every time.

Hey the weather out there is going to turn cold tomorrow - get out there and try again.

[blueslfb]

Better to have shot and cleanly missed than to not have shot at all.  And remember there is a lot of room around em.

[Wannabe1]

Dave hit it on the nose.

I am 40 and have been hunting since I was a teen and still have yet to connect with my first. I had a good opportunity while living in Louisiana back in the '90s and shot right over a does back. She jumped the sting and when she hunched down to leap, my arrow just flew right on by like it had no where to go! Sometimes I just wonder?!   :rolleyes:

[Bear Heart]

So far I have taken shots at two animals.  One hog: Killed the V shaped tree in front of him.  One Elk: she bolted before the arrow could get her.
Missed em both but for those seconds before release, I was the best bowhunter in the world.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Congrats, your in Great Company. I would bet that 95% of all bowhunters miss their first shot at game. Many of the same go on to become great archers. It's a game that test your determination and commitment. Good Luck. Now get back out there and do it till it comes together.

[rugerbh103]

Thanks for the support. I went out tonight and saw 13 deer from my stand, all does and all out of range. I had a button buck under my stand. I was actually looking at him through the grate of the platform. So maybe I will get the chance to seal the deal.

[Wannabe1]

Good luck and may your arrrow find truth in flight.