Most memorable misses!

[unregistered]

Well let me just say that I love reading the many success stories found here on TradGang. But as a traditional archer who has bagged nuthin but squirrels I feel the need to hear some stories about misses. Now what are misses you may be askin? Well To explain let me tell you the story of my most spectacular miss. And perhaps after hearing about one, some of you fine gentlemen/women might realise that you to have missed on occasion.

My most memorable miss occured on the 29th of August last year. My wife and I were out visiting her parents when we noticed a spectacular Mule Deer bedded in the field down the hill from their house. He was about a mile away from us and both my wife and I had Mulie tags. So we flipped a coin and I won dibs on first stalk. Now neither of my inlaws had ever seen a traditional bow let alone an animal taken with one. So I was quite eager to impress. I strung my longbow and headed off, and to make a long story short eventually managed to close the distance to about twenty yards. It was at this moment that I realised that I had forgoten both my armguard and shooting glove in all the excitement. Undetered I attemped to crawl closer but his keen ears picked up my racket and he slowly stood from his bed. Icame to full draw, picked my spot and released! And watched my arrow fly a hands length below his chest. The buck ran off and I was left with the realisation that not only had I blown a once in a lifetime stalk at a once in a lifetime deer. And to make it worse both my inlaws and my wife had watched the whole bloody thing.

So. Is there anyone out there who can relate?

[Whip]

Relate?  Oh yeah, I can relate....
I've certainly had my share, but the one that stands out most vivid in my mind (and I hope like heck I never have one to top it) was the very first morning of a guided elk hunt we were working our way back toward the horses in a snowstorm.  Came upon a small bull, but he was plenty good enough for me, so I crept closer to set up on him with the guide following behind.  I notice movement in the brush, then could make out antlers.  Headed my way!  But it wasn't the small bull we had first seen.  This was a mega 6x6.  Long tines. Extreme mass.  He was huge!  He walked slowly into an opening perfectly broadside and I airmailed an arrow right over his back.  
I will never get over that one.  But what a crystal clear memory!

[Wannabe1]

Yep! The fever will do that too ya.  

Not laughing at you Whip.  

[centaur]

Not a 'miss' in the most strict definition of the word, but I'm still sick about it. More years ago than I care to remember, I was hunting elk and got a hot response to my bugle right at first light, and he was close! I was below the bull, and he became silouhetted in the first light of morning, screaming his head off and about 20 yards away. I rared back and fired, totally forgetting about picking a spot, and heard a loud 'thwack'. The bull only got madder, and I only got more flustered, deftly emptying my quiver until he finally left the country. As I walked to where he was standing in an attempt to retrieve my arrows, I found a six inch long slice of elk antler, obviously what had caused that 'thwack'. So technically, I didn't really miss.  

[zwickeyman]

Mine was a big bull also. A 360 bull I was on 6 days in a row, could never get the right shot. On the seventh day I decided to hunt for Mulies, blew a couple of stalks and headed back to camp midday. Ran into him and his cows bumped him and sprinted through the timber to see cows moving through, got ready and here he came pushing his last cow. I gave a little mew and stopped him braodside at 25 yards, drew back, released and over-neathed him, over actually. Still see it all very clear.

[BigArcher]

I finally got an elk within range a couple of years ago.  He had to have at least 3 points and with the forest background I couldn't see them clearly.  Finally after staring at his antlers for a thousand lifetimes he relaxed and I counted 4 points.  I quickly drew and loosed an arrow.  RIGHT BETWEEN HIS ANTLERS.
The good news is I stopped him with a loud elk scream. ( sort of) and put him down with a shot to the heart.
I went back to the spot and took a picture of the first arrow last year.

BigArcher

[wihill]

The biggest buck I've seen to date, had my recurve with me at the time, still very new to traditional archery.  I was shaking so bad when he walked through the underbrush, still in velvet from our early season.  I kept thinking he'd stop - I tried and grunt and ended up with a squeek, that didn't work either - and by the time I came to my senses he was practically under me.

I thought I had him dead on the forest floor, instead I watched my arrow with two chartreus and two neon pink feathers dissappear over his back and lodge in the dirt behind him, a puff of fur being my only consolation.

What a wonderful baptism into Traditional.

[jonsimoneau]

My first few years into traditional archery just happend to coincide with the period of my carrer where I actually started to get shots at good bucks.  I missed the same 150 to 155 inch 5x5 twice in one season!  Plus some other big ones! Not to mention other species.  I don't miss nearly as often now...but it still happens.  That's part of the fun.

[Coonbait]

30 years ago this fall was my first year hunting with a Bear bow. I was 14 years old and knew nothing about treestands and such. I got my bow as a xmas present and practiced every day. I loved shooting my bow. First day of archery season came and a friend of my dad's took me out with him and his son. We parked the car and started up this crab apple choked hollow. About a hundred yards into my first hunt and the father said he could see deer legs up ahead in the thick crabs and we should stay here and he'd see if he could get close enough for a shot. Me and his son couldn't see anything and kind of thought he was crazy. He disappeared and we stood dead center in a deer trail just looking at each other. OH did I mention he took his kids bow? A little upset, I turned to look back at the car and there walking down the trail( we were standing on) was a beautiful 10 point. He had know idea two stupid kids were stand (SHAKING) on that trail. He stopped about 20 yards away broadside eatting apples. Know matter what I couldn't pull that bow back. I tried over and over until I thought I would cry. The buck finally lifted his head and stared a hole through my heart. With one last burst of adrenaline I pulled that bow back, aimed a hole at the lungs, and released. Like in ultra slow motion I watched my arrow heading dead on only to cut a tiny tuffed of hair off the bottom of his chest. To make matters worse he looked behind him at the arrow then back at me and walked away in disgust. My best friend lives about a quarter of a mile from that spot and never do I drive past that parking place that I don't feel like a 14 year old throwing up!
 GLENN

[tradtusker]

one of my most impressive was clean missing an eland bull, buddys didn't let me forget that one in a hurry ..Eland are the largest species of "antelope" in the world

[longbowman]

Montana, 1980.  I had just went to a Montana hunting banquet where they had a mount of the state record mulie with a good friend of mine.  We got a good close up look at it and I committed that I had been watching a buck in the Highwoods mountains all season that was every bit as big.  I took my buddy with me the next weekend bowhunting and at first light there was that buck feeding on a very pointy nob just like always.  We tried a stalk on him from two sides but the clouds lowered and we were down to almost zero visibility.  Suddenly the buck walked by in a fog break but was gone just as fast.
     The next weekend I was alone and the wind was blowing the opposite direction due to a front moving in and I made a half mile stalk and was the same height on the nob as he was when he came around the rim and walked down towards the aspen gully he normally bedded in.  he stopped broadside at 18 yds. and I proceeded to shoot 3" over his back!
     Obviously this was a heart breaking miss but it was a great experience to have lived through and I wouldn't trade that miss for anything.

[Bob B.]

Well, I hate to admit this ...  I was hunting a big set aside field.  Just sitting in the grass, when  buck was chasign a doe right to me.  I wanted to to put a doe in the freezer, so this looked good.  She trotted right past me and stoped just to the left and behind me.  I stood up, took my time and drew on her.  She jsut looked at me, now broad side ( in a field - 10 yards away!!!! )and did not move.  I let fly and shot right right over her back!!

I still can't belive I missed the easiest shot ever offered to me!  Oh the shame of it all!!!          

[Don Stokes]

I've hit antlers, too, on the biggest buck I've ever drawn a bow on. P&Y for sure, maybe B&C. I tend to shoot where I look...

[Forest Archer]

A nice big 10 point at 7 yards on the ground, I was standing, he came out of a thicket and was walking by me in an old logging road I had just walked in on 5 minutes before. Yep, 7 yards and he looked as big as a cow, almost cut the hair off his back. Still makes me sick to think about it at the time it would have been my first deer with a recurve  

[ozy clint]

too many to recall.  

[swampbuck]

140+ 8pt last season bounced my arrow back at me from his rack...yea I still gotta ask myself just why did I hafta stand "in" his bed        

[allan f]

I'd rather a clean miss then a bad hit.
Allan

Like a lot of guys I have had both, and if you think you beat yourself up about a clean miss, try getting a poor hit out of a miss.  Count your blessings guys.
A.

[JEFF B]

i guess it would have to be the time i went deer hunting and fell asleep under a teetree tree and missed everything for about 3 hours.  

[tmccall]

My first shot at a deer with traditional tackle was a real nice 8 point at about 15 steps.  I was in a ground blind but he was on full alert.  He knew something wasn't right but couldn't decide what.  He paused behind a tree and I prepared for the shot.  Another step would bring him into the clear for the shot.  

I'll always blame it on that pause. I got amped up and I'm sure I was soaking up the adrenaline as I waited for him to finally move out from behind the tree.  When he did he was tense but moving steadily towards a fresh scrape. Perhaps I should have waited and let him get preoccupied with his goal instead of with his uneasy feeling.

However, I took the first opportunity he presented and blew it all the way around. I didn't pick a spot and probably over-drew the bow.  I hit anchor and shot all at once.  As my arrow streaked across the open space between us, the deer dropped his shoulder and ducked the arrow.  It flew clean over his back.

To make matters worse he trotted off about 50 yards and proceeded to circle me, trying to catch my scent.  I could see him but, even if he had presented a shot, the distance was too great.  I'll never forget the sight of my arrow sailing over his back.  I sure wish I had that moment back for one more chance...    

[Stone Knife]

Mine would have to be my first Trad turkey season. It was opening day and I was hunting behind my house, at first light the birds were gobbling good, but there were gun hunters all over the place, I saw three different ones. I just decided to sit tight in my blind, I had coffee and snacks with me. I had my decoys set up about 12 yards from the blind, and I just sat and called every once and awhile. It was around 11:30( we can only hunt till noon) I was just about to give up for the day when I spotted a bunch of Jakes around 80 yards off. I got my call and gave a few yelps, they just came in on a string right to the decoys. I remember thinking I can't believe this, I going to get a shot my first time out with a trad bow. I picked out the biggest one and proceeded to miss it clean, there was no second chance that day but I was hooked from that moment on and I haven't gone after them with  gun since that day.