i missed!! should i have aimed low??

[Gaff]

well, yesterday at about 8am i had what i think is a stud of a 2 1/2 year old buck walk past me on the ground at 17-18yds wide open.  i was able to hold it together just like i had done this before.( i hadnt)  
i picked a spot in the middle of the deer right tight to the shoulder. i mouth grunted it to stop- it did, and i released....
that buck dropped so fast and so far that the arrow stuck in a 4" dia tree right exactly where the deer was 1sec earlier..

after starin at the tree for the next 3 hrs i walked over.. its was only 24" or so of the ground. so im 100% sure i didnt just fling it over the deers back. i watched it duck the arrow..

im not upset, because it was awesome just to have my first shot with the recurve.. but my qusetion is should i have aimed at the bottoom od the deer so he ducked into it?? do any of you do this??

gaff

[Biggie Hoffman]

Nope...but next time, don't alert him to your presence. Shoot him walking.

[goldflinger]

Anxious to see the answers here that follow. After shooting over one that I think definitely ducked, I will be shooting for the heart next time. That heart is pretty low in deer, and hopefully I will end up with a double lung. I know lots will say just look where you want to hit, but our Oklahoma deer are quite adept at jumping the string!

[dragon rider]

What Biggie said.  The objective is to reduce the variables in your shot, and throwing in a sound that the deer didn't expect added one. If you aim low and still grunt, you're just as likely to shoot under him as anything.  Some of them duck, some freeze and some get out of Dodge so fast you'd swear they were never there.  Control what you can; don't try to control what the deer will do because mostly it won't be what you want him to do.

[doug77]

I've had nothing but bad luck grunting to stop deer.

[Stone Knife]

But it works on tv  

[ishiwannabe]

Yep, I never try to stop em unless they are leaving my effective range. Atleast you got the shot man! Very cool....and it is way better than a bad hit.

[Jmatt1957]

What Biggie said....

[maineac]

Unless you are hunting hard hunted spooky deer, I wouldn't.  Either wait for it to stop on its own, or shoot it walking, if it is moving slow.

[J. Cook]

It does work on TV, but they are usually aiming for a duck too.  

I try to never stop one, unless it's just moving too fast.  If I do shoot at one that I've grunted at, I aim as low as I'd possibly want to hit and kill it...just in case it doesn't duck.

[chopx2]

Hey I aimed lower third and no grunt Saturday and still shot under her when she ducked...and after pacing it off she was a yard closer than I thought...At least you have an excuse...lol

[reddogge]

I wouldn't have grunted and alerted the deer to something in the area. A walking deer is making his own background noise himself.

[rolltidehunter]

everybody misses! missed three time this year. finally shot a doe sat evening

[bornagainbowhunter]

I would have shot him walking like Biggie said.  That being said, I had a buck duck the string and shot over his back last year and I did not try to stop him.  I did shoot him walking.  Problem was he was walking on an old logging road and was not making any noise.

Ya' win some and ya lose some.

God Bless,
Nathan

[arrowslinger22]

quote:Originally posted by Stone Knife:
But it works on tv    

[RM81]

quote:Originally posted by arrowslinger22:
 

quote:Originally posted by Stone Knife:
But it works on tv        

[Bill Turner]

I always aim for the lower third of the body on a whitetail. Just the way I do it. However, I've never tried to stop a walking deer before I shot. Just think too many things can go wrong if you do. Especially inside 20 yards. Good luck and "Keep'Um Sharp".  

[joe ashton]

deer do not cooperate. Sometimes they drop fast, some times they just stand there and take it like a man.  I'm not in favor of grunting to stop them.  That puts them on red alert, they know something is a miss.  BUT................
Joe

[Gaff]

i guess huntin with my compound has given me some bad habits.. i dont know if im comfortable shooting a walkin deer tho. ive never practiced that before. i guess i may have to start hey..

yeah jamie, im bummed i didnt get my first trad deer, but at the same time im glad it was a clean miss..

what a rush tho!!!

gaff

[Oliverstacy]

Originally posted by Stone Knife:
But it works on tv      

I'll catch some heck for this but if you add another 100 to 120 fps (big difference between 180 fps and 320 fps) to an arrow they have a harder time ducking them.  Granted anything is possible! (this is based on most of TV is with very fast wheel bows)!!!

With wheels I would always be ready at full draw pin centered and grunt, as they were coming to a stop I would touch it off aiming low, didn’t have a problem.  I’m not this style shooter with a recurve/longbow.

I switched to traditional in 2007 (I’m much more of a snap shot than hold and release) and haven’t had a shot at a deer yet but got busted by grunting to stop doe and also drawing on the same doe without letting  her know I was there.  Very frustrating!

Josh