How many misses......

[Bowwild]

I shot and killed the first live deer I ever saw at age 16 in 1970. The bow was a Ben Pearson Cougar with a cedar arrow and Bear razorhead.

I didn't start missing until the next year. In those days I sometimes got so excited to have a deer in bow range that I could barely contain myself. I still get plenty excited, no matter the size, gender, or headgear but it doesn't affect my shot.

I reread your post. The 25 yard miss attracted my attention. While lots of people can make 25 yard shots with recurves and longbows, most can't. Most don't practice that far and therefore wouldn't think of even trying it. The average bow kill with recurves is 14 yards (for everyone).

What ever distance I'm consistent at that would be my maximum hunting distance or even a bit less -- I don't mind wounding a 3D target but I despise wounding or missing (nearly the same thing)a live animal.

I visualize what I'm going to to do long before shots occur. I imagine the live shot being at some distance I practice at. For instance I've killed 4 of my last recurve deer from the "pool table distance on my indoor range -- 8 yards).

I also practice from 30 and 40 yards so 20 yards and under will be extremely doable.

[jean-vincent]

4 occasion .... 4 misses
the last one on a fox , if that was a male it's a female now  just at the junction tail /backlegs ... he started running on is back legs when the arrow past so close of is balls .... a had a good laugh !!

[jr1959]

Zero misses before my first, but quite a few since.  Avoid shooting at alert deer and pick a spot.  Have fun amd make some memories.  Jim

[gordydog]

Lots of good advice.  Try practicing with no 2 shots at the same; distance,  animal angle, stance....Change it up so it is a little less than perfect to simulate hunting situations.  Can you drill it on the first try without the memory factor?  This forces you to have  good shot sequence and FOCUS.  Shoot only 3D deer targets if possible or cardboard silhouettes of deer to help you realize it is a game of inches.  You must be able to hit things on your first arrow and not after warming up at a set distance.  Good luck.

[Dannon]

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. Looking back the shot was a little too far! I'm just glad I didn't wound the deer. I'm gonna keep at it. Going to pick up a new longbow hopefully tomorrow. I'll start practicing with it immediately as we still have some time left here to hunt. Also, I know where lots of hogs are!!    
Dannon

[Sam McMichael]

How many misses? I'm not sure I can count that high. It was a long time ago, but I do remember that on the morning I killed my first deer I shot seven times with only one hit. Luckily, it took him down.

Don't worry about the misses themselves. Concentrate on shooting form and picking "the spot". Target accuracy and hunting accuracy are not the same. Excitement and anticipation often cause us to break concentration causing us to shoot the whole animal rather than a specific spot. Remain focused, and it will happen.

[Zbone]

Yeah, bunches and bunches of misses for me too...

Wasn't going to tell the tale, but since the subject of misses has been brought up - I missed a dandy a couple weeks ago on December 16.

He's a 140-150 class 6x6 whitetail with a sticker coming off the left brow that I had dead to rights at under 10 yards and didn't kill him... I could still cry...8^)

He has at least 13-points, possible more with the larger burs coming off around the base.

Been chasing him two seasons and December 16th was the first time I ever took a shot at him...
   
Passed a couple shot opportunities last year after he broke most of the tines off his 6x6 frame earlier in the season I suspect from fighting or maybe a vehicle, but anyhow it made it hard to determine is age class with all those broken bones...

I know he's at least a 3-1/2 year old, but likely     4-1/2 or older and has made it this year through 2-1/2 months of bowseason, and our gun season and I'm praying he makes it through the next 4 days past our muzzleloader season which begins in the AM...

It was a cold day and I was in a heater suit with heavy clothing, so I use the bulky cloth as and excuse for the miss...8^)

I had him 8 steps from the base of my tree facing me, before he got leery something wasn't right then went on alert trying to back out as I cut hairs off his shoulder quartering away as he spun around at about 18 - 20 yards away...

Gives me nightmares, I still can't sleep over it...8^) Maybe letting it out will help...8^)

Muzzleloader season has me worried though and I            haven't seen the buck since the miss, so he could be dead now or have  already shed...

[Leroy Hunter]

I have only had one mrs for the last 17 years.

[elk nailer]

My first year back to trad I had a doe come by at 10 yds. Shot over her back. A few min. later a 6pt came by on her trail. Shot over his back. A few min. later another 6pt came by on the same trail as the others and I was so rattled that I donn't know where the last shot went. Pick a spot!

[Zbone]

Had him dead to rights again yesterday, this time under 30 yards standing broadside through the scope of my muzzleloader. Couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger, want him bad with the bow... Hope it doesn't come back to haunt me again...8^)

Got a good look through the scope in good light and he is only a 13-point...

It's great to know he made it through muzzleloader for this was just after 5:00 pm with only half hour legal shooting time and 45 minutes from dark and I didn't hear any close shots. Temperatures may have kept them out of the woods.

[johnnyk71]

Originally posted by gordydog:
Lots of good advice.  Try practicing with no 2 shots at the same; distance,  animal angle, stance....Change it up so it is a little less than perfect to simulate hunting situations.  Can you drill it on the first try without the memory factor?  This forces you to have  good shot sequence and FOCUS.  Shoot only 3D deer targets if possible or cardboard silhouettes of deer to help you realize it is a game of inches.  You must be able to hit things on your first arrow and not after warming up at a set distance.  Good luck.

this is good advice. i stopped shooting anything besides my 3-D target about 2 months before the season started, and i rarely take the same shot twice, even in the back yard. repetition is good for your form, and helping your brain calculate distance, but once you have that down, take away the crutch of shooting the same shot over and over. also, anticipate a live deer dropping at least a little no matter what, and aim low!

[Bowwild]

Zbone,
I passed what was and still is the largest racked white-tail I've ever seen (alive) in the early 80's with a muzzle-loader. That buck was 15 yards away in a picked bean field. I was in a pin oak where a button-bush marsh and the bean field touched.

Like you I wanted him with my bow. I don't regret the no-shoot decision but I never saw that deer again. That buck took FOREVER to move out of range!

[Zbone]

Yeah Bowwild, like you, I'll probably never see him again...

[KeganM]

Over the course of five years, I probably missed over twenty shots on deer. Lord knows how many on squirrels and other small game. I never wounded a deer during all that poor shooting, and for that I'm very grateful.

Since then, I've gone to three under, a lighter bow (dropped from 85# to 70# to 62# all the way down to 50#) and a high anchor (very Rick Welch style) and have been able to put two doe in the freezer every season for the past three years in a row, in addition to smacking a few squirrels every year too. First deer I killed I was shooting the other way. I missed three times before an arrow connected on the young doe and by then it was alert and jumped the string (liver hit). I got lucky and it didn't go far, but I realized that things needed to change because that liver hit could have easily been a gut shot. I had to admit that the style I was using just didn't fit me, and I had to find something better for the critters sake. Same with the bow. I realize now that I'm comfortable at 50# and that 55# is my max. I work within my limits, and I set up my bow so I just need to point that arrow at the critter and run through my shot. I'm always working at getting better too