time to admit it.

[johnnyk71]

Sunday morning, i committed the cardinal sin of bowhunting: i didn't pick a spot.

i had a huge doe, in exactly the spot i set up for, head behind a big pine tree, vitals exposed, at 5 yards. i was sitting in my ground blind, and waited until exactly the right moment. it was such a gimmie, that i skipped the most important step of shooting at a live target - pick a spot!!!

i have only missed one other shot that close in 12 years, and it haunts me to this day.

i drew, and released, all in one motion, and shot 1/2" over her back. since Sunday, that target image has flashed into my mind at least once every few minutes, and it won't go away, and it makes me physically ill. i looked at the whole deer, and it cost me. the worst part is, i know that those shots usually only happen once a year, if at all.

and it doesn't make me feel any better admitting it, but hopefully someone else will benefit from my mistake.    :(

[reddogge]

Don't feel too bad since it's happened to a lot of us over the years. At least it was a clean miss.

[Ceb]

Believe me, I can relate.

[Flying Dogg]

Since you did not wound the animal the result is a win  win. The deer lives another day unharmed and you have an excellent reminder for the future.

[Slickhead]

Been there, done that
As flying Dogg commented above (its a win for the deer and you)

[Chad Orde]

Happened to me once at 6 yards on a nice fork horn never picked a spot or touched a hair.

[TooManyHobbies]

At least YOU missed. I gave a big buck an ouchie. I can live with a clean miss. Best of luck to all of us in the future.

[LC]

Been there done that! As soon as I see a deer that I've decided I'm going to shoot if given a chance I start staring a hole where I want my arrow to hit!

[damascusdave]

The one thing that I do to practice picking a spot is to shoot Techno Hunt...you get more shots at figures of live animals in one round than you could in several years of actually shooting at game...if you shoot to maximize your score you will always pick a spot on the target animal...sometimes it is only a spot on the rump that you would never take on a live grizzly bear, but if you do not pick a spot it is easy to miss the whole target...3D shooting offers similar practice with the added feature of different ranges for the targets

DDave

[damascusdave]

I am fortunate enough to often have deer in my yard...I will not shoot one there for my own reasons but I always mentally pick a spot and loose a virtual arrow at them...just some positive visualization

DDave

[toby]

I missed one at about twenty yards earlier this fall, did the same thing, looked at the whole deer. It happens, go out and find another.

[Kopper1013]

Did the same thing except I was able to catch the liver and aortal artery along the back bone could have easily been a miss or even worse a gut shot. Think about it every time I'm sitting alone in the woods, only thing I can do is or we can do is try to learn from our mistakes and try to correct them down the road

[sheepdogreno]

Happens to a lot of us..at least it was a clean miss

[legends1]

Ok, I will admit what very few have ever heard from me. Two years ago I didn't pick a spot on a 5 point bull elk and shot about a inch under him at 22 yards. Bothers me to this day because I know better. I fell your pain.

[Wudstix]

Over shot a 250# sow and hit the 60# youngsters behind her.

[Pheonixarcher]

Did that with an 8pt earlier this season. Just posted about it in the other "I missed" thread. Apparently it happens to lots of guys. I wonder if they make a pill for that? Lol.

[Flying Dutchman]

Well, this experience will teach you to pick a spot! An the deer came away unharmed, so it is win/win.I had it on my last 3D tournament, I shoot competition. I missed two very easy targets, but they were plus/minus targets. My arrow went twice over the easy plus target and hit the minus target, that was good for -40 points in stead of an easy +40 points. That 80 points costed me the victory... I still can't believe I did so, that never happened to me!
Be aware if it looks easy! Another lesson learned...  :(

[Friend]

Divulging a most common trait we humans share should serve well as our own routine reminder.

Due note, as I am not immune to this exact issue. Typically, my spot is most often well established prior to the draw...am assessing appropriate body angles several yards prior to the quarry crossing into my effective hunting range. Identifying and locking in on a spot is typically established prior to the animal crossing into my effective hunting range. Numerous times, I can only recall a flash of the whole animal prior to the shot execution.

[johnnyk71]

thanks for the feedback, guys. i'm usually a good shot in hunting situations, so that makes a slam-dunk-miss even worse for me. good to know we can reinforce the fundamentals for each other and benefit at least a little from the mistakes of others.

[stiknstringer]

I remember years ago having a big doe come to within six yards of me slightly quartering away and missed. Minutes later, had a squirrel come to the exact same spot, and heart shot it.