Missed two deer tonight......

[mh2324]

....with the SAME ARROW!!!!! In one hour!!!!  

What would/should/could have been my first trad kill ended up as nothing more than one embarrassment after another. Like a greatest hit reel of hunting bloopers.

[sheepdogreno]

Least you had two chances. I haven't bad my chance yet

[mh2324]

So my dad and I get out to the woods for an evening hunt around 1:30. I decide to take my climber and set up over two scrapes and in a stand of oaks overlooking a trail to work with the south winds. After getting up the tree and sitting for only 30 minutes I see a doe slipping through the woods out of range to my north. Good sign.

At 3:00 exactly I look upwind to my north and see a nice 6 point headed my way. Everything is perfect. I'm about to get my first shot with a trad bow!!! After a chess game of moving when he's eating and getting stood up he gives me a quartering away shot at about 10 yards. I pick a spot and let her fly.....only to watch it sail about 4" over his back!!!!! I'm kicking myself as I watch my first trad harvest bound away into the trees and out of sight. This ends up only being the beginning of my heartaches this afternoon.....

[Big Ed]

Welcome to Traditional Archery!!

[ChuckC]

You did part of it right to get two shots today.  Work on that other part for the next shot.

Shoot straight, but first pick a spot.

So, curious. .  how HIGH in the tree were you ?

ChuckC

[mh2324]

.....I decide to go retrieve my arrow thinking I was gonna just head out for the day. I climb down and pull my arrow out of the dirt and then decide to climb back up and sit out the evening as its only 3:30 and I have a couple hours of shooting light left. I climb back up to my stand and start pulling up my rope with my bow on it. Oops....no bow attached. I had forgotten to hook my bow to it when I climbed down before. Amazing.

Back down I go. I hook up my bow and climb back up again. I get all set and get my arrow nocked and ready. I realize my quiver is hanging funny on my hook and it might interfere with my draw so I reach to untangle it and off falls my arrow from the string straight to the ground where it sticks straight below me 15'. Wow. I'm a mess. I get out another arrow and nock it and sit down for what I'm sure will be an uneventful end to my evening.....

[mh2324]

Originally posted by ChuckC:
You did part of it right to get two shots today.  Work on that other part for the next shot.

Shoot straight, but first pick a spot.

So, curious. .  how HIGH in the tree were you ?

ChuckC

15' tops. Probably a bit lower. I don't like going very high. Funny thing is I shot before I hunted today and probably have never shot better. Was drilling the bullseye!!

[Altiman94]

Sorry for your misses but I'm sure there will be plenty more shot opportunities for you.  Hoping you are able to share a harvest soon!

[mh2324]

...at 4:00, thirty minutes later, I look to my south and lo and behold a nice big ole doe is walking down the trail right at me! What luck!!! I get stood up slowly and watch her feed her way right to me. At 15 yards she turns broadside and I draw and let one go again after consciously thinking to aim lower....only to watch it sail high again, but perfectly in line with her kill zone. AARRRGGHHH!!!!!! She jumps and walks a few yards away only to look around for what that noise was and then slowly ease up and begin feeding again. I'm dumbfounded!!! I go to reach for yet another arrow and then realize the only thing left in my quiver is two blunt tips. My other broadhead arrow is sticking in the ground below my stand laughing at me.

So I watch her feed for the next half hour with me holding an empty bow before seeing her meandering off into the trees. Nobody to blame but myself and glad it was two clean misses but WOW! Perfect alignment left to right but a few inches high. Only thing I can figure Is that after so many years of a compound bow and its speed I'm not used to deer ducking at the sound of the string with the slower trad bow. Frustrating but just glad all was well for the deer and I've learned several lessons.

[Lefty]

Don't forget to bend at the waist when shooting from an elevated position. Not bending at the waist and you will shoot high.

[Friend]

It may be wise to reflect on what went wrong and how to implement corrections and not focus on the temporary defeat for those two shot opportunities are forever gone. Positive focus and securing the confidence that knowing that you are more than capable since you have and will make the shot which will propel toward your desired harvest.

Personal confession: Turkeys….32 scores….over 60 misses….am fervantly awaiting my next shot opportunity

All the best!

[mh2324]

Originally posted by Friend:
It may be wise to reflect on what went wrong and how to implement corrections and not focus on the temporary defeat for those two shot opportunities are forever gone. Positive focus and securing the confidence that knowing that you are more than capable since you have and will make the shot which will propel toward your desired harvest.

Personal confession: Turkeys….32 scores….over 60 misses….am fervantly awaiting my next shot opportunity

All the best!

I appreciate it. Couldn't agree more.looking at the positive side of it it's  A step in the right direction to not only get my first shot today but my second as well in under an hour. Just kills me to know I blew it. Oh well, back at it Wednesday....

[Homebru]

Originally posted by Lefty:
Don't forget to bend at the waist when shooting from an elevated position. Not bending at the waist and you will shoot high.

X2 !!!!
homebru

[mh2324]

Originally posted by Homebru:
 

Originally posted by Lefty:
Don't forget to bend at the waist when shooting from an elevated position. Not bending at the waist and you will shoot high.

X2 !!!!
homebru [/b]

It was with the Baraga I got from you on the Classifieds. I know it's definitely not the bow! It sure is quiet. That doe looked where the arrow hit and never back at me after he shot.

[Benjy]

Matt, set up a tree stand in your yard and practice on a deer or deer like target. I missed quite a few in the beginning. I was practicing while I was standing on the ground shooting between 20 and 30 yards. I would then set up my hunting spots so my shots were around 15 yards and up in a tree stand. I shot over the first 5 deer. A friend finally made me see the light. Practice your expected hunting shot, is the best advice that I can give you. Keep at it!

I am hoping the boys have started chasing up there, I am headed to Southeast Ohio on Thursday for a long weekend of hunting!

Benjy

[pdk25]

It was with the Baraga I got from you on the Classifieds. I know it's definitely not the bow! It sure is quiet. That doe looked where the arrow hit and never back at me after he shot. [/QB]

Which makes it a little less likely that the deer ducked at the shot, especially at that range.  Shooting out of a tree definitely requires practice, but even more so is having the ability of calm to concentrate on proper form under pressure.

[Crittergetter]

I had 3 clean misses before I finally connected with my first trad deer. The down hill angle was throwing me off bad!! I practiced it at home and felt good about the results but in the field I just couldn't connect. Check out Jimmy Blackmon's videos on shooting from a tree stand. Helped me, might help you!

Not saying this is what happened, but if you lowered your bow arm instead of bending at the waist, that would explain the high misses! It happens a LOT, even to real experienced guys sometimes!

Good luck next time out!

Bisch

[mh2324]

Originally posted by Benjy:
Matt, set up a tree stand in your yard and practice on a deer or deer like target. I missed quite a few in the beginning. I was practicing while I was standing on the ground shooting between 20 and 30 yards. I would then set up my hunting spots so my shots were around 15 yards and up in a tree stand. I shot over the first 5 deer. A friend finally made me see the light. Practice your expected hunting shot, is the best advice that I can give you. Keep at it!

I am hoping the boys have started chasing up there, I am headed to Southeast Ohio on Thursday for a long weekend of hunting!

Benjy

I really appreciate the advice. I think you're right on. I don't have a tree in my little yard to set up in but I need to figure something out. The right/left alignment appeared great on both shots, just high. I practice often but from standing and sitting positions on the ground (no other option at the house).

Good luck in Ohio! I grew up hunting in Zaleski State Forest and the surrounding area in SE Ohio in the hills. It's beautiful there and plenty of deer. They're chasing here for sure. Seen it all week.

[Benjy]

Take some field points with you. After your morning hunt change out your broad heads with the field points. Shoot at totally different spots around you before you get down.

Second thought, at this time in Ohio, you better keep one arrow with a broad head on it!

Thanks for the hunting report! I will be in Morgan County. Can't wait to get up there!