Here's one I didn't see coming, but am sharing so others can avoid my mistake.
I had a bear walk into my shooting lane tonight. As I came to full draw, he walked behind a small sapling and sat down, facing away from me. I held at full draw for a while, expecting him to move, but eventually I had to let down. I watched him sit there for several minutes, ready to draw when he got up, but when he did, he walked straight away, into the brush and out of sight.
That's when I noticed that one of the loose ends from a strap on my Mantis (not sure if it was a leg strap or the waist strap) was caught between the bowstring and bottom cam of my bow. Apparently when I let down from full draw the strap got pulled into the cam by the string. I tried to gently pull it free, but when I did, the whole bowstring jumped out of the cam and the bow derailed.
So, hunt over. And this with a bear actively working the salmon stream below me, so likely to offer another shot during the hour of daylight left, but no way to make said shot. I lowered my bow to the ground, climbed out of the tree and went home. No more hunting until I get the bow re-strung.
I'm not worried about damage to the bow because I wasn't drawing it at the time so it wasn't dry fired. I'll put a new string on it though, because the old one is worn and I had already ordered a new one. That means more delay getting back to hunting though, because I'll have to get re-sighted in, and re-tune for my broadheads. Really ****ty timing.
Lessons learned:
1. Tuck loose straps away so they don't get caught in, or interefere with, your bow string.
2. If you do get something caught between your string and a cam, draw the bow to release whatever is trapped. Don't try to pull it out. That one cost me.
I had a bear walk into my shooting lane tonight. As I came to full draw, he walked behind a small sapling and sat down, facing away from me. I held at full draw for a while, expecting him to move, but eventually I had to let down. I watched him sit there for several minutes, ready to draw when he got up, but when he did, he walked straight away, into the brush and out of sight.
That's when I noticed that one of the loose ends from a strap on my Mantis (not sure if it was a leg strap or the waist strap) was caught between the bowstring and bottom cam of my bow. Apparently when I let down from full draw the strap got pulled into the cam by the string. I tried to gently pull it free, but when I did, the whole bowstring jumped out of the cam and the bow derailed.
So, hunt over. And this with a bear actively working the salmon stream below me, so likely to offer another shot during the hour of daylight left, but no way to make said shot. I lowered my bow to the ground, climbed out of the tree and went home. No more hunting until I get the bow re-strung.
I'm not worried about damage to the bow because I wasn't drawing it at the time so it wasn't dry fired. I'll put a new string on it though, because the old one is worn and I had already ordered a new one. That means more delay getting back to hunting though, because I'll have to get re-sighted in, and re-tune for my broadheads. Really ****ty timing.
Lessons learned:
1. Tuck loose straps away so they don't get caught in, or interefere with, your bow string.
2. If you do get something caught between your string and a cam, draw the bow to release whatever is trapped. Don't try to pull it out. That one cost me.