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So frustrating... Makes me not want to bow hunt...

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DwadeCham

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
529
Here I am again. I don't know what else to do. I practice all the time and I'm accurate. I don't freak out in the moment. It is clear and calm.

I had a deer slightly quartering to. Put what I thought was a good shot on her. Had to wait over an hour to get down because there were so many deer around me. During that time I drew back twice and had to let down. Both times my arrow flew off my bow to the ground. Deer still stuck around.

Get down. My arrow is broken on the ground with no blood. Both pieces are there. I walk a ways int he direction the doe went and finally find blood. Track it for quite a ways and nothing. Backed out for a bit to see if I could get a dog and nobody was available. Went back out and found more blood and a pretty heavy spot where she must have laid down for a bit. The ground was soaked. Followed the new trail for a while and it finally crapped out. My family is travelling to be here this weekend so I will not be able to go look. I feel like she headed to the neighbor's property.

I just don't get it. But both times I have shot this year I had to stop the deer. If I had just let this one pass and waited I would have had 3 perfect opportunities. But hindsight is 20/20.

I probably saw 10-15 deer this morning. There were honestly too many of them. They are all on those acorns.

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ricky racer said:
Bummer... Quartering to is not a good shot opportunity. Broadside or quartering away offers a high percentage opportunity for a clean kill.
Quartering to puts the shoulder and leg right in front of the goodies.
Click to expand...
I know. It wasn't ideal. But it was pretty slight. I felt good enough to take it. Probably 2-3 more steps would have been broadside but she was moving.

Just frustrated. Almost more so at sending two arrows to the ground letting down. I would have had good broadside shots on deer and had no arrows left in the tree. I sound like an idiot.

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DwadeCham said:
I know. It wasn't ideal. But it was pretty slight. I felt good enough to take it. Probably 2-3 more steps would have been broadside but she was moving.

Just frustrated. Almost more so at sending two arrows to the ground letting down. I would have had good broadside shots on deer and had no arrows left in the tree. I sound like an idiot.

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Click to expand...
First things first, hang in there! It definitely sounds like you're in the right spot. Plenty of targets in range. Less than ideal hits happen to the best of us. I lost what would've been my biggest buck to date 5 years ago. Quartering to shot & I rushed it. My takeaway from that experience is I won't take that shot anymore, also you usually have just a bit more time than you feel like you do! If you have to pass deer that aren't broadside or quartering away that's just fine. Easier tracking job anyway. Out of curiosity what's your setup & arrow weight? Stick with it!
 
I have to wait until everything is perfect. I know people who routinely shoot deer almost head on. For me if it can go wrong it will when I have a bow in my hand. Are you practicing from the saddle? I hate to see anyone give up on bow hunting. Especially if you have that target rich of an environment. When it all comes together it’s the most rewarding form of hunting I know.
 
Just wait on the high percentage shot. If you don't wait and it causes you to lose a deer not to mention a giant then you'll hate yourself. But if you wait and find success then you will be absolutely certain that your success was the result of making the right shot decision.
 
I've shot two deer slightly quartering toward me this year, both with less than desirable results even tho I recovered them both. It's very very hard to pass the first shot opportunity but looking back I would have been much better off waiting for a better angle. It sucks that's for sure it can be really frustrating but it will be worth it to stick it out and keep going!


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How many archery deer have you taken?
I thought I killed and lost a lot of deer until I finally hit one. I thought I hit a rock and found the deer just inside the tree line. I had never heard the thwack before. After the first one it was like auto pilot.
I used nap thunder heads and tracked a lot of deer. Then I changed to nap spit fires and I haven’t had a deer make it out of sight since.
It will come just keep trying. Pretty soon you will watch your nock disappear and know where you hit the deer before you climb down. When it happens it’s like slow motion you will know what I mean.


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Somebody said it was easy the other day....that persons day may come as well. It all comes around. Just stick the course. Promise.
 
Bigterp said:
First things first, hang in there! It definitely sounds like you're in the right spot. Plenty of targets in range. Less than ideal hits happen to the best of us. I lost what would've been my biggest buck to date 5 years ago. Quartering to shot & I rushed it. My takeaway from that experience is I won't take that shot anymore, also you usually have just a bit more time than you feel like you do! If you have to pass deer that aren't broadside or quartering away that's just fine. Easier tracking job anyway. Out of curiosity what's your setup & arrow weight? Stick with it!
Click to expand...
Setup is Gold Tip Kinetic Pierce. 31.5" long, 250 spine, total weight 512.

Not happy with them. The two I have shot at, and into, deer have both broken. Also broke some getting sighted in.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I don't really think I will be quitting. Now it is something I have to conquer.

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EricS said:
I have to wait until everything is perfect. I know people who routinely shoot deer almost head on. For me if it can go wrong it will when I have a bow in my hand. Are you practicing from the saddle? I hate to see anyone give up on bow hunting. Especially if you have that target rich of an environment. When it all comes together it’s the most rewarding form of hunting I know.
Click to expand...
I practice from height a lot but not from the saddle as much as I would like to. But I will be now. Hard for me to have a place to shoot from the saddle and have any range at all at my house. If I had waited I would have had opportunities. I had had so many come through I thought surely there weren't more coming.

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huck72412 said:
Just wait on the high percentage shot. If you don't wait and it causes you to lose a deer not to mention a giant then you'll hate yourself. But if you wait and find success then you will be absolutely certain that your success was the result of making the right shot decision.
Click to expand...
I know you're right. And if I had waited I would have had some perfect broadside shots. I had just had so many deer running around me at 20 yards and a few had started to get a little antsy I thought there weren't going to be more.

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ImThere said:
How many archery deer have you taken?
I thought I killed and lost a lot of deer until I finally hit one. I thought I hit a rock and found the deer just inside the tree line. I had never heard the thwack before. After the first one it was like auto pilot.
I used nap thunder heads and tracked a lot of deer. Then I changed to nap spit fires and I haven’t had a deer make it out of sight since.
It will come just keep trying. Pretty soon you will watch your nock disappear and know where you hit the deer before you climb down. When it happens it’s like slow motion you will know what I mean.


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Click to expand...
Thanks. I hope it's soon.

I have taken one. Shot 4. Hit a doe low last year, hit that buck this year and a doe. The one I killed last year I got lucky. Spined him. Wasn't my intent.

I have only archery hunted the last two years the full season. I have only really hunted for about 6 years. And the first 3 of those I never had a shot opportunity on a deer. Have had good success with a rifle but I love the chess match of archery. I am doing so many things right and I just hate it to blow it on the really important part. And I hate wounding an animal.

Ready for that slow motion. I was hoping to have a nice clean shot on a doe today. Part of the problem was there were so many of them. It made getting into position extremely difficult.

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Man trust me as frustrating as it is you just take each moment as a learning experience. To you a game to the deer life and death. You hang in there it will all come together and it will be awesome! Play the game stay safe and have fun!


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Take high percentage angle and distance shots. Start out with less than 15 yards and perfect broadside or slightly quartered away, nothing less. If every single thing is not perfect, don't shoot. No one is holding a gun to your head, there is no need to shoot every deer that comes in range.
When I was in VA I would pass 6-8 deer for every one I would draw on. I leaned a lot from switching to hunting with traditional gear, it will make you a more patient hunter. I still will not take any shot past 30 yards and will only take broadside or slightly quartered away shots.

Thanks,
Boswell
 
Good advice, right there ! Hang in there buddy.

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Yes, some good advice here. I've gone through spells where I had a couple of misses or bad hits and it affects your confidence. I found the best thing was to practice my shooting so I was confident in that and then be patient enough to wait for the best shot opportunity like Boudreaux said above. Get one good clean kill and your confidence will be back! Good luck, man. You can do it.
 
DwadeCham said:
Setup is Gold Tip Kinetic Pierce. 31.5" long, 250 spine, total weight 512.

Not happy with them. The two I have shot at, and into, deer have both broken. Also broke some getting sighted in.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I don't really think I will be quitting. Now it is something I have to conquer.

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Click to expand...
Well that rules out KE , great setup & sm diameter carbon.
 
Boudreaux said:
Take high percentage angle and distance shots. Start out with less than 15 yards and perfect broadside or slightly quartered away, nothing less. If every single thing is not perfect, don't shoot. No one is holding a gun to your head, there is no need to shoot every deer that comes in range.
When I was in VA I would pass 6-8 deer for every one I would draw on. I leaned a lot from switching to hunting with traditional gear, it will make you a more patient hunter. I still will not take any shot past 30 yards and will only take broadside or slightly quartered away shots.

Thanks,
Boswell
Click to expand...
Thanks Boudreaux. I will have to do this for a while. Again, with hindsight waiting would have provided perfect broadside shots. There had just been so many deer I thought the flow was about to shut off. But I really didn't feel like it was an unethical shot or anything. Not that I think you were inferring it was. But probably not a shot I shouldn't take with my experience.



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Thanks everyone. I guess I just needed a little encouragement. I strive to take clean ethical shots and I guess this was mistake. I respect these animals and the last thing I want to do it injure one or make one suffer. Just sucks. So far this season I have done almost everything perfectly and blown the shots. Kind if disheartening and hurts the confidence quite a bit.

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