Unfortunately those are the kind of shots you often end up with hunting from the ground like that. It's not for the guy that needs a perfectly broadside or slightly quartering away shot, inside 25 yards, at an un-alert deer, through a nice clear shooting lane to feel confident in releasing an arrow. The reality of that style of hunting is you're going to be forced to take some less than ideal shots, or your not going to shoot at very many deer. It's certainly not for everyone. FWIW, I've taken 3 frontal or nearly frontal shots on deer in the last few years and watched or heard all 3 of them crash. I don't think all of those shots were in this "baseball sized" kill zone I keep hearing about either...
I don't think confidence is a good measure for releasing an arrow, I think confidence should be measured before releasing an arrow.
I hunt for what I think are high percentage scenarios. It's my willingness that holds me back when the odds, imo, favor a poor or unpredictable outcome...like I would choose not to discharge a firearm at a deer if there isn't a certain backstop, even though I know I could make the kill. No one forces you to shoot but you, and you take on the responsibility for whatever outcome occurs. Personally, wounding deer bothers me.
Not everyone agrees on what, where, and how to shoot a deer. When it comes to these discussions, bravado is as disagreeable as so called virtue measuring, with perhaps more devastating effects. Not that you're chest thumping at all, you're making good observations about how ground hunting can be and the risk incurred and the success that can be had. I'm just reacting to the specific use of the word confidence as a measure for taking a shot. I think we can respect folks who make conservative shot choices out of regard for the quarry too, without any implied weakness.
More on topic, it is true that this style of hunting can be risky, and rewarding.
We've seen this year (from the ground, THP whitetail deer season):
1. Zach shoot a beautiful buck after an amazing stalk, by plowing his arrow through understory.
2. Jake not recover a deer shot from the ground through some grass with a near broadside angle at close range.
3. Aaron take a short-range, near broadside shot from the ground with little obstruction, yet his arrow hits a small branch and he says it almost cost him a massive buck.
4. And we've seen Zach's situation in PA.
Final tally, one not recovered, two close calls, and, ironically, the best hit is made by a hunter who admits he can't see the deers vitals.
It's interesting that Aaron, at 35:45 of his buck video, talks about making sure there isn't anything between you and the deer especially when on the ground, as a lesson he's learned. In contrast, you have Zach in ND preaching about plowing an arrow through the grass if necessary and admitting he couldn't see the vitals on his buck but shot anyway because it's only 12 yds.