Yesterday afternoon I missed a buck 20 yards away....my arrow flew high. I was sitting in a tree stand approximately 15 feet in a tree. I shot my bow this morning at 20 yards and place 3 arrows in a quarter size circle. My question is this, could the reason my arrow missed high be I did not compensate for the angle sitting in the tree stand. My aim was for the crease right behind the shoulder for double lungs....or did I simply miss....any advice for a novice shooter.
at 20 yards you should not have to compensate at all. You just missed. buck fever got the best of ya lol
I would say it's a form issue. I'm guessing you were practicing standing up, not sitting. When shooting from a tree stand, whether standing or from a seated position you need to make sure you bend at the waist and not change the rest of your form. If you don't bend at the waist and adjust the bow by changing your anchor point, it will throw you off.
Make sure you bend at the waist when shooting from an elevated position. Don't just lower your bow arm. If you are going to hunt from a tree stand you should practice from an elevated platform. Buck fever is a real issue too.
LOL, not laughing at you. Just laughing cause everyone has done this. My bet was your anchor point. I did this once, and after that made sure I would remember to watch for this. When you pulled your bow back in all the excitement your anchor point was god knows where, you quickly looked through your peep lining up a pin not even thinking about where you anchored. Let it fly and watched it miss. I have seen this with so many buddies of mine whil I was filming or just in a blind with them. I take my eyes off the deer entirely when I draw. Its a mental cool down for me. I draw looking at the dirt, get my anchor, get my nose on the string, look through the peep and pick my pin. Then I move to my target. Don't worry man, another deer will present itself.
the buck could have easily ducked the arrow at 20 yards. What kind of bow (how loud), what poundage, did you grunt or bleat to get him to stop? 20 yards out and 15 feet up should have been right on the dot.
It could be a number of things like what everyone has said above, from buck fever to improper form at the shot by not bending at the waist, a twig in the way or even the deer ducking the arrow. If you have a way to practice from an elevated position that's the best way to see.
I have been practicing archery for 5 years, last year was my first time that I went out bowhunting, I could put three arrows within an inch of each other any day of the week at 20 yards. I decided to practice once out of my stand a few weeks before the season opened up, I hit my target area a few times, then one arrow went way off and hit my target in the neck (it is a 3D deer target.) I assumed it was a fluke and went home. Then on my first day of bow hunting I had a doe walk in at 20 yards, I drew on her, waited till she stopped, then put the pin behind her shoulder and released. My arrow buried itself in her neck in the same exact spot as my target. Luckily I hit her carotid artery and she dropped within 10 yards. The morale of the story is practice from your stand if you can before shooting at an animal, you never know how your shooting will be affected unless you practice atleast once.
A buddy of mine got excited when shooting at his first buck and didn't use the peep but looked through the gap above the peep...did it twice before he figured it out. Buck fever is exciting and a curse! Good luck with the next one.
I've missed high before too. I then read about bending at the waist and not just lowering your bow arm on a forum. I went to a 3d range that had an elevated platform and tried it. It absolutely works. I shot about 8-12" high at thirty yards from a 20 ft platform. When I bent at the waist, just a little bit, I was dead on again. As for buck fever, I was schwacking targets left and righta at the range and still missed high on a doe early season. I hit a buck the other day but my shot was still high because I was so excited I forgot to bend at the waist. I'm gonna try to practice from my stand more to get that muscle memory of bending at the waist.
"Bending at the waiste" I am a novice myself, and this is the first I have heard of this. It makes sense, and explains why I missed twice from the stand this season. Going out tomorrow, I hope I remember to employ this. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
First I heard of this also and I'm not really a novice been bowhunting for a half dozen years. Could explain why I spined that doe at 20 yards last year. These forums are the best learning tool out there especially since I have no one to learn from except teaching myself.
I had the same thing happen with a doe three weeks ago. Fortunately for me, 20 minutes later another one happened by who was kind enough to make a donation to my freezer. Shake it off, definitely practice from an elevated position, and get back out there! Always carry multiple arrows with broadheads to the stand.
Thanks for the advice.....I believe it was the "not bending at the waist" for missing....I can now correct the problem.
