Last night I had a perfect SE wind for my favorite stand on a corner that overlooks the edge of where a bean and alfalfa field come together. I rarely get a good wind for this stand and almost never on a day when I can actually hunt it, needless to say I was excited. I've got 3 shooter bucks that used the beans all summer and are now keying in on the alfalfa until it turns brown then I expect they'll start using my beans again. The neighbor was doing god knows what with heavy machinery not very far from where I was sitting and it was actually so loud I contemplated getting down at one point. Well I wish I would have about 7:20 p.m. my number 2 hit list buck (150 inch 8 point) came trotting down the field access road on the back side of the beans along the thick pines to the north he made his way all the way to the alfalfa and instead of continuing to the east and giving me a 20 yard or less shot he turned straight to the north and followed the pines on the edge of the alfalfa he finally stopped to feed perfectly broadside at 50 yards. I shoot my bow everyday and in a calm conditions with a calm deer with nothing but field between me and him I was very comfortable with this shot. I shot and I missed and when I say I missed I mean I shot almost a foot in front of him I was stunned... I woke up today still in disbelief as to what had happened I went out and I shot that same arrow and broad head at 50 yards and cleanly missed by block target by 6 inches. It turns out that when I put my arrow in my bucks antlers from last year I didn't use the arrow I shot him with and it ended up back in my quiver. The broad head had a bent blade and feral, I shot another arrow to confirm that is what happened. I spend so many hours sitting every year and pass on so many deer waiting for a shot at a shooter and when I do get my shot, I expect to be able to capitalize on it. To miss my opportunity over something so stupid is really mind boggling and I hope I can help someone else from having the same thing happen to them. When I regain my confidence I'll be back out there and until then I wish you all better luck than I've had so far...
Despite the miss, it seems like you had a pretty good hunt, to have a buck of that caliber in your presence is a pretty successful hunt in my book.
That is a rough one. All in all it sounds like a good hunt. You probably didn't spook him, better yet you didn't wound him.
I think it's a better feeling to miss and fix the problem then to make a bad hit and not find a deer. Sounds like it was still a very exciting hunt! Good luck when you get back out there!
A clean miss is better than a bad hit. 50 yards, to me, is still risky even shooting it daily. Hopefully weather grants you another sit for that stand! Good luck!
Broadheads can oxidize and get dull just sitting in the quiver. Before season, you really should inspect and sharpen every head that you might use in the field. Leaving them in the quiver from one year to the next and then heading out to the woods is not a very good idea. I hope you get another chance at him. I bet you will.
That sucks but everyone is right I would take a clean miss over a bad hit any day something that I do to prevent this is I always number my vanes 1-5( I use a 5 arrow quiver) then shoot all 5 arrows with the broadheads to see what arrow is the most accurate and use that as my primary hunting arrow hope that routine will help it seems to work for me
I am truly grateful to have a buck of that caliber to hunt and even more grateful for a clean miss and it was a very exciting hunt. I spent a few hours shooting yesterday and I'm feeling my confidence coming back I'll be back out there next week when I get a few days off. Thanks for the kind words guys!
It aint over!! You`ll get another crack at him! When you get him, you`ll forget all about this! Best of luck
That just sounds like Dumb Luck. Your confidence shouldn't have taken a hit since it was a equipment issue. Get back out there. And don't waiver in your task.
Glad you got it figured out. Like others said, a clean miss is better than a bad hit. Now, I wanna see a pic of this 150" 8 pt!
Yeah it takes a lot of antler to make an 8pt that big. I would like to see it too because it must be an awesome buck. Glad you got it figured out. We have all missed though, as others said I will take a miss over a wound/lost deer any day.
