For those comfortable with the idea of taking a frontal shot, what would you consider your max distance for that shot on a calm deer? The scenario that leads me to this question is my encounter from this morning: One of my target bucks was out in a bean field at first light. Originally he was about 85 yards out directly up wind of me. It was the perfect scenario. He slowly started feeding his way my direction. As he moved closer, I was hitting him with the laser every time he moved, the closest he got to me was 45 yards never more than a hard quartering to scenario. After about 25 minutes of this, he briefly turned and walked away the direction he came. Ultimately I never took the shot and I'm kind of kicking myself at this point because odd the what ifs swirling around in my brain. I practice to make these shots and when the opportunity presented itself, I let it pass. Thanks for your input folks. Tinker Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
I've done it a few times. And every time it was under 20 yards , more like 15 yards. And the main factor for all these was I was on the ground. You got about a 4 inch circle you need to hit or it can go horribly wrong. Don't think I would ever do it from the stand, unless it was a very specific situation and I was very low in the stand. You did the right thing to let him go.
This was the second time I've been face with a similar shot, on what is likely the same deer about 11 months apart. I want to kill this animal to prove to myself that I'm smarter than a rabbit with antlers. So far, I'm 0-2 on encounters though. I'm thinking I'll have to change things up a bit on Thursday morning if the conditions are similar. Don the ghille suit and get on his level for the pre-dawn timeframe... We'll figure that out then though. Initial inspection of weather says it'll be vastly different unfortunately. Thanks for your input Holt. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
Just remember that unpressured bucks are creatures of habit, just the same for us humans. Once he knows your there, he will change his habits instantly. So its not easy to get him to come to you, so you need to be the one to change your habits first. Go all in on one sit and make it happen. Try to think of all scenarios that can happen and set your self up for your best opportunity. Usually get one good shot at this. Good luck on this, I'm interested to see how this turns out.
10-15 and from the ground…or from a tree on a hillside so the angle is not too steep. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Great answer by Holt. I've been there, second guessing myself on passing on a shot. I decided years ago that second guessing is just human nature, we are always going to ask "what if?" afterwards. Just train yourself that making the decision to pass in the heat of the moment is always the right decision and move on. Be proud of yourself for making the right decision. You still have a chance of getting him, much higher of a chance than if you had forced a shot and hit him poorly and then tromped all over trying to find him. Every animal I've shot and not recovered was from my forcing a shot when I knew it wasn't ideal.
The pain of passing a questionable shot is considerably less than that of taking the shot and having a poor outcome. I'm not sure when taking head-on or quartering-to shots became en-vogue in the bowhunting community, but if there is one thing I could change above all else, it would be this. Can it be done? Yes, of course it can. Is it low percentage, and does it result in more lost animals than a typical broadside or quartering-away shot? Absolutely. The trouble with the Internet is that people jump onto fads and trends very quickly. Quartering-to and head-on shots in the bowhunting world is like some stupid TikTok challenge. But instead of kids vandalizing bathrooms at school, it's adults making stupid decisions while deer hunting because they saw someone else do it. Here's the problem - people only show or talk about these shots when they're successful. They love to post trophy photos, YouTube videos or social media posts talking about how great their shot was, praising their arrow setup, and thanking Ranch Fairy for all of their success. The likes and comments flood in, they get that dopamine hit, and all is great in the world! But when things go wrong, and the animal isn't recovered, there are no posts or videos to be found. They don't take to social media and admit they did something they knew better than to do, and it didn't work out. After all, our personas on the web are curated lists of the best moments of our lives. Shooting a deer quartering-to in the shoulder or head-on in the brisket isn't something we're eager to share with friends, family, and strangers. So we are left was an overinflated sense of how deadly these shots are. We see all of the good outcomes and none of the bad. Most of us choose to bowhunt because it's more difficult than gun hunting. We have to be smarter, get closer, and make better shots. We are attracted to the limitations of it all. So embrace those limits, appreciate the close calls, and enjoy all that bowhunting offers, even when you don't fill your tag. Those experiences are far more enjoyable than taking a questionable shot and having a bad outcome. Trust me - I've been there.
