Last year I got out opening morning and that was it. The ground I had was 3/4 mile down a dirt road as the only reasonable access without walking up and down some real steep tall hills. Then we got rain and everything turned to mud. A week ago the granddaughter and I put out the blind and set the decoy stakes on a new lease. Know there are some birds in the area. This morning was in the blind by 5:20, decoys set out with a Jake facing me, standing hen to his right about 6' and a sitting hen facing away from the Jake about 5' to his left. 5:40 heard a gobbler from behind me and to my left. Started working the slate & glass with some clucks, peers, etc. 10 till 6 he flew down and landed about 80 yds out. Worked slowly around clockwise with a lot of noise. About the 1 o'clock he turned and slowly walk back to straight away. Slowly took a few steps but mostly just stood there looking for about 20 min. with occasional gobble. I would give he a cluck occasionally and he would answer. I then quit calling. He started to walk angling towards me, towards the sitting hen. He got up to within about 2 yds of her and was in full strut, working back and forth. I had the scope on him the whole time. He was right at 15 yds from me and decided the next time he stopped to make his turn I would fire. But I hit low - he jumped up and landed a few feet away and slowly walked off into the woods. If figured there was about a 0 chance of him coming back so after about 20 min. I picked up the decoys and left. I found the arrow, all three blades were open and it was laying in the dead grass about 30 yds from the blind. One vane was completely gone and another was tore half off. It was not stuck in anything. Back where the bird was at when I fired was a bunch of short wide feathers and one light brown & white feather about 6" long. It looked like this feather had been cut off. As he was in strut, I hit low and got one wing feather and some of the breast feathers. I know the bow is dead on at 30 yds so I think I misjudged the distance or used the wrong point. The decoys were 13 yds from the blind and the bird would have been right at 14 - 15 yds out. I must have used the wrong point when I fired. Will go back again, possibly Monday evening or Tuesday evening.
First time getting one to work in that close. Wonderful experience. Now to get the job done next time. I been thinking and I believe my problem was when I shoot at the bag with backstop I am shooting down grade. Bag is up 2' off the ground but that is still close to 3' lower than where I am standing. So with the bow on a rest about 5' off the ground, definitely shooting down hill some. Don't know if that is enough to make a difference or not. Have a new broadhead bag on the way. May set that up on level ground and see how it shakes out.
I wouldn't call it quits right away last time I missed a bird he left and came back 35 mins later with another tom You would be surprised how often you can call a spooked gobbler back Sometimes even just switching up your call from a slate to a box or diaphragm I usually wait a little bit before I start calling again Another time I shot a bird a little low hit him and he ran into the woods and I was tromping around for 2 hours trying to find him. I finally did he crawled under a downed tree before I could get another shot he hobbled into the park where you cant hunt. I returned to my blind after stomping around the area for hours sat down was going to pack it up figuring no bird would be in the area but decided to hit the call before I left and wouldn't you know it 3 came in.
That is what I was lead to believe. But lets reverse that situation a bit. Bow is sighted in shooting down grade some. Like 4-5' in 30 yds. So where does the arrow hit when shooting on the level? When I shoot up/down slope I aim dead on, right? I could set a bag up and shoot near level but with 40+ winds like we are having now and have had the last few days it would not really tell me much.
I do not believe that small elevation difference will make any difference whatsoever on point of impact at 15 yards. Hell, even out of a treestand I'm pretty sure point of impact will still be pretty close to black spot on my target (target being 15 yards away from base of tree). Is it possible that your cam touched something when you released your arrow? I'll share a painfully embarrassing story for context: Last year on a hot day I went hog hunting (sitting in a treestand). I don't know if it was fatigue or what but when the time came to release my arrow I felt that cam do a bumping gallop over my thigh.... lol my arm must have sank to the point where my cam must have been just over my leg. Needless to say the shot was a clean miss (low).
It is normally assumed that when sighting a bow, it is done on level ground. Doing this, when shooting up or down the arrow will hit high, which would require slightly lower aim point to have the arrow hit where you want it. When sighting in shooting down, why wouldn't the arrow strike where you aim - opposite sight in - opposite strike point. How many of you have sighted in a bow shooting down grade ? ?
It is possible the cam may have hit the side of the blind. Was in a blind, shooting a reverse draw on a support so the cam movement outward is not that much but that is still a possibility. I may have jerked the trigger in the excitement, had the bow canted, or any number of other errors. Not an expert by any means but I did not feel that small amount of elevation difference when sighting it in would make any different at 15 yds or close.
You indicated you don't know for sure where the arrow will strike having sighted in downgrade. Why would you consider doing that. My point being , why not sight in on the level . Never heard of sighting in any weapon other than on flat ground. Your arrow will hit higher than point of aim shooting uphill or downhill regardless of distance.
I did that because that happens to be the way the ground lays around here. Have to go a good distance for fairly level area. The back stop is set up with 30 yds right out the walk out basement door. This acreage is on sloping ground, as is the entire area around here. All slopes towards the creek. You keep saying "Your arrow will hit higher than point of aim shooting uphill or downhill regardless of distance." which has no bearing on this situation what so ever.
Or from a tree stand, etc. I was on level ground in a bottom next to a tree line on the edge of CRP ground.
I usually move on if I have nothing to contribute on forum threads. Perhaps that's what separates the men from the boys.
