I shot a nice buck this weekend but he ducked and lunged before my arrow hit . The arrow entered high and too far back for a fatal shot . This was only a 20 yd. shot. Replayed video several times and this deer has faster reflexes than I could believe. I was wondering if anyone recommends aiming low and or forward to help correct for deer jumping before impact ? Is leading a deer that is standing broadside , head down,at 20 yds. insane ? Any advice would be appreciated !
Was the deer alert when you shot? Was his head down or up? If it was a case where that was the only chance you had to shoot, then that kind of thing happens. I have seen deer drop over a foot from the time the arrow was released until it reaches the deer. However, when at all possible, let the deer come in and browse. Then, once the shot is presented, take it. If the deer is walking, stop him and then aim lower than you normally would and take the shot.
I bet he was ready for it. You have to wait until they are calm and or eating something. They usually only move like that when they are getting ready to bolt.
They can be very fast to react if they are on alert. The buck I killed Saturday was chasing a doe past the stand. I had to holler 3 times to stop him and he finally stopped and looked in my general direction. I settled on his elbow and shot. He reacted by backing up & turning away to bolt in the opposite direction and the heart shot turned into a neck shot in front of the leg. The arrow did not pass thru and I was sick for a moment as he bolted away, crashing down the hillside and piling up in the bottom. He got up and struggled a bit more and went down finally. As I sat for 30 minutes, replaying it, I felt pretty lucky he was down. He moved a foot or so while the arrow was in the air and there was nothing I could have done different except not take the shot...
The deer came in to a feeder with two other bucks. He put his head down started eating . When he turned broadside I took the shot at 20 yds. Before impact he dropped at least 6 '' and lunged forward putting the arrow high and just above hip bone. Thanks for your responses !
