My first year i missed a few 1.5 year old bucks before hitting one and recovering it. Then in my third year this: [video=youtube_share;q52u9ROoFnQ]http://youtu.be/q52u9ROoFnQ[/video]
I started in 1970 with a recurve @12. Misses? lmao. I now have over 100 harvests, many book entries and have a streak of 14 in a row. Technology and a good mentor makes a difference. My Son is 19 with 50 kills and 2 book bucks. His last miss was before #37 3 years ago. If You bow hunt You will miss.
Last fall 2nd week of September I had a nice big tall 8 come down the trail behind a doe and her fawns heading out to graze. He was watching her and moving at a good pace, I was at full draw, and made the mistake of grunting at him. That put him on alert, I had the pin on the vitals and let it fly, and that buck dropped 6+" in that split second, I can still see the arrow go thru the back base of his neck and he turned and bolted. Found a little hair and blood, but no trail. Ended up seeing him again a month later 30 minutes after I stuck his brother. So I learned to aim low....
Just to clarify the "Air gap" between the spine and vitals is anatomically impossible and is a myth. This has been proven false years ago. You will at least clip a lung which will not kill them.
Missed my share of bucks... Mostly when I was young, like 10-15 years old. Just got so excited and wouldn't wait for a good shot. None of them were anything of size, except on 8 point in Kentucky when I was 14. I learned from all those mistakes and haven't missed any bucks since, knock on wood!!!
I have missed this fella, found his sheds, then two years later I killed him. Here is the buck with all the sheds I have off of him. One match set and two singles!
Ya ive missed a 4.5 year old 10 point in a swamp bottom couple years back and had to stop myself from throwing my bow to the forest floor lol.
Missed a dandy at the base of my tree in 2010. Trying not to spine him and just cut hair off the chest. Saw him again at 40 yds the next week. No shot the second time. 140 ish 8 pointer. Still sick.
I can't even begin to count the amount of bucks that I've missed, especially when I was younger. And almost all of them would've went on the wall. I hate to even think about it.
I've missed plenty of deer over the years. Wrong distance, hit a twig, string hit bulky winter clothes, torqued wrist, etc. I've also sadly wounded a few deer as well. But as I've gotten older and more experienced, those misses and woundings have decreased greatly, and I now take fewer shots, but have a much higher kill rate. I just try to analyze everytime I missed, what went wrong, and how I can prevent it in the future. Since buying a range finder, I've really helped my accuracy.
I have missed my share of bucks and does for whatever reason. I would say if you have not missed you are either lying, cant accept it or just plain do not hunt. As for me, in 2000 I missed the biggest buck, a 10 point I shot over by 1", I have ever shot at. During the gun season a neighbor got him and he scored 174 typical with less then 2 inches of deductions, truly perfect. Since missing him I have missed a couple others. Its bow hunting. It would take the challenge out of it if we got all the deer we shot at.
I missed the first deer I ever got a chance to shoot at. Small 6pt buck, arrow sailed right over his back. I also missed a doe a few years back but she turned around to sniff my arrow while I knocked another and was able to get her the second time around.
Yep! I have missed two bucks. The first was my very first season and I was stalking a ridge doing a little calling in the middle of november. Called up a nice eight point got to within 15 yds and shot over his back! The second buck I missed was last year. I actually missed him twice in one sitting before he moved on.
I have missed several over the years . I have always thought of them as the second best shot a hunter can make as I would rather have a clean miss than a wounded deer .
Worse feeling in the world when it comes to bow hunting, or just hunting in general. We all have those moments, and all you can do is learn from it and get'em next time!
I started bow hunting 2 years ago. I grew up shotgun and muzzy hunting bucks. I went to work one early November morning and it was raining, about 38 degrees. About 9am I decided to leave work early for the day and sit in my stand. About half hour before sunset I see a buck 60 yards from me get out of his bed in an open CRP grass and walked right past me. He had to been laying their for at least 5 hours. I must of walked within 50 yards of him getting to my stand. Being a rookie, I thought he was 30 yards when he was only 15-18 yards. The trail he was walking on had little to no lane. I pulled back and let the arrow zing right over top of his back. He was by far the biggest buck I have seen on the hoof, yet alone to get a shot at. First week of shotgun season my buddies father puts him down. Net score was 158, 10 point. I dream about that moment every day.
I missed a doe a two bucks between 7:00am and 7:30am one morning. Had to get out of tree to retrieve my arrows, sat back down, reloaded, and at 7:50 I shot the buck I missed the first time and killed him. That was a fun morning.
