Thought i would share my morning with all of you. Sat down with my buddy at his place about the 6. Beans were cut sometime this week. First light brought 2 fawns. Then we heard water spalshing. 2 bucks come out of the trees. 2 y/o 6 point and a forker. Hour later 6 does come from over the hill right where the truck is. One comes to 45. Shot under it. Another come to 40. Shot under it. After a bit we get down, find arrows, spot movement on the old railroad grade. Out walks 3 bobcats. Always a good sight. Couple hundread yards behind them is a yote. So we set up. Buddy has a cross bow btw. We both shoot. Nada. So. Next spot. We know of some pockets that we gun hunt that hold deer. We walk around the first pocket with no real way to bow hunt it. Bump about 10the does. Next pocket spook a buck in the grass while i stopped to bleed the lizard. Was good timing. Last end of the pocket i spot three does. Buddy is below and behind which is the normal way they escape. First big does gets a 40 yard pin and hits low. Next big does gives me a broadside and arrow goes right under her neck. After that i said its time to go home and get a beer. 5 launched arrows and no blood. Exciting day and that makes it worth while in most cases.
I can't tell you what to do but it sounds like 40 and beyond is out of your range. I know if it were me I wouldn't be taking shots at 40 if I had a outcome like that.
I practice often. Our archery range has targets to 60 yards. Even has an elevated platform for simulated stand hunting. The bow is old. Noisy. Wont robin hood arrows but will shoot tight enough to keep it in the kill zone. Just another reason why i upgraded this season. Just waiting for that bow to get back from the shop.
Sounds like you're well on your way to ruin your hunting area by stomping around the woods and spooking all your deer AND make poor shot decisions and possibly wound/lose deer. So you're blaming the old bow for the low misses? But wait!! - you practice out to 60 yards....and shoot "tight groups in the kill zone"! Can't be the old bow... You upgraded to a new bow because the old one isn't up to your expectation yet you still hunt with the old one because the new one is in the shop? Wow. So many poor decisions here. Using equipment that isn't up to par or up to your expectations. Not practicing well enough with said equipment. (If your first two shots missed that bad WHY WOULD YOU KEEP SHOOTING? There's obviously something wrong with your setup or what you're doing. Continuing to hunt in that situation just results in lost or wounded deer) I think you need to take a step back and look at everything you just posted and really take it in. You're obviously missing some important issues since you posted this as a "let me share my great morning" thread instead of "here's what went wrong, please help" thread.
Ah man i would check my bow or rethink something after the first and definitely after the 2nd miss. I would be angry and confused to what happen i couldnt go out looking for another deer to try and shoot. Like slider said, your going to ruin the area your in doing what your doing. I think you just need to look at it all again. slider made some great points Blunt yeah but good points that i agree with.
Yeah I suppose I was pretty blunt. I just think that the way the OP explained everything makes it seem like he thinks all that stuff is OK to do or what a "normal hunt" should entail. I think being blunt is a good way to get a point across. Hopefully, it helps him out in the long run.
My vote goes with Slider. I was thinking the exact same things as I was reading this post. After 2 misses, call it a day and check your equipment. It's just unfortunate that all the deer you're going to run off that property won't end up on mine. I could shoot once a week and kill and never make them feel pressured. Good luck after that tromping around
The tromping around in the second place we hit. You will find deer there daily. Even if gun hunting it. Done it for years. So i made some plain clear misses. No wounded deer and recovered all my arrows. For all the activity, amount of deer seen and the shooting experience as well as two hours of spot n stock with a bow. No one here would call that a sucessfull morning? Really. Are we all that hypnotized by the fact i missed. The only reason i get to blame the bow is. On those longer shots i almost swear the deer can see the arrow coming because.so much noise is made from the shot and she isnt the fastest bow ever created. So longer shots are not my specialty. Would never know until i try anything. Or do i have to be blinded.by the "norm" of what everone else says i should do....
You are getting pretty defensive, and I get that some peole get that way when they are getting criticism. Maybe you should go back and re read your opening post, hell even your last one. If are shooting 40+ yards and the deer can hear the shot and can "see the arrow coming" you are risking injuring deer. If you are ok with that and want to keep flinging arrows and think that makes for a great day on stand then you have to expect to get some crap when you post it. I dont know which is worse the fact that you dont see the problem with the shots you took or what you consider a great day on stand.
Nope, with that many misses I would not call that successful at all. If your bow is that big of a problem, then you should not be out hunting with it.
So its all business than right. What i believe to be a good day is having fun being out in the hills is wrong then. Ok ill try it.your way then.
Pretty funny you are getting pissy now when you put this post up showing your lack of smart decision making then get snippy when folks point out the issues of 5 missed shots and pushing deer all over and not agreeing with your calling it a successful day? And if you want to get an attitude, I guess I can be a **** and suggest you learn to spell and use proper grammar.
Yes everyone here hunts and has fun doing it other wise why hunt. But don't be stupid and think shooting and missing 5 deer is fun most people would be pissed if that happened in a season you managed to do it in one day. I think you need to realize the big picture here and see whats actually going on.
You're allowed to believe what you want. If you enjoy flinging arrows and pushing deer around your property then by all means, enjoy yourself. No one is making you do anything. This is an internet forum after all. But if you really think that's a "successful hunt", you have a warped view of what the majority of hunters see as hunting.You should expect all this criticism and not get defensive when you make a post on a forum where a healthy majority of the members think that's a bad day of hunting.
Seeing deer is normally a successful hunt. I would have to say, you had all the ingredients of a very successful day. I can tell you if I missed 5 times, my confidence would be shattered. I don't like missing once! but it happens. Thank God they were all clean misses. Check your bow, practice with the one you are going to hunt with.
You clearly have no place going after deer let alone with a bow. If 40 is not your strength then why are you attempting the shots on a live animal!!!! Unreal!This is an incredible sport and unfortunately whether you like it or not, it is people like you that give us a bad name.
