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Hill_billydeluxe

Hill_billydeluxe

Member
Hunter to hunter talk.

I grew up hunting shotgun season with my dad. Fell in love with the outdoors but more specifically deer hunting by the time I was 8. Picked up bow hunting at 15 years old and started to love the challenge. I’m 18 now and In the time between working for local farmers and high school I’ve been working on the public land grind. In the past 3 years I’ve had amazing experiences bowhunting but never managed to connect.

Got out this afternoon to a spot I knew had a bunch of deer and pretty good movement recently. Got in my set and everything was looking great. Had a doe come in and had my chance at my first deer with a bow. In the moment I felt confident in my practice and the situation and decided to let an arrow fly.

Unfortunately, things didn’t play out the way I had hoped. The arrow hit bone and didn’t penetrate. Figuring I found a shoulder blade. Gave it some time and had my dad come to help track. The blood I could find was disappointing. Darker red, muscle blood that was sparse. Tracked droplets for a while until I eventually ran out of blood.

I have very high respect for these animals. That being said, although I realize this deer will likely live to see another day. I’m pretty disappointed to have injured a deer that I can’t recover.

Just wondering what the guys with a lot more experience than me have to say about the situation and what to do going forward.


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Ditto Slick! Keeping practicing and keep hunting. One thing I will say, not sure you’re in this category, is earlier in my hunting life I often rushed a shot once at full draw thinking the deer was going to bolt. I’ve learned you have more time to get settled on target and release than you think. Today I settle, count thousand one, thousand two, release. Made a world of difference for me. Get out there tomorrow!!
 
Windlooker said:
Ditto Slick! Keeping practicing and keep hunting. One thing I will say, not sure you’re in this category, is earlier in my hunting life I often rushed a shot once at full draw thinking the deer was going to bolt. I’ve learned you have more time to get settled on target and release than you think. Today I settle, count thousand one, thousand two, release. Made a world of difference for me. Get out there tomorrow!!
Click to expand...

I would say I likely fall into that category. I still get a little bit of that adrenaline and excitement with every deer in range. I suppose that’s what it’s all about. I Just gotta learn to manage it a little better I think.


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I started at 14…. I’m 44. I’m probably as hard core now as I was in my teens. I don’t pound the hunting quite as hard but I’d say that gives me “30 years of seeing it all”….
It’s all good my friend. This has happened to every guy on here who has hunted long enough. Especially the shoulder shot. That’s probably “us archers” most problematic shot- period. Gun hunters blow through - no biggy. But as an archer- that’s the spot most folks aim- 4”-12” from the shoulder. Why it creates the issues u have. The great news: 1) the deer will likely recover and it’s admirable you have such respect for them as I bet the vast majority on here do. 2) you likely will learn from this and shoot a touch further back or be a bit more disciplined with shots. That’s growth as a hunter. 3) great lesson u can put in rear view. It may happen again but the fact u understand it and can work to solve it, the probability goes down that it’s repeated as you just grew as a hunter.

Don’t get too discouraged. I’ve been “bummed for a week” as a youngster not finding a deer. Made me practice more & be more patient on my shots. No magic solution other than getting better. Which you are in the process now. This is progression. Keep going. You will get another shot and I’d place my bet that the next one will be the shot u wanted. This is hunting. Another day, another hunt. Good luck & post up on how the rest of the season goes!!


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Sligh1 said:
I started at 14…. I’m 44. I’m probably as hard core now as I was in my teens. I don’t pound the hunting quite as hard but I’d say that gives me “30 years of seeing it all”….
It’s all good my friend. This has happened to every guy on here who has hunted long enough. Especially the shoulder shot. That’s probably “us archers” most problematic shot- period. Gun hunters blow through - no biggy. But as an archer- that’s the spot most folks aim- 4”-12” from the shoulder. Why it creates the issues u have. The great news: 1) the deer will likely recover and it’s admirable you have such respect for them as I bet the vast majority on here do. 2) you likely will learn from this and shoot a touch further back or be a bit more disciplined with shots. That’s growth as a hunter. 3) great lesson u can put in rear view. It may happen again but the fact u understand it and can work to solve it, the probability goes down that it’s repeated as you just grew as a hunter.

Don’t get too discouraged. I’ve been “bummed for a week” as a youngster not finding a deer. Made me practice more & be more patient on my shots. No magic solution other than getting better. Which you are in the process now. This is progression. Keep going. You will get another shot and I’d place my bet that the next one will be the shot u wanted. This is hunting. Another day, another hunt. Good luck & post up on how the rest of the season goes!!


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Thanks for the encouragement. It means a lot. I’ll definitely keep everyone posted on how the season finishes out!


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Yup, we’ve all been there. The risk/reward, the highs and lows are what keep us out there. If it was 100% all the time, what challenge would that be? The key as most mentioned is to continue to work on what you can to tip things in your favor.


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Nobody here hasn’t experienced the same, unfortunately it happens. It’s good you care about making ethical shots.
A few mistakes I’ve made 1.) not shooting through both lungs 2.) shooting too light of arrows 3.) shooting more draw weight than necessary 4.) not trimming every limb in my shooting lane/s that would reasonably prevent a clear shot.
Good luck!
 
Biggest advise is take your time. As previously stated, you usually have more time than you think to get a shot off. You'll learn this as you hunt more and have deer well within range that you dont shoot (passing on a small buck/does etc waiting for a bigger buck). Study what those deer do at close range, pretend you were going to shoot and visualize when you would draw back, and then how much time you have etc before they move on. Doing this you will realize that you often times have several shot opportunties on a deer at close range if you just wait for a good shot. Unless they are trotting through or chasing a doe, you typically have plenty of time to get a shot off and not be in a rush. When I was a new bowhunter I use to think the instant that deer was close I needed to get pulled back and get a shot off. That resulted in some bad shots and a couple non-recovered deer.
 
It happens to all of us and if you say it hasn't happened to me, then it's just a matter of time till it does. A day after 12 ringing a buck, I went out to fill my 4th doe tag and I spine shot a doe (she might have ducked a little, but not that much). Then I shot a follow up arrow while she was flopping around and it wasn't a fatal shot. Finally I put her out of her misery. We all hate it, but stuff happens; deflections, equipment issues, nerves, branches, moving targets, there is a lot that can go wrong in the field. The fact that it bothers you will hopefully inspire you to practice more and become more proficient because of it. Keep your head up and get back out there.

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Like you have seen from all the posts, it can happen to any one of us. Get back in the stand as there will be more hunts and deer to pursue.
 
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Hill_billydeluxe said:
Hunter to hunter talk.

I grew up hunting shotgun season with my dad. Fell in love with the outdoors but more specifically deer hunting by the time I was 8. Picked up bow hunting at 15 years old and started to love the challenge. I’m 18 now and In the time between working for local farmers and high school I’ve been working on the public land grind. In the past 3 years I’ve had amazing experiences bowhunting but never managed to connect.

Got out this afternoon to a spot I knew had a bunch of deer and pretty good movement recently. Got in my set and everything was looking great. Had a doe come in and had my chance at my first deer with a bow. In the moment I felt confident in my practice and the situation and decided to let an arrow fly.

Unfortunately, things didn’t play out the way I had hoped. The arrow hit bone and didn’t penetrate. Figuring I found a shoulder blade. Gave it some time and had my dad come to help track. The blood I could find was disappointing. Darker red, muscle blood that was sparse. Tracked droplets for a while until I eventually ran out of blood.

I have very high respect for these animals. That being said, although I realize this deer will likely live to see another day. I’m pretty disappointed to have injured a deer that I can’t recover.

Just wondering what the guys with a lot more experience than me have to say about the situation and what to do going forward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Why did you hit bone? Did you aim incorrectly or did your shot not go where you aimed? The most important thing and goal of bow hunting is accuracy. Many folks get all tangled up with speed of the arrow and FOC and forget that none of that matters if you're not as accurate as possible. We need to shoot the proper poundage, the specific broad head and arrow that is the most accurate for our setup and our ability. Proper poundage is easy to determine. Sit on a chair at the range and hold you bow out like you getting ready to draw back and draw back slowly and steadily without having to lift or drop the bow up or down. If you can't do that your poundage is too high. To find the most accurate arrow and broadhead for you requires shooting leading brands and types until you find the ones most accurate for you. Just because I or your buddy shoots x or y doesn't mean you should.
 
I mostly disagree with everything you posted 16on.
Pinpoint accuracy at typical deer hunting ranges arnt needed.
 
buck16on said:
Why did you hit bone? Did you aim incorrectly or did your shot not go where you aimed? The most important thing and goal of bow hunting is accuracy. Many folks get all tangled up with speed of the arrow and FOC and forget that none of that matters if you're not as accurate as possible. We need to shoot the proper poundage, the specific broad head and arrow that is the most accurate for our setup and our ability. Proper poundage is easy to determine. Sit on a chair at the range and hold you bow out like you getting ready to draw back and draw back slowly and steadily without having to lift or drop the bow up or down. If you can't do that your poundage is too high. To find the most accurate arrow and broadhead for you requires shooting leading brands and types until you find the ones most accurate for you. Just because I or your buddy shoots x or y doesn't mean you should.
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I don't believe arrow or bow setup was an issue, though I have since switched to a different arrow setup. I practice with my bow pretty often and I would say I'm very accurate out to 30, I don't take shots past that. I would say the issue rather is how I rushed the shot. I've since practiced a lot and I plan to get back after it in the late split.
 
Hill_billydeluxe said:
I don't believe arrow or bow setup was an issue, though I have since switched to a different arrow setup. I practice with my bow pretty often and I would say I'm very accurate out to 30, I don't take shots past that. I would say the issue rather is how I rushed the shot. I've since practiced a lot and I plan to get back after it in the late split.
Click to expand...
Yes, definitely get back after it. The best shooters in the world miss sometimes and it happens to all of us because we are human.
 
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