Archery Screwups

[Chuckster]

Lets hear em. I know that everyone every year has a new story about little mishaps that happen while bow hunting, or as some would call it....buck fever.

Last year I was using a climber for the first time (borrowing it from my buddy) which ultimately cost me the buck of a lifetime. I was watching some does out in the field just before dark on a nice October night when I noticed a buck coming down the line of trees right in the direction of my stand. Right before he stepped into the five foot clearing of branches, I went to draw and leaned just a little bit out on to the top portion of the stand for some support when...Wham!!! it gave way. Evidently I didnt have it secured to the tree good enough and this resulted in arrow falling out of the rest, bow falling to the ground. There I sat, weaponless I watched him as he stared at me for a good minute or two (which seemed like days) until he trotted into the woods. I rattled him out a few weeks later but didnt want to take a chance at 45+ yards.

Other mishaps include:

-knocking arrow on wrong side of clamp

-out of arrows

-arrow falling off rest continually (shoulda had a whisker biscuit)

-plain ol' buck fever

[fish-n-geek]

I was using an old Summit climber last season. 'Bout 40 degrees and rainy in October. Climbed a tree with very smooth (bad idea #1) and wet (bad idea #2) bark. Got about 20 feet up, attached my safety anchor to the tree, grabbed the caribiner on my harness to attach to said anchor... it was about two inches away when the seat decided it wasn't securely anchored and fell into the foot platform, which knocked it loose as well. About six feet from the ground, the foot platform grabbed again. It tilted to the side and threw me overboard, but my feet were still strapped in. I was hanging upside down for about ten minutes before I could manage to swing up and grab the edge of the platform to pop my feet out of the straps. Luckily nothing broken, as my bow and pack were still on the ground waiting to be pulled up. Nice bruises on my legs tho. I also bow hunted a ground blind for the remainder of the weekend.

-rus-

[mnz71hunt]

October 31, 2000, I was sitting in my favorite hot spot waiting for something to happen. Bucks weren't actively chasing does, but were certainly out and about.

About 2:00 pm a really nice 8 pointer, mid 140's if I had to guess came walking in on a trail that would pass by me at 5-10 yards. This buck then bedded down about 35 yards from my stand never offering a shot.

At 4:30 he got up and headed down the hill to the creek bottom - he was gone I thought. About 15 minutes passed and I heard movement and grunting.

First came a six point, 1.5 year old buck.

Then came the eight point who had bedded down. Behind the eight point was another buck, so I waited. The third was a smaller four point. With three bucks now within 20-25 yards I turned my attention to the eight point. The first deer had already past my stand and was heading up hill to a picked corn field. The eight point was on the same trail that would pass less than 10 yards from my stand.

As I released the arrow for this deer, my bow string hooked my grunt tube that was hanging around my neck and the arrow flew just 1-2 inches over the deers back.

I think I cried that day.

Two days later, I shot the deer shown in my photo from the same stand. I still would have loved to have that eight pointer though.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fun thread idea... this is going to be good.

3 times, different indoor tounaments... Once with only 3 arrows to go, I got a little target panic, I was shooting a perfect score. Anyway, I ended up putting 56 arrows in the perfect center of the target, and 57 went about 5 feet off the target and into a wall.

2nd I had a total brain fart and did the perfect shot sequence, except for loading an arrow in the bow... Dry Fired....

3rd- I always shoot 5 spot targets.. and for some reason shot 2 arrows into one target... ended up with a robin hood.

[Royce Aardahl]

A screw up from long ago.

Back in the fall of 1971 I was walking across a field to find a tree to sit in along side the river valley I hunt when I lived in ND. 45 pound browning recurve bow and 4 wood arrows. Just for fun I flung an arrow at a small hay bale for practice. Screwed up the broadhead so that arrow was toast and I left it there. Didn't know what a tree stand was yet so in those days we just flung the bow over the neck and climbed a tree. I'm up in the crotch of a tree about 10 yards inside the woods and here comes a young 8 pointer which back then was a monster slipping out of the woods a ways to the north and out to the field. He slowly starts closing the gap and I had him standing 10 yards out in the field so about a 20 yard shot. I was only up the tree about 10 to 12 feet. I draw back and let it fly. Right under his belly and he didn't move. I load up again and let # 2 fly. Same thing, right under his belly. He slowly walks off down the edge of the field. Well I am about as bumbed out as a kid can get and here comes another 8 pointer. It stopped and starred at the 2 arrows in the ground and I had my 3rd arrow in the air. Right over his back! No more arrows and he just stood there. I was so mad I pulled my knife out of it's sheath and threw it at him and of course didn't come close to hitting him with it. I climbed out of the tree and walked out to get my arrows and the 2 bucks were standing in the alfalfa munching away about 100 yards down the tree edge. Good thing I messed up the 4th arrow earlier cuz I probably would have missed with that one too!

Since then, many, many more screw ups and many successes

[ghotierman]

This goes back about 25 years, but is still a vivid memory. I was in a treestand on a field edge, late October. Brisk morning. Shivered in the dark till the sun started coming up. Around the corner and down the tree line came a nice doe, followed by three more. My heart revved up, looking like I'd have a great opportunity. As they came my way, they'd stop and look back every so often. I waited. Sure enough...here comes The Buck! They all moved down the field edge right to my stand location and browsed. If I were a right handed archer, I might have had a nice trophy right now. As it was, being a southpaw, the trunk of the tree would cover my draw, but prevent a shot. I had to wait for them to move further down the line. It was cold. I was getting a cold. As I am waiting, still as a statue, the nasal drip begins. I'd read enough about buck fever and keeping calm for the shot, and importance of stealth. (once had a doe and fawn walk right up to me as a stood next to a big cottonwood)...I could remain calm and motionless....but the nose wanted to run! The deer were moving slowly, browsing, but wood soon give me a shot at the buck. The nasal river soaked my upper lip. I was breathing through my mouth, and swear I could hear my heart beating and echoing in my throat. I finally couldn't take it any more, couldn't swallow...so a quietly (i thought) inhaled through my nose...snnnifffff. That was it...flags up...the herd bounded out to the middle of the field....pawing and snorting and I'm sure making an 'L' sign in the middle of their foreheads! *L* I can laugh and tell that story now...but then, I about cried!

Share more fellas!

[CrappieJohn]

A friend had just moved to the Rochester area and was looking to bow hunt, so he thought he'd check into a lease situation. He found some property, down the jingle and was into an instant hunting site all to himeslf. He went out on several pre-season excursions and found a good place to hang a stand.

Opening morning comes along and he hits the woods extra early. After being in the stand for a very few minutes he finds that nature was calling and not the liquid call either. He climbs down and follows a corn field about two hundred yards, finds a tree to cozy up to and....well the rest is known. While he's hunkered up against the tree something catches his eye a few yards away. Taking a closer look showed that he was looking at orange and yellow fletchings....a bunch of them.... on the bow of another hunter who was probably a lot less than excited about said buddy's activities in front of him.

The buddy finishes his task, gets his drawers back on, waves to the guy in the tree and simply walks away to return to his stand. He figured that this "intruder" got what was deserved for trespassing anyway, but later finds out the farmer he leased his hunting from had leased the same tract to about 15 other hunters. Nonetheless, I'd give anything to know what was going thru the unknown hunters mind when out of nowhere a dude comes along and decides to take a dump and then have the audacity to wave at him.

[Guest]

I was out in Montana in the year 2000 and was set-up for a shot to a trail at 35 yards.At approx. 30 minutes b-4 dark a 10 point buck walked out of the woods on to the trail and I shot,with the arrow going 2 feet under him,as he stood there I nocked another and raised my shot and missed by 1 foot under him and he ran back into the cover.10 minutes later he came back out and I shot again and missed by inches,as he stood there again I nocked another arrow and shot over his back and back to the woods again.I sat there and could not believe what was happening as I have now shot 4 arrows and been everywhere.Right at dusk he decided to show himself again and I got ready to shoot my last arrow.I shot the arrow and I heard it hit,the deer fell,then got up and ran off.I could not believe what had just happened.I waited approx 20 minutes ,climbed down the tree and went to the spot where I hit the buck and there was blood everywhere.I took my flashlight and started to track the deer as it was no problem with the amount of blood.35 yards later there he layed,a 139 pt pope and young buck that I hit in the femoral artery.Sometimes you have someone looking down on you or that buck just wanted to die.When I got home I went and bought a range finder,as when I stepped it off the distance I was shooting was 58 yards.Sad but true.

[Hotspotter]

2nd year bowhunting, Saturday morning after a tough Friday night high school football game. I'm in the stand thinking about how bad it hurts to breathe, and there he is. A perfectly typical 10 pointer, a few inches past each ear and tall! Gleaming ivory white antlers, already in my shooting lane.....20 yards, broadside, head down.

I slowly stand up, raise my cheap Bear compound. The deer doesn't see me. I draw, he still doesn't see me. I'm nervous as can be, but feel very confident about my shot.

The arrow magically releases itself (I didn't remember squeezing the release), and flies perfectly at the back part of his shoulder. Then gravity and physics takes over.

Take one (1) old-school bear bow that poorly transfers energy to the arrow, one oversized aluminum shaft, and one 125 gr. Thunderhead......add wind drag, poor arrow speed.....AND USING THE 10 YARD PIN INSTEAD OF THE 20......you get some white hair on your broadhead, but not much else.

The buck, still has no idea i'm here but bolts 40 yards away through brush. He proceeds to rub it in by completely circling me at 40-60 yards in heavy brush, blowing, snorting, and wheezing every 10 steps while a small pit develops in the bottom of my stomach.

To this day, I have not had such a makeable shot that I've screwed up so badly, gun or bow. And this deer was big.

(Contact US Regarding This Word).

Joel

[Stratosman]

Too many to list...

One funny one that I won't forget soon, I for some reason had a feild tip on an arrow on in my quiver. Well in the pre-dawn darkenss I somehow nocked this one and didn't even think to look, that is until an hour later when I drew back on a nice fat doe, that's when I noticed no broadhead. I let her walk off and pretty much laughed at myself, needless to say, that will never happen again.

[EXTREME]

A few years back, I was hunting on my brother in laws place when a very nice 10 pointer came strolling up to my tree. I drew back fine, but the only problem was that the deer was about 10 feet from my tree and I was 20 feet up. I shot anyway and thought it was a perfect hit. I mean perfect!!! Well to make a long story short, he bled about 20 drops of blood in 3/4 of a mile and never bedded. The only thing that I could think of is that the Muzzy slid right under his fur and never entered the vitals. I felt sorry for the deer, but I am positive that he lived....I will never shoot at a deer that close at that angle again...learned my lesson. BTW it was the largest deer that I have ever shot at with a bow...to this day!! Should have waited!!

[FL SNIPER]

These stories are good "lessons" for everyone and educational. My friend (honest to God) took a sharp angle shot last year at a big deer and just skimmed him as well....only hair...no blood. Thanks for the stories!

[Captain B.R.K]

Great stories guys, keep em' coming. I don't have anything, NO I'm not perfect, but being this is going to be my second year I had last years stories to read so I knew what "not" to do in the field

[jeff127]

I have two memorable ones..... my first was also on oct, 31 2000, I grunted in a 130ish 8 pointer from about 200 yards out. It ran full speed directly to my stand, slowing to a broadside stop 16 yards out--wide open shot I let the arrow fly right over its back. Trying to hurry the shot when I had all the time in the world I didnt let the pin settle and I should have been aiming a little low on a pumped up buck.

second one happened last year and is going to hurt for a while. I raced from work to hit the stand for an evening hunt as the sun comes out after an all day rain(late oct a perfect combo)In the stand I watch a small 4 pointer that has obviously been hit by a car a couple days prior and draw on it to take it out of its pain but decide since it is too close to the rut I release tension and put my bow back on the hook. I watch the 4 point walk in to the woods with the binocs and see a very large buck come out and drive this poor thing into the ground. It hobbles off and the large buck starts to angle off. Grunting it back it gets to within 12 yards. I see it walking into my lane and draw back. It is now within 5 minutes of legal quiting time and fairly dark. In the 15 minutes since I drew on the 4 pointer a seeing eye drop of evil H2O drips out of the tree lodging in my peep. I draw, seeing nothing through the peep, realize what has happened, release slightly, suck out the water, come to full draw and the buck has left my lane. The buck stopped for 3 seconds and it took me 4 to fix the problem. Realizing the deer grunting at it is not in the area he decides to leave ignoring my futile grunting. This lucky 12 point buck would have scored 160 easily(largest rack and body I have seen on a deer to date) and will hopefully walk by again this season for a rematch.

jeff

[msm1018]

Last year I made a mistake by just letting my excitment take over and shot over a basket racked bucks back, then hitting a doe 2 weeks later so high in the back it probably felt like accupuncture, ( I still regret doing that and searched forever) This year I will take my time and take control of my own body and shoot straight!

[NWBuck]

Drove 15 miles to my chosen hunting spot for the evening, only to discover my bow is still hanging comfortably on the back porch at home

[paceman]

I had a similar situation where during the season I was practicing in the back yard with field tips on my practice arrows so the next morning I hike back about a mile to my stand and load nock my arrow. First light and you guessed it. All I have is field tipped arrows and a nice doe broadside at 15 yards teasing me...(Contact US Regarding This Word)......

[bigbucks]

I'd forgotten about these, twice I've forgotten my release.

Once was opening morning I believe. I'd left it in the garage 20 miles away & didn't realize I didn't have it until we were leaving the trucks to go to stand. I just left the bow in the case & went to the same stand for observation purposes only. I saw a doe, but it was 100+ yards out, so it didn't wind up being too painful.

One other time we went to trail a deer that I'd hit off of morning stand, after leaving for a few hours, & I forgot the release back at the house. We expected the deer to be dead anyway, of course since I had no release it wasn't. I missed it in it's bed once trying to compensate shooting with fingers, but of course the sights are totally different. We did eventually get the deer, as it was about done anyway, but it would have gone much better with the release.

[paceman]

I will add one more...A few years back I went for an afternoon hunt. I climbed in the stand about 4 hours before dark. I didn't expect to see any deer for awhile so I didn't nock an arrow yet. I was still getting situated in the stand when movement catches my eye. of course a nice 10 point buck comes cruising by at about 10 yards and stops. my bow is leaning on a branch just out of reach. so instead of waiting for him to move I decide to slowy reach for it and to try to nock it. Of course my release is also in my pocket. So I try to reach for both at the same time. Not a good plan. The release cathes on a loose string and I pull too hard and it breaks loose and falls to the ground. The deer looks my way as I am half standing half leaning. well that doesn't last very long I loose my balance and fall into the branch, knock my bow down to the ground scaring the bejeepers out of me and the deer whom I assume is still running to this day. This exciting adventure took place less than 30 seconds after I climbed into the stand..Funny I never saw that buck again.... I now nock an arrow ASAP when I get in my stand.

[lunker651]

Last year, I was bow hunting in southeastern Minnesota on the last week of October. This is my most memoriel screw up while bow hunting. I was set up in the corner of a corn field with 3-4 paths crossing. I didn't see any deer on saturday or sunday morning. It was Sunday evening about 3:30pm about primetime. When a really big fat doe showed up from behind me. I was waiting for deers to show up from the right or left of me. I was caught of guard, by the time I notice she was right behind me about 10 yrds away. I slowly stood up and when she duck her head I drew my bow. Now I was thinking to myself that I will never miss this shot, it was just too close. But when I released the arrow, the arrow went right over her. She didn't even know what the noise was or what just happen, she took four or five jump and looked and started looking for food again. Now I had another arrow nock again. Drew and had her in sight, she was about 25 yrds away but I aimed for 20 and it went right below her, this time she saw me move and hopped way with her whitetail waiving bye, bye. I went down to retrieve my arrows and counted the yards and the first shot she was about 5-7 yards and the second shot was 25-28 yrds. Till this day, I still want the shots back. But like my father said if it was a "BIG" buck I probobly feel much worst. Oh well, that was last year and this is a new year.

[B@ssmaster]

Last year, late October day. All morning rain had ended around noon. Headed out to the bowstand, arrived at stand site. Took my time tying the bow to my lift rope and climbing into my stand, trying to keep the amount of sweating to a minimum. I'm a fairly big guy, not particularly silent when climbing into the stand. Never figured I'd walk up on or have a deer approach while moving around and getting ready to hunt. Always figured it would take a little while for things to calm down after getting situated in the stand. Anyway, I get up the tree, I kneel on the stand and bend over to grab the rope and begin to haul the bow up. I get the bow about 10 feet off the ground and something makes me look up. Sure enough, about 15 yards away down the trail I had just walked in on, a nice big doe is standing there looking around, and looking a bit concerned. She apparently hadn't seen me, but something alerted her that something was not right in the woods. Here I am kneeling in my stand, release in my pocket and the bow spinning slowly 10 feet below me. I freeze and she continues to check the area out. After what seemed like an eternity, she stops looking all around and just starts staring in one direction away from me. I realize that she might continue to look off in that direction long enough that I might have a chance to slowly get the bow the rest of the way up, just in case she continues down the trail and presents a shot. Silly me. As I start to raise the bow again while she is still looking away, I hear the other doe snort that had left the trail and was about 90 degrees to my right, about 10 yards out. Watched both of them lope off down the trail back the way they came. Never did get the bow anywhere near the stand, it was still hanging there slowly spinning on the rope. I was so focused on the first doe that I had forgotten to look around to see if she had been traveling alone or not. Oh well, the story still sets up a fun mental image. My father (an avid rifle hunter) still chuckles over this one.

[bigbucks]

Stop it, you keep making me think of more of my screw ups. Last year Thursday morning before gun season, prime hunting day, click my bow to the string, work the climber up, start to pull the bow up, the knot comes undone... Trying not to holler out loud as I'm climbing back down, getting warmer all the time from the exersion & the brewing anger, get back down, tie a knot around the bow, climb back up, so much for not sweating like crazy...

The other one related to this, is I'm hunting down in a creek bottom a few years ago. I see a couple deer working through the woods across the creek, maybe 75 yards away. I start grunting to them, nothing, grunt louder, then turn & see a nice doe with a couple fawns stopped looking at me about 30 yards away. They were on the trail heading to the salt lick 15 yards in front of the stand. Moral of the story: Look around before you start calling...

[BLACKJACK]

Getting ready for the season, working on some stands has made me think of a couple of my screw-ups.

A couple years ago, was doing a ground blind, was at the end of a long tree row, cornfield on my right, CRP on my left, break in the fence where the deer are entering the corn. Waited for an early November hunt with a west wind, was just settling in when this nice 8 point came loping - running down the tree rows, saw him at about 50 yards, by the time I had my bow in hand, he was standing 25 yards away, surveying the picked corn field, looking for the girls. I was so flustered I shot right over his back!! Grrrr. I had scouted out the right setup and blew the shot!!

Another time, sitting in the same spot, ground blind, early morning before shooting light, getting ready, putting on the extra clothes, facemask, etc. when I look up and heres a doe and fawn watching me!! All I saw after that were there white tails!!

Another time early in my bowhunting career, was hanging a stand, literally hanging in a tree trying to hang a tree stand and put in steps til my arms ached, said to heck with it, just took up a ground stand under the tree. Sure enough, a little bit later a nice forkhorn came walking by. This was before I had ever shot a deer with my bow, he was fair game! I couldn't pull my bow back!!! To this day I can't figure out if it was my sore shoulders or buck fever!!

[Finlander]

I was late going to my stand one morning so I get to the tree and climb up to my stand, then put on my safety harness, then go to grab my bow and pull it up when I notice a monster buck I figgerd around 180 class walking straight at me. So I froze as he walked by then continued to pull my bow. Get the bow and put my hand inside the cover of the quiver protecting my broadheads and slice a finger tip, trigger finger of coarse!

Well I proceeded to get an arrow nocked and get every call in my bag and that buck just looked in my direction and was checking out scrapes and rubbing overhanging branches and that was that! I wish I had a camera it was for sure that was a monster. Funny thing was that buck walked directly under a tree stand that somebody had put up!

Another story was opening day morning when a doe steps out in front of me about 8 yards so I get my bow into position to shoot only to find out that my arm-guard that I put on the upper limb slid down over my pin sight! Oh that doe did'nt wait for me to fix the situation and stood back in the woods snorting for at least for half an hour!

Oh well, opening weekend of gun season I shot a 225lb. 10 point buck thatgross scored 146 with a broken G3!