I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

[96trigger]

One in a million chance, I have got to be the unluckiest SOB in the area. Saturday night I missed a nice buck at dusk, wasn't happy but at least I had mother nature working against me. To add insult to injury on Sunday morning, I grunted and rattled in a nice 10 pointer. I watched him work his way to me for 20 minutes. He finally got within 7 yards in a shooting lane. It was theee shot, that I had been waiting for all season. I draw back and shoot,I watch as the buck jumps and kicks its rear leg in front of his vitals, I see the arrow kind of flip over the deer and land on the other side of it. The buck runs off, I'm in the stand staring at the arrow laying on the ground. I get down from the stand after I hear it walk off, the tip of the expandable is bent, no blood, and the arrow didn't expand. The only thing that I can think of is that the deer instintively and luckily hit the arrow with his hoof and deflected it over top of him. I know this sounds soo far fetched, but man, a clean miss would have drove the arrow into the ground, there were no branches in the way, and even if there was, the arrow still would have been inbedded in the ground. Is this not the worst luck that you have ever heard of on a deer hunt. I have to carry the broadhead with me because nobody believes the story until I show them the bent tip and explain the situation. I am soo flipping frustrated, I spent all day yesterday just moping. The only time I felt better is when other hunters have said, wow, you really got screwed. The buck are running, good luck.

[DRH1175]

exactly why I shoot fixed blades. If it hits the mark it will always do its job. And if you practice and cut your lanes it will always hit the mark! Sorry Man At least you had the experience even bad moments like that make hunting more exciting in a bad way. Next time it will on the wall!

[Stratosman]

At seven yards? What arrow speed you shootin, 100 fps? At that yardage the arrow should have been through him before he heard the sound....not that I don't beleive you I have seen deer do some crazy things but this would top it all if he got his rear hoof in the way before the arrow could travel 21 feet! That does suck whatever the case may be. It goes to show you if you spend enought time in the woods you'll have something unexplainable happen sooner of later.

[David Frank]

Wow. Tough luck is the only explanation I can come up with. I agree that for a deer to jump the string and block an arrow with his rear hoof at a mere 21 feet is tough to imajine. Maybe he was reaching up to scratch himself with his hind foot as they commonly do? Not that I don't believe that it happened either, because some crazy stuff happens in the deer woods. It's all part of what makes bow hunting so appealing to me.

Unless you are completely sold on the mechanical broadheads being the best for your setup, I would recommend switching to a fixed blade. I have heard way too many "horror" stories about mechanical broadheads costing a hunter the buck of a lifetime due to not functioning properly.

[96trigger]

I totally understand the skepticism. Trust me, I've played it over in my mind 1,000's of times. I agree the arrow should have been through the deer before it had time to react, but we all know how quick a deer can be. Like I said, if anybody wants to offer up another possible explaination I'm all ears but there wasn't even a speck of dirt on the broadhead, it was just laying on the ground like I droped it there. I don't know how else to explain a bent tip at a 45 degree angle. It hit something really hard and ricocheted off. By the way, I've had my bow Chronographed, its about 285 f/s. After that moment I went to a couple of other bowhunters and we shot together, because I thought there had to be something going on besides dumb luck. Lets just say, my bow is really, really loud compared to theirs. Its going down the road as soon as this season is over. It might not be the bow, but I've lost confidence/ lucky feeling with it. I didn't even want to look at it yesterday. It makes me ill thinking about it. Any other suggestions as to what might have happened would be great. But I'm pretty sure that the deer had ninja blood in it. By the way, I'll be in the market for a new bow soon. It was great watching the big guy, I did everything right, I watched it, I got in range, It didn't see me draw back, Its just extremely frustrating. At seven yards, I should have hit it somewhere.

[David Frank]

Has your bow always been so loud compared to the others you shoot with or has something loosened up causing the noise? Maybe there was a malfunction with the bow? Did your arrow seem to be flying at full speed when you shot at that deer? Is there any possiblity at all that there was a branch or limb that you didn't see or notice that your arrow may have hit? I have hit a branch before and found my arrow facing towards my stand and on top of the grass as if I simply layed it there as well. The twig I hit was surprisingly small. I didn't realize until that day that such a small object could affect arrow flight so much. That was the only time I have had an arrow flip up and land like that without any sort of penetration into the ground/brush.

Not sure what the explanation for your situation, but the answers to all of these questions may help pinpoint the answer.

[96trigger]

I'm looking into everything. I've never noticed my bow being that loud before but after shooting with other bows, it really is, What it comes down to is the bow is more than ten years old, I bought it at a pawn shop when I was in college. I have really only put in the time the last two years so now I'm starting to see the deer. I spend the money on deer stands, scentlok, gas for scouting etc, and I'm using a second hand bow. I wouldn't put up with that from a firearm, so why with a bow. I shot the yesterday with the buddies of mine. It shot fine, the only thing we really noticed was that is was much, much louder. No branches or twigs, it was in a cut shooting lane. I'm not in the business of lying, and I know nobody is saying that I am but its weird, something happened and I'd just like an explaination. This was my buck of a lifetime. With a little one on the way, I won't be able to put as much time in next year. I was really hoping that this would be the year. Now I'm skeptical.

[Stratosman]

That's the way it goes, you can do 99 things right and the 100th thing can go wrong and wreck all 99...I know your not lying, it's just hard fathom the odds of what you described happening. It wasn't meant to be I guess, mark one for the deer and get back into the stand as soon as possible. I have missed some unbelievable shots over the years myself, anyone who tells you different is a liar, it happens, malfunctions ect are all part of the game. I have a friend who had a string break on the drawback on a very nice buck once, the deer stood there and looked at him like now what are you going to do smart guy?

Get a new bow if you are not confident, I had a bow once that I had no confidence in, although I am sure it was the way I shot it, I was not consistant enough for my liking and down the road she went. As with most things, confidence is key.

[David Frank]

I believe you 100%. Wouldn't call you a liar without a reason to... just tryin to help figure out the best explanation.

One thing that I can suggest, is that if you have lost confidence in your bow, you need to either find a way to get it back. After years of 3-D Archery and real life hunting situations, I can tell you that even the easiest shots can seem difficult if you don't have confidence in your equipment or anything else. Spend some time at the range and re-prove to yourself that you can indeed hit the mark. After you have regained your confidence, get back out there and stick that big one!!! After all, you know there are deer around your area, and with the rut kicking in, there is no better time for it to happen.

Just as freak things can happen to put the odds against you, things can happen the other way as well. Who knows, maybe you will even get another chance at your buck of a lifetime after a hot doe.

[96trigger]

Thanks guys, only hunters understand, everybody else laughs and thinks its funny (really ticks me off). I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about it. Yep, weird things happen at the worst possible time, never in my life would I ever have thought that to happen. Kind of like the broken bow string. I'm confident that I can hit with my bow, I guess now its more of a superstition, I don't feel lucky with it, I don't like it, I just about threw it down the stand, and I know its probably not its fault at all, but I'm ready for something better, I'm not a poor college kid who pawned off two alpine speakers for his first good bow anymore.

[almostthere!]

That deer kung-my-mom-sees-this-ed your arrow, eh? You ran into Bucky Bruce Lee, dude. I've heard of him before. Just glad I haven't run into him, yet.

I feel your pain. Weird stuff happens to us all.

[delmuts]

i'm kind of curious as to why your bow is so loud. do you have string silencers? how about limb savers, or a hyd. stabilizer. i also have whiskers on the bus cables on my bow.( just be certain they don't interfere with anything)

as for the miss? just chalk it up to " those things happen".

[tealitup]

Its a story for the ages to talk about more and more. It might be better then getting the deer. Well maybe not

[eagle_3464]

Stories, stories, and more stories!!!!! Isn't it amazing to hear what only an archery hunter will experience. Through my first few years of archery hunting when I heard stories like this I thought "of all the excuses one will use for making a bad shot". Then it finally happened to me, a clear broadside shot at 20 yds. Upon release, that buck dropped low before its burst, making my arrow lodge high in the shoulder. Needless to say that was the one that got away. Since then I am a believer of most stories I hear about how the natural instincts of the deer won again. So, I know how you feel but don't get down, next time it is your turn to win.

[96trigger]

Delmuts, its one of those things where you don't realize how loud your bow is. I always shot alone at home when it was convenient, I didn't realize it was loud until someone else heard me shoot. You know how things can sound differently to someone listening, than to the person shooting. I've got string silencers on it but probably enough. I know my stabilizer was making a lot of noise, I tried a buddies and that really helped, but Like I said, the noise of a bow never crossed my mind until this happened but its starting to make some of my misses at 20 yards a little more understandable. When shoot targets I can usually put together a tight group. Throw in a moving target that can hear the arrow as soon as its released, it just got a whole lot tougher. BTW, anybody know anything about the Fred Bear Bows? Since its late in the season, I can start saving and maybe buy one after the holidays.

[Flatlander]

Definitly, without a shadow of a doubt....that buck is the illegitimate, and rather perverse offspring of Chuck Norris. There were rumors cirulating a few years ago that Chuck was dabbling with that stuff. Well, there it is. The proof's in the pudding.

[bigbucks]

It's not making noise in the draw is it, where he started to move just as you released? I'm not saying your lying, I don't think you are, but I know how things happen so fast & you're not sure what happened.

I had a doe at 6-8 yards once & the arrow just nicked her. I just stood there dumb founded. My grunt call was around my neck & when I leaned over from the steep angle it got in my cables. I was sick after botching such a golden opportunity. It was one of maybe two really good chances I got at anything other than a fawn that season. I can't imagine how bad you must feel to have something unthinkable happen on a pig.

I feel your pain.

[matthothand]

I too feel your pain fellow hunter. My bow broke/blew up the day before opener and I went straight out and bought a BowTech. It's natuarlly a lot more quiet then my previous bow but I added the STS and it just plain shut up completely. Mathews bows have string suppressors that stop the string from vibrating and making that "WHACK!" sound. STS does the same sort of thing but can be put onto ANY bow as is a far better deal and help than adding 3 lbs of sims products to your setup. STS mounts in line from the stabilizer facing to the rear and just touching the string while the bow is in a relaxed position (not being pulled/held back). Anyone else heard of or use STS? They're worth looking into. I think mine was 40 dollars. Also if you're open to change (i would be after your horror story) I'd check out some fixed blade broadheads. The only expandables I would dare hunt with are the Tekan by G5 broadheads that slide back and out rather than folding or flipping. With those you can still get away with shots at quartering angles and not worry whether the broadhead will open as designed. The absolute best flying broadhead for most setups that I have seen is the Whack-Ems. I think there pretty new but they are a tad smaller and are weighted just like a field point...and fly likewise. There's plenty of season left and I hope you get another crack at that guy. Good luck!!!

[96trigger]

By next year I am reconfiguring everything that I am doing. I'm throwing out the expandable broadheads, I'm going back to fixed blades. I'm taking my bow into a local proshop and am either getting rid of it, or getting it quieted down. I don't even like it anymore so its probably going down the road. I'm hanging the bent broadhead in my shop to remind me everyday that I need to keep practicing. I feel so stupid for putting in countless hours of practicing, scouting, and dollars on stands, clothing, scents, only to have the one thing that I should spend the most $ on be the one thing that I had spent the least. I guess over the last two years bowhunting has went from a past time that I enjoy to a passion that I love. I need to do some updating. Thanks for all the advice, I sat in the same stand last night, I shook my head most of the night still trying to figure out how it all happened.

[BeerHunter]

Last year i drew on 3 deer and each one looked up at me and took off when i did it because my bow was so loud. I purchased a new bow this year and have shot a nice buck and a doe and neither of them knew i was there and they were both under 10 yards

Tough luck.

I still replay the nice bucks i missed because of stupid inexperienced mistakes.

[walleyeaddict]

i can relate..2 weeks ago I had a 150 class perfect ten walk underneath me,,I drew and the mother f@#$ing peep sight I couldnt see thru it...right at dusk...regrettingly flung the arrow just ove his back thank god i did not wound him...he ran 40 yds and looked at where the arrow hit the ground which was 15 yds in front of me. I do not think he knew what happened..... broke my heart. Tore that god d@#n peep sight off and now I line up the string....I hope he comes back thru. Stick with it I am a diehard goin on 13 yrs....Sh@# Happens!!!

[delmuts]

96... it is hard to forget things like that , but concentrate on this season.forget what happened and make yourself ready for the next one !