Most times missed in one season?

[badfish]

Alright guys lets hear your honest answers what is the most times you have missed a deer with an arrow in one season? I will go first...I'm ashamed of myself but I have missed 3 different does 4 times this year Yeah I know but before you say anything I can group arrows like no tommorow on the range actually I did my first robin hood at 30 yards earlier this year but put me in a treestand and 15 yards looks like 30 and 30 looks like 40 and I'm all messed up. Perhaps a rangefinder would be a good investment, lol. Alright someone make me feel better...I can't be the only one thats missed that many times

[harvey lee]

Probably 5 times over the past 7-10 years.

What may help you is to tie off a few taped spots of 20 and 30 yards. I usually set up my stand 20 yards from a trail and can judge short or long from that. I have never liked using a rangefinder on deer while I'm hunting but its nice to range specific spots.

[Rippinlip]

Since I started bow hunting again, I have not missed.

I believe in a range finder, not for actually ranging the deer, but I do range everything I can while in the stand, stumps, trails field edges and so on.

The buck I harvested this year actually walked to an area I was not planning a deer to go and I did not range that, so I had to guess that and I did guess longer than the shot really was.

[Jameson]

badfish don't be ashamed. I guess I have only totally missed once but I feel I am doing much worse than you this year, my first year bow hunting. ..... at least you have had clean misses...

[Fishin=Easy]

Three years with the bow my accuracy has been perfect, one draw, one shot, one clean kill. 9 yards.

[Kyle]

Ive missed twice this year. The first miss was a miscalculation of distance, and the second one was because I tried to force a sharply quartering away shot through brush at 30yds. I can judge 20 yds on the spot everytime, but anything past 25 and I start guessing. Slopes in terrain dont help.

[badfish]

My most recent miss shouldn't have been a miss at all. I estimated the range perfectly at about 25 yards and I should have aimed low at the heart but instead I aimed about the middle of the lungs and I watched this deer drop like a foot and watched me arrow just graze her back....total disgust. Anyway I kind of know my problem which is I get too excited and instead of calming down and taking my time with the shot I tend to rush it instead...and instead of aiming at one spot on the deer I just aim for the vitals in general and over shoot or undershoot every time...I'll have to remember to take it slower next time.

[archerystud]

Try shooting winter leagues and competions. It's one thing to shoot at a plain targer and another thing to shoot at a live animal. I think the biggest trick is to control ones emotions.

Shooting in leagues with a little more pressure helps get you used to this experience.

[buck 037]

This is almost embarassing but when i first started bow hunting at age 14, thats the age you could go alone. Didnt have anyone who could go with me any earlier. Had an herters recurve 45lb draw wght. had a woods not to far from my house i spent a lot of time in.had a good size 8pt. follow out 20 does yes 20 I shot 4 yes 4 arrows at that guy never scratched him I vowed next year to have a compound bow and the next year took a spike that walked past me once and I thought it was a doe so let her walk 20 mins. latter came back abd I couldnt resist. Got it after short trail job seen it was a buck and after that first miss with recurve shot six more bucks each season. Then got married and my wife wanted to deer hunt so i started mostly shotgun hunting only started with bow again after one son wanted to bow hunt.( trackerx2) he's taken over on the buck shooting tradtion.

[tunrevir]

It really helped me to practice from various heights while in a treestand, not just standing comfortably on terra firma. A rangefinder is a good investment and will also help with your shooting. So far this year one draw with the intent to shoot and one deer, have drawn on five smaller bucks for practice, drew on a larger buck last night and had him standing at 10 yards, could make out antlers and a rough outline of the body but couldn't pick a spot on the deer to let fly and had to draw down and let it walk. I have missed many a deer over the years but the best and worst was a small basket 6 that I shot over at 20, under at thirty and finally put an arrow through both lungs as he was making his exit forty yards and quartering away. I took the forty yard shot because he was walking past a fence post that I knew was forty yards in an open field and was able to calm my shaking knees and talk myself through the shot. Now when I get the chance to draw or even prior to seeing an animal, I routinely do mental gymnastics, draw smoothly, keep a loose grip, pick a spot, steady the sight window, finger the release, hold your form, follow the arrows path. Helps me to stay calm when making a shot. Try to incorporate a routine into your practice that you can follow on stand. Practice from various stand elevations and with the postures you routinely shoot with and it will all come together in the field and a rangefinder never hurts

Tunrevir~

[Stratosman]

I have missed before as well.... I started when I was 14 as well, didn't know squat about anything! How to shoot properly, how to practice properly, how not to shake like a leaf when I had a deer in range....I remember a deer that was about 15 yards away and I missed her twice, would have been a third time but she walked into the brush before I could draw back again! Have missed since, but slowly I learned from my mistakes and have become a million times better. I won't lie and say I never miss anymore, I still am a human ya know. But I would say that I miss about one shot every 3 or 4 years, becasue of misjudged distance, or the deer dropping on the shot. So just keep shooting!

[brassman]

The first deer I got with my bow was a miss or atleast nbot where I aimed. I shot and she ducked the string but when she did her neck was the receiver of my arrow. Last year I also missed because of misjudged long shot. A couple years ago the evening before rifle opener I missed because I was shaking so bad, and I released once I saw fur, cut some hair off her back. I have only really missed twice. Now with my rifle I can say I missed 4 times in one minute, bear in mind that I had never shot a deer before and they were moving.

[PerchJrkr]

I can honestly say that I've never missed. Ive shot 4 arrows at deer and made 4 kills. But then again most of my shots are under 20 yards. I know what im comfortable with and thats what i shoot. I did shoot a deer last year at 35 yards, and in my opinion, that was a major poke. I only shoot one pin and the rest of my shots have been under 15 yards!

[Dark Cloud]

BadFish, I think PerchJrkr hit the nail on the head...

Try limiting yourself to 20 yard shots or less, preferably 8-15 yarders. I dont care how good a shot you are, alot can happen past 20 yards. And under 20 yards the deer "jumping" the string is lessened...

Myself - I missed 3 times my first year bowhunting when I was 13. Those misses were due to being so nerved up I dont even remember aiming. 20 years later I dont have another clean miss(knock on wood). I did shave ones belly, hit one low and back, and got too far forward into the shoulder once. I usually harvest 2-3 deer a year and though Iv'e made poor shots and still recovered the deer - I always wait for relaxed, broadside or quartering away and close. It's not for everyone and its not a worry for me but bowhunting to me is a get close sport. All those deer I have taken - 2 were over 15 yards, one 18 and one 22. To each thier own. I am capable of shooting half dollars out past 40 yards and practicing for that helps for the close stuff but I just chose not to take those long shots. I like being able to see thier nose wiskers...

Sorry for the long ramble but hopefully this helps someone.

Also practice from elevated platforms if you hunt from treestands. All my stands are 22-24 ft up and it can be tricky shooting a deer at 8 yards from that angle. But practicing it makes you comfortable. Remember, keep your anchor points the same and bend at the waist..

[harvey lee]

Talk about missing, the last trip to Montana I had a P&Y buck on a trail broadside. I shot 4 times and every time was low. There was a trail that was 30 yards away but another 15-20 yards farther that I did not know about as this was the first time I hunted the spot and only spent a few minutes checking the area out.

After the buck walked back out of the brush after the 4th shot, I knocked my last arrow in the quiver and whacked him at approx 50 yards. That buck just wanted to die or someone was looking down on me.

[delmuts]

I've missed twice this season. The first surprised me, and my target panic took over.( the shot wasn't even close to her) The second. I jerked the release, and the arrow kicked off a twig. And yes! I have been working hard on the target panic this summer, and keep my shots close! Keep practicing, and work on concetrating on a spot on the deer.( i am!!)

Now if i can get rid of this sinus infection, so i can get back to hunting!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have one miss under my belt, was 3 years ago. Shot at a doe who was alert to me being there and she ducked the arrow. I had over estimated the distance some as well... Which didn't help. I did gut shoot a deer once, but was able to recover it.

I do have a second miss, but dont count it, my knock exploded when I released my arrow. The arrow only went 12 yards.

Sounds like you need to practice your distance guessing, its not easy to do, but I spend a ton of time doing it.

[bigbucks]

I have missed before. I don't remember missing a deer with the bow for several years, but I actually missed twice this year. One at a doe that was walking. I had the grunt in my mouth to stop her & instead of grunting as intended I just shot, no idea why. She was quartering away & thankfully I shot right under her. The other was the doe I got, she too was walking & I waited for her to stop, but somehow shot it front of her. I still don't know what happened. The arrow wasn't stuck in the ground it was just laying there well past the deer. I'm suspicious I glanced off a branch & didn't know it. She came back 45 minutes later & I drilled her.