Core

Yep that's the stuff. Odds of lyme disease if a tick is on you for 24 hours are really quite high in this area, not worth the risk. It is not always easy to see them. Frost does not kill them. I do think they may get quite large this time of year so easier to see, but that stuff is inexpensive, certainly safer than flirting with lyme disease, and a worthwhile thing to buy IMO. Reviews are raving on amazon, too.

I researched the tick spray that you put on your clothes. It appears to be very effective, survives multiple washes, and has been studied for military use and is considered safe for regular military use, which is something like daily wear for 10-20 years, something along those lines. It's on amazon. Supposedly the ticks just die like mad on your clothing. Still need to check inside, but it's much more effective than normal skin sprays.

Thanks, all. Will remember to bend and will practice it.

I have to do all this. It's true, I practice with a wide stance 100% of the time and a perfect 90 degree angle, and that is complete rubbish. Starting tomorrow I will start taking advantage of the chair at the range, not shooting with a good angle, feet together, etc. Will see if the 3D range includes down hill shots, and if so start dumping time in there. So to bend at waist a person is basically weighting their left leg (for a right handed shooter) and somewhat balancing on that with the right leg as far back as possible, right? I can't bend to the side very much either way (limit of human anatomy!) so I guess to get a proper bend may have to shoot slightly to the front anyway. I don't really expect another shot on a deer this year and probably don't deserve one, but I do need to get better.

I used to think I was calm, but yesterday while the deer came into range I had time to realize my heart rate had indeed gone sky high. I got to the range at lunch today. First volley of 6 arrows I sent at the 30 yard target. 5 were within 2" of center, one was 3" off, so that would be a 6" group including the bad one. My range accuracy just isn't translating, so I think I will have to follow the advice to simply keep distances much shorter. Bflo, I will think more on that, too, thanks. My stance was definitely weird on account of the safety harness. growalot I will remember that: waist, grip, breath. Three right now. It is a bit of clutter, two might be better even, like a 15 and a 25 for example. However, I think we've taken this thread too far off now, so any other ideas please feel free to post here http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/29941-first-shot-in-four-weeks-missed-again/?hl=%2Bmissed+%2Bagain.

So maybe I have learned something from that bad shot. Advice is congealing around not taking shots so far. I'm not good enough for it, even though I perform well at the range. Perhaps field distance should be acceptable accuracy at the range divided by 2, which puts me more like 20 yards.

Yes, from stand. All practice on ground. One miss was because the stand bar pressed the string and caused the arrow to fly way high. I won't repeat that. I've studied trajectory from elevated position and the shot I missed yesterday I had the height on perfectly, it really was dead-on. I never thought I could miss so wildly in the horizontal plain I am going to move from the standard targets to the 3d course and see if that teaches me anything.

I am always practicing. There is a sign-in sheet at my range and only one other person uses it as much as I do. I am sure I practice shooting more than 90% of the people here and I am a better shot than most of the hunters who are shooting beside me at the range. I vital shot 30 yards every time. Never miss. Guaranteed. I rarely hit out of a vital size group at 40. This deer was 30 on the nose, and I missed the shot by 2', which is more than I have literally ever missed any shot at any distance since buying my bow. I'm still not really sure what happened. Took time on the shot, the deer wasn't spooked, and even if it moved after hearing the bow it cannot have moved 2'. Absolutely. I always try to analyze my failures and learn from them. I wish the cause of this one was more apparent to me. Best I can come up with is I was positioned weirdly because my safety strap was constricting movement plus maybe the deer moved. I'm just not entirely sure.

I agree. But, I also think some people here probably need to be more forthright with what they want to say and/or have all the facts before saying it.

Never found it I'm afraid. This article called it precisely, from the behavior to the deer, to what happened when I trailed it. http://www.bowhunter.com/feature_articles/feature_articles_a_bowhunters_guide_to_blood-trailing_deer_113010/ 200 yards from the hit I found a pool of blood, after which the trail lightened up a bit. 50 yards after that another pool, after which the trail went dead. 20 yards from that I found a hunk of clotted blood, 20 yards after that another hunk. I then couldn't find anything and told myself well that is that, until I found out of pure luck another spot of blood at least 50 yards beyond that. The trail then opened up with consistent drops for 200 more yards, then 200 more yards of consistent drops but they were very small--but more numerous than before too, weirdly--then I got to another pool of blood. Beyond this pool the drops stopped almost immediately, then the last one I found was another 20 yards beyond that, and I never found the trail again. This deer had managed to run a half mile without any pressure, up and down very steep hills. I have no idea where it was going, but it certainly wasn't lying down to die, and its wound was obviously clotting every time it laid down or paused. It was a terrible day for all involved. My guess is the deer will recover from this. Its leg is clearly still functional given what terrain it was going over, and seeing multiple clotting points I suspect the wound will close up.

Not just hunting. There are so many laws in the books in the United States that the government doesn't know how many there are and since nobody (literally nobody) knows them all, it's impossible for a single person to know they are in compliance at all times. This is why in fact ignorance of the law is a perfectly reasonable defense in many cases morally, even if not legally.

Older than you think based on the question. The simple fact is it was a buck 22 yards away and early in the day.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That shot I showed with pooling clearly, undeniably has bubbles (post 1744). Most of the trail is light and at that point the deer I presume stood there and figured out what's going on before continuing to walk. I don't believe I spooked it before giving up the trail earlier, but it certainly went quite far. Is there any way the bubbles could NOT be from lung; can they enter the blood in any other manner, like from being licked or something? I found another couple of smaller pools later on before quitting but none had the bubbles of that first pic.

okay I am bailing. The trail is consistent but obviously not lung unless this thing need no air. Trail is super easy to follow so I will just come back later.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good point on the broadheads they are supposed to close on way out. 200 yards this is what trail looks like. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

afAfter that bit of fat I saw some smattering of blood and 20 yards later my arrow--unopened (?). However blood picked up. This pic here shows bubbles which means lung, so maybe I hit lung afterall? Basically I have walked another 100 yards and blood spatter every several inches. Could this amount of blood --constant good trail--possibly happen if it was not a vital area? He red is showing up cleanly against the leaves. I am. It having to circle at all, it is an easy thing to follow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

obviously I was not aiming for the deer's ass. I appear to be a poor shot in the woods but it isn't for lack of practice or accuracy on the range which is the best I can do without having live deer to target. In any case I am now on a blood trail and thankfully it is not raining.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

10 yards from where I hit it is this. Looks like fat? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You are probably right. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

these things have super powers. I can't believe how agile they are.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i don't think I missed but not positive. I was only staying out here originally until 8:30 am. At that point I will climb down. If I find my arrow I am going to only from now on shoot at deer within 3 yards or less. If I do not find my arrow I will email my boss and say I am not coming in until I find this deer (he hunts as well so will be fine with that). If the shot is bad I know I need to wait several hours before tracking and will consider going into work and cutting out early. All know for sure is that finally I nailed the correct height on a shot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just let two brief doe blups and three min later a small buck walks in. I got lazy with my stand. Turns out deer CAN look in trees. I draw it sees me doing it. Neither of us move for 30 seconds. Finally I decide I gotta let down or finish lining up my shot. However as I do the latter it decides no and runs off. In the last hour I have learned the importance of making sure deer are not moving when shooting, that a call can work, that deer can look in trees, and that my spot is 10 yards past where it really should be. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My new spot, got the stand up at 6:46. While climbing a deer walked into the area then back out. 10 min later I loosed an arrow at a doe. Height was dead on money. However it moved as I shot I THINK (it is hard to tell) and it looked like I got it in the rear. But I am only 95% sure I even hit it. It ran off but not terribly quickly. 2 min after that from same direction comes in another doe eating but just out of range. Same one? Dunno, I don't see my arrow on the ground but the leaves cover everything. Two mornings in a row proves this spot rocks. I will report back on the deer when I get down. Only staying till 8:30. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy crap. I'm getting one shot every 6 times out so far! I've spent WAY too much time mid-day hunting, though. No more. I am basically trying to only hunt first two and or last two of the day now. Too much time wasted when the deer are asleep. It does suck that I have a 40 min drive on either side of this plus a healthy walk if I want to get away from other people. Makes early/late stuff just harder to deal with. I got to the range briefly this morning. I start at long range because I think it's a good habit and had some half decent groups at 50 yards, then some nice at 40. My bow was fine, it was all operator error this time. I put a new peep on last week and when I'm off now it's horizontally; my vertical shots are really pretty solid, plus I shot some broadheads today at 30 and they are all where they should be. So at least I can't blame the bow!

good idea. I have even read of somebody who will shoot an arrow at the ground once in stand to ensure all is aligned. In fact last night I took pics of my sight and peep and confirmed today the peep was still good. These bows have so much hooked on to them and dangling around that there is a lot to slide around while walking through some of the nasty brush. I think if I owned private land I might leave a target on the ground permanently to ensure things are still in spec.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk