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First Bowkill

Tughill Tamer

By Tughill Tamer,
in Bow Hunting

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Taylormike Contributor

Taylormike

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Posted

Awesome job!  I'm excited for you.  Don't get down on yourself with the shot, it happens.  As Moog stated, it gets easier.  All of these hunts help with confidence.   My first archery deer was a drop tine 5 point that i missed twice and finally hit in the femoral artery on the third.  Nice job!

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wolc123 Grand Master

wolc123

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Congrats on that shot.  There was nothing "crappy" about it.   Your arrow may not have struck the deer where you intended, but it did hit in just about the perfect place to minimize meat damage and needless suffering of the deer.   I can really relate to it, because that is very close to where I hit the last deer I killed with a bow, about 5 years ago.  I heard that buck crash, about 40 yards from where he took my mechanical broadhead thru the jugular.   I also did not aim for that spot.  I did watch him turn, duck and whirl around after my release, resulting in the "lucky" strike.  I am pretty sure he caught a glimpse of my draw as he passed thru the hedgerow, below my treestand.  That put him at "full-alert". He stopped, quartering away, just over 20 yards out.   A "full-alert" deer can cover a lot of ground in the time an arrow takes to move 20 yards.  In these two cases, about a yard from the center of the neck to the center of the chest.   

The sound of the bow's release is the signal for an alert deer to duck.  This is commonly known as "string jump" and is most pronounced on calm days and at ranges from 15 to 35 yards.  Closer than that, and the deer will not have time to move far enough, farther is out of the immediate "danger zone", where a deer reacts quickly to a sound.  On windy days, the background noise will usually cover the sound of the bow's release.   "String jump" is only a problem when shooting at alert deer.   Smells, Sounds, and Sights can alert a deer.   If you think you are shooting at an alert deer, I would always aim low, about mid-heart level.   I usually aim there anyhow, "just in case".   If the deer ducks, the arrow slices thru high-lung, just below the spine.  If it does not, then the heart shot puts them down quick.

I am thankful that NY made the crossbow legal 3 seasons ago (at least for the rut), so I will never again have to worry about shooting at an alert deer.   I like it much better when the deer is in the same place when the arrow arrives as it was when it was released.  Eliminating the need to draw with the deer in close, almost assures that will be the case.  Also, I will never again make a buck alert by rattling or grunting, unless I am armed with a firearm.  No deer is fast enough to duck a bullet.   I am not that upset about missing the early part of archery season in the southern zone  for several reasons.  First, it is usually too warm then for me to easily handle and process the venison.  Second, I don't like bugs (especially ticks and mosquitoes). Third, I have access to some fine hunting in the Northern zone, where the crossbow and ML are legal before mid-October, and Fourth, The local deer numbers are such that I have not struggled to obtain plenty of venison, starting up north in mid-October.          

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