missed my first opportunity

[myke123]

so today i get out of work early and head to my stand were i been hunting all bow season this year, i have not seen one deer since opening day been out 7 times. so anyways i didnt give up on the spot and go up my stand at 3:15 today,around 4:00 i turn to my left and theres a nice doe 20 yards,to much brush in the way no clean shot ,so she walks away,away from me that would be.i watch her for bout 15 mins then loose sight,around 30 mins later i see a deer headed my way 20 yrds again ,2 mins later this deer turns out to be a spike nice body but spike, so i say im gonna take him its my first chance and might be my only chance so i wait for a good shot,now hes 15 yrds broadside with me i take the shot ,and it blows right over hes back! man i was pissed , but it was me nothing else i was to happy or something .but on the bright side i seen three deer today so hopefully they will be back out this weekend and i will get another good chance.it seems like the rut is on,lots of signs since last weekend.

[Deerthug]

A clean miss is better than wounding him. Been in your shoes too many times. Hopefully they'll be coming out of the woods this weekend. The weather is supposed to be really nice.

[myke123]

yea ill be out all weekend trying to take one, it was a spike but i was just so happy to see it. i just dont understand how i missed ,ibeen practiceing all summer,even yesterday i shot about ten shot just to make sure everything was still in line,i just had deer fever and it was a clean miss over the back he did drop down when i shot so im guessing i was still high with my sight but it just happens so fast you cant even remember to look back and think what ya did wrong

[JimmyDaSavage]

A clean miss is better than wounding him. Been in your shoes too many times. Hopefully they'll be coming out of the woods this weekend. The weather is supposed to be really nice.

perfect.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ill tell you what you probably did, or should I say didnt. You didnt bend at the waist, you bent at the shoulders like you would with a gun. I have done it before. Do you practice out of a stand? If not, you should. It helps.

Keep at it, youll get another chance.

[myke123]

i practice at all angles and heights but a target and a real deer are two differnt things i get real shakey when i see a deer.cant help it idk but i been hunting bow two years now last year and this year, last year was my first year hunting i took a 6 pt opening day and a doe the 2nd day both deer were lung shots died 30 yrds away one shot.this deer was 15 yrds today braodside i missed high.when im shooting in the backyard im never high maybe to left or right but never really high.

idk i just missed i guess it happens,i also have only one pin set at 20 yards because im a new bow hunter and i dont feel good shooting over 20 yrds yet i practice at 30 but im not that good of a shot yet.rather miss then hurt a deer

[BucktheBuck30-06]

Dude it happens to the best of us i missed a shot at a 8 pointer my first year of hunting.I had buck fever for real my hands got all sweaty i started shaking a litlle and the deer seen me so i took a shot but missed.And sucks for me i havn't seen him since lol!!Its allright tho you live n you learn!!!

[Doc]

i practice at all angles and heights but a target and a real deer are two differnt things

LOL ...... That is a common theme on a lot of my posts lately, and that is not only true for newcomers to the sport. We all encounter some added challenge when the target is a breathing, moving, thinking, thing.

But here is something that has helped a lot of bowhunters, and it's not really any kind of new idea. "Pick a spot". I know you have heard that before, but it is amazing how even seasoned hunters will occasionally forget that old basic rule, and get lured into aiming at the whole deer. I suspect it is part of buck fever or something. But restrict your aiming spot as much as possible. Some guys say aim at a specific hair ...... well, I usually am not close enough to see individual hairs, but the general point is well made.

So, I am not saying that this was the problem on this particular shot, but just offer it up as a reminder that sometimes this sort of thing happens, and maybe this is an explanation for an occasional mysterious shot that seems to just go haywire for no obvious reason.

[fasteddie]

I practice in the back yard and have a lot of time to think about proper bow form , etc .. I shoot from the ground and from a treestand in the back yard . When you are in a hunting mode things are rather instantaneous and sometimes we forget things when they happen so fast .

Like it was said above , "bending at the waist" when shooting from a stand is of major importance . If you don't bend and instead , drop your bow arm , you are going to have a bad shot .

[StripedBuck]

I'll take a clean miss over a wounded deer any day. Sure it sucks, but as you said you finally saw deer, had them come in close enough for a shot and then the fever hit! I know whenever I have deer come in close for a shot I too get all worked-up and I think we all do, heart pounding, adrenaline rush, etc....Just this past weekend up in the Catskills first time this year missed a big Doe right over it's back, thought it was gonna be an easy shot at 20 yds. It was a lesson in deer hunting.

Best of luck in the rest of your hunts!

[Fletch]

It happens. I shoot a lot, I shoot very well form all different angles. Every time I head out I shoot one arrow only at the target and hit a bull. I have bowhunted for years and taken many deer with a bow. Even a couple decent ones. And I STILL forget to think when a good deer comes out. I call it a deeranurismstupidismitis.

Pick a spot is very good advice you just got to remember it!!