Hang in there. Im not accusing you of anything, but were the shots you took high percentage or low percentage chancy shots. again just asking?? I have been bow hunting for 20+ year, and believe me i made plenty of mistakes and took my share of shots i was not proud of in my early days. Try and make all shots count, if you are unsure, dont take them. Practice as you mentioned is something we all must do. Animal placement is critical as well, 1/4 away verses 1/4 to could be he difference in a recovered or lost animal. Pushing a woundedanimal verses knowing when to let them lay awhile.again not accusing, just saying. Buck fever can play a huge part of how we perform with a bow, Bow hunting sometimes forces you to look at the animal longer therfore giving you more time to really get shook up. Knowing how to control that gives you an unbelivable edge in the whitetail woods.Good luck!!