As many of you know I hit a deer last friday and never recovered... (I take the blame for this as I probably didnt wait long enough - even though I waited overnight, and I didnt have quick enough access to a tracking dog)..

Anyway, its been eatin at me all week, there is nothing I hate more than to hit a deer and not recover it. To add to that, the last animal I shot at w/ a bow was late in the season last year and I cleanly missed at 15 yrds (he busted me as I finished my draw cycle and ducked under the arrow, and I just held to high)....

Right now I dont even feel like going out this weekend w/ a bow...

I had time before the shot to get settled and mentally told myself to focus and kill... But the shot was a blurr, and I ended up taking a 30yr (with-in my range) shot. My biggest mistake is shooting at him during a slow walk and probably contributed to the arrow hitting back a bit...

After hours of tracking I was thinking about my "Bowhunting Record" and its miserable... I'm too embarrassed to tell it, and thinking back I think I just get a bad case of buck fever or dont compensate enough for the elevation, or something dumb like not holding my form... Yes Ive killed animals w/ my bow, quite a few actually, but an incident like this gives me doubts about my shooting ability.

I comfortably practice out to 60 yrds and can consistently get 3" 30 yrd groups. Ive killed out to 45 yrds. But all this means nothing when an animal gets away....

So heres what Ive tried to regain confidence:

1. Practiced (my practice amount slacks off once season starts)
2. ???

My only thought is to attempt to take the first doe i get w/in 15 yrds, to prove to myself I can do it...


Any thoughts/suggestions???