Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
10-30-2005, 12:29 AM
#11
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 108
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
Mike,
I know your pain. My brother had the same thing happen to him. He hit a nice doe, and the trail just dried up. Then he hit another nice doe, and she went into a large cornfield, and it started raining. We didn't find her either. He felt as you did, questioning himself and really upset about it. Apparently it was just not to be at that time. But hey, since then, he's shot a nice doe, a 6 pt., and a really nice 10 pt., all of which traveled less than 100 yards between them. Stick with it, I know you won't regret it.
The Trashcanman
I know your pain. My brother had the same thing happen to him. He hit a nice doe, and the trail just dried up. Then he hit another nice doe, and she went into a large cornfield, and it started raining. We didn't find her either. He felt as you did, questioning himself and really upset about it. Apparently it was just not to be at that time. But hey, since then, he's shot a nice doe, a 6 pt., and a really nice 10 pt., all of which traveled less than 100 yards between them. Stick with it, I know you won't regret it.
The Trashcanman
10-30-2005, 01:02 AM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Wadena, MN
Posts: 4,701
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
Drift,
Dont give up man, like said before. Unless everything else is discouraging! We have all lost deer, on the other hand I have recovered deer that should have been lost. Mark where you shoot!!!!! Start there in trailing, I dont give a damn if you seen the animal go down!!!!! Start in the begining, look for hair then blood. Dont walk on the blood trail. Mark the last 2 (AND I MEAN 2 SPOTS OF BLOOD) go slow, dont let your buddies walk all over in front of you( I prefer trailing by myself), and give it time!!!!!!!
Dont give up man, like said before. Unless everything else is discouraging! We have all lost deer, on the other hand I have recovered deer that should have been lost. Mark where you shoot!!!!! Start there in trailing, I dont give a damn if you seen the animal go down!!!!! Start in the begining, look for hair then blood. Dont walk on the blood trail. Mark the last 2 (AND I MEAN 2 SPOTS OF BLOOD) go slow, dont let your buddies walk all over in front of you( I prefer trailing by myself), and give it time!!!!!!!
10-30-2005, 05:51 AM
#13
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location:
Posts: 313
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
I have found that practicing with broadheads, from a treestand, wearing hunting clothes, includingmask and gloves,can be a real eye opener.Ditto all the good waiting/tracking advice.
10-30-2005, 06:18 AM
#14
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blossvale, New York
Posts: 21,199
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
Well, I don't know where to begin. You may really want to reconsider your tracking abilities and/or shot selection. OR...just give up archery. I'm trying to read between the lines here to figure out what's going on... IF ANYTHING???
I know you see the TV celebrities "STOPPING" the deer. You have to remember, these guys mostly hunt deer that are in a controlled environment, see low hunting pressure and are being fed. Their deer are not nearly as spooky as the deer the average hunter pursues. IMO, all you do when you "STOP" a deer is alert him to something he's not used to seeing or hearing. You're better off to wait for him to stop(deer do that every few yards or feet as they feed. No need to advertise your presence.
When you say the fletchings disappeared where they should have gone, "at least a single lung hit". WELL, that's not what it should have been. A lot of difference between where it should be and single lung hit.
Maybe revisit anatomy of a deer...OR... you can just quit. Admittedly, you've had a couple bad experiences. IF you couldn't stand another, well definitely quit because somewhere in the next 20 years it'll probably happen again. BUT, you've been fortunate with the smoke pole. Guess what, if you shoot enough deer with anything, your chances of a deer being wounded greatly increase. It can and will happen to most hunters who do enough hunting regardless of their weapon of choice. You try and not make the same mistakes again and try to get better. Some people do seem to be snake bit when it comes to such problems. It's just the way it is. I've gone as many as 10 years and probably 40 deer with the bow without problems and then had 2 missed bucks and a wounded one in an 8 day period. THis after already shooting 5 bucks with 5 shots that year. Now you want to see a guy about to hang himself. I was fit to be tied.
All I can say is be open to the fact you may be doing something wrong and to practice more.
I stopped the deer and shot and thought again that I had made a good shot, but the deer ran off like it wasn't even hit, but I watched the fletching go through the deers chest where it should have been at least a single lung hit.
When you say the fletchings disappeared where they should have gone, "at least a single lung hit". WELL, that's not what it should have been. A lot of difference between where it should be and single lung hit.
Maybe revisit anatomy of a deer...OR... you can just quit. Admittedly, you've had a couple bad experiences. IF you couldn't stand another, well definitely quit because somewhere in the next 20 years it'll probably happen again. BUT, you've been fortunate with the smoke pole. Guess what, if you shoot enough deer with anything, your chances of a deer being wounded greatly increase. It can and will happen to most hunters who do enough hunting regardless of their weapon of choice. You try and not make the same mistakes again and try to get better. Some people do seem to be snake bit when it comes to such problems. It's just the way it is. I've gone as many as 10 years and probably 40 deer with the bow without problems and then had 2 missed bucks and a wounded one in an 8 day period. THis after already shooting 5 bucks with 5 shots that year. Now you want to see a guy about to hang himself. I was fit to be tied.
All I can say is be open to the fact you may be doing something wrong and to practice more.
10-30-2005, 06:21 AM
#15
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location:
Posts: 5
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
I agree that shooting out of a treestand is a lot different if you haven't practiced. I bought my bow about a month ago and practiced in my backyardbut I shot out of a treestand for the first time Wedensday morning at a 8 point buck 20 yards away. I was going for a lung shot but almost missed the deerlow...I got real lucky and clipped the heart. Hang in there because there is no feeling like harvesting a deer with a bow...I'm hooked!!!
10-30-2005, 06:23 AM
#16
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
I know you see the TV celebrities "STOPPING" the deer. You have to remember, these guys mostly hunt deer that are in a controlled environment, see low hunting pressure and are being fed. Their deer are not nearly as spooky as the deer the average hunter pursues. IMO, all you do when you "STOP" a deer is alert him to something he's not used to seeing or hearing. You're better off to wait for him to stop(deer do that every few yards or feet as they feed. No need to advertise your presence.
10-30-2005, 09:21 AM
#17
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Wyoming, Michigan
Posts: 268
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
Hey atleast your not doing as bad as um uncle opening morning of bow he missed a buck after that he gut shot a do and we found 1 drop of blood and he gut shot a buck after that doe.. He taking 3 shots and hasn't recovered one deer. I got lucky I shot a doe on the 21 hit 1 lung liver and gut on a quater towards shot and we found her about 200-300 yrds away. Would have been a heart shot if she was broadside...
10-31-2005, 12:43 AM
#18
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: florida
Posts: 972
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
been there myself...thankfully i had support from fellow bowhunters who convinced me to hang in there....hopefully you'll do the same.
losing a critter is part of it and it SUCKS but can you imagine your life without bowhunting?
i couldn't...i just started practicing almost daily and i have to constantly tell myself that it's bowhuntin' but worth it.
losing a critter is part of it and it SUCKS but can you imagine your life without bowhunting?
i couldn't...i just started practicing almost daily and i have to constantly tell myself that it's bowhuntin' but worth it.
10-31-2005, 05:55 AM
#19
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Troutdale Oregon
Posts: 569
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
Wow, first off you deer is not lost!!! forget hunting . find your deer!!! in the Day light. go to the fence crossing where you last saw it and follow any trail , look for any blood. it has been my experiance that a deer hit a little hi can run a 100 yards with out a drop of blood showing up. do a grid search but look for blood She is not far from that fence. if there is water close by she is probably real close to that. don't be so quick to give up.
10-31-2005, 06:50 AM
#20
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mid Missouri
Posts: 91
RE: Thinking about giving up the bow, going back to the gun.
The one this afternoon I waited about an hour because I thought it was lunged. I started searching right before the sun went down and searched until the battery in my flashlight started going dead. I would have waited longer but there is rain forcast for tomorrow (I really pick great times to wound deer, huh?) and I wanted to at least find a starting point of the trail to determine where the deer was headed after it jumped that fence and got out of my sight
This is something to think about. I have passed up a lot of chances on does because it was getting late in the evening and I didn't want to worry about trying to find them in the dark. Now a big buck is another story.
If you are like me and hunt in the evening after work a lot that is when
you are going to have the most chances; but when it comes to killing does
I prefer to do it on Friday evenings or weekend mornings so I have more time for finding them and getting them out of the woods.
This is something to think about. I have passed up a lot of chances on does because it was getting late in the evening and I didn't want to worry about trying to find them in the dark. Now a big buck is another story.
If you are like me and hunt in the evening after work a lot that is when
you are going to have the most chances; but when it comes to killing does
I prefer to do it on Friday evenings or weekend mornings so I have more time for finding them and getting them out of the woods.