RE: how many??
 

Three years of bowhunting, three shots, two dead deer. Missed on my second shot completely, the doe jumped the string and only ran 5 yards, nocked another arrow and double lunged her. All the deer I have shot at I have recovered. I for one believe it's futile to believe you can go your whole life without wounding a deer. It's going to happen sooner or later. You can't avoid it. I'm not looking forward to that day it happens to me. So I practice and practice to put the odds in my favor. That's all anyone can do.

http://community.webshots.com/user/gvdocholiday

RE: how many??
 

mauser as already well said by others, bow hunting is entirely different from gun, I have killed a lot of deer with a gun, buck fever only got me once with a gun, but I was lucky, recognized it and put it under control and got the buck of my lifetime. You would think that with a lot of deer under your belt you would not get the fever with a bow, WRONG! The first deer I ever had a clean shot at with a bow, presented me with a perfect 20 yard broadside, head down feeding shot, I was calm, I obviously was over confident also, I had this deer already field dressed by the time I put the pin on her, the second I released I realized I had missed my anchor point and sailed the arrow right over her back!!!!

I have to say there were two things that helped me out getting my first bowkill, one was I mentally double checked everthing before I released, but it was also weird in a way, because unlike in the past with a bow, I had practiced so much that shooting the bow felt just as natural to me as shooting a gun. Don't get me wrong, I practiced a lot before and was putting 6 out of 6 in a pie plate at my maximum comfortable range, but it had never felt "natural" until then.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog

RE: how many??
 

I've been bowhunting for 30 years, the first two I never even seen a deer. In '96 I lost the one and only deer to coyotes; shot in the last minutes of shooting time, no light or lantern and had to return the next day. Bummed me out pretty bad.

Practice. Granted that alone will not fully prepare you for what decisions have to be made in hunting situations, but lack of it will affect your shot.

I've had people say they couldn't even pull their bow at the moment of truth, later to find out they hadn't practiced or even shot an arrow after the season opened.

As for misses, I've had two. First one was misjudged yardage, second time was failing to account for the armrest on my stand. Bottom cam hit it causing the bow and my bow arm to jump 2-3 " straight up, sending the arrow another 15-20 foot higher into some adjacent pines.

Bad hits: One. Luckily when this doe stepped forward while the arrow was leaving the string, the broadhead severed the femral artery. She went about 20 yards.

It is a challange, but one I will continue to persue as long as my health allows.



Shoot often - Hunt always

RE: how many??
 

I've been at it 32 years. I don't miss many. I wound fewer. I kill most. An example... this year... 8 shots, 7 dead deer, one grazying shot across the top of the back. Stuff happens and we learn. I've had the good, bad and ugly. It's all part of the game.... just as long as there's more good than bad. Numbers don't matter as much as &quot;Are you having fun&quot;.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I'll go years without a miss and then have a year like last year(the worst I can ever recall).... missed 2, wounded 1 and killed 5. That's 10 years of misses in a one week period.

Edited by - davidmil on 01/21/2003 11:48:51

RE: how many??
 

Gfource {Bottom cam hit it causing the bow and my bow arm to jump 2-3 &quot; straight up, sending the arrow another 15-20 foot higher into some adjacent pines. } that brings back memories except it was the top of my thigh trying a sitting shot had a bruise for a long while .

We all have different oppinions , if we did'nt the world would be a BORING place

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: how many??
 

I've missed at least a handfull due to buck fever until I found out what I was doing wrong. In times of stress I didn't anchor the same way I did when I was shooting on the range. Once I figured that out I began to make good heart lung shots. I lost a deer with a muzzleloader due to using the tiny pistol sabots that came with the rifle. I didn't know any better, they shot great so I assumed that they would be great in the woods. Well I shot a small buck (heart lung) at 20 yards, knocked him flat on his side, then he got back up and ran off without leaving any blood, never to be seen again. Switched to 380 grain buffalo bore bullets, and the problem went away. I wounded a doe with my bow a few years back when the bottom limb of my bow hit the rail around my stand when I shot, the arrow hit the deer in the back leg. I never found the arrow, or the deer or any blood. It happens to everyone at one time or another. The important thing is that we learn from the experience.

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: how many??
 

Can't remember missed shots (35+ years)
but there have been a few.

Lost 3 deer total and you NEVER forget them!

Near 100 WT's and mulies
2 Lopes
2 coyotes
1 redfox
lots of rabbits

practice alot...miss less



&quot;Semper Fi&quot;

RE: how many??
 

ijimmy - <font color=purple>OUCH!!!</font id=purple>



Shoot often - Hunt always