another doe doges an arrow
 

Ok so ive been bow hunting for two whole years now and this is my third. From the same stand i have missed roughly 10 to13 does. This time when she stepped into my shooting lane she came a little closer than i wanted her too but i knew i had to take the shot. My arrow glanced off the top of a tree (undergrowth) and hit the ground behind her. She wheeld round so fast it was a blur and she was gone scaring off the other 2 does aswell. CRAP

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

yikes, thats some terrible luck, are you sure that your bow is finely tuned?

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

i just got a Matthews Q2 over the summer and it shoots great from the stand and ground.... and so did my parker...... it was weird tonight cause when i saw her and knew i would get a shot my heart was n my throat but the second she steped up i was suddenly calm until after teh shot... thats y i love huntin( the rush not the missin)

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Either you need to practice more, take your bow in and get it tuned by a bow shop, buy a range finder or make an eye doctorappointment, or worse case....all of the above:D

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

well one things for surei suck at judging distance so this christmas im getin a range finder.... i have hit roughly 4 small trees had a few of those does absoultly duck arrows and i mean droped and ducked the arrow then i shot under a few... again a result of not being able to judge distance

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Sorry for the misfortune man. But, 10 to 13 deer missed out of the same stand? That aint a rangefinder, thats spending more time in the woods. Clear a few of those limbs, put some markers up and practice more. Then get that freezer full.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

What he said. You need to have some shooting lanes. And definatly buy a range finder. I gota bushnell yard pro sport 450E-bay ( I love that place ) for A little over $100 brand new. Well worth it. You dont need the best one out there for bow hunting. As long as your shooting within 40 yards this one works great. Practice from your stand helps also, its differant the shooting on the ground but not much. I am able to to this in my own yard so im not in the woods spooking anything. GL.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

i would get a pendulum sight man. u sight it in on the ground at like 20 yards and your good from under your treestand to 35yards out. that way u dont have to worry about judgment. that is a lot of deer to miss in that little amount of time.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Cut an extra lane or two but it sounds like me that your afflicted with the FEVER. You don't ever "have" to take the shot.Slow down a bit and don't stop breathing!
It sure helps if you practice from a stand as well. Plenty of guys have great form on the ground but don't take it up the tree with them. Good luck and relax.

If you even seeing that many deer in shooting range than your doing something right. I know it's sounds silly but I used to have little pieces of masking tape on my bow with written reminders like "pick a spot" and"holdthe shot". Holding the shot was critical cause I had a bad habit of dropping my bow to see the impact.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Measure and mark some distances - you don't have to wait to get a range finder.
Or stay out of the woods.
10 to 13 misses could have easily been wounded not recovered.
Frankly I don't buy that many misses without some wounds - few are that bad or that lucky.

Steve

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

^i agree completely. First of all, you need to practice shooting, period. if you dont have a range finder, yo need to set the target at one point and move around and shoot it at different unknown distances to develop a sense of range. Second of all, if you have missed 10 or more deer in 3 years, you need to stop and think, what am i doing wrong. your situation sounds dangerous and UNETHICAL. it is perfectly acceptable to miss or mess up a shot on occasion, and it happens to us all. i missed a chip shot last year with my hoyt at like 22 yards. it was just poor judgement and shot angle. but numerous, full misses, you have had to wound at least a couple of those deer:eek: a miss isnt a marginal error, it is a complete flop. If you are well prepared and shooting a good tuned bow, misses, should be rare. It should be highly more likely to make a marginal error in judgement i.e., a bad shot, or poorly placed shot.
If i were you i would limit myself to only certain shots, and take them as they come. you never have to shoot b/c the deer might not do what you want it to do. that is poor judgment and not good on your part as a hunter. Lastly i would say, read the sticky that matt/pa wrote on the buck fever thing. it is very good and maybe that will help you focus and calm your self more. Good luck to you, and hopefully you can take some of our advice and construct it into your success as a hunter.
Derek

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Forget about a rangefinder. Limit yourself to 20 yards or less. It's either in range, or it's not, and only one pin to worry about. Put some markers out if you have to to show a 20 yard radius around your tree. I have killed more deer under 20 yards than past 20 yards and I have killed more thana few, so don't think you are severely limiting yourself that way. Once you punch one right, it all gets easier from there.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Good point there, take it slow and it will all come to ya. And once the first one falls its all downhill from there. Bill Winke wrote an article called "taking the edge off," its a heck of a good read for someone trying to tag their first deer.

RE: another doe doges an arrow
 

Just pace off 20 yards in each direction and hang a ribbon or make a mark on a tree. Once the deer enters your predefined area of 20 yards you should be good to go. Look for small limbs obstructing your shot in likely shooting lanes and remove them well ahead of time. Take your time and try to make a good shot. Good Luck.