8 freaking yards!
10-25-2010, 05:07 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Shawnee, KS
Posts: 774
8 freaking yards!
....that's how far a doe was that I missed this weekend! Sunday morning, I get to my stand about 30 minutes before first light. At about 7:45, I see a big doe with 2 yearlings in tow walking down the trail I'm set up on. She walks up and is quartering toward me when I draw my bow and wait. When she is directly broadside to me (and very close), I put my 10 yard pin on her lungs and hit the release. All I see is a mass of brown hair jumping and my arrow in the ground. At first I think I hit her but there is no blood on my arrow and she stops after running 25 yards (behind several trees of course). She starts huffing and stomping looking around and I get a good look at both of her sides, a clean miss. I replay the shot in my mind and I can see the arrow go right underneath her. 
After I get out of the tree at the end of the morning hunt, I pace the distance from the tree (it was too close for my rangefinder)and it's 8 yards. Being 5 yards up in a tree, that's a pretty steep angle (60 degrees or so) and I remember reading that for close shots you need to put the 40 yard pin on the deers vitals or you will shoot right under it. I guess I experienced that first hand
At least it was a clean miss and it wasn't a big buck!
After I get out of the tree at the end of the morning hunt, I pace the distance from the tree (it was too close for my rangefinder)and it's 8 yards. Being 5 yards up in a tree, that's a pretty steep angle (60 degrees or so) and I remember reading that for close shots you need to put the 40 yard pin on the deers vitals or you will shoot right under it. I guess I experienced that first hand
At least it was a clean miss and it wasn't a big buck!
10-25-2010, 05:30 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Peoa, UT
Posts: 422
Thats right be glad it was not a buck!
My best guess is that she was so close she heard you shoot and jumped the shot.
My sympathies are with you because I have done that before except overestimated the distance and shot high.
Oh well better luck next time and remember to read my avatar.
My best guess is that she was so close she heard you shoot and jumped the shot.
My sympathies are with you because I have done that before except overestimated the distance and shot high.
Oh well better luck next time and remember to read my avatar.
10-25-2010, 05:40 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Corruption capital USA, N. Illinois
Posts: 1,150
Absolutely correct. It may not be your 40, might be your 30 etc. Depends on the bow. This is not practiced enough.....I know, I too learned the hard way once!!!
10-25-2010, 06:05 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Middleton, Wisconsin
Posts: 979
IMO..the long distance pin idea works, but if you have a 10 yard pin, and it was 8 yards i'm not gonna lie, but i'm fairly positive you should/would have hit her if you had a steady shot.
i would practice and see if that 10 yard pin works at that distance...
like i said before its my opinion
i would practice and see if that 10 yard pin works at that distance...
like i said before its my opinion
10-25-2010, 07:40 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,834
In addition to the pin thereory, you may also have had improper form. I would be willing to bet you dropped your arm instead of bending at the waist to make that shot and torqued the bow wrong. I would suggest practicing from an elevated stand at that distance with the pin thereory as suggested above and just drop your arm and aim that way then try bending at the waist and see what happens and let us know back. It will be interesting to know. Thanks. Don't ask me how I know about the arm thing at close distances!!!!!!!!
