pearsontx4

i agree with the post above you cant always wait for a quartering away head down eating deer. as long as i have a deer in range standing still or slowly moving and or not quartering hard towards me then i will take the first shot i am presented with. haven't failed me yet doing that.

*twodogs*

What he said and I will add this:

Once you decide you are going to shoot, pick the shooting lane, draw when the deer is close to that window, wait for the deer to get in the lane, pick a spot on the deer then squeeze the trigger. I find if I perform those steps, I am most always successful because it's something that is very repeatable.

UPHunter08

My motto is: When in doubt, let it go. Not saying the shot has to be perfect, but you have to be confident that it's a shot you can make reasonably well. I probably pass on more shots than I should, but having made a dubious shot once a few years ago, I've learned that it's better to regret not taking a shot than to regret taking a bad shot. Each hunter has to make this judgement on his own, but I personally believe it has a lot to do with one's own definition of ethics.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Only take the shots you're comfortable with. As you gain experience, I think you'll find that the assortment of shots you feel comfortable with will expand.

SlowDraw

I think you made a solid choice to pass on a 30yrd shot on a moving deer. As other mentioned don't wait for the perfect shot, but the first good shot. I personally only shoot at moving deer if they are inside 20 yards, broadside (more or less), moving slow and steady and are relaxed. Any brush in the way is a no shot situation for me. With a bow I have missed several deer, wounded and lost 5 and have harvested about 30 (I keep a record at home but am at work so I don’t have the exact number). I can think of three poor shots that I recovered the deer. All three of those deer and 3 of the lost deer where moving when I shot at them. One of the other lost deer moved when I released and the other I was 17 and took a poor shot. One of the moving lost deer I hit a branch that I didn’t see while following the deer with my sights. I have taken, and most likely will again, several deer moving slowly in close, but feel your are increasing your odds of a poor hit. It seams to me you are basing your decision to shoot on a combination of your shooting skill and the quality of the shot presented. This is exactly the way you should be doing it. Every situation is different. Don’t wait for the perfect shot to develop to draw, I have kicked myself more than once for assuming a deer wasn’t going to stop and missing a brief shot opportunity. The key is not to be set on shooting an arrow once you draw. As mentioned by an earlier poster, pick a lane draw and get ready for the shot. If you feel good about the situation fire away, if you have reasonable doubt let him walk. I once passed a 35 yard moving shot at a 140ish buck (which is about as big a buck as I have ever taken) because he had been walking strait at me and suddenly turned. I drew back, but felt rushed and he was moving a little quicker than I liked. I had a reasonable chance at harvesting what may have been my biggest buck, but have never once felt bad about passing that shot.