need some sympathy
 

This is my first year ever of deer hunting with any kind of weapon. I've been giong for the past few weekends, had plenty of shots at does and some small bucks i passed on. Well to make a long story short saturday night i saw a monster buck, he was within range, i got my bow drawn and letter fly, the only thing is i thought it looked like 20 yards, and when i stepped it off later it was 30-35.. Well the arrow flew right between his legs directly under the vitals :(.. it was very exciting but i almost would rather have not seen him than had him give me a perfect broadside shot and biff it.. but i'll be going the next couple weekends and over thanksgiving hoping he comes back, after that though shotgun season is here and i'm sure he'll get taken during that.. well dont' really have any questions just wanted to share my story of the first shot i ever took at a deer, wish me luck.

RE: need some sympathy
 

Qtompkins!

Sorry you miss judged the distance ,but I did the very same thing on a timber wolf this fall on the moose hunt .the only day that I never tooked my rangefinder with me .I had the area ranged except that one I pinned him for 30yrds and he was actually 42yrds and I got to watch the arrow skip between his legs as you did ,so I definetly can sympathise with you .I would have had him in the taxidermy if I had gotten him and I was upset for a week after missing an easy shot like that.Anyway's don't give up on that buck because he never got that big for being stupid ,so you just might get another crack at him yet.Good luck and I hope you get another shot at him.

nubo

RE: need some sympathy
 

Well, you didn't wound him, so that is a real positive. Look at the bright side.

Ranging is a very important thing. You may want to consider a range finder so you know exactly where that bucks steps out next time.

RE: need some sympathy
 

If you cant shell for the rangefinder you might consider marking a fews trees that are known distances in the areas where you think you have a good shooting lane. As you have found, distance is a critical element when bowhunting. Having a visual reference at 20 and 30 yards should cover most shots and you just need to estimate the ones which fall in between the marks. Some flagging tape and a push pin would do the trick and won't damage the trees. Do this when you place your stand next time and that will me just one more thing that can go wrong. Remember that Murphy has a vacation home in the woods too.

RE: need some sympathy
 

Don't let it get you down QTompkins,it happens to the everyone sooner or later.If you want a rangefinder at good price,just cruise Ebay.

RE: need some sympathy
 

hey man its nothing big to miss a deer. It might be the first one but it wont be the last. Just keep shooting and dont give up and ull get yourself a big one. good luck man

RE: need some sympathy
 

Well I dont' want to sound like the bad guy, but sounds like you may need a bit more practice and judging distance before flinging arrows at a deer. JMO!! 20 yards? 35 yards? Which is it? That's quite a discrepancy in yardage to be guessing at. I know you're new to the sport and mistakes are made by everyone that has bowhunted, but just make sure you prepare yourself. Practice your arse off at different distances, angles, elevations, light, wind, clothing, etc.... before taking your weapon to the field and drawing on a deer. Glad to hear you'd rather not see the deer than blow the shot, but be thankful you didn't hit him someplace and wound him.

RE: need some sympathy
 

just want to let you know no offence taken, but also that i had been and have been practicing. I thought i was a pretty good distance judger before i went into the field, maybe it was just the excitement or something, i don't think i've ever been that excited. I think i'm going to just invest in a range finder, that way if i see another big buck in range i don't miss and get [:@] again. I also am glad i didn't just wound him too and have him run off somewhere and die, that wouldn't let anyone enjoy this nice buck on their wall. but of course i hope i get to do all the enjoying :D

RE: need some sympathy
 

Thats huntin,But please do practice on the distances and do what was suggested or get a range finder

RE: need some sympathy
 

Don't beat yourself up. To be completely honest this is one of the hardest thing involved in bowhunting and it happens more often then others will lead you to believe. The fact you started hunting with a bow says a lot about character IMO. You've picked a difficult sport to persue so there will be some bumps in the road.

In the future you may want to try and pick landmarks at known distances. this will help to eliminate the guessing and hopefully will help to land an arrow in the vitals. Also try to practice at unknow distances with a 3-d target. This will make you a better judge of distances.