I should probably be to shamed to admit this but anyway . I'm sitting in the stand this morning and a doe offers me three shots and I miss each one! The unthinkable happens and she comes back and gives me a broad side at less than ten yards and I miss again. Every shot went low . I've never heard of anything sorrier than that. I can't be that bad of a shot I've killed several deer and pigs with a stickbow. I've killed a fox an alligator. I usually place close to the top at 3d. I've been practicing a bunch from an elevation and wearing the bullseye out but today I'm a disgrace to all that call themselves bow hunters

Don't be too hard on yourself. At least you didn't wound her. Try to replay the events over in your mind. If you were shooting consistantly low, there is likely a reason for it.

That is some bad shooting, but don't fret, keep at it and let it go. The mental breakdown is what gets you.

I missed a HUGE 9 point outside of Ballinger,Texas 4 times one year. Longest shot was probably 12 yards. Finally got so rattled I couldn't even get another arrow on the string.

Now I don't feel so bad.

You know the old saying about hearing gunfire and wondering what happened? “1 shot, Hit. Two shots, Maybe. Three shots, Miss.”

If it were me, I might’ve been able to pull myself together after 1 miss and the get deal done. Missing twice, though? That probably would have shot my confidence for about a week…

This is why I am not a Champion Archer. The guys who are don’t have these problems, or if they do, they know how to deal with it.

My best advice is to re-play those shots in your head and recall if the shots were wide of the mark at all, or straight-down low. If I’m going to miss, I want it to be high or low, not fore and aft…

And one other thought… If your normally gap off of the point of your arrow (whether you realize that you’re doing it or not doesn’t matter) and if you normally practice with field points, it’s POSSIBLE (depending on how the heads are aligned) that you were gapping off of the top blade of your broadhead. If you did that, your horizontal accuracy would be – if anything – better than usual, but yeah, you’d be way low….

It gets worse still I decide to climb down and get my arrows and go back up the tree. A small doe comes by about five yards and I put it about one inch right under her. 5 misses in one day. Absoulitly terrible.

I'm thinking in the heat of the moment you were not "picking a spot", but shooting at the whole animal. I don't know your shooting routine but if you can slow down and just hold at anchor for a second or so extra this will give you the time to focus on that spot. I usually find that drawing on the animal a little early forces me to hold and focus, sounds silly but it works. It is kind of like "here I am at full draw with nothing to do until the animal presents itself so I might as well go ahead and pick a spot." When shooting at an animal we tend to get in to big of a rush to get it done probably because of fear the animal will spook before we can get our shot off. Try to slow down, it will make a difference.

Can you recall where you wanted the arrow to hit the deer? Sounds like you had the fever... really bad! I've had it also but never got a second chance! Only advise I can give is to commit to a heart shot. You know you can shoot, don't doubt your hard earned skill. Good luck!

Things happen for a reason. Sometimes the wood nymphs demand some kind of sacrifice before they give up one of their pets. Lol, just trying to lighten things up. Soon, You'll be back out there and bring back a nice big doe.

I made a bad hit on a doe last week. when things settled down I replayed the whole scene in my head. 2 things I know I did wrong. 1. I didn't pick a spot. 2. I don't remember touching anchor with my string hand.

replay it in your head slowly. maybe you forgot to do something while being excited.

Jitters.. Too focused on the first miss, instead of taking a different shot, just doing a repeat of the miss, probably cussing yourself at each one. Focused on the problem, not the solution. Take a step back, leave it alone for five minutes, odds are you will see the problem, and how to correct it...

Sounds like a mental thing man no sweat. It happens even to the pro's. Even fred bear had it happen to him. You'll be on your game for the next one.

Don't look at the whole deer --- PICK A SPOT!!!

Check your equipment.......5 misses 5 yards and out and all low? Rule out equipment before beating yourself up. Is your brace height right, nock point, etc........ Is your sleeve interfering with the string? If those are good then I would look at form and follow through. If your watching your arrow, dropping your bow arm then most likely that is your culprit.

Shake it off and think positive...now you all warmed up for the big one!! :)

For a moment I was worried someone was going to report seeing me at the range last night. I feel your pain.

Yes, this would be very frustrating.

If you know it's not an equipment issue, when you are able to mentally go over what happened, try and identify what went wrong.

There must be some sort of break down in form / confidence.

Things like, rushing the shot, dropping bow are (no follow through) not hitting anchor, not picking a spot. Being that you had 5 similar misses you should be able to identify what happening.

I feel sure I was peeking and or dropping the bow arm . Think I was trying to hard also not being relaxed.

That sounds about right NOVA7. Hold that form till impact. Hope to see some pics of a deer with a heart/lung shot soon.

I laughing because I've been there done that! Those magical deer with the invisible deflector shield around them!

I dunno right before I climbed out the tree I took three shots at a leaf all landed about a foot below it. Held my arm steady till impact. Oh well

Dam NOVA 7, how many arrows do you carry?

Only four after I missed I went down and took them back up

Well I have one similair to that about 12 years ago I get to my spot and can't get into the tree its insaine in these woods deer running everywhere back and forth. A monster 10 was running does back and forth. One doe nearly trampled me and he was right behind her. What she couldn't see me? He stops now I have an arrow nocked and draw and shoot over him at 15 feet broadside. I was sick. They come back by again 20 feet maybe and I shoot under him on the run. Well this went on for 4 moore shots with under and over misses. I hit trees too in front of him I didn't happen to see as I was focused on his chest so I thought. She got the idea and now runs accross the street away from me and he follows her and all the deer now are all gone. This all went down in a half hour. I'm out of arrows now and only found 4 and 2 were missing guess burrowed under undergrowth somewhere. I am besides myself so I go home all freeked out and was angry.

Next morning I get a call hey Cat guess what Don shot last night. Well don't even tell me let me describ the deer to you. I knew Don was in the club accross the street from this place. How do you know this did he call you? Nope I missed this animal 6 times last night myself I emptied my quiver at that deer! Are you serious yep I was accross street behind the Christian School along RR and was going into my stand. All this was going on in the woods and had 6 tries at him. I thought he was up in the mid 140's one heck of an animal. I guess it wasn't to be for me.

Sounds like it wasn't to be Mike for you either a lot of us experiance things like this over the years too.

I FIGURED BUCK FEVER I HAD, WHAT ELSE COULD IT HAVE BEEN AFTER 6 TRIES SO CLOSE TO ME? LOL

IN YOUR CASE MIKE IT SOUNDS LIKE DOE FEVER MAYBE? LOL

All in a days outing in an archers carrier.LOL

I gotcha, would have probably done the same thing.

Deer jumped the arrow :-). Must have been a good jumper to (smart enough to know not to duck the arrow), doing it four times. Hey, that is the excuse I'd use. DANNY

Self-doubt probably creeped in after the first miss...done that already. Peeking is an ever-present issue with some folks..you lift your head to look, the bow arm drops. The is the main issue that I have to watch. Hope you weren't aiming low to accommodate a deer jumping the string. That is also a trait with some people.

I agree with the posters who pause before release...

I come to full draw, anchor, then stare at my spot and exhale slowwwly...release somewhere during the exhale...at some point in there I feel my body relax yet my whole anchor and stance firms up and I know I'm going to hit my spot.

When you miss once it's hard to come back around...had it happen once when I shot under a spike from a tree at 10 yards and knew when I released I was simply not on target, lulled by the fact it was so close...it jumped and ran a bit when the arrow smacked the ground, then circled back and stopped.

Meanwhile I was giving myself a blast of the proverbial substance, thinking " WHAT WAS THAT!! You owe it to the animal to concentrate, you don't want to wound a deer, moron, smarten up!!"

The deer calmed down a bit, started looking around so I took a deep breath, drew, did my shot routine and made the shot the second time around.

Had the deer stood there and allowed me a second quick shot I likely would have been too rattled still to do well.

We all have a bad day...it happens.

I so very badly want to suggest using a lower sight pin but that would just be too snarky of me. Now, if you were Feathers or Frisky...

Maybe subconciously you just really didn't want to gut and pack out a deer this morning!

I might be kind of snake bit with that bow. I've had it longer than any other and I've killed a couple of animals with it but made some bad misses also. On the bag target it's my best bow. Maybe that and a combo of dropping my arm maybe.

I read a story one time about a guy who emptied his quiver at a deer and didn't hit anything. I believe his name was Fred Bear.

You got flustered after the first miss no doubt. Seen it happen to a lot of guys on the 3d course, one miss and they fall apart(it happens to me too)! Chances are you're forgetting your form under pressure, and dropping your arm to compensate for angle instead of bending at the waist.

wearing anything different then what you practiced in like heavy gloves or face mask.do you practice from elevated stand much or got more clothing on. most people normally shoot a little high when shooting from a elevated platform you could have been holding your head a little hi to see the hit.

Yup some bows seem snake bit they really do until you dispell that belief and bare down enough to take one with it then its on fire.

I sold bows after easy misses figured someone voodooed the bow. I even broke a bow once up against a tree and slammed right up against it to break it.LOL

Nova

I know EXACTLY how you feel......only difference is I had t.....I mean a guy I know had the same thing happen. After firing all his arrows missing each and every time, with bow in hand had to watch as 2 beautiful bucks followed closely behind the doe I or rather he had shot all his arrows at. The Bucks both walked directly under the stand. I know exactly how it feels as the pressure to succeed builds with every miss to such a level that all seems to fall apart.

To be honest, a 5 yard shot from a tree stand ain't as easy as it sounds. First, the angle lessens the target size and second, you have to contort your body in ways that you probably don't practice much with.

Throw in a little doe fever and you get a miss...or misses. Lol

I feel your pain brother. I too have been there before. It's the misses that make you better. I truly believe that.

In " Bows On The Little Delta " By Glenn St. Charles You need to read his first encounter with Dall Sheep. It will make you feel better.

If you don't Bend at the Waist you will miss 90% of the time from a tree stand

Wasn't her time to be gathered. Ecclesiastes chapter 11

“I tell myself that it takes three heartbeats to kill a deer.”

I may just add that to the thread on “best advice you ever got”, even if I put my own spin on it…

3 beats:

1 – Anchor

2 – Aim

3 - Release. Good rhythm, for practice…. Though if you work on the actual heartbeats while you’re hunting, you’ll snap-shoot it for sure!

I just grabbed a different bow went up on the deck and was shooting a bit HIGH! Well the Fred bear and Glenn st charles stories do make me feel better!

I would have stopped after the 2nd to figure out the problem. Plain luck to shoot that poorly 5 times and not wound.

Sounds like a whole season of excitment right there!

I got time this weekend , if you want me and lowcountry can come over and get rid of those darn deer your missing. Oh I did miss the same buck twice in one week.

I missed a doe twice Probably 3 times if she would have let me. It happens. Shooting "live" deer is a lot different Move on and rejoice that it wasnt a bad hit.

Different bow but shot several rounds off the deck at about 17 yards. This was typical but more shots went high rather than low. Well I'll try'em again soon. I feel confidant now I peeked and drop my arm and in hindsight my first three shirts while within 20 yards were not the optimum shots I should have taken

I did the same thing in 2005. I shot over a forkhorn buck 4 times. I carry 4 broadhead arrows and emptied my quiver at the little guy and he walked away unharmed. The range was from 12-20 yds. I would shoot, he would jump, trot away, and circle back around to give me another chance. Imagine my helpless feeling sitting there and watching that little buck sniffing around while I sit there essentially unarmed. I had sprayed a stump with some C'mere deer and it got him and a few does curious and they came to check it out. That was the only time that stuff worked for me and I choked when it counted. Put it behind you and move on. You just have to remember to pick a spot.

Someone mentioned deer jumped the arrow. Likely if you had the entire series of events on slow motion video it would have looked like Neo from the Matrix dodging all those arrows. Things happen. Just a real bad day.

WHAT A STRAIGHT-UP GUY !!! ..... you sure made a lot of us "mere mortals" feel much better about ourselves ! I don't have the time or space to tell you my shameful experiences -- and yes I've had lots of success in the past.....THAT'S what makes it so shameful ..... but we still love it.

Check your nocking point. Sounds to me like it has slipped up on the serving. God Bless

Good thread!

If after you missed with all your arrows did you stand up, waving your arms, yelling "Shoo, you *%#$@"… If not, You're not there yet..

Mike if it wasn't mechanical such as the nock better check it you had doe fever. Hey be thankfull no wounds that's a blessing right there don't ya think. And be thankfull it wasn't a buck that could really haunt you and mess with your head. Can alway resharpen heads.LOL

Hey if things aren't happening you aren't out there trying to get it done.

Don't worry about it Mike. If Fred Bear did it and admitted it, we are in good company.

MSTYLES nailed it! Wasn't your or the deer's times! The right one is coming and YOU"VE paid the Piper! Good luck!

Sorry for your bad luck. Get back up on that horse! GOOD LUCK NEXT TIME.

First time ever hunting. Compound bow shooting with fingers. Had 4 arrows. Missed 3 x at a Doe 15 yds. Had 1 arrow left and missed a buck at 5 yds. I was on the ground and had sites! Now that is a bad night.....but also started my addiction to hunting.

Sorriest and luckiest in 2 seconds. I was coming out of a drainage ditch trying to close the distance on a mule deer. As I come up at full draw at the deer 10 yards away. In a blink of an eye she turns to run and another doe 40 yards behind her drop to the ground. I watch my 10 yard dead deer run off, and the 40 yard deer has a snuffer broadhead go through her right eye to the brain. I tell the kids it was a bad shoot because I was aiming for the left eye.

Sites= sights

Mike get a string tracker so you can pull the arrow back up without having to get back down.LOL

Sick feeling. Get back in the saddle ASAP and believe in yourself. It's all in the mind and you had a classic severe case of Wide eyed, glaze over that started at shot # 1 and continued. We have all done this. Even Barry Wensel talks about going spastic on a shot and he has killed more big stickbow big boys than all of us.

you got to forget about it like it never happened....until you make it work out anyway. Just a fluke. Tell yourself, "the next one is really gonna get it!" . It's more about mind control than bow control.

good luck, BigJim

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