I like archery, I like shooting all types of bows including compounds. This year I really wanted to make my first self bow kill and hunted all season on the ground. I had some close encounters and had two small bucks within twenty yards but we're not legal in my area. The last Thursday of the season was the last day I could hunt and I took out my compound. I got hearing aids in the morning and didn't get out till after noon.

I couldn't believe how good I could hear with the hearing aids and was enjoying listening to the birds. I was sitting in the middle of four trees, there was just enough room for my stoll and was close to a good deer crossing. I looked over my shoulder and saw a large deer working his way along a field. I stood up and hid behind a tree. The buck turned and started coming right to me. I peeked around and saw a rack that was really wide and his tines were at least a foot high. When he got a little over twenty yards out he stopped, I pulled the compound to full draw and centered the pin and pulled the trigger. The arrow was flying perfect and right before impact hit some red brush took a hard right. A clean miss. The buck jumped and stood there looking around. He got jumpy and trotted down the hilll.

It wasn't the miss that gave me regrets, if I'd been using my self bow and stayed still I'm pretty sure that buck would of given me a fifteen yard shot. That was a once in a lifetime buck and shooting it with a self bow would of meant a lot to me.

I got my arrow and it was a clean miss. I sat on my stoll and took off my hat. I reached up and my right hearing aid was gone. I've had them less than two hours and already lost one. I spent the next hour on my knees looking for the hearing aid in the leaves and did find it. I put the hearing aids in my pocket and went home.lol

yep thats how it goes,,

yep thats how it goes,,

Yep, that's real live hunting. Glad you found the hearing aid. Those things are expensive and using only one sux. I had to let a buck of a lifetime walk once because he kept stopping with weeds in front of his vitals. Maybe you'll get another chance at him someday. If he survives one more year he'll be a real bruiser. Hope you get to see him again.

We can't dwell on our actions if they were honest and caused no harm. You only did what you thought was the right thing to do. The only reason you didnt kill that buck was the bush that jumped up in front of you. If it had not done that, you would be so proud of the big buck you got that the self bow would be a distant twinge on your mind. Right now you would be remembering the taste of the fresh backstraps you ate that night and being thankful you found your new hearing aid. Regrets just bring us down. Do what you think is right, hunt the way you want and make no excuses. We learn from our mistakes and move on.

Saturday evening I had a really nice buck follow 2 does into my stand area. He hung up about 30 yards out and just stood there watching the does. The does left the oaks and turned 90 degrees and the buck cut straight across to intercept them. But before he went to cut them off, he walked broadside at about 28-30 yards. I stood with my recurve in hand hoping he would come closer but he didn't. He was just outside my red zone of 20 yards. I watched him for 10-15 minutes as he stood watching the does. Several times the thought crossed my mind that if I had a compound bow this joker would be dead. But I have purposefully chosen to use my traditional bow and my self-imposed, red zone limit of 20 yards and under. It took some real restraint and patience to let him walk broadside at 30 yards and not shoot. I shoot enough to know what my real-life, effective range is with my recurve, and he was beyond it. He is still out there and hopefully next time he will venture closer, and if all goes right, the victory will be sweeter.

Your situation is VERY relevant to bow hunting..period. There are FAR too many stories of wounded/unrecovered deer in the bowhunting community and on the Bowsite forums in general. The compound is no miracle killing machine. Most deer kills are inside 20 yrds...every one of mine WITH a compound have been from 8-17 yrds and that includes Mulies. Your original instincts were correct and Mother Earth probably would of rewarded you with that buck had you had your self bow. Don`t compromise your beliefs just to kill a big buck. It`s the things that one does when no one is looking is what counts. My opinion only.

So, what did you learn?

Regrets.. I've had a few.. but then again .. too few to mention. Sorry, but if my legs were double jointed I would have a bruised butt right now. I let a nice 16" 8 pointer walk earlier this year. One of the largest bucks i have ever seen was down the hill at the time. I have not seen the 12 pointer since or any sign of it. I am pretty certain that they both had about the same amount of meat on them and the younger one would have tasted better. I will shoot anything with meat on it now.

Im glad you found your hearing aid. As far as the compound goes...sell it...problem solved.

I have one big regret related to hunting. I hunted with a vintage compound for a long time, and shot fingers with it. I didn't really have a problem with it, but I got a new job, a coworker owned a bow shop, and talked me into a new compound, sights, release, the works. It made shooting and bowhunting so easy, at a time I needed it to get more challenging, I almost quit altogether after the first season with it, but started making my own bows out of desperation that winter.

I practiced all summer with my new longbow and decided to limit myself to 15 yards or so. I had several stands out, and one was above a nasty, impenetrable thicket where a main trail was 30 yards away where it opened up, and waited, and waited until I got the south wind I needed to hunt it with just a couple days left in the season. I reluctantly left the long bow at home that day and took the compound to that stand because I expected that 30 yard shot, and I ended up shooting a mature buck as he tended a doe, broadside at NINE YARDS.

Ever since, I've regretted leaving the longbow at home that day. I WISH I would have missed like you did. I sold that thing, and never second guessed myself as bowyer, archer, or bowhunter again.

Yeah glad you found it. Sohnds like my kinda luck.

Glad you found your hearing aid. My dad still has one lost on the hill behind the house. For that kind of price they ought to be able to talk to you, also.

I HEAR YA SOMETIMES SO MANY THINGS HAPPEN ITS WHY THE HEC'S DID I COME OUT HERE.

GET CUT, FALL DOWN OR LOOSE STUFF OR TAKE A WILD RIDE ON THE SLED DOWN HILL AND BANG INTO A TREE. HEC'S I COULD PROBABLY GET ON A BOB SLED TEAM AND BE THE STOP MAN. THAT'S HOW I STOPPED MY SLED WITH ME 300 POUNDS AND BECAUSE I FEEL ON IT AND 200 POUNDS OF CORN AND APPLES LOADED UP. SLED TOOK OFF AND I FEEL IN IT AND HURT MY SHOULDER ONE MONTH AGO.

IT HURT SO BAD LAST NIGHT AFTER 1 MONTH I GUESS THERES MORE WRONG THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.

MURPHY I DON'T FAVOR THAT SAYING AND HATE MURPHS LAWS.LOL

THINGS HAPPEN TO ME ALL THE TIME. I WAS GOING TO DRAW ON A TURKEY THIS FALL AND DIDN'T I FALL IN A SINK HOLE UP TO MY WASTE.LOL

^^^^^ LOL ^^^^^^ THANKS RC

Yep, that is what will almost always happen. If you hunt with more then one type of bow, chances are pretty high you will get your opportunity with the bow you feel less accomplishment with after the kill.

Glad you found it. Thoase suckers are pricey. I could use a pair myself but the bread ain't there at this time. Close encounter on the deer is cool. So is a clean miss rather than a crap hit due to deflection. Better luck next time..

Franklin hit it on the head. Bowhunting, at least for me, is exactly like what you do when nobody's watching. All the limitations in bowhunting are self imposed. Every one of us gets to chose how we hunt, what we hunt with, where we hunt, how far we'll shoot, etc... It's like a personal code of honor, and nobody's code is necessarily better than anyone else's, just different. That's exactly the thing I like most about bowhunting: the discipline and the honesty. Jim

It's funny…I've never wished I had a compound when carrying a stick but several times, hunting with a compound, I wished I'd had my longbow

I had the same thing happen with two big tom turkeys that came into my decoys after I got impatient and brought my shot gun instead of my longbow... they were perfect set up for the bow at 10 yards. Regretted not being patient but as nomo said, "Yep, that's real live hunting" - true enough.

Glad you found your hearing aid - my dad lost one of his helping me put a tree stand up! Never did find it.

JW

Great job finding the HA! Your relentless pursuit with the self bow will pay off someday. You didn't get the big one this time but you really had a great day. TLM

I'm sorry to hear about the miss Will. I missed a nice buck the same way earlier in the season. He wasn't a once in a lifetime buck, but for around here, he was pretty nice. I hit a branch I didn't see about half way to him, my arrow took a hard left and I shot just behind him. Thank God I didn't hit him in the hind quarter. Like my grandfather used to tell me, "there will be days like that". I'm glad the hearing aids are working out well for you and I'm glad you found the one you lost. From what I understand they aren't cheap. I hope you get another crack at that buck.

I shot a small buck with a piece of pignut turned into a 64" flat limb, that was sent to me for the price of the shipping. The one bow that no one else gets to shoot.

The only solution to those kinds of deals is to pick one weapon and stick with it.

I had that experience when starting out. A friend had some pretty open ground and wanted me to eradicate her groundhogs, she had cows on the property. There were a number of places where one could get close with stalks, and I tried, but the best I did was to scare a few. So one day I borrow a pal's 243. (hey Dan I think that was Stevie's rifle, if you are out there) I am just out walking the brush around the walls, and I get a 5 yard shot on a huge groundhog that was just standing there upright. It was so close it was just a blur in the scope. So I vaporized him. But what an event that would have been in my young bowhunting career, if I had had that shot with a bow.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here