Bowsite.com

It was my turn

Every veteran bowhunter I know always says if you've never wounded one , you haven't been doing it long. Always took pride in being the exception to that.... Till now. I just got back from kansas and although I've been hunting my entire life, I haven't been hunting Midwest caliber bucks. My first day on stand was phenominal. 14 bucks, 8 does, and 3 coyotes from sunrise to 330 pm. I practice more than anyone I know and when the few big bucks that were heading my direction were closing the gap, my practice kicked in and I step by step prepared for the shot. None of them panned out. At 330 I had a nice 10 in front of me but not quite a shooter. After his whole demeanor changed I looked off to see a giant headed my way. When he got within range I went through my preshot routine and readied the shot. The giant was postured up and very concerned with the smaller buck. After being at full draw for quite some time he finally turned and I punched the shot. Looked for him for 3 days to no avail. Needless to say I'm sick!!!! My question is how do I get passed this. Do I keep my grueling practice regimen and except it was just something that happens to everyone or should I be doing something very different for next year. I took a few days off from shooting but hopped back on the wagon and am right back to where I was but I need to be even more in tune for next year.

Kill some does.

When you say that it's never happened to you, give us a little background. How long have you been bowhunting? Have you taken many whitetails? Unfortunately hunting is far from 100% but i like to think that this is a large factor in regards to why we do it. I wouldn't change anything if you have plenty of game under your belt; i might not change anything if you dont.

How long was the shot? Where did you hit him? Alot of factors can be attributed to what you should do now but unfortunately more time in the woods is the best remedy. Best of luck

where was the shot point. what angle? did u get help tracking ? what broad head ? what distance ? what draw weight ? big boned deer ( mature older bucks 5 plus yrs have some hard bones ) are a lot harder to knock down , that's why these things happen .

I started bowhunting in 2002. I've killed a black bear, few turkeys, and numerous white tails with my bow. I shoot extremely frequently and at long distances to sharpen my hunting distances. This shot was only 22 yards. As I stated he was acting crazy putting on a display for the younger buck and I don't know if it was just simply a rushed shot ( buck fever) or if the time I was drawn plus 30mph crosswinds took its toll. Nevertheless , I'm not one for excuses and take the life of an animal very seriously. First gut shot deer for me and its a shame it was on such a beauty.

Rman, broadside but def jumped the string cuz he was already juiced up and ready to brawl. The shot was about 2-3 inches behind the liver and it was a montec broadhead. Def tons of help. It was an outfitted hunt and we searched for miles. There's a lot of coyotes in the area and found a bunch of belly hair where he bedded but it poured that night so couldn't get the trail with the tracking dog

How long did you wait before going after him ? A gut shot deer..... you should wait until the next day before looking for him. No getting over it, you'll always think about it. You just have to wait until next year and try it again.

We backed out . I knew by his reaction coupled with the smell on the arrow it was guts

I lost deer from time to time, started in 1979, took hundreds , shit happens

You say numerous, well that can be ten or it could be hundred. Not that it matters all that much but I think you try too hard. It seems to me you had yourself worked up by the time he got to you. You said as soon as you saw him you started to prepare for the shot, step by step. I myself just let it come naturally and try not to overthink it. That is what I think you did. It happens, I have killed a lot of whitetails and over the years have hit some and lost them, it happens ecsp. when you get lots and lots of opportunities. Nothing goes to waste in nature, so just move on. None of us wants it to happen but when it does we cannot dwell on it and have to step back up to the plate. Trust me, its Okay! Shawn

"Hit not retrieved" is a part of bow hunting that you must accept. Seems rather amazing you dodged that experience for 15 years. The arrow and operator are not a perfect weapon. If it worked all the time we would not value the experience. Tuff it up and get back on the horse. No other way to look at it.

PS: I will say this it is surprising that your buck was not found by the posse/outfitter but that was not your question.

Deerman, I'd say in the neighborhood of 30. I started off slow as a means to extend my hunting season but in the last few years have become ate up with it. I hardly if at all even gun hunt anymore.i agree with you. I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself for that particular hunt. First time in Kansas and all. I've learned a lot from that experience. Charlie , in the defense of my outfitter, we walked for miles and miles even on our hands and knees at times but all we found was where he first bedded down. The rain washed away most of the sign but we had 5 people on a loooonnngggg grid search but no luck. thank you guys for all your feedback . I've had some long tracks but ultimately recovered the animal. This is a first for me and not fun!!!

Bow Junkie I know the feeling, my first time in Kansas this year as well. Although I have hunted several other mid-west states. Nothing compared to Kansas for me. I had the opportunity to shoot more bucks over 130"s in a couple weeks than I have had in 35 years of deer hunting in NY. As I have said and you admit, you put too much pressure on yourself. Stop thinking so much and try and just let things come naturally. Shawn

deerman, I grew up in the Catskills. You know there's big bucks there but few and far between so for me to be at full draw on something in the 150s was def an experience . Good luck in kansas next year! I'm def headed back that's a certainty

Junkie,

The problem was between your ears, not your shooting ability.

Like someone suggested, shoot some does, pigs, squirrels, rabbits, anything you can legally do that's alive to get your confidence back.

It's like when you get thrown from a horse - it hurts like hell, but you gotta keep going.

Why is it EVERYBODY has to come to Kansas. We get a larger percentage of non-resident hunters than any state in the Midwest, by far!

Go hunt NY, or PA, or just about any other state. Hunt an entire season and not see a deer over 115", then you'll realize how good Kansas and other Midwest states are.

The secrets out writer!!! Lol I saw more 125" deer in a day in Kansas than any combo of 5 years elsewhere. Not to mention the people are extremely friendly and scenery is beautiful

A lot of good advice, best 2 are #1 shit happens. Doesnt matter how much you try and avoid him Murphy will rear his ugly head. Take comfort in knowing you do practice and you did try and recover the animal, and that you do feel regret in the wounding of it. Thats more then many people I know show for feelings.

#2 Get a doe tag and go center punch a doe. One of the worst downsides of the reduced tags in Iowa is that many counties no longer have doe tags. It was such a confidence builder to go out and confirm all my time and practice on a doe.

Deer are tough sob's and eventually one of them will shrug off any amount of punishment, and you will never find them. Just be thankful that you have had so much success so far in your life.

Best of luck hunting! James

You have to let it pass and move on. The more you dwell on it the more it will fester into buck fever/target panic.

"How do I get past this?"

Bad news BJ, you don't.

I've missed or NR'd exactly 13 bucks over 160, and all of them were between 1991 and 1999.

So, some were over 20 years ago.

I'm not over them. None of them. I want one of them back. I want half of them back. I want them all back. But that's not gonna happen.

You'll get better.

But you'll never get past the ones you blow. Not the big ones.

Sorry.

Keep hunting and it'll prolly happen again. No one like losing game but it happens to everyone if they hunt enough.

Fellas, I knew this was the place to come to get real answers!!! Thank u so much for all the feedback. For the record, I have the history I have from only taking sure shots!!. This was the exception, but I'm beating myself up for taking a hailmary when I know better. I became very panicky when I saw such a gorgeous buck not settling down and saw him on my wall before I did my part. I'll be upset with myself for a long while but find peace in the tracking effort I put forth. I knew it would happen one day but still doesn't make turning such a beautiful specimen into coyote turds any easier....thank you all so much. For the record the picture I'm posting is a trailcam pic of the deer a month ago.

Register here to reply to this topic