My mistakes as a new hunter
Connecticut
While this is only my second season hunting , I have been teaching archery to youth camps for 20 + years. I have also shot many 3-D trail walks in my time and always done well so I know how to shoot. But I've learned that shooting at a live animal is totally different.
BBB spent a few hours with me early in the season teaching me the basics of scouting and deer behavior. I learned a lot and with this knowledge I choose a great spot on state land. I took a shot at a doe 40 yards out and missed high. Lesson learned 40 yards is to long of a shot.
Now fast forward to this Saturday, BigBuckBob comes through again and puts me in a prime spot had the chance to shoot at three deer. I came back with ZERO. Here's the story of why I came home with nothing but a bunch of new knowledge.
I got in the tree an half hour before legal time. After about 2 or so hours two doe come walking in . A big and small one with the larger leading the way. Both are moving at a medium pace so I can turn my self and get my bow in place while they're still 50 yards away. I can see the trail the does are using and choose a spot 15 yards away where Im going to shot once the big one gets there. Both deer stroll right up and I let an arrow fly. I missed low arrow went under her chest. The arrow hitting the ground under and behind her but in front of the second doe stopped them both. Yup I shot while both deer were still walking. First reason I missed. I also never set my sight pin on the deer. I opened my fingers once I saw the deer in my sight window. second reason I missed. I also bumped my lower limb on my tree stand while I was trying to shoot. third reason I missed. My release was horrible(I shoot fingers) and my follow through was none existence, as I wanted to see the arrow hit the deer I droped my bow arm almost the instance I opened my fingers.
Now I have thousands of hours of practice and many years of shooting . I know the basics of a good shot and taught these basic to thousands of Cub and Boy Scouts for 20+ years. Put a live Deer in front of me and I do everything wrong and miss a 15 yard shot.
Neither doe was spooked they both looked right at me for a few then casually turned around and contuined their feeding stroll 90 degrees to their oringal path. The does hung around for 15 or so minutes feeding never getting closer than 40 yards and finaly head off toward where BBB is set up.
I calm myself down and start scaning the ground to find my arrow and as I lean over to get a better view I catch my bow quiver on the top rail of my tree stand snaping the quiver sending my two remaining arrows to the ground. I hang my bow,climb down and gather up all three arrows and with no quiver I put them put them on the base of my climber and head up the tree. Half way up the tree the arrows fall back to earth so back down I go. I get a text from BBB saying he has a buck Down but not to come over yet because another doe is heading my way. Sure enough she comes by but I'm half way up the tree with out my bow and with the loudest Steel Climber ever made the doe turns and high tails it away from me. BBB buck is awesome I get to dress it and while dragging it we see another buck. The two of us get it back to the truck about noon. Bob heads off for lunch and I head back in the tree. I saw no more deer the rest of the day but I did see my life flash before my eyes.
My family and I are on a tight budget so spending $200 on a climber is not something I can do, I did find a noname climber on Ebay for under $100 so I bought it for my birthday in March. It's made of loud square tube, has no seat. it came with a lower platform, a hand climber with a "safty" rail and two straps to carry it on your back. I climb up the tree set up my safety line and bow hanger and that's it. I get stiff standing and leaning against the tree after a while so while moving to get more comfortable I mistakenly lifted the safety rail causing the hand climber to fall down the tree on to the lower platform. Then while trying to lift the hand climber back up I stepped on my arrows bending them. Cursing my self for ruining my arrows and still trying to lift the hand climber I some how shifted my weight wrong and my platform becomes un wedged falling down the tree a few feet dropping my arrows to the ground again along with my bow. leaving me hanging from my safety harness. I'm able to use my feet to get my platform back up and climb back down the tree. Its now 4:00 and only half hour left of legal light left I text BBB that I'm done for the day.
I learned a lot this Saturday. -Duncan
This Saturday I ruined all three of my broadheads, bent two arrows,and broke my bow quiver. I have to make some kind of seat for my climber because standing all day makes tree stand hunting no fun. I'm also going to try and use some ratchet straps to lock both of my Climber sections to the tree once I get up to where I want to sit for the day. I need new broadheads, but I'm not sure what ones. I do know that after I swapped my field points for my Satellite broadhead my arrows were hitting differently and I couldn't keep my groups . Over all I learned lots and have lots to do and a little bit of money to spend with more target time before I draw on a live deer again. -Duncan
Hilarious. I did the exact same thing in my first year bowhunting in 1988. Although I didn't have the mentorship of BBB, all I had was reading hunting magazines. Keep at it, and collect some more great stories like this for deer camps of the future. As far as aiming, if you are instinctive or using a sight, PICK A HAIR. Miss the hair, still kill the deer.
Tie your top and bottom climbers together with a rope so when you lose. It it doesn't go to far Down I hat climbers .Steve
Good stuff I had a nice laugh. Dude after 20 years Im still breaking arrows, sight pins, dropping arrows to the ground, dropped the top half of stand to clang on the platform on the MA opener. You just have to look back and laugh. My first deer I shot was directly below me and I rushed put the pin on it and released and hit way low and did not find him. Years later Im calmer when shooting at deer. If your a finger guy then stay with fingers I used to shoot fingers and shot very well then changed to release and had to learn how to shoot again as I felt weird not having my hand gripping the string. I could type for hours on stupid stuff ive done hunting. You will get better keep us posted.
Duncan!!!!
you never told me about falling from the tree and hanging by your harness. I'm glad you were all right, but keep me informed about these things my friend.
You can have my old bow, it comes with a quiver, 3 pin sight, stabilizer and a drop away rest. I have some spare arrow and broads for you as well, so I'll swing by this week and drop the stuff off.
You dead on in your post about the difference from shooting targets and a live animal. I'm glad it bothers you to take a life, it should! Respect for the animal is something that no one can teach you, it has to be part of your ethics and morals. You'll get there buddy, don't get discouraged.
Oh I forgot to mention my all time favorite of not marking a trail to a stand being confident u will locate it at 0 dark thirty only to find yourself doing circles through prickers, sticks to the eyes, breaking every branch you step on, deer blowing at you then finally when the suns up you turn and look and go oh there it is or you find yourself 300 yards from it then have to turn around, by then you already pissed off another guy who found his stand ok. Yup you only just begun my friend.
spike
oh you just brought back so many bad memories for me. I remember doing EXACTLY the same thing. And I really thought I was the only one. I guess I'm part of the club now.
It's too funny when you look back at it now.
I wasn't hiding my fall from you BBB. Guess i was just a bit frustrated with my self for being clumsy. I use to rock climd in my early 20's so im use to falling and hanging from a harness. I was excited about your deer , i didnt feel my slip up was a big deal. Thanks again for all your help .- Duncan
No problem Duncan, I know you can take care of yourself. I drop stuff from my stand all the time and then I try to snag it with my pull up rope and small branch with a hook cut into it.
One time I got to my stand to find some scumbag took a lighter to my bow rope and I had to climb all the way up with the bow around my shoulders, love to punch that guy in the face, that could have ended bad. Their will be a new story every season.
Thanks for sharing Duncan. I laughed out aloud a few times I must confess... not at you, but it reminded me of some of my follies while being a greenhorn archery hunter.
I had this happen to me Friday up 25ft. Not a good way to start the morning. Accidentally kicked bottom platform and got tangled on the side of tree; I was stuck in seated position because the lifeline to my safety harness was attached to the tree above my head, not allowing me to get bottom platform with my foot. It was ugly. Luckily I had top portion tied in with tied-down strap and bottom section was attached to upper section with rope. Took some maneuvering but after 45 minutes I figured it out. So don't beat yourself up over mistakes made in the field. It happens.
Wow Duncan, what a story....this is what makes hunting so much fun...all the memories!
Smoothie,
Attach your base tether to the rung closest to where you use your feet to lift the stand. That way it will pivot open to the tree, and allow you to raise it like you are using your feet.
Duncan,
I would caution you to go easy on tightening a ratchet strap to your stand. It could bend the stand. By positioning the strap a few inches below the point where the stand touches the tree, you will be pulling it down, thus more secure.
You can silence the stand by filling the tubing with expanding foam insulation. That foam is very sticky and you will not get it off yourself, if you touch it.
If your stand has a top rail, can't you suspend a seat between the siderails?
You can make a treeseat like the one in the picture. However, I would fit a bungee between the lines in the open area above the seat. Tie a loop in the line on both sides of the tree to hold the bungee taut. Something to keep it hugging the tree when you stand, and so it won't drop to the platform when you stand up.
Go to thirdhandarchery.com and buy the Stabilizing Straps. They are 15 bucks for the pair, or 2 pair for 25 bucks. Once you reach your height, pull down on the straps, and now the top and bottom are rock solid.
I spent some time this sunday working with my Climber. I got the seat that came with to work put a leash between the top and bottom section. - Duncan
Duncan we have all been there bud and anyone that says that haven't is lying dropped my damn range finder out of the back pack while trying to get it out to range some trees had to climb down and get deer shows up 5 mins later happy it was only a button cause there pretty stupid and he had know idea last Thursday setting a stand in same tree wanted to reset it it was raining well take off the ratchet strap stand slips out of my hand falls about ten ft down the tree lands on the pines branches with no damage ratchet straps falls all the way to the bottom climb all the way down grab ratchet strap retie stand to the pull-up rope get back set up get stand all set head back out on the way jump a big doe with a big buck on her heals uuuugggh get to the truck empty my pockets to change into dry clothes wallet is gone put back on wet gear walk all the way back to stand find wallet on ground below the stand soaked straight through it happens to us all bud keep ur head up keep pushing forward BBB is a good mentor for u bud
Duncan .. when that adrenaline starts to pump through you as a deer comes into range, it is real easy to make a mistake. It happens to me. They you go home and think about what might have been if only....It comes with the territory.. Best you can do is to try to learn from then and not repeat.
I feel alot better about myself now that I read this, I made all the same mistakes, this is my second year of bow hunting, i took the advice from the message board and it worked, i set up a mock scrape and had deer coming in, last weekend i had three does come my way, one within 15 yards, i was gonna shot from sitting down cause i did not want to get busted from moving while trying to stand up, while i was moving my bow into shooting position i hit the cam on the metal part of the tree stand, TING, that is all it took for the doe to move from 15 yards to 40 yards and into the twigs, could not shoot, but after getting that close I am more motivated than ever, i really want some venison this winter, i guess they call that whitetail fever.
I've made plenty of mistakes. The latest... had a shot opportunity while moving from one stand to the other. Four does stood and watched me set down gear, put on release, nock arrow, take aim, and shoot. Underestimated the yardage and only tickled her with the fletching. Not all bad though. Was in the climber holding my bow with arrow nocked and had a bird land on my arrow. We all get some things right and make some mistakes.
Hey Duncan, I've got some extra stabilizing straps from Third Hand Archery. I live in New Haven, don't know how far that is for you, but you're more than welcome to them. I also have some extra arrows if you need some. I know how it is when you're just starting out and trying to get all of the gear together and any setback, even the relatively minor ones can prove costly. I would offer the use of my climber, but I use that from time to time. But if you're interested in the stabilizer straps and a few arrows with broadheads attached, send me a "pm" and we'll set something up.
I don't have the stabilizing straps attached to the climber in this pic, but you attach them to the top and base of the climber, once you reach the height you're comfortable with, you sit down and tighten the straps, your weight creates tension on the straps while seated and once you stand, those straps are good and tight, and it isn't going anywhere. Before I got these straps, I was terrified on using my climber, I had it fall on me a few years ago, and if it happens once, you don't ever forget that feeling of helplessness. The straps also work great for attaching your pack and coveralls to the climber as you hike in. I'm completely sold on these and like I said, you're more than welcome to the extra set I have.
