Contributors to this thread:
I once bought a new bow (top of the line model) and was very impressed with it. I almost couldn't wait to get it out in the woods hunting! Man I just knew I was gonna kill the biggest buck in the woods and I'd do it year after year! On opening day that year I was on stand and had a shot at a big doe. When the arrow hit I heard a loud "crack" and watched my arrow bounce half way back to me! WTF? That wasn't supposed to happen! I looked at my bow and wondered how such a great bow could fail me! I knew arrows weren't supposed to bounce off! A bit later I climbed down from my treestand and recovered my arrow. Not a drop of blood on it. No broadhead either, just a glue covered tapered shaft adaptor. I knew right away what happened. I solidly hit the front shoulder knuckle and the shock broke the glue bond between the broadhead and the shaft adaptor. That accounted for the loud "crack" and the arrow bouncing back towards me!
Anyone else got any odd bowhunting stories? Lets hear 'em!
Well onetime I left work at noon first week of November I hurry to get in the woods I stayed out of a spot for the whole season I’m using my climber I lay my bow on the ground and tie it off I get about 8ft of the ground and look up and here comes the shooter I was after I pull the bow up and he’s gaining on me head down I nock a arrow draw it flies about 2ft I’m like what the heck probably didn’t have my release hooked well I grab another arrow I go to knock it my string is off the pulleys I look at my bow and there is a twig caught in the cam that derailed it that buck is at 5 yards walks under me I put my head on the tree and screamed never saw him again
As a youngster took a straight down shot on a big doe, tight behind the shoulder blades next to spine was a tuft of hair or a tick. Anyhows if ya been there with 66" of longbow i kinda short drawed and sent that magnus dead center of hair or tick, loud smack as arrow hits sternum bounces completly out of chest cavity to hang by a sappling branch exactly where she stood! My only thought is the back shoulder on the magnus was so steep either came thru main blade or bleeder? Not a shot ive taken ever again! Nor a head iv shot at game.
I had to pick from several. I'll be frank, I'm a rather self taught bow hunter, and if it wasn't for learning from my mistakes, I'd likely grow tired of this great sport. I must add, that my intentions are to constantly grow as a bow hunter, and learning is something I also intend on doing until I'm done.
I'll mention one event when I was perhaps 16/17? I was using a string tracker. Now before anyone laughs, I used the gadget religiously for a few years, and killed and easily recovered more than ten deer with them. I was up at my friend's cabin in Cataract Wisconsin. Had a doe at 20 yards. Shot, and watched a wad of string plop out of the string dispenser and stop my arrow in its tracks just before making contact with the doe. Why? Orange string, and the heavier gauge thread. What happened, is the orange string versus the white string had more wax in the spool. The spool attached to my bow, my bow in its case, and my case in the garage during hot weather must have melted the wax, re-solidified in the spool, and the string came out in a wad. You might think I'd give up on the stuff, but I didn't. I learned that the heavier string, and the orange thread was flawed. I've threatened using the gadget again, especially at close ranges, because there was nothing like shooting a deer, and watching that string pour out, hoping it died within the spools length of string. You have to remember, if you had a pass through, and the arrow buried in the ground, that deer would run, and the string would often slide in and out the entrance and exit of the deer's wound channel. They would often stop sooner because of that burn they must have felt as they were being "flossed". I no longer use one, but I still have several spools and the dispenser. It wasn't a horrible gadget quite honestly. You just needed to limit your shot distance, and it was a must to shoot out some string a couple times to open up the inner spool's diameter so the thread shot freely with the release of the arrow.
If you all remember, there was another poundage of string that was shorter in length. Any of you love them like I did? I honestly only had that one incident, otherwise they worked great for me in the 80's and early 90's shot from a 50 pound compound.
Ok gang just remember this was a different time .
1972 did not get a single shot all year . A really tough bow season . Nov 2 nd Waupaca, I walk back to my car to end the archery season . 3 Deer are feeding in a field 100 yards away . Out of frustration I draw back My 52lb Bear Super Kodiak & let fly . The 3 Deer run to the swamp .
I put the bow away & walk to the alfalfa field to get my arrow . Can't find it . Ten minutes later I find the Doe dead & leaning against a pine tree . Heart shot . Geez ,
Suddenly I hear a snort . Standing 30 yards from me is an old Grey faced swamp buck . He stumps the ground & calmly walks away . In 1 hour my season went from bad to great .
Pete -We used the string trackers when hunting bear in Canada. My buddy hit a bear and we waited about an hour. Started following the string and close to a hundred yards the sting took off. We held back until late that evening and got the bear. He went maybe another fifty yards where we found him. The guide suggests all his hunters use sting trackers. That was the only time we used them.
I once stuck 5 arrows in the ground around my stand at 10-15 yards on a doe when I first started hunting, recurve. I once emptied my quiver at a flock of grouse, again, young. I once had one of many F'd up opportunity's at a giant buck and my top limb of my compound was resting against my bow holder while he was at 12 yards and my pin behind the shoulder. I once could not bend far enough out because of my safety harness tether to shoot a buck at 5 yards with my recurve. String trackers? I once was walking out of the woods in the dark only to realize my legs were getting tied up. Well, someone shot a deer with a tracker and the line was wrapped all around my legs. Many more, just the ones that come to mind, LOL.
1st time hunting with a release, a nice buck is coming through heading perfect to pass my ladderstand. It was early season and leaves were still full on the trees. He came out of nowhere. There was a nice clump of small maples about 15 feet away and I figured when he got behind the maples I would draw. As I drew back, at about 1/4 draw, the arrow flung about 10 feet and hit the ground right in front of him. He jumped and ran out of my life. I would have had him broadside at 7 yrds. That day I learned don't have your finger on the release when drawing back.
It was about 2005 and I was still using my Switchback compound at the time. I was hunting Dunn County and I usually used a Lone Wolf climber but found where deer had beat a path from woods to field and decided to use a Rivers Edge ladder stand. I never put the rifle rail on the stand. First evening sit and just like clockwork here they come down the trail toward the field. Wait... why is that deer walking on my right side??? That's the "wrong" side and not on the trail. And you guessed it.. it's a buck. I slowly turn to get in position and the bottom cam hits the metal rifle rail stub... clink... and off he went.
That Dunn property gave me the privilege of seeing the biggest racked and bodied deer I have ever seen alive in the woods. It was full rut and he was chasing does like no tomorrow. I could never get a shot at him as he always take a 30 second rest too far for me to shoot. They would run all around me and was very cool to be a part of. A kid ended up shooting him during gun season that same year. He was a huge buck and one ill never forget.
Another young & dumb story 1974 ? . 1973 I bought a Howard Hill bow at a Milw proshop. 72 inch 80 lb . I practiced all year but struggled with it.
Mid Oct , Oneida county 3 of us . A steady all day rain so we are road hunting in my pals work van with sliding doors . And having a few beers .
We spot a Doe 30 yards out . I draw back the bow ( I was a pipefitter then ) & let fly .The Doe leaped & dropped in its tracks.
I told the guys , " I aimed for a spine shot , just call. Me Robin Hood . " As I getting my knife & tags the guys ran up to the Deer & started laughing.
Marv yelled back , " Hey Robin Hood , your arrow went in one ear & out the other " .
By the way , that bow was used by Howard in Africa . Was it Whiffens ? I bought it from ?
In 77 when I took a job in Kansas an Ojibwa member gave me a pile of cash for it .
Wish I had it back .
