Opening day fail
Whitetail Deer
So After all the questions I've asked and help you've given me opening day finally arrived. It is my first season hunting with a compound so I was really excited for the opener. Hunted the morning and saw nothing but checked the camera and saw deer were in the field every day in the evening so we went back to the same spot. After 6 total hours of looking at a empty field and only 20 minutes of daylight left I lost focus and started talking to my hunting buddy who was filming. I said "man I thought we would see something for sure tonight", then I turn to see a doe sitting at 20 yards so I grab my bow and make a 25 yard shot that she ducks due to my low fps. Great learning experience, deer always walk out when you least expect
Mistake #1.....”and only 20 minutes of daylight left I lost focus”.
That part of the day is often the most important time of day. It should be spent quietly...standing with bow in hand.
Mistake #2... “I turn to see a doe sitting at 20 yards so I grab my bow and make a 25 yard shot that she ducks due to my low fps. “
When you see your target at 20 yards .... don’t make a 25 yard shot.
Also, your arrow speed had nothing to do with the doe ducking your shot.
But, success often hinges on correcting ones mistakes..... you had a great lesson tonight . Stick with it , the reward of all your preparation awaits you. Good luck and hunt hard.
Chalk it up for a learning experience. But FYI that last 20 -30 minutes is usually part of the "golden hour" and when you want to pay attention the most....no matter what you are hunting.
Your FPS won't counter a deer ducking - lots of debate on this, but if you aim a little low (heart) you'll be fine whether they duck or not.
Congrats on getting out there - learn from your mistakes and you'll be successful before you know it.
--Mitch
Deer duck out. Has nothing to do with the bow. It is the arrow noise that they are reacting to.
Please elaborate on the 25 yard shot on a 20 yard deer? Lever Action wouldn’t the bow noise at the shot be louder then the arrow?
You saw a deer in bow range your first day hunting, you took a shot, hopefully CLEAN miss??? I certainly don't call that a fail. Obviously you want to connect on the shot, but all that time up a tree is time well spent and the fact that you had a deer in range means that you were doing some things...many things correctly.
My season opens 09/29 and yesterday collected some milkweed pods to get some wind checkers in my hunting pack. Have fun learning how to bow hunt. Think growth mindset and learn something every sit. It is essential to assess mistakes and correct them, BUT just as essential to take account of all that goes well.
If animals jump the shot, you’ll miss. That’s just the way it is. Doesn’t matter if you shoot 400 FPS. It’s still subsonic and they are fast as Hell if their reflexes kick in at the sound of the shot. Keep at it. You’ll get one.
Rain here, still raining. Latter part of the week, cold front moving in. Took the camera to a ground blind yesterday morning ,mostly because it was opening day and shot 11. Lots of does and fawns around the persimmon trees. Looks good to fill the freezer in quick order.
Sometimes I don't expect to see a deer until the last ten minutes of light.
Learning to read a deer's body language will often determine where I aim. A deer coming into an open field will almost always be a nervous deer even if they look calm, I expect them to be spring loaded and ready to jump.
Always aim at the lower one third of a deer. Wait until broadsided or quartering away if possible. Be patient. A deer came to the field to eat. most likely it is going to stick around for awhile.
Search deer jumping the string and see just how fast they can be. Man don't make a bow that fast. (Not Yet Anyways) If they do I will most likely just gun hunt before I own one.
When you shoot, don't rush the shot. Mentally talk yourself through it. "Move slow with purpose" "Pull back at the right time." Anchor and aim" "Release Smooth" "Follow through".
Sorry should have stated when I drew the deer took a couple steps out to 25 yards
Add one item to Arrowhead's suggestions.
Remember to bend at the waist after you're drawn and anchored and before you release.
All you need is a new Handle and of course many more days afield. Failing is why we love it so much. Cherish and learn from every day afield.Good luck and keep it going.
PS: I’m really glad I didn’t have a camera man my first 35 years to catch all the errors I made:)
But Charlie, you’re the camera man now to catch all the errors you make now ;)
