Missed a Big One!!

[DoubleJ]

I have a 90 yard pin . that must mean I'm gonna use it . But killing 26 elk with a bow in 15 years probily wouldn't qualify me as experianced so I better just get rid of all exept one pin because thats the only ethical pin to use . GIVE ME A BREAK . Dont us your skills as a bench mark for every one.

30 years shooting tournaments (FITA) and I have no skills. Shooting paper is like shooting a live animal I guess. I have shot with national level shooters who routinely pass on 40 yd shots if animal is alerted and looking at shooter.

Apparently for everyone now the bow is now a 100 yd weapon

Let's reduce the archery season to 1 week and eliminate the general late season for elk and deer and make it draw only since it is not a primitive weapon ( training wheels) and capable of 100 yds.
Good point.

[DoubleJ]

Ihuntelk2, I'm surprised you posted your story..It has every element of what not to do while in the field with any weapon...driving down a road,bailing out of a rig,weapons ready, running for a chance at a shot,adrenalin pumping,shots fired...everyone should know their limits on distance,and accuracy at that distance.I have my own limits,50 yrds with a muzzy,30 yrds now with my longbow,my rifles well I can pop a yote in the head way out there,but I hunt close ranges for the adventure of it...My muzzy is dead accurate at 100yds,but if I cant get any closer than that I will hunt with a rifle,,,All this being said, that is just me...To each his own..what happened with you guys was a recipe for a bad situation..Hope ya learn from it and get one the next time a critter is in your sights

I agree with this though too.  I hate the act of truck hunting

[tlbradford]

mogombo hit on the point of an "alert" deer several times, but most just glossed over this.  In my mind this is what jumps out at me the most.  Compounds are loud and sound travels faster than those arrows.  I agree that a 53 yard shot with a compound and sights isn't all that difficult, but the problem of an alert deer isa recipe for disaster.

Please don't try to tell me that a deer that is by a road, hear's a vehicle stop, several folks jumping out and moving through brush, is not alerted.

[Alan K]

Just take it easy, read everything thoroughly, consider the possibilities of what could have happened, and lastly understand that you weren't there and in all actuality don't have enough information to pass judgment at all before commenting.

Hey mogombo, read my post, then go read over the original post.  He didn't miss by feet, he missed just under the vitals.  By two feet behind the deer he is saying two feet behind where the deer was standing from his line of sight is where the stump was that he hit, not 2 feet behind the body of the deer or anything.  I swear some people just see stuff on here, immediately see red and just go off ranting without fully reading. . . .

I think a lot of guys on here do not have much experience bow hunting based upon your responses."A monster blacktail dude, You have to sling some arrows at it". If you hit it in the ass "No biggee bro".

Where are you getting these quotes? Exactly, you aren't getting them from anywhere . . . You aren't reading stuff for what it is, you're reading it as how you see it which is clearly faaaaar out of context.

[bow4elk]

I feel for you.  I've missed a few shots but I'll take a clean miss over a poor hit any day.  Also, remember that getting a shot opportunity is a good part of the challenge so you still can feel good about that.  Sorry to hear!

And if it makes you feel any better, here's how I once blew it on a huge Oregon blacktail.  I was waiting out a heavy downpour in the back of my truck when I decided I needed to get out and just get wet.  I walked down a faint trail to the base of a mature timber stand where it opened up into a small sparsely regrown cut.  It was peak rut and I made the mistake of not nocking an arrow as I stood against the trunk of a large doug fir. I was more concerned with staying dry and comfortable than being prepared to fill my tag.  I looked to my left as a 130" class stud approached on a steady walk nosing the ground at 30 yards.  As I tried to nock an arrow he caught me moving.

When I score animals for record books, I hear all the time how guys were able to change a truck tire, do cartwheels, and eat a hot meal while a buck just stood there watching.  This has never happened to me.  I never get lucky in these situations, and this was no different.  He bailed and I beat my head against that big fir for an hour or so to let the lesson sink in.

[Alan K]

Also, I know that an arrow fired from my bow only drops about 4 or so inches different from 53 to 45.  Seeing as he missed low, he was obviously aiming lower half to lower quarter, for a heart shot.  Had the buck jumped the string (an occurrence that's getting rarer and rarer with how quiet bows are these days, its more them jumping as they see the arrow approaching them anymore) it would have double lunged it; still a good shot.

You missed this point too I guess mogombo.

A modern bow will shoot a hunting arrow around 280 fps. So the deer, standing 159 feet away, has a little over half a second to react before the arrow strikes it.  Again, bows these days are extremely quiet compared to the loud compounds of 15-20 years ago.  I fully believe that they react more to seeing the arrow dropping in on them these days on a longer shot than when the bow string is actually released.  It's far less of a loud snapping sound that makes them jump, more so just a whisper anymore if you ask me. In that half second, and even if it reacted immediately after the string was released, would have little time to actually move.  Deer crouch down before taking off bolting, getting into their legs for a powerful takeoff.  Again, read my post above.  Sounds to me like the hunter took that fact into account when he he shot.  The deer didn't jump the string at all in fact, and didn't take off until the arrow struck the stump behind it (which made it sound like a hit).  He missed, and missed low (a good miss), and the buck gave him the slip.

[Alan K]

If I had an arrow in a deer or elk and there was a broadside 100 yard shot later on when tracking it down, and I thought the shot was bad then why risk putting another bad shot in it?  Take your time get closer and make a better shot.  

Obviously every situation is different, but if an animal is marginally hit it's likely got enough life in it to go a long ways, and in a hurry.  By trying to get closer (especially here in this brush on the westside!) you're risking pushing it and who knows when it will slow down (remember, marginal shot, marginal blood trail).  You just heighten the chances of losing the blood trail by risking getting closer. I'd take a shot at getting more blood on the ground to track, not to mention a chance at speeding up the death of the animal.

That's just my opinion, and every one of the millions and millions of possible situations will be different.  In some cases it may be possible to get closer, in which case you should, but others it won't be (without pushing the animal), and the 100 yard pin (or any extended range pin for that matter) will be beneficial.

[h20hunter]

I would have take the shot. I may have missed as well. I'm not gonna try and beat some guy up for taking a shot that he was confident in. Pretty damn hard to pass judgement on somebody when you weren't there. I guess if he had a flashlight on his bow maybe, but not this time.

[Prime Time]

I would have take the shot. I may have missed as well. I'm not gonna try and beat some guy up for taking a shot that he was confident in. Pretty damn hard to pass judgement on somebody when you weren't there. I guess if he had a flashlight on his bow maybe, but not this time.

  From what I've seen on here is that there are WAY too many guys on here that love to nit-pick at any little thing they get the chance at, but if you're not there, you really don't know..give the guy a break..

[bow4elk]

Not to pull the moderator card, but guys this thread is getting out of hand  

One thing that will never be accomplished here is convincing either side that their point is not valid.  And now the posts are becoming intertwined with new accusations of 100 yard shots, etc.

Let's please put this to rest.

If you'd like to start a new post about ethics, please do.  I think post-season is a great time to reflect on our experiences and learn from them.  I also think there are better ways to share expertise and knowledge in the spirit of helping people become better archers in the field.  We all come from different backgrounds and experiences.  The audience of this site is thirsty for knowledge so let's share and educate rather than ridicule and attack.  

[CAMPMEAT]

I missed my deer @ 15 yards. Dead nuts on, I was excited and was shakin' like a dog tryin' to *censored* a pitch pit. My first year at archery.

[Ihuntelk2]

 Well this is not where i expected my mishap to go but, hey, all is fair. I respect all or your opinions and will take all replays and learn from this experience and your guy's opinions. I feel my shot was ethical and that I wasnt out just throwing arrows at anything that moves. I hunt because i enjoy the time spent with friends, family and the being in the great outdoors. I have hunted archery for about 6 yrs and have only taken about 5 shots. I learn from my mistakes and just keep on trucking. I dont think anyone's replays to this thread were wrong, we all just are different people in different situations I guess and we just do what we choose in that given situation, right or wrong, dont know but I sure missed a big one. Thanks to all who supported me in this and thanks to all who didnt I learned from this by the way i wasnt road hunting we were just driving to the next spot to drop down into some timber and we just happened to see this bad boy on the way. I have only seen 2 big bucks since ive been hunting so, I took what was given to me..lol... Best wishes to all of you guys in hunting and in life...Mike

[halflife65]

Way to handle that with grace, Mike.

Good luck in your future hunts!

[patton1]

Way to be Mike!  Stick with it!

[deerslyr]

best dam post in the whole thread mike, that should shut them all up 
Keep at it and you'll catch up to him sooner or later