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Bowhunting...Hard lessons learned...

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Velocity kills

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Everyone has a lesson or two in Bowhunting that they learned the hard way. No matter what age you were, stubborn kid or a set in your ways shooter, we all learned an a lesson or two. Lets hear it.

Mine:
I was around 13 or so and had been shooting for a while and bowhunting for a few years. I just upgraded to a Browning Bridger 2 from a hand me down Darton. I started shooting it and began to turn up the pounds the more i shot. Soon it was a struggle to pull it back. My step dad consistantly said," You dont want to have it that high, if you struggle now wait until you have been on stand and cold and stiff you wont be able to pull it back!"
Yeah right... i knew what i was doing!
First morning of bow season October 3rd I was on top pf a big oak ridge with my step dad a few hundred yards away. It was a cold morning around 10 degrees or so. At around 9:30 a large doe came feeding right by me. I was nervous, heart racing, couldnt wait to stick her. I turned as she was 20 yards and I went to draw back.I couldnt! Imagine that!!! I kept trying. Finally I got it back...she was locked on me...I was wore out and shot over her back. She trotted off across the ridge.
As I sat there and watched her my step dads word played in my head. Just then I heard the sound of a deer blow ... running and a crash. She made a mistake of going by him. He didnt have the problems i had.
I learned that day by words and proof!
 
Ughhhh lets see!
First year of bowhunting 2007. Had shot a doe early that season and was looking for my second deer. climbed into the stand one october morning and about 8 I had a six point headed towards me on a string! He got to within 10 yards of the stand and I went to draw back and my elbow hit my safety harness and I couldn't draw back no farther. (lesson one! always fix your harness where you can draw back without hitting it!) So I let off, repositioned and drew back again. Excitment got to me on that deer and I shot over his back.

Lesson two! Never Leave Your Bow Laying On The Ground And Walk Away From It!
This happend on the same hunt. after shooting at that buck my brother came up to help me look for blood or the arrow.Long story short we left our bows laying at the treestand and walked up on the ridge where the buck had run. Get up there and that same six came walking up on top of the ridge and gave me a perfect 15 yard shot while he was munching acorns! But my bow was 200 yards behind me!
 
Bend at the waist when hunting from a treestand!!

Pick a hair not a spot to shoot at!!

When a deer looks up I squint my eyes. Only predators have white in the eyes!(It has worked for me I don't care what you say)!!

Wind will not stay blowing in your face!

Always put some kind of arm gaurd on to hold your sleeve especially that 3d leafy stuff!

Range finder will kill you more deer!

Lower your poundage to something you can hold for 5 minutes.

Rubber boots will kill you more deer.

Where ever you think the deer will come from place your stand the opposite direction!! YOU WRONG!! LOL!

If a deer blows at you, wait 5 seconds and blow back at them. Seen it work as well!! lol!!!
 
If your going to hunt from a treestand, practice up in a tree in your TREESTAND. I learned the hard way that it IS DIFFERENT.
 
I think the biggest for me was to make myself not rush the shot. For wahtever reason, when I have the stick n string, I want to take the shot now!!!!! I have finally gotten to where I can focus on the exact dime size spot on the deer I want to shoot, pick a spot when the deer is open and shot opportunity is right, to squeeze the trigger not punch it.
 
I have an older buddy who years ago did this. If you have an over draw on your bow and have never shot your broadheads and if you draw the bow back and the blades contact the riser going back they will contact the riser and make a tremendous noise going forward. I nearly fell out of my tree laughing when i heard that one.
 
Learning to read body language before taking a shot.......Aim for the heart or lower at nervous deer . I haven't missed too many nervous deer , but I wish I could take back a shoulder hit when they ducked at the sound of the shot .
Wounded deer are the hardest lessons learned , and everyone will lose one . Misses are little lessons learned compared to a lost deer .I'd rather miss one than wound a deer .
 
Mine was several years into hunting . I was with a couple buddies looking for a deer that one of them shot while leaving our bows at the stands and a good buck came within 10 yard of the 3 of us with only knives on us ???? That sucked but we live and learn.
 
I've strictly hunted with a bow since 1988, and although I've harvested over 70 deer with a bow, my list of mistakes I've made that cost me a deer would fill this page up.
but here are some suggestions that of what to do.
1.Practice under real conditions. wear hunting outfit, shoot from a stand, shoot sitting, shoot standing, leaning right and left.
2.Mentally in your mind while working,eating,playing,anything you do on a daily basis, picture yourself killing that deer.It breeds confidence my friend, and confidence while bowhunting is EVERYTHING!!
Good luck this season and most of all, have fun.
 
Many lessons learned but one sticks out. I have always been a speed freak with my bows and one reason for this is I use a one pin pendulem sight and shoot out to 40 yds with no drop. So back in the day I had a PSE Fireflight Express that I tricked out to the gills. I was pulling about 86-88 lbs and shooting solid carbon arrows with slip on Muzzy's. This thing was fast and I killed a lot of deer with it. One morning I had a 150 class 8 pointer at 15 yds to my left that I had rattled in. It had been raining so I never heard or saw it until it was right there. It was 15-20 degrees and I couldn't pull my bow back. I was having an internal mental meltdown as this buck stepped behind some thorn trees and stood there....snort wheezed and trotted off. It was an awesome experience but still stresses me out thinking about that chip shot today. I am still a speed freak but with todays bows I only pull 72 lbs. I wish I had a USB port in my head to download the video in my brain of this buck and the couple of other giants I have missed for everyone to see.
 
it was a beautiful crisp november morning. I was at a new spot i had never hunted before, and didnt feel really confident due to several reasons i wont get into right now. Anyway i was sitting with my bow layed across my lap doubting even being in a tree, when wouldnt you know it, the nicest deer to date i had ever seen appeared out of nowhere. He stared at me without concern, due to the fact he must have known my bow was laying across my lap, and obviousely no threat to him.I tried to raise my bow slowely, and we all know what the result of that boneheaded move was. Anyway, moral of the story, DONT HUNT LAZY
 
Hmmm. There's so many that I can think of.

1. Aim small miss small (practice it till its instinct)
2. High speed+low draw weight=effeciency (remember, a 30lb bow will kill a deer with the right setup and shot)
3. Have a wrist strap on your release. (my first shot was with my fingers, put a strap on my release and never had that problem again
4. Don't climb to high cause it takes away surface area to shoot at. (learned that one from my bro-in-law)
5. Set a stand with at least 60% cover
 
I was hunting last year in the city close to a high end subdivision. The plot is very small and kinda of a hot spot. Serval people claim to own it, but I found out the city does so fair game. We hunt right on top of each other but nobody is really there at the same time. So one morning I go to my stand and on the way run in to another hunter. I say hi and take off for my stand so when daylight hits so do the deer. I turn to my back side and look 25 yards away in a tree is this hunter oh well. Then here comes the Bucks and man they are big. For me aleast I haven't killed that many bucks alot of does but not horns anyway. This dark horn 8 pointer comes out at 25 yards and I can't pull the bow back buck fever. Well finally I do and miss well he runs off but comes back. Shot #2 I miss again and by this time I am starting to get mad. He runs off and I do the bleat call and he finallies comes back miss #3. All this time the ole boy behind me is watching everything I think. So by this time I get down and get my arrows. But to make the story short here is the thing. I missed this buck a total of 5 different times last here. I finally killed a smaller 7 running with him. Also the guy behind is a fireman and ended up killing the big one last year a 145 14 pointer. But here is the thing the 8 wasn't that monster last year we have seen him about a dozen times. He is a huge 12 now so remember got to let them walk to grow and GOD willing he'll be on my wall this year.
 
Big J said:
Bend at the waist when hunting from a treestand!!

Pick a hair not a spot to shoot at!!

When a deer looks up I squint my eyes. Only predators have white in the eyes!(It has worked for me I don't care what you say)!!

Wind will not stay blowing in your face!

Always put some kind of arm gaurd on to hold your sleeve especially that 3d leafy stuff!

Range finder will kill you more deer!

Lower your poundage to something you can hold for 5 minutes.

Rubber boots will kill you more deer.

Where ever you think the deer will come from place your stand the opposite direction!! YOU WRONG!! LOL!

If a deer blows at you, wait 5 seconds and blow back at them. Seen it work as well!! lol!!!
Click to expand...


Well pu Big J!! Nice little checklist youve got there.
 
Always look to see if there are more than one deer before you draw. Been busted by the doe that was watching me when I drew back on the one with her head down.

Practice short shots from the stand( 5,6 7 yards) Its hard not to shoot high
 
When you have to shoot sitting down, make sure your legs are out of way. That one cost me a good 10 point 2 years ago. I won't make that mistake again.
 
Make sure and unhook your bow from the pull-up string before you start walking back to the truck. I got 41 feet from my stand year before last when I suddenly realized I hadn't :blush:. It left a mark. :D
 

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