Well it was an awesome evening hunt tonight, 14 does and 1 buck. Had a very nice doe come by at about 15 yards, stopped her in my shooting lane, and let the arrow fly. Well unfortunately it just missed low and I was kinda surprised to say the least. I have been nails all year practicing at 15 yards and then this happens. Even though I missed it was still a great hunt, but I am curious how you all regroup after a miss? Do you dwell on it? Do you just shake it off?
I cry a lot. Just kidding! Just keep practicing!
Pratice til your confident again sharpen that broadhead and get back out there!
Try to forget it happened. Still can't figure out how I missed a chip shot last year. Oh, guess I'm still dwelling. :dunno:
Sounds like you will get a lot more opportunities. Good luck.
I made 4 horrible shots at 15 yards on live deer. I was shooting fine in my yard at that distance too, but I get buck fever bad. Even on does.
So...
Not joking on this , but I started limiting my shots to 10 yards and under. Fixed most of my issues.
It is hard to miss at that distance!
I start by pulling my head out of my a$$, whine for a while, and then go through the whole process of what led up to the shot, what happened at the shot, what happened after the shot and what will I do next time.
Sometimes you just miss, sometimes you rush the shot, sometimes you hit the unseen branch, sometimes you don't come to full draw, sometimes the critter is faster than a speeding arrow ... there are lots of reasons why a miss can happen so going over the whole process helps get it right the next time.
:archer2:
30.06.
Kidding....still working toward my first trad deer, so I'm no help on this one.
I will say that even when gun hunting or compound hunting, I never killed a deer while sitting at home on the couch. Keep gettin' back out there!
:archer:
It happens. Shooting at the real thing is not the same as the back yard. Go over it in your mind, you probably rushed the shot a little, dropped your bow arm to see the arrow hit the mark, thus the low shot. Form is key. Shake it off, know you can shoot and get back out there. Pick a spot, follow through and post the picture of your deer.
Acceptance.
Lay down...try not to cry...cry a lot.
Just kidding. I get mad at myself and rethink how I could have done it differently. Then thank god for the opportunity at all and pray for another try.
Bowhunting can be a lot like being a relief pitcher. Short memories and perseverance prevail.
Trap
I dont remember missing a deer sence 1980. I'm not conting the trees that jump out in front of my arrows from time to time.
That's your bad shot for the season. Based on your practice and the odds, the next one will be right on.
Now get back out there, and remember that this is supposed to be FUN!
If you missed for a particular reason, focus on correcting that. Did you pick a specific spot? Did you hit your anchor? Keep your bow arm up? Follow through?
Most of my misses (and they have been many) are because I failed to "pick a spot." I was just aiming at the deer, not at a tuft of hair on the deer.
Practice like a madman and get back out with confidence!
Did you see the Lion King movie ?
Do you recall the speech by Rafiki the baboon scorcerer / wise "man". It is in the past, forget about it. Learn from it, then move on.
ChuckC
I put the miss behind me as soon as it's over.
I missed a nice buck on September 13th and that same evening I shot a doe not 3 yards away from where I missed.
It's part of the game I know it's going to happen you just have to learn to deal with it when it occurs.
misses are part of the game. when im all tired out from kicking my self in the rear end i just get back at it.
If you have been practicing and shooting well then it was probably just a momentary loss of concentration. Shake it off and knock another arrow! Don't dwell on it.
I have missed on monster bucks Its something you just don't shake off.you missed for a reason. think ! what was the reason.if you pay it no mind an don't feel the burn then you will miss again.missing nice bucks has been a great teacher for me.It makes me think an be more pacient on stand.I focus on the shot an pick a spot I also hunt a little lower to the ground.take care plumber
Grab another arrow and make it count.
next time when you begin to draw back on your deer close your eyes and go by feel,,, once you feel your anchor is solid then open your eyes and pick the spot,,, this whole process takes a second but if you shot low at 15yds you short drew the bow or dropped your hand to see the arrow fly who knows..
as far as the miss itself, its no biggie if it was a clean miss you just laugh about it and store it in that part of your brain where you remember it forever,,,,,,, the bad misses AKA the wounds they really hurt and take more thought.
Nock another arrow, quick!!! Take what ya learn from it, and move on. Seriously, take a second shot if you can.
I treat it the same as a wound - pure luck that it wasn't.
I don't shoot at an animal again until I'm confident in understanding why I missed and have addressed it. I would never laugh or shrug it of as just part of hunting - there was a reason I missed and I want to know it.
throwing my bow out of the tree works for me....RC
QuoteOriginally posted by SteveB:
I treat it the same as a wound - pure luck that it wasn't.
I don't shoot at an animal again until I'm confident in understanding why I missed and have addressed it. I would never laugh or shrug it of as just part of hunting - there was a reason I missed and I want to know it.
okay if you want to put it that way but you will always have misses, and I'm sure you'll know exactly where you screwed it or what went wrong unless theres not enough experience or its a mulitude of things who would really know,,, missing is part of hunting by the way and always and forever will be. show me just one person who ever lived on this planet who has never missed using any style weapon.
I shot over the back of a perfectly broadside 8 pointer last season from the ground using my selfbow at about 12yards,, ha ha I "laughed out loud" and then wished him luck to the end of the season,,, I then shrugged it off knowing I must of got caught watching horns and went home to be back out in the same spot the next morning to shoot a doe .
Turn the page all things happen...keep your head up and brush it off!!CANT KILL EM ALL
Keep trucking, keep your head up.
QuoteOriginally posted by dragonheart:
Acceptance.
X2
I find tear drops into an adult beverage makes me feel better.
Then after that I practice..practice..practice! It happens, not a big deal. It is part of the game. Try to learn from it and move on.
Count a miss a a blessing !!!
A lot better than a poor hit.Nobody got hurt and you learned something.
:archer:
First everybody misses!! Don't beat yourself up over it. Heard Roger Rothar shed light on it once and it was VERY enlightening. Also, always try to learn something from it. BILL
Simple. Bitch and moan like we all do from time to time, and then get back in the stand and hunt some more.
LMAO @ Sam!!! :banghead:
Here's how I handled my miss last week. I missed a broadside doe at 10 yards after hitting a limb which sent the arrow over her back. I shot a few arrows at the practice target to remind me that I can actually hit something with this thing. Then I went back out and hunted some more. On Friday evening I got my next chance and sent one through the heart of a doe at 20 yards.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tajue17:
QuoteOriginally posted by SteveB:
I treat it the same as a wound - pure luck that it wasn't.
I don't shoot at an animal again until I'm confident in understanding why I missed and have addressed it. I would never laugh or shrug it of as just part of hunting - there was a reason I missed and I want to know it.
okay if you want to put it that way but you will always have misses, and I'm sure you'll know exactly where you screwed it or what went wrong unless theres not enough experience or its a mulitude of things who would really know,,, missing is part of hunting by the way and always and forever will be. show me just one person who ever lived on this planet who has never missed using any style weapon.
I shot over the back of a perfectly broadside 8 pointer last season from the ground using my selfbow at about 12yards,, ha ha I "laughed out loud" and then wished him luck to the end of the season,,, I then shrugged it off knowing I must of got caught watching horns and went home to be back out in the same spot the next morning to shoot a doe . [/b]
If I laughed at a miss, I would laugh at a wound. I don't laugh at a wound, so I will never laugh at or shrug off a miss. Like I said, pure luck a miss isn't a wound - never should be taken lightly.
Don't let it shake your confidence . Shoot some single arrow shots at extremely varying distances like 10yds then 35yds then 15yds and 5yds . keep doing this until you don't think of the miss . It worked for me . Took about an hour . Don't shoot more than one arrow per distance , that will make your brain work harder to correct the shot .
if you are shooting at a level where you know you can physically hit your target, then the problem is in your mind so you have to fix it in your mind.
I lost an animal a year ago. at the time i thought it was a full penetration shot that missed everything on its way through and left not one drop of blood. on reflection i think it was a clean miss. its been bothering me for a year.
Next shot i took was a year later and under 8 yards. pass through double lung. I put in a second arrow, another pass through and got the heart. The goat was on the deck in 10 seconds, and i got my confdence back. the next shot that day was through a small tunnel of scrub, closer to 20 yards, wet feathers. I never concentrated so hard as i did on that shot and got both lungs, no follow up required, goat on the deck in 10 yards.
so my advice is go in to the woods and get yourself really close, then get another 5 yards closer, then take your shot
Once, when hog hunting I missed the same hog 3 times. All shots were within 20 yds and one was a 'gimmie'. When it came to the 4th shot I said 'screw it' and left a lonely and disappointed hog out in the woods. I guess that was 'peace with honor' as Nixon once said?
Anyway back to the drawing board-more practice and focus. This is not a new problem! LOL
Think about why...then shake it off...forget about it, and usually center punch the next deer I see.
I say a bunch of bad words and keep on hunting.
Lets start with the assumption that a guy practices and can hit what he wants to hit with consistency. Then a miss is an anomaly and you need a short memory. Shoot a few practice arrows to confirm the fact that you can hit your target and get back in the hunt.
Joe
Missing a shot is like swinging and missing a baseball. You get back in the box and prepare for the next pitch.
Same with bowhunting...miss...grab another arrow and hope the animal gives you a second chance. Don't think about it, dwell on it or whatever. You know your shooting abilities, why put negative thoughts in your head.
Assessment first, then a pipe and scotch while devising a remedy.
1) Did the animal jump the string? If not, what did I do wrong? I have total confidence that when I hit my anchors, pick a spot, and expand through the shot, the arrow will go where I look. A few possible errors to correct makes the mind focus on a few simple remedies, instead of panicking.
2) Smoke and beverages help the mind relax, keeping me from blowing the miss out of proportion, which could turn it into a nasty gremlin for a long time. I prefer English blends out of a custom pipe my brother gifted to me. (not to mention that he happens to be the maker). A glass of Ardbeg finishes the healing process nicely.
:thumbsup:
I like Malachi's methoud.... :thumbsup:
I just grab the next arrow in my quiver
I shoot a blunt at an object about the same distance as my miss. If it hits where it is suppose to, I keep on hunting with a lip pooch. If it does not hit where it is suppose to, a quiver emptying might be in the making.