I have been rereading Bows on the Little Delta by Glenn St. Charles, and read the part where he is hunting Dall sheep. He gets so nervous by the fact that he is within just a few yards of the sheep that he empties his quiver at a ram, and never touches a hair. Not only does that say that we all will miss, and sometimes very badly, but that Mr. St. Charles had enough of a good self image to put down his failure in his book.
The book also talks of Fred Bear missing a few shots. Even the greatest of bowhunters occasionally blow a shot.
Reminds me of the sliver of elk antler that I shaved off a big 6 point a few years back. He escaped with his cows, and if elk could laugh, he would be cracking up.
__
As the old saying goes:
"You have to take the bad with the good!"
I love being able to tell my friends about my successes, but I cannot at the same time, not tell them about my failures.
The failures helps to make the successes even that much more special!
Bisch
I remember when I was a new traditional hunter, I was discouraged because I read someone's (can't remember the name, sorry) post on here saying he hadn't ever missed! I hit my first deer, but the next year I had two good opportunities that I blew.
I now know, there may be a few who haven't missed (yet), but it happens to the best of us. For me, it just serves as motivation to keep getting better.
Yep. If I wanted a sure thing I have a safe full of guns. Its ok to flub one now and then, actually, I think its my misses that are some of my more memorable shots! Haha
If you havent missed before chances are you havent been at it that long.I shot over the first deer I shot at with a trad bow.I would venture to guess it wont be my last.ill take a miss over a bad hit any day.
Misses are all part of it.
Great thought Pat! And well said guys...
I've missed 5.....last year. Not even joking. Still looking for the first.
Jake
Nobody gets them all. If we did, the fun would run out quickly. Most of us have enough funny stories involving blown stalks/shots that we could do a pretty lengthy stand up comedy routine.
Misses can surely humble a man and believe me...I am a humble man !
This thread: :thumbsup: :campfire:
QuoteOriginally posted by nineworlds9:
This thread: :thumbsup: :campfire:
+2
I never miss.......I'm also 6'4" and handsome :biglaugh:
The only shot I ever had at a deer was the season before last. Arrow hita small limb and sail about 2" over the big 6 pointers back. Also late that season was turkey hunting in a ground blind had 5 shots in two days. When I went to fetch my arrows I paced them to be 20yds and I was that thinking 15yds. Come to find out I was shooting through the mess which messed up my depth perception. So now I dont use it. But havent had a shot opportunity since then.
I missed this buck twice,and that was after taking this photo. First shot was at about 18 yds. and the second shot was after I grunted him back in to about 18 yds again. Consistent I was that day. It happens.....
(http://i.imgur.com/NC5b8Jr.jpg)
You guys sure miss a lot! :goldtooth:
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
I never miss.......I'm also 6'4" and handsome :biglaugh:
:biglaugh:
Why, even I have missed. . once. . . .
CHuckC
I just came back from mule deer hunting in CO. The first day I had a shot at a nice 3x3. At 20 yards I missed 18" left in front of his chest standing broadside. He jumped a few yards and I missed him at about 28 yards the same spot. Bummer!!!!. Afterward I found my arrows(Had to cause I was in ranchers hayfield) and took a shot with first braodhead arrow. Hit the grass clump within 3" of spot at 20+ yards.
I have no clue what I did wrong but it sure was fun. This is a shot I could make any day(except that day).
I missed once, a BUNCH of times.... :D
Glenn told me he picked arrows up and shot again.I said didn't they break on the rocks? Nope he was shooting new exp. fiberglass arrows from Bear archery.I think it was 1956 or 57.
I had only two shots last year. One in the begining of fall bow and one the last day of winter bow. Missed both. :dunno:
I have missed. ..but I don't shrug it off at all. I hate it. And a miss is just a smidgen away from being a wounded animal. I am honestly angry at myself after a miss...even on a target. I strive for perfection on every shot...and always fail at some point.
I think we should all take our misses seriously, and analyze each one.
Also. ..a miss on a target in April is one thing. A miss now...3 weeks before season? :mad:
Missing is a good thing. What is worse is hitting but not in the right place. I appreciate a miss!
2 sayings about hitting I like are:
"No one ever hit anything trying not to miss" Lance Coleman
"Aim for the head of a rabbit you miss rabbit. Aim for eye of rabbit you hit head." Indian saying
I think there would be a distinctive odor around any bowhunter, or rifleman for that matter, who claims to have never missed an animal.
QuoteOriginally posted by Roger Norris:
I have missed. ..but I don't shrug it off at all. I hate it. And a miss is just a smidgen away from being a wounded animal. I am honestly angry at myself after a miss...even on a target. I strive for perfection on every shot...and always fail at some point.
I think we should all take our misses seriously, and analyze each one.
Also. ..and miss on a target in April is one thing. A miss now...3 weeks before season? :mad:
Great post Roger! Misses, especially multiples, get taken far too lightly (often laughed at) in my opinion.
Do we take wounds as lightly also?
Why aren't wounds discussed as openly?
Fact is it is pure luck that a miss is not a wounded unrecovered animal.
It is my opinion that those who frequently miss also wound far more then is ever discussed. There is a lot of animal between a clean miss and and a kill.
I agree Steve. That's my criticism of Fred Bear scoring at 3d shoots. Its as though we had control over the degree we miss by.
If you have never missed, you have not hunted very much! :readit: :bigsmyl:
I missed the same deer 3 times, this happened twice! I was so shook up, had a blast.
I still remember my first miss, it was my very first shot at a big game animal. It was a blacktail doe at less than 15 yards, I was 15 years old hunting my uncle Kenny's farm. When I showed up at the farm my uncle thought I was nuts to be hunting with a bow and arrow ... he laughed and said "what are you going to do with that thing" ... well there was an inch of fresh snow on the ground and I knew that farm like the back of my hand. It did not take long for me to find some fresh tracks and I knew right where they were headed. I headed off at a trot across the big pasture and down to the slaughter house pasture, straight for the creek. Here she came, a fine young blacktail doe. Nose in the air she stopped right in front of me, I drew my Wing bow and shot my bear razor head tipped cedar shaft right over her back. I could have died right there I wanted that deer so bad. My uncle only smiled at my story and said I'd get her next time.
So yes I miss, started that way 50 years ago and I am still doing it on occasion.
All part of it. Tough to take at times, but sometimes that miss is better than a wounded animal.
I've missed a few but I've always taken it as evidence that my shooting wasn't what it should be.
Lets face it...even though it "could" happen to anybody, it takes some pretty lousy shooting to miss an entire deer if the shooting opportunity is sound.