Comfort effects

[Two Dogs]

How do you deal with (mentally) seeing deer go by just outside your comfort zone of shooting? I've had 2 rockers just on the edge of my comfort zone & let go as I have more respect for the animal than shoot & possibly wound it. I know this probably has been covered, just seeking some positive reinforcement.ugggh !!

[Basstar]

I can only speak for myself but when I came to the point in my life that my focus was on the fun, excitement, and challenge of the hunt itself, rather than killing a deer, my enjoyment meter rose exponentially.

For myself, the fun would be the challenge of figuring out how to get close enough next time.

[wingnut]

That is why when deer hunting I have extra ladder stand that can be put up in minutes.  I move stands almost every day to take advantage of the movement changes.

Mike

[katman]

That is part of the challenge for us. Embrace it, when you get the shot the reward is greater.

[RedShaft]

To be honest,
I don't get many opportunities in a season. And that is one of the reasons I don't hunt much with trad bow anymore. If we had good hunting I would, cause of all the opportunities. But we don't, and its driven me back to modern bows. I'm more of a killer. Not in it for the nastalgia like most on here. Rather get deer.
I have also learned when choosing a spot what to look for that deer like to walk along or where they like to hug to travel through experience. Also if your stuck in a hang on. You need to learn to move. I never use a permanent stand. Always moving and mobile n that really helps.

[ChuckC]

I shifted to ground hunting years ago and that makes it easier.  Get a ghillie suit and practice while wearing it.  They are not perfect, but they sure are neat.
ChuckC

[Sam McMichael]

It is both exciting and disappointing. We all would like to make a perfect shot on one of these big guys, but just seeing one close up confirms your scouting and woodsmanship savvy. Keep hunting hard and a good opportunity will come along.

[LookMomNoSights]

Originally posted by katman:
That is part of the challenge for us. Embrace it, when you get the shot the reward is greater.

That's about it right there    

[Bladepeek]

I'm still hoping to connect with my trad bow - no luck so far this season.

Part of a family tradition is that I always hunt opening day of firearm season with my younger son on his father-in-law's farm. This year there was a drive hunt on the next farm over. Two blockers and two drivers pushed through a field of high grass where I had just watched 9 deer bed down after feeding in a large alfalfa field. They all shot at all the deer that jumped up. Two deer went down and I watched through my binoculars as a 3rd stumbled. It sounded like the 4th of July.

Needless to say I was upset. Definitely not my kind of hunting. Nothing really illegal about it, but I had to wonder how many of the deer that escaped were also hit and would die later in a roadside ditch. It also ruined the hunt for us. There were no deer moving in our area that evening or the entire next day.

I align firmly with Basstar. My enjoyment comes from the challenge of the hunt and the excitement that builds while trying for an ethical shot. That may be why there is no venison in my freezer yet, but I can live with that. When I do make a kill I am very proud of it.

[Covey]

Originally posted by Bladepeek:
I'm still hoping to connect with my trad bow - no luck so far this season!


I align firmly with Basstar. My enjoyment comes from the challenge of the hunt and the excitement that builds while trying for an ethical shot. That may be why there is no venison in my freezer yet, but I can live with that. When I do make a kill I am very proud of it.

Well said! Believe me, I get poked at a lot for not killing, but that is not at all what it is about for me. Don't get me wrong, if the opportunity comes along, I'll take it, but the enjoyment of the pursuit and the preparation is what keeps me going!

[D.J. Carr]

For me its about the hunt not the kill, figuring out how to get closer the next time is part of the challenge.  Turn the question around, what can I do next time to setup in a location that will allow the deer to be in my comfort zone.

[indianalongbowshooter]

Doesn't bother me a bit, like seeing them as much as shooting them, just hope they are closer next go round.

[Whip]

Yep, accept the challenge we have taken on and embrace it.  The more difficult the challenge, the greater the reward when it all does come together.

It really is the same question regardless of the weapon.  Whether you carry a trad bow, a compound, a muzzleloader, or a rifle there will always be animals that are just outside of your comfort range.  It's part of hunting.

[Mint]

It always happens to me so now days I just shake my head and laugh.

[David Mitchell]

LOL.....Last evening I had a nice doe enter a field where I had set up in the corner at the edge of the woods in a blow down.  She grazed just out of my comfort range for about 45 minutes to an hour then just laid down right there and chewed her cud.  After maybe another 20-30 minutes she got up and ate some more and gradually sauntered away from me.  I had no chance of moving up on her as there were lots of dry leaves between us. It was just a hoot! I could have had a shot develop at any moment but it didn't and I was totally OK with that.