Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › A swing and a miss…
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Today was my third day in the woods this season. So far I hadn’t seen a deer. I went out behind my house this afternoon but I didn’t get into the woods until about six o’clock. I planned on staying in my stand until dark. While sitting I heard a twig snap but I didn’t see anything. I stood up and waited. I saw a doe about three steps from a shooting lane. I slowly reached for my bow, picked a spot, drew and released. I thought that I had shot low enough since I was about 23′ up a tree but I guess not. She ducked at the right time and my arrow flew just over her back. She ran off at mach speed and stopped out of sight. She sounded the alarm for a little while and then ran off. All I could do was laugh at my self. This was my second shot at a deer. Last season I clipped a doe at the very bottom of her chest. She was never found after tracking blood for quite a while. At least this time it was a clean miss. This happened so quickly that I hardly had time to think. I can now see why they say you should practice enough to make things happen automatically. Being that this is only my second season hunting, I feel that I have so much to learn. I know you never stop learning, no matter how long you have been doing this. I can’t wait till I can get back out there and give it another try.
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” I was about 23′ up a tree “
😯
Ok……I have a question.
How do you do that? Everyone knows it takes “most of us” two arms to shoot………AND ONE OF MINE WOULD BE WRAPPED AROUND THE TREE! 😆
Glad the season is starting out for you with some action!
ME? I think I’ll stay on the ground. The angles of the shots (even from 15 feet or less) that you are experiencing is the OTHER half (first one being nn nnn nervous in one!) of the reasons for me ground hunting.
Ok, maybe a third? not half. I have to admit the ability to move at will due to wind changes, sunlight, sightings etc is a HUGE draw for me.
And moving my bucket is one of the few things I’ll accept being described as “easier”. 😀
I get in a buddy’s stand in the same area on rare occasions and have shot several from stands (missed more than I do on the ground too) but normally I’m using them as “scouting” trips and sit in them because I can see into an area watching movement that may not be near the tree for future ground stands. Works pretty well.
Missed a doosy last year while doing so….cussing myself for not being on the ground to this day. It’s “doable” and have done it, works great for many, just not my cup of tea anymore.
Wishing you the best of experiences out there in the weeks to come!
God Bless
Steve Sr. -
I also had hunted quite high for some time and seemed to have the mmost problems on the shots that were close. Twice I missed at under 10 yds. only to have the deer go out to around 20 yds where I was able to place a fatal shot.
Having fallen a few times from a tree getting in and out convince me the I was better off learning the ground game better. I must say it is a more exciting and challenging way to hunt whitetails. Nothing like being on the same plane as your prey. I’ve had some really great close encounters and can’t wait for the next…
Oh yeah, great looking truck, JayB..8) Wayne -
23 feet! How do you stop the nose bleeds?? 😯 I am getting to old to consider anything that high up, unless I’m on a steep sidehill(maybe). Remember to practice from that height if you sit that high. The perspective is definitely different. Have fun, hunt safe and keep at it. It’ll come together.
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The tree that I was in is at the bottom of a hill with a trail going on each side of the tree. This trail was on the uphill side. Everything happened so fast last night and it was starting to get dark that I probably didn’t have the best “spot” targeted. I should have taken a few more seconds since she didn’t even know I was there. I’m going to have to try the ground game some time. It would be pretty cool to be mobile and move according to wind, movement, shade and other variables. We’ll see how it goes.
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At 23 and 25′, you might do well to build some 10-pound arrows and just drop them on the deer. 😛
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The higher you go the better. Deer where I live have gotten used to seeing hunters at the 12 – 14 ‘ height.
Going a little higher is the thing to do if you want to score. It also depends on the type of tree. Going that high in an oak with lots of branches below is not that bad. Wear a safety harness no matter what height ! I just started wearing one thanks to some good recommendations from some of the folks here.
I also think that being in a treestand where you can’t get up and move around is a good thing, for me anyway.
Bruce
PS: Nothing wrong with getting high every once in awhile:wink: -
The reason I went so high on this tree is because of the trail that is uphill from my stand. I always wear a harness while I’m in the stand. And this season I also added a safety rope with a prusik knot to use while I’m climbing up or down the tree. I read an article that showed the amount of fall injuries from stands. The majority of injuries happen when climbing into and out of the stand. The thought of falling is not an option.:cry:
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I’ll be hunting mostly out of tree stands, although I’m fairly inspired to spend more time on the ground this year. One thing I’ve been doing, which has been a help in my target practice, is shooting in the dark. The pup gets me up when the sun is still down, so I walk him, take a judo and shoot into a pile of wood chips. The pile is just a shape in the dark at this point, but I think it helps. As the light grows, I can pick faint spots to shoot at and get better and better… dwc
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