I missed again

[Harold]

Sunday morning was great I counted 8 deer in 3 hours of hunting and where I hunt that is great. They were all does but who cares not me, there were 2 that sneaked up behind my stand 10 feet away (my scent control must have been working that day) I lined up my 10 yard pin behind the left front shoulder and let it fly the arrow went right under her belly into the mud and that was that I don't know what I am doing wrong ? Of course I was shaking alot and my heart beat was racing like 500 beats per mintue. Shooting from 25 feet up in a tree is different than shooting at level ground must have aimed to low. Any thoughts out there to how on improving this

[superrman77]

It happens. I missed 3 bucks last year. I was on a 3 year drought. It just takes practice. I used to set my pins at 10 20 30. But now I set my first at 20 then the second at 30 then 40. That seems to work the best for me. You are right when you are higher up it is harder to judge distance. If it was up to me I would set my first pin for 20 yards. I think that pin will handle the majority of your shots.
Good luck

[Highbow]

Harold, not sure of your age or experience but a lot of practice from a elevated platform is needed to make your shot good. When you have a shot that is that closesay 10 yards or less it is the shot angle that can cause you to miss, it may seem like a straight down shot would be simple but is actually a tuff shot, I have to use my 30 yard pin on such a shot in order to make up for the angle.
PRACTICE & PRACTICE some more, someone put a bad shot , through the rear leg of a 4 point that I watched walk by on Sunday morning. My buddy found him yesterday with the arrow sticking through and laying on his side, the deer jumped up and ran off but how long will he be like this? A bad shot is much worse than a total miss. Just practice these shots from a roof top or take a practice arrow with you into the woods and shoot at a leave you want to hit. It will help.

[drew]

I always sight my bow in from the average height I will be hunting from and w/ the exact arrow and broadhead I will be shooting. I also practice shooting from a sitting position as well and I'm always comfortable when shooting from the stand. I can't figure out why so many people do all of their practice w/ field tips shooting standing up from the ground when they hunt w/ broadheads and are shooting from odd angles from elevated stands.

As for getting getting a little deer fever.........be glad you get to experience it! That is what keeps me on the chase. Good luck...keep trying and you will get a good one.

[ptmurphy]

Make sure you practice and sight in from a decent height. It does make a difference up there. Also, I have found that I over-estimate distances as compared to being on the ground.

[Flint]

Harold,

Try shooting 6 arrows just before you walk to your stand, to boost your confidence and to verify your gear is functioning properly.

Good luck

[squirrelsniper]

Although short range shots should be easy, some of the toughest shots in bowhunting are close range shots from a stand. If you get a little too excited and your normal thought process goes out the window, then it's very easy to miss an almost straight down shot. The main problem is that on a shot that is nearly straight down at short range, the arrow doesn't have the normal arched trajectory. It will go basically in a straight line. Since your sight is a few inches above the arrow, the arrow will hit lower than you planned on at such a short range (the exact opposite happens at longer range), and using you short range pin makes things even worse. Also, since you need to angle the arrow down through the deer, you need to hit higher up the body anyway. So if you get excited and start forgetting things, you'll put the short range pin right behind the shoulder, which will result in a complete miss or a low and grazing hit.

The best way to figure out what you need to do is to practice from an elevated position, and you'll probably find those short range shots are some of the easiest to goof up.

[Harold]

Thanks for everybodys advice it will surely help me I have only been bow hunting with a compound bow this year I used to use a recurve bow and you just aimed down the arrow shaft. I am 47 years old and maybe to old to learn this type of bow hunting but I will keep practing I should get better , it sure is a lot of fun for me & my family. Maybe some 3-D shooting would also help where in the central Kentucky area can you do this ? Thanks again everyone.

[oldforestor]

It's not a very exclusive club, Ive fired two arrows all year, both at coyotes, missed em both. I also overestimated the yardage