# Anybody else strike out with a bow this year? ha



## TwoBarTwo (Jan 24, 2007)

It was my first year, and I hunted in 5 different ways:

1. was a old wooden play scape that i blacked out with camo netting. It was about 8 feet off the ground and about 20 yds from the feeder. 

2. bought a ground blind, but with my hunting situation could not leave it out for a longer than the weekend. Put that in a oat patch and saw 20+ deer that all stayed just beyond what I was comfortable shooting. 

3. Tried stalking during the day, but have yet to perfect my "stealthlyness"

4. Rode horse back but could still only get around 40 yds away before they spooked. 

5. climbed in a tree over a feeder on the last day of the season and had a bobcat walk directly underneath the tree marking his territory all over the place. ha. 

Probably bow hunted 20-25 times this year and all i have to show is a awesome bobcat story and a sore a** from sitting like a 'tard in a tree. 

All in all wouldn't have changed a thing. 

JI


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## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

Well lets see,

got a new bow in July and worked real hard learning the tweaks of it over my older one. Opening weekend of archery, I missed a 10 point. Had everything right even the right pin on him but wasn't looking through the peep. 

Third weekend hit a doe hard, she ran into the brush just below the feeder. Found large amounts of blood on both sides of the trail for 50 yds then nothing nada zip, even the dog lost it there. 

Did manage a couple of hogs, 

Two weeks ago, had a 19yds shot at a very nice 8 point, drew, took aim, looked through peep even this time flat out missed him. Didn't know it though so when he stepped back into the road some 60 or so yards away I dropped him with my .308. Wasn't going to chance a gut shot deer in all that river bottom underbrush. As mentioned turned out I flat out missed him.

Oh and that stalking thing, keep it up you'll get there. If your covering more than a hundred yard in 30 minutes your moving WAY too fast. If you think your moving slow enough, stop and wait around 3-5 minutes all the while using your binoculars to look for pieces of a deer not the whole thing. I couldn't tell you how many times I have seen just an ear or leg move, or the flash of white from a tail or belly through the brush 40yds away and they didn't have a clue I was even around. Use the wind and use wet days or drizzling rainy days to your advantage. Keep the wind to your face and keep an eye out behind you as well. 

God Luck.


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## TwoBarTwo (Jan 24, 2007)

For stalking around do you prefer a rubber or leather soled boot?

Thanks, JI


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## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

For stalking it depends on if it is wet or dry. In wet obviously either will work but the rubber will keep your feet much more comfortable. In dry weather I have found that the crepe soled leather are quieter in some of the areas I hunt, where the rubber works better in others. I guess it just depends really on what you put on at the time. Either way, you need to be able to feel things through the sole, so as to not be looking and stepping on small branches which do make noises at the wrong times.


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## cajunasian (Mar 7, 2007)

Don't feel bad. I've been bow hunting for the last 5 years and have not taken a single deer with it. I've killed hogs years before with a bow but totally struck out on everything this year. I had to break out the 30.06 for some better odds. I'll try again in 9 months. Don't give up.


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## Captn C (May 21, 2004)

I never put anything in the cooler this year with abow...it's been a loooooooooooooong time since the last time I didn't.

I missed a 22 yard shot that I was so confident in that I must have looked over the peep to watch the arrow hit and missed badly high.

I hit a doe a tiny bit back and post the pics of an awsome blood trail, but it dried up before I found the deer...another lease memeber found it 500 yards from where I lost the track.

I never had a hog offer a shot????? 

I didn't get a few shots because of shoulder joint or elbow joints popping just as I came to anchor!


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## igo320 (May 17, 2005)

TwoBarTwo said:


> For stalking around do you prefer a rubber or leather soled boot?
> 
> Thanks, JI


Try putting a pair of socks on the outside of your boots for stalking.

Don't cut brush out of your shot window, tie it back with string. You do not want to remove any brush if possible.

Always brush in your pop up blind, WT deer don't like em much. If you place it in an area they travel or stage they will freak out.

Hunt a feeder 100 yards away, on a trail, and place some corn close to the trail, they can smell the stuff and are not near as spooky as they are around a feeder.

Get in early, stay late and stick that bobcat if you get a chance, I killed only one with my bow and it is one of my best stories.

later,
igo


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I didn't get a deer this yr, had several opps but nothing I wanted to shoot, did get 7 hogs but started in Aug. BTW as far as stalking>>>dude your NOT Indian...WW


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## TwoBarTwo (Jan 24, 2007)

Thanks for all the advice. 

I WONT be given up. its way to much fun and way more exciting then sitting 100 yds from the deer. However, i did take a doe with my rifle cause a guys gotta eat.


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

TwoBarTwo,

Stalking whitetails is a very difficult task by anyone, and even the best and most seasoned hunters will fail much more than they ever succeed.

Bowhunting is suppose to be hard, and the fun is in the challenge and activity...not necessarily the harvest, but it sounds like you already know that.

I had a pretty good year, but I hunt way more than most. I shot several very nice exotics that I have wanted for a long time. Sika and Nilgai. I shot a ton of fish and even some stingrays which were new for me. I shot a monster gator, and I shot 8 or 10 pigs. 

I did not shoot a whitetail. I let the son of a friend kill my doe off our lease and I let my daughters hunt for our buck. They didn't see anything that was old enough to shoot on our lease, so unless there is a last minute miracle, no buck this year. 

Good luck to all the hunters here, and may 2010 bring you many opportunities.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

I've never brushed in a pop up blind and always seem to do well while hunting. I think it has much more to do with how long something new has been there than anything else. Also be sure and spray paint the windows you're going to hunt out of black so that when they're open they still look the same to the deer. (Thanks to the Pale Guy for that tip a while back.)

As far as stalking a whitetail...let me know how that works out for you; much better than it has for me I hope LOL!

This year I shot an older 8-point, 16 1/2" inside spread at 12 yards from a pop up blind and it was the worst shot I've made on a deer. The buck was quartering away from me and at the release he didn't turn to the right to the sound he jumped to his left which caused my arrow to hit way back instead of behind the shoulder.

The arrow hit him behind the last rib and through the guts but got the offside lung. There was no pass through so there was no blood at all. Took us 5 hours to find the buck and he was within 100 yards of where I shot him. he made a 180, crossed the fence into the neighbors property and died there under a tree with my arrow still in him. 

The buzzards really found him for us. We saw them and drove into the neighbors to have a look and there he was under the tree.

Sure felt bad when I saw where that arrow hit and the sound it made...there is no "thwack" on a gut shot deer. I'm very lucky that the arrow passed through and into the lung. 

I could have shot spikes and doe with my bow but the rains really made things hard this year so I opted for the dry shelter of a 6 x 5 blind for the rest of my deer lol.

Like chunky said...here's to a better 2010.

TH


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## Texhntr1022 (Jul 27, 2009)

I didn't get to hunt much this year... got off my N. Texas lease and hunted a buddy's place in Nebraska. I shot a muley in mid september, then had work or weather get in the way the rest of the year. Just a tip for those new to bowhunting. Unless you see or hear the deer drop, don't go look for em. At least, let em sit awhile, I know it's tough, but My personal experience is to give em at least 4 hours. If there's any question about the shot at all, then I'll let em lay over night. I've seen lots of deer lost (including my own) because the hunter got down and went looking for the deer way too quickly. A wounded deer will lay down fairly close (75 - 100 yd.) and usually won't move from that spot. But if you spook em while injured they can cover some amazing distances. Just my .02 from experience. Good Luck!


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## Enviroman (Jul 20, 2005)

*Whitetailess*

I've been bow hunting off and on for the past 20 years and still snake bit when it comes to a whitetail. I've killed a moose, hogs, javalina, rabbits, squirrels, ptarmigan, grouse, coyotes, black buck and various other critters I probably should not mention here. But to this day the whitetail still has not surrenderd to my arrow. I refuse to take a bad shot, although often tempted through my frustrations. Come October I will there trying once again, learning from my mistakes!


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## justin-credible1982 (Sep 12, 2006)

This is really my first year to bowhunt. I killed a doe early in the season and was seeing lots of deer. I saw some bucks, but no shooters. Later, I was not seeing hardly anything in my bowstands. It was tough, but fun...


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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

right there with ya amigo! tried everything and anything i could think of and then some, cards just weren't in the deck this year for me, matter of fact, didn't even get to draw my bow back on a deer or hog. 

all i got to show for this season...that being said, bring on off season hunts and 2010 deer season! Good luck!


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

Didn't shot anything spectacular this season with my bow, but, it wasn't because I didn't have the opportunity. We were on a new ranch and I was being pretty selective. Did manage a couple of cull bucks, a couple of does, and a pig. We won't officially finish up until the end of February, so I would imagine I'll shoot at least another doe and maybe a pig or two. It's been a good year, I can't complain.

As some said above, bowhunting is a lot more about the hunting than the killing. Some of my best hunts this year, I never got the shot.

I guess you could say that about all hunting; It's not really about the killing. In fact, my favorite trip this year was last weekend. I did shoot a doe, but, that had nothing to do with it. Last weekend was special because I spent it with two of my best hunting buddies. What made it even sweeter for me is, they had successful hunts. 

Congrats to all that were successful!! If you weren't.....keep at it.


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

i went on my first bow couple of bow hunts this year and i learned quite a few things
1. the chairs in pop up blinds are to comfortable
2. you know you were asleep a long time in the blind when you wake up with a crick in your neck
but i also had one of my best seasons ever...i shot my first deer (with a smoke pole) and while bowhunting for pigs i had atleast 3 or 4 deer within 20 yards of me and that in its self made that hunt even though i didnt see any pigs


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## Duckhead_78 (Feb 1, 2010)

I had an unsuccessful deer season! I tried various new tactics this besides besides sitting up in a tree 20'. Found lots of sign in areas that I normally hunt up in East Texas but the only time I seemed to see any deer was @ night. When gun season rolled around I tried new areas and saw tons of does but nothing with horns. To bad I can only harvest those during bow season where I hunt. "Go figure!"


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