# Not a good start to the season at all!



## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Ok, so everything is perfect for opening weekend, weather is great, moon is perfect, skeeters are minimal, and my game cams have been showing a steady stream of deer, does and bucks, pigs, *****, squirrels, bobcats.....you name it. Gonna be a great year!!!?????

Saturday am, of course since I couldnt sleep a wink all night, I woke up late but still managed to get in stand 30minutes before can see. Have deer all over the place, but I figured out that from the trail they were using they were looking right at me on approach. Had a few spook even though the wind was good, they just didnt like that green blob hanging off the side of the tree~! Nevertheless, about 730 had a good shot at an older doe, broadside 20 yards, you know textbook. Drew back picked a spot and my arrow slapped a tree at about ten yards, which pretty much decimated my arrow and spooked that doe to the next county! Stupid mistake, but clean miss and I chalk it up to a great hunt!
I quickly move my ladder stand to get me out of the approach lane and head back to the house.

Saturday pm, perfect conditions, new stand placement is better than what I thought. 640 pm have three big does approach the feeder. I wait til they get comfy and pick out the oldest looking one, draw back, pick a spot and whap! Deer scatter and the doe I shot takes a hard left heading for the creek, right into the thickest nastiest stuff on my place. I wait 20 minutes before getting down and find my arrow under the feeder, shaft has dried dark red blood on it, but the broadhead and fletching are clean????? ***? do a quick circle on her departure point and cant find any blood.

Head back to my truck and wait for my buddy. We get out lights and head back out. After looking for 1 1/2 hours or so, no blood, no deer. This was a slam dunk shot! 15 yards, quartering away, shot felt good, got blood on my arrow; weird blood, but blood nonetheless, but no trail and no deer. We circle searched for nearly 200 yards and nada.

Do a search in the am and still nothing, by this time I am in a complete funk, even thinking about selling my dang bow. I hate losing game, especially a deer. but man, I just dont know about this one. I dont know if she jumped and I hit her far back, or if she ducked and I just grazed her, all I know is the shot felt and looked good. But the blood on the arrow just doesnt look right. 

I let it rest sunday pm and head back out this evening and had deer coming up to the feeder til I got surrounded by pigs. Ive never heard such a racket, I quit counting at 15 as they crossed a trail about 50 yards from me, never once coming to the feeder but I had pigs on my left, on my right, in front and all of them were snarling, squeeling and even growling. And all of the ones I laid eyes on were big pigs, 150/200 plus! Made for an very interesting walk out of the woods at dark let me tell ya!

Ive sat in the stand for 3 hunts, and have seen more game and had more shot opportunities in those 3 hunts than I did the entire hunting season last year. Now I just need to pull my **** together and get it done! Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll have a doe with a big scar across her back come in and I can finish the job.
But man, sheesh, what a crappy feeling!


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## Carp (May 21, 2004)

I know the feeling about deer coming down a trail that you don't think they are using. Set mine up about 20 yds from where i thought they were coming out and of course i have a buck come out on a small trail about 5 ft in front of my ground blind. I think it might be impossible to hide from a deer at 5ft . Not sure who was suprised more..


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Hang in there Shaky it'l all change for the best, seems like all the planning you do something ALWAYS come up...WW


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

You really need to invest in a camcorder so you can video your shots...takes the guess work out of the results of the shot.

Good luck.

TH


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Well now we know where you get your name from ..LOL 

Hang in there bro


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## cpthook (Jan 16, 2008)

Pratice shooting from a tree stand, the arrow tends to rise or shoot higher then off the ground. Pratice from same height as stand.


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Trouthunter said:


> You really need to invest in a camcorder so you can video your shots...takes the guess work out of the results of the shot.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> TH


you know I bought one last year, for this very purpose, I just havent figured out how to really use it effectively yet.


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## vt_fish02 (Oct 16, 2009)

cpthook said:


> Pratice shooting from a tree stand, the arrow tends to rise or shoot higher then off the ground. Pratice from same height as stand.


I am assuming you have taken a couple practice shots to double check everything is still on. I've been there too and man it sucks to lose 'em. Better luck this week/end!


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

vt_fish02 said:


> I am assuming you have taken a couple practice shots to double check everything is still on. I've been there too and man it sucks to lose 'em. Better luck this week/end!


Yea, Ive been practicing pretty much every day. I think it was probably the doe fever that got me. After helping my nephew and then a buddy track deer that they hit and seeing the blood trails and blood left on their arrows, Im almost 90% sure I had a clean miss. The blood that was on my arrow was dried, I think I used a shaft that wasnt cleaned after my last hog. No reason it should have been dried like it was after just a half hour. Also, my broadhead was clean, no hair or chunks or blood at all.

But sheesh, the shot felt good. Im gonna take TH's advice and get my camcorder set up for next time I head out.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I would be willing to bet you shoot with one eye open, if you were to try shooting with both eyes open you should be able to see your arrow flight all the way to target not to mention extending your shooting time by 15+ minutes. The people I have talked into changing was very surprised at the outcome....WW


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