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Who All Missed Their First Deer?

badger

*Supporting Member*
Was curious how many of you missed the first deer you shot at with a bow?

I'll start it out. I had five deer within twenty yards with a mature doe broadside. Managed to draw back and release my arrow that stuck in the ground a good 5' in front of her. They all looked up at me, and swear they were laughing as they ran away.

I was hooked!
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
The only deer I've ever missed with a bow just happened to be the biggest buck I've ever seen while hunting. I definitely would have rather missed my first one than to have missed that buck.

The first deer I ever shot at with a bow ended up being a spine hit. I misjudged the yardage a bit and sent one right into his spine... dropped him in the scrape he was checking.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
I missed my first deer period with a gun, with a bow I hit a nice 12 pointer, tracked for 3/4 mile and lost it. I was using an old PSE Foxfire compound that was ancient and sounded like a firecracker going off when you shot. The big boy jumped the string and I hit him high and back.

First 2 deer with compound got smoked! I don't think i've had a clean miss since, but made one or two more bad shots on deer since then. In the past few years i've been more picky about shot selection.
 

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
97
ohio
I killed the first deer that walked in front of me with my bow. It wasnt a good shot, but I killed it! haha I pulled a hoytmania on it and shot it in the femoral artery. just below the spine and just in front of the hind quarter.

Although, I have missed my fair share of deer. I actually missed a doe this year under 10 yards. When I released the arrow my cam was to close to my knee and it hit my left, causeing a disaster in arrow flight!
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Gut shot a nice 8. Found it the next day. I was shooting an old Proline Raven. Took a bad shot angle because i was nervous. That's when i learned that at that angle, a deer only needs to move a couple inches forward to move the arrow back a foot.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
The very first deer I missed with my bow was a doe. I was sitting on a deadfall that was laying across the creek and the doe and her 2 fawns worked their way down the creek bank right to me. The momma decided to stop and take a drink from the creek about 10 yards on the far bank. She was facing me and I had a moment of stupidity and thought I could slip that BH right down the dip in her chest sending the arrow into her lungs. Sounded good lol. The arrow clipped her chest and right leg where they join and off she went like a flash lol. I shaved some hair and dripped a little blood that day but it just wasn't to be. I took that same doe later on in the season during the week of gun season. She had a nice little scare from our first encounter :D.

It is very humbling and can make you look completely stupid out there sometimes lol. I love bow hunting.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
I missed a huge buck during gun season two years ago. It was a 50 yd chip shot. He was up on the top of the ridge and I was below in the creek bed. I didnt account for the angle. I put my sights on the boiler room and clean missed him. No hair, no blood, nothing. I looked for that deerfor 3 days and never found him. I thought for sure I hit him. How could I miss at 50 yds. I thought for sure the angle wouldnt have came into play, but I guess it did. Either that or I dropped the gun down in mid shot. Who knows, but it curls my stomach to this day. Could of had a mid 140's on my wall right now.
 
I grazed a doe low last year.I consider it a miss.30yrds shot i knew how far it was..I used my 20 pin an rushed the shot.A arrow going 240fps drops a bit between 20 an 30yrds.I know i grazed her cause there WAS NOT blood all the way around the arrow..Only 1/3 of the diameter had blood an 1 vane.There was a bit of white hair on the ground.I backed out an came back a few hours later.Ran out of blood after about 12 feet an there wasnt much in that 12feet.I did a grid search for a lil over a acre.
This year i tryed and thread the needle.Through some brush about 7yrds away.The doe was 20yrds..It deflected an she didnt even flinch of move.That was a idiot shot to take an i know it..Gotta learn i guess
 

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
Im guilty of missing my first deer with a bow..shot over her, she ran about 5 yards and stopped. Gave me enough time to knock another arrow and double lung her. She ran about 30 yards and died. Then, about 5 minutes later 3 more does walked up and ate for about a half hour in the food plot while the doe i shot was just 30 yards away dead haha.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
First deer with I shot at with a bow.... HHHmmmmm lets see it was a sunny warm October afternoon hunt I was about 20 feet up a tree in a TSS climber made of wood.... A button buck came out in front of me (deer were rare back then) the little booger bedded down in front of me not offering a shot... 20 minutes I waited for that little SOB (son of a buck).... I sat back down and he finnally decided to get up and pee.... Well he turned broadside at about 25 yards and I lined up on the boiler maker and let it fly right over his back.... Well the arrow stuck in the ground behind him and he jumped and moved about ten yards closer... Knocked up another arrow and he was semi-quartering away from me... Lined back up and let it fly again..... Right underneath him I swear I saw hair fly off of him as he jumped 3 feet into the air.... Well he trotted back over to where I shot at him the first time and he stopped broadside again.... I swear I felt this go on for like an hour but it was only a couple of minutes... Well knocked up the third and my last arrow.... Lined up my pin and let it fly again and it was heading right for the kill zone and as soon as it hit a rib the arrow deflected straight up into the spine the deer dropped like a sack of potatoes and kicked a couple of times and that was it.... Got down out of the tree and collected my arrows and the rest is history lol.... I remember that lie it was yesterday lol and it was actually 1988... Man time fly's
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
The first deer I shot at was a 6 point when I was 13. I was set up on a spoil bank overlooking a field. He walked right at the base of the bank. The first shot I aimed at 15 yards and shot right under him. He never moved. The next shot I aimed at 20 yards and I shot over him. He moved a bit. I aim at 20 again and shoot under him. Then he WALKS away. He probably thought "this dude sucks" and figured if I can't hit him standing still how will I hit him walking. Actually, he never acted alarmed and I don't think he had a clue anything was going on. Either that or he was suicidal.
I was out of arrows or I know I wouldve got him the fourth time! Bastard!!!
 

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
With a gun I missed 15 or 20 (seriously). I'd get to excited and forget to aim. I'd usually just point the gun in the direction of the deer and start unloading.

With a compound I missed one or two.

Trad bow I missed one.
 

Hoytmania

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
11,518
167
Gods Country
I'd get to excited and forget to aim. I'd usually just point the gun in the direction of the deer and start unloading.

TF goes GANGSTA style while hunting with a gun. HAHAHA that right there made me laugh.


Didn't miss my first. My first was a very nice 11 point (the amish picture for you that have seen it). I can't remember ever missing when I hunted with the crossbow.

My first with my compound was a small 7 point. It was my first season hunting with it and I so desperately wanted to get a kill under my belt. This buck came wondering through at forty yards and I put right behind the shoulder. The only miss that really sticks out in my mind is a huge doe that I missed last year. She came out into the bean field with two yearlings and I don't know what happened. Pretty sure I just rushed the shot and shot right over her back. I am sure there where other misses I just can't remember any of them.
 

formerbowhunter1023

Now Posts as Jesse..
0
0
SE Ohio
I missed a decent 8 point on my first hunt when I was 8 with my .410, then proceeded to miss a 6 point when I was 10 with a 20 gauge. By the time I started bowhunting, I was known for missing. I missed a doe at 18 yards on my first bowhunt. The following fall, I missed a doe at 20 yards, then shot her 5 minutes later at 25. That was 2000 and knock on wood, I have not missed a deer since. (Other than the 130" 9 I shot at on the run in 2005 with my muzzleloader.) I'm on a good stretch, hope I don't jinx myself!!!
 

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
TF goes GANGSTA style while hunting with a gun. HAHAHA that right there made me laugh.

Seriously that was close to what it was. Man I used to take some crap from my friends. A Marine, qualified as an expert marksman, who couldn't hit a deer to save his life!

That all changed in 1995 when just before I started going medieval I paused, took a break, looked at the cross hairs in my scope, relaxed, aimed, focused, and slowly pulled the trigger. The result........ My first dead Button Buck!!!!!