Lost Another One

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I'll only shoot no longer than 25 yards I've learned my lesson and the only one that gained were the coyotes. My buddy always told me if you wait there is always a better shot and if it doesn't happen it wasn't meant to be.

The above statement is very simple and makes alot of sense!

[taz3]

To the OP, thanks for being brave enough to sharing what happened. I have yet to hunt, and I'm trying to learn as much as possible. This is good information for me, so if there's any conciliation to your miss, it has educated me.

At 35 yards, I can hit a 1" dot easily, and would have thought that would be a safe shooting distance, but with the info shared here, I will be that much more prepared.

[VixChix]

At 35 yards, I can hit a 1" dot easily, and would have thought that would be a safe shooting distance, but with the info shared here, I will be that much more prepared.

Yup! Shooting a target accurately at a distance is not the same as shooting a live animal. The speed of sound/speed of arrow is against you after a certain point. Also, at greater distances the animal has just a fraction of a second to think "look at that tasty leaf" and begin moving towards it - that's all it takes to make a good shot bad.

Check out this graph and notice how after 30 yards things start to "head south" so to speak:

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/conten ... ballistics

[Galgo]

Without wanting to insult anyone I might also suggest more practice. You mentioned changed POI from a tree stand. Go up in your stand and set your target out at various distances and you will find no practical change in your POI. You will want to adjust your POI for different angles and deer positions and there are some good graphics and even an animated web site on line that will help for that. Also realize the differences in blood trail from a relatively level ground shot as compared to a high entry/low exit tree stand shot.

All these factors will help you make better shots and shot selections that will equal a better ratio of shots taken to deer taken and a much better hunting experience. Hope this helps. I also found lighted nocks really take the guesswork out of shot placement. You will know exactly and immediately where the shot hit and that might make the difference between pushing a poorly hit deer and backing out and letting it expire.

F

[IH8ATTN]

At 35 yards, I can hit a 1" dot easily, and would have thought that would be a safe shooting distance, but with the info shared here, I will be that much more prepared.

Yup! Shooting a target accurately at a distance is not the same as shooting a live animal. The speed of sound/speed of arrow is against you after a certain point. Also, at greater distances the animal has just a fraction of a second to think "look at that tasty leaf" and begin moving towards it - that's all it takes to make a good shot bad.

Check out this graph and notice how after 30 yards things start to "head south" so to speak:

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/conten ... ballistics

Couldn't of said it any better. I can hit 30's no problem target shooting but when there is a huge 13 pointer drop tine (well in my case) hung up and you think to shoot, your nerves will get the best of you. Like I said keep your shots short and ensure you have a good shot placement and even then things can go south I.e deer drops down, moves forward etc. Basically the shorter distance the faster that arrow takes to get to the sweet spot. Hell I popped my last doe from 17 yards,its the coolest rush ever. Be patient and good luck.