Help!! im loosing my mind!!!

[maximus]

Hi all. I am soooo angry/confused. AAAAARGGGGGG!!!
I was out sitting in my tree stand a couple of days ago. watch 2 does come out at about 50 yrds. watch em for a bit,the take a shot. deer run off. i get down,find my arrow. have some white hair on it and very little blood. deer sonters off like nothing. looks like i skinned its belly. look for blood anyways just in case....nothing. next day put crossbow on shooting stand,decoy out at 50yds. looks like it was off abit. make my adjustments,shoot some more,dead on!!!
got back to sit in my tree tonite......ok guys here 's where it gets weird for me.
5:45pm watch a nice 8pt buck walk over to my corn at 25yds!!!!! take my time watching him through my scope....line him up on my pin and pull the trigger.............nothing. arrow misses completely....so badly that the deer looks up at me,them continues to eat.....i re cock my bow slowly....and i get to take a second shot,lucky me,right??? same thing. miss him completely....he flinches,continues eating. i have no more bolts to shoot,so iwatch him eat some more and be on his way. i get down,look for arrows,blood???? nothing. no arrows,no blood. i dont drink,lol. wtf?????
get home,stand 25yds from my decoy,zzzzing! dead on. Please help.im going out of my mind.

[one shot scott]

Are you shooting from a blind or treestand? You may have to compensate for the angle. The 50 yard miss I understand but the 25 should have done it.

[bob1961]

what kind of noise did the arrows make when they hit........bob

....

[See4miles]

I thought baiting was banned in Ontario????

And, you may have a little buck fever....................

[peter p]

What scope do you have on your bow?
How did you adjust your 50 yard pin after you missed?
Where were you aiming at the buck?

Answer these and we may be able to figure it out.

[wabi]

Are you shooting broadheads you have checked the accuracy of on a target?

[RichJ]

Sounds like you are focusing on the deer and not your crosshairs. Maybe even your form. Maybe you are looking for the arrow instead of following through with the shot. It only takes a hair of movement before the bolt is off the rail to miss your mark.

[one shot scott]

I thought baiting was banned in Ontario????

Not yet, I predict next year the way things are going downhill. Using any kind of attractant made from real deer is banned as of this season tho.

Good ol Bantario.

[See4miles]

That's how things have been rolling in MI. as well.

I have noticed though, watching others shoot, that they lift their heads too quick to try and see the shot. I think its because crossbow arrows fly so fast compared to the vertical bows we all used to use, that in our desire to see that arrow, we don't have a good follow-through. I think I was doing it to, until I noticed others doing it and made myself break the habit and trust the equipment to do what I know it can do.

[sumner4991]

Houdini Deer. Make themselves look further away than they actually are . . .I've missed a couple of those too.

I suggest taking practice shots from your stand.

Good luck next time.

[Riflemanz]

Buy a laser range finder for exact yardage.Shoot your brodaheads you plan on hunting with.Don't move the bow when pulling the trigger.

[R.J.]

Hmmmmm ? .... I can't figure that one out ?

[MADMAX2]

Lots of good advice here and too many variables but good luck,keep giving us an update it's probably something simple.
When you missed did you find your arrow and range the distance the buck was standing and where the arrow hit the ground?
I always put out markers at 20 & 30 yds because I do not use a rangefinder takes the guesswork out of my shots when I take stand or ground blind.

[maximus]

thanks for the reply guys,
I have been hunting with my excal cb for 7 years. Have shot and recovered over 25 deer. Im not new at this.
i have a range finder. ranged the deer at 25 yds. am very confident with my shooting. shoot decoys at 60yds on a regular basis.
Thats why im soooo confused.
nothing has changed in terms of hardware. use strichnine 125 grain heads that expand to 2inches and love them. dont have to go too far to recover my kill.

[one shot scott]

Are you using feild tips at home when you shoot? Im just throwing this out there, but are they old b/heads and could they be opening in flight when shooting while hunting? It might explain why you cant find the arrows.