what am I doing wrong?

[lubbockdave]

did a quick "inventory" first bow hunt success was 15 yrs ago...
8pt shot at 20 yards-recovered 100 yards from the stand-double lung
10pt shot at 15 yards-crashed 25 yards after shot-heart shot
5 pt shot 25 yards away-hit too far back-took 5 hours to recover
9 point-hit too far in front-neck shot-saw him several times on camera with a wound on the neck-recovered his antlers after season
doe-not sure what happened-never recovered
mule deer shot at 20 yards-heart shot-recovered within 50 yards of the stand
last nights deer-pending...


so out of 7 deer total I have lost 2 possibly 3-pretty terrible track record so far.

but of the small sample size, the success stories were 20 yards or less with better shot placement/heart shots, so maybe I am learning something...

[asu-indian]

Don’t forget to aim for the exit too. Quartering away or quartering to , right behind the shoulder is not ideal.
Honestly, they aren’t that hard to kill. Just got to hit them in the vitals.

Straight up fact. If a hunter can't hit a target the size of a deer's vitals with a bow inside 40 yards, them maybe a rifle would be a better choice.

[Gumbo Man]

but of the small sample size, the success stories were 20 yards or less with better shot placement/heart shots, so maybe I am learning something...

Light bulb moment. The most disciplined bow hunters will always get less shots but recover most of their game.

[SaltwaterSlick]

If that crossbow has a scope on it with crosshairs, this what I have taught my grandsons 10-12 year-olds). Put the vertical crosshair up/down the front leg if the deer is broadside. Put the horizontal crosshair just above the knuckle in the upper shoulder. If the deer is quartering away, put the vertical crosshair between the legs and same location on horizontal crosshair. If the deer is quartering to, do not shoot.
If that is your aiming principle, and you hit where you are aiming, you’ll have a dead deer at the end of a good blood trail.
The one thing I have come to understand after almost 50 years of shooting deer with a bow, I try NOT to directly hit the heart. I try to go above it. Heart shot deer will usually be dead in 30 seconds or less but in that 30 seconds, they can run 200 or more yards. Heart shot deer haul it out of there at hyper speed. Whereas a double lung shot deer will be just as dead just as quick and often times won’t even run hard, especially if you happen to slip the arrow between the ribs without hitting them directly. Blood trail may not be as good as a heart shot but it will be a LOT shorter!

[glen]

I always like quartered away shots. Lost a few with longbow broadside. Started taking quartering away shots and problem solved.

Stay after it.

[Benno]

You might find him if you get permission.
Margin of error is pretty good size if you're shooting for a double lung. Keep at it.

X2
Everyone wants to tell you where the heart is. Make a fist, that’s what you’re trying to hit under pressure, breathing heavy, heart rate elevated. You want to shoot at a fist or a pie plate? Take out both lungs and you have a dead deer. Shoot at a fist and miss a little forward or low your ordering Dominoes for dinner.

[Jon B]

Keep at it. Shoot em in the deadly V. Don't be afraid to wait. Lots of deer are jumped after the shot.

[lubbockdave]

If that crossbow has a scope on it with crosshairs, this what I have taught my grandsons 10-12 year-olds). Put the vertical crosshair up/down the front leg if the deer is broadside. Put the horizontal crosshair just above the knuckle in the upper shoulder. If the deer is quartering away, put the vertical crosshair between the legs and same location on horizontal crosshair. If the deer is quartering to, do not shoot.
If that is your aiming principle, and you hit where you are aiming, you’ll have a dead deer at the end of a good blood trail.
The one thing I have come to understand after almost 50 years of shooting deer with a bow, I try NOT to directly hit the heart. I try to go above it. Heart shot deer will usually be dead in 30 seconds or less but in that 30 seconds, they can run 200 or more yards. Heart shot deer haul it out of there at hyper speed. Whereas a double lung shot deer will be just as dead just as quick and often times won’t even run hard, especially if you happen to slip the arrow between the ribs without hitting them directly. Blood trail may not be as good as a heart shot but it will be a LOT shorter!

got it!

[lubbockdave]

Keep at it. Shoot em in the deadly V. Don't be afraid to wait. Lots of deer are jumped after the shot.

deadly V?

[lubbockdave]

got to cross the fence this afternoon-found one more good spot of blood about 80 yards in and that was it...I hope he heals or died quietly and relatively quickly. Hate being the cause of anything suffering. Got to get better at this-more disciplined (20 yards and in) and precise with my shot placement. Thank you all for the education

[bowhuntertex]

the only animals I shoot over 20 yards are pigs. I have been bowhunting for 30 years and let a lot of deer walk because I didn't get the shot I wanted. Bowhunting takes a lot of patience. Over that span I have only lost 3 deer and one I redeemed myself on the following year. Stick with it, practice, and be patient and you will be fine.

[AntlerCollector]

what am I doing wrong?

deadly V?

The bone structure makes the “deadly V”. It’s a sideways V





This^^^^ yellow area is pretty much where you want to aim. I believe if you start shooting just a bit more forward you will get more heart shots. This will result in shorter, bloodier, trails.


Take a good look at the leg bone structure. Lots of folks shoot too far back. The bone goes far forward leaving a good opening for a heart shot.

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[Boomerang]

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/L...MaAieAEALw_wcB



The packages “claim” the razors are sharp, they are NOT!!! Cut a piece of paper, in the past my experience the razors will NOT cut the paper. Ends up tearing and snagging. Get something like a Lansky sharpener where you can be precise. I have always made the grooves from the tip of the arrow towards the threads.

I have shot deer before and never found them with good shot placement. The lightbulb came on when I tried cutting some paper and the arrow was so dull (factory out of the package).

Once I sharpened these, literally have had deer wilt in their tracks within seconds watching their nose turn red. The longest any have run have been about 40 yards with this type of head.

I have used a 6 blade mechanical with huge blades. Shot a doe with a perfect shot in dead yellow grass. Massive blood to track and she ran about 200 yards! The only correlation I can make is the thinner mechanical blades can dull easier and/or break off?

The heavy fixed blade that I sharpen have been precisely accurate to shoot the necks off turkeys or any shot placement.

The deer that ran 40 yards was a forced shot. More than quartering away, arrow angled up and cut all the arteries along the spine, deflected down and cut the lungs. Usually try to slip the arrow behind the shoulder when the leg is walking forward.

My shots have been accurate, none of them perfect. The significant difference is SHARP arrows! Once I sharpened the heavy blades, they drop fast and have never lost one.

[Boomerang]

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/magn...ade-broadheads
.

[rtp]

A lot of good advice. I believe as others have mentioned, with your statement of aiming just behind the shoulder, you are probably hitting too far back. Others have mentioned shooting with the front leg straight up and down. I prefer a slight quartering away shot and the wait until the deer places that front leg forward. It really opens up the “pocket “. I usually aim at the heart. If the deer remains still, I get a center punched heart. If it drops some when I release the arrow, double lung.

More than 50% of the animals I shoot are hit in the heart. Unlike Charlie’s experiences, I have found all of my heart shot animals in short order. All less than 100 yards and most around 50 yards.


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