How long must it take?

[bk_tradguy88]

As this season carries on, I start to wonder again. Will this season be another that I don't fill a tag with my bow. Granted, this is only my 2nd season hunting trad, I still wonder. I have had chances, and blown them. All over little mistakes. The last was Friday. I had set up on a heavily worn trail underneath a tree with some nice, low hanging limbs. i cleared the leaves away, trimmed a couple shooting lanes, and rearranged a little brush. Was nicely tucked away, and testing out my asbell wool pullover(I think I'm going to be addicted to this garment after this hunt). I had looked down for a minute, and as soon as I looked back up there was a small buck and a doe about 15 yards to my left emerging from the thicket. I was waiting for them to get on the trail when the buck turned my direction and started feeding. He fed to within 12-15 feet of me amd turned broadside. I already had a little tention on the string and was just waiting to raise my bow. He turned his head completely away, and just as I started to lift my bow my lower limb hit something. I was unable to remove the 6" base from an old sappling that was just beside me, and this had just blown my first trad buck. When he blew and ran the doe stepped out to see what had bothered him and offered me a 20 yard shot. I made that shot perfect, but she was out of the way when the arrow arrived. So how long did it take ya'll to make your first trad harvest? I just knew mine would be this year, but am starting to wonder.
B

[Deb]

That is just the way it goes. Be patient, it will all come together.

[trad"Doc"53]

Trad is nerve racking for sure! It took me something like 4 years before I connected on my first. Just be patient and don't get hung up on just the killing part. I was thinking back the one time I got to go this year and it has been 14 years since I killed a deer with my bow. I've taken a couple hogs and that's it. Just hang in there and it will come together for you.

[Wayne Meuir]

I did not get one last year, and so far this year I have nothing. I have only had one shooter in bow range. It was a cull buck with a nice heavy four point rack on one side and a 15" spike on the other. Shot right over his back from 22 yards. I think I am snake bit when it comes to shooting deer. I shot a quail dead center the next day at the same set up and the same distance. i just seem to go brain dead when a deer steps out.
Shot a turkey hen from the same blind last week, right through the middle. She ran off with my arrow sticking all the way through her and I never found her.

Wayne

[Selfbowman]

The more you are in the woods with them the sooner it will be. Ask Bisch, Sam Stevens,Buff,Chunky, all the diehards are in the woods all the time.

[Draco]

Bow hunting is for sure a learn as you go thing. Your problem is not in your hunting skills or in your shooting skills. Your problem is in your "when to shoot skill". It's the most important skill in bow hunting. You have to learn it by observing a lot of animals and making a lot of mistakes, that's just the way it is. The longer you hunt, the better you are at it.

You may also need to sharpen your stand building skills. Getting close is not the only thing to consider. Getting a shot off undetected is very important to success. You might want to go up with your stands, a ladder or a tree stand possibly. Drawing with out the deer seeing you draw is paramount to success.

[EnW]

I killed a possum within the first few months of picking up a bow . I killed my first trad deer in my second season of hunting.

[MeatEater]

Keep at it and it will all come together.

[Chunky]

The more you are in the woods with them the sooner it will be. Ask Bisch, Sam Stevens,Buff,Chunky, all the diehards are in the woods all the time.

This very true, the more time spent the more opportunity. And thanks for the compliment of calling me a diehard.

I spent one year, switching back and forth between compound and trad. The next year I committed to all trad. I killed a hog at a hog hunting place that was filthy with them to get my first.

A deer took longer...ah the stories and memories of all those blown chances and stupid mistakes. I once shot 4 arrows at the same deer. I would have shot more but that was all I had with me. The little doe was unconcerned as she seemed to know I was not dangerous.

[Uncle Saggy]

3 was a charm for me. Three years of mistakes and misses before it all came together.....hang in there

[HEADHUNTER71]

not a trad guy ,but hang in there bud this is my 3 yr n still no deer with my bow.

[widdler]

The more time you spend at it the better your chances.

[Mike Javi Cooper]

I was sitting here halfheartedly watching one of the bowhunting shows on TV and reading this thread when a commercial came on that had the actor shouting “IT’S IN THE DETAILS”, “IT’S IN THE DETAILS” and that statement is very applicable to hunting in general but especially with traditional equipment.

I’m not going to dissect your story and explain all the things that went wrong because I think you know what caused you to lose the opportunity… I’m just going to say that the closer the animal, the more each detail matters…

I’d suggest you find an experienced trad hunter to mentor you or if that’s not practical watch for trad hunts here in the forum and join them… I think most of us are more than willing to share our knowledge and experience with someone who is willing to learn…

To answer your original question I killed my first archery deer by accident on a rabbit/hog/Javelina hunt.. The accident wasn’t shooting the deer; it was just an accident that I saw a deer on that hunt (there was not the number of deer back then that we have today). I had been hunting with a bow for two or three years at that point, but never specifically for deer.

[Texas5o]

I guess I was fortunate my first year of hunting traditional to have a place to hunt where deer showed up every time you sat in a stand, so I had plenty of shooting opportunity. I missed the first two (or three) shots by shooting over the backs of the deer. Then finally I connected, but it was a gut shot. Fortunately I had enough general hunting experience at that time to leave the doe until the next morning and not push her. I recovered her about 1/4 mile from where I shot her but it took a lot of looking to find her.
I've shot quite a few since but none were as hard as that first one.

[jerp]

This is my first season with trad gear and I've now put in about 10 sits with my longbow. I've yet to fling an arrow but I'm not at all discouraged or disappointed, largely because I knew what to expect. When I made the switch I accepted the fact that it might take me a long time to connect. No way around it - hunting with stick and string reduces your odds considerably. I know if I keep after it eventually the stars will align and it will happen. The other reason I'm not bothered by the lack of blood spillage is I'm having fun just shooting in the yard and learning about trad - it's really recharged my "archery batteries".