Lets hear about your Most Epic/Embarassing/Ridiculous Misses

[Roy]

LOL Pat, I did the very same thing but the three only came by once:) Closest shot I ever missed was on a spike at 5 yards from the ground. We had a stare down for a minute and as he turned to walk away, I shot right under him at 5 yards. He walked 5 yards and stopped and I shot right under him, he walked 5 yards and stopped and I shot over him, then I said out loud, get the heck out of here:) LOL

[Marks]

Either that or missing a big buck with my bow right under my stand when I could have dropped on its back with a Bowie knife and killed it easy. I didn't have any pins set that close.

I had a coyote give me a SUPER close quartering away shot like that once. I canted the bow and lined all my pins down her back. Dead yote. I mouth called the whole pack in when they started howling a little ways down the ridge. In the spirit of this thread, I missed one of the other ones at 20 yds.

[Olanigw (Pekane)]

Got caught with my pants down by a pair of doe inside of 30 yards at the end of blackpowder season and decided to get my rifle up when they passed behind a rise and nail one when they came out the other side.  Waited patiently for 10 minutes before I realized the trail they were on took a turn away from me and I should have taken a snap shot.

[uncleduck]

First time out with my first bow that I made....cut in a ground blind two weeks earlier in a clump of junipers about 7-8 yards off of a nice deer trail in WY....first morning after about 35 minutes of sitting, here comes a nice plump muley doe down the trail, "this is just too easy"...Quartering away at 8 yards, a "gimmie" shot...I hit a branch deflecting the arrow in front of the deer by about 7" as I sat there in awe as she bounced off to about 50 yards and stood there looking for what happened....turns out the branch I hit was one that I actually put there myself when I built the blind. I was too focused on "the spot" to even notice it

[Eric Krewson]

Back in the early 70s, when I took up bow hunting, I would shoot my Kodiak Hunter at a bale of hay in the yard, never varied the distance, just pumped arrow after arrow into the same place. I could hit really well in the wide open yard.

Tennessee opened an area for hunting (Carter Mt Management Area) that hadn't had a hunter on it many years. The deer were really thick, had never seen a hunter and offered very easy shot opportunities.

Tree stands hadn't come out yet so we stalked around on the ground, I carried 6 arrows. One morning I shot out of arrows and then some, never touched a deer. Buck fever, failure to pick a spot and my inexperience made every deer in the woods safe.

My worst miss happened when I was sitting on a log resting when a spike walked by at about 20 yards. Buck fever took over, I yanked my bow string back and sent an arrow in the direction of the deer. The arrow disappeared , went "thonk" and the deer ran off. I lost track of the arrow flight  and thought I had surely hit the deer. I looked for my arrow, I looked for blood, I looked for the deer all to no avail. I walked back to the log I was sitting on and replayed the shot. It was then that I noticed my arrow stuck in a tree 10 feet above where the deer was standing. A foot miss, OK perhaps, but ten feet, now that's a bad case of buck fever.

I probably shot at 25 or 30 deer that year, only killed one that came by at about 5 feet when I was hiding behind a boulder. I shot at it's chest and hit it in the middle of the neck.

You can see the wound in the neck about a foot below the head in the picture.



I don't remember when I killed another deer with my bow, pretty sure it was with wheels. When I went back to trad in 89, started shooting a lot of 3D tournaments and learned to pick a spot, the deer didn't stand a chance, no more ten foot misses or any misses for the most part.   

[Badly Bent]

Two years ago I had a fine large mature doe just appear out of nowhere and stand broadside at 15 yds completely unaware of me 12' up in a treestand. It was opening day and I thought the gods had given me a gift. Never had a
deer allow me to take three shots before but this one did. All broadside between 13 to 15 yards. Shots were 12" high, then 6" high and the third one flew wildly by her head as the stone point had loosened when I yanked it out of my quiver and was apparently askew on the shaft. She finally ran off when the third one whizzed by her ears.

Heres another embarrassing one. Fast forward a few weeks and I'm in the woods at daybreak scanning the woods
with my eyes and see a coyote moving down a trail in the hardwoods in my direction. I take a knee, nock an arrow and he is quickly closing the distance. When he is 8 yds away, moving and unaware of my presence, I draw back, mouth squeak him to a stop and nail him right behind the font shoulder with a very well placed arrow. He runs 50yds, stops and looks back in my direction then trots off looking unharmed. I go to where I had hit him and find  my arrow laying on the ground with the leather sheath cover still on it. Seems I forgot to remove the sheath in all
the excitement of the hunt gods giving me another gift.   Arrow just bounced off the yote.

[sleek]

Now that is funny. Way to play tag with the animals there bud! Good way to practice on animals you dont really wanna kill and take home, shoot em with wide point blunts. At least you didnt hit the deer with the sheath still on. Stumping for yotes.....  Hilarious!

[Danzn Bar]

I really don't have any embarrassing moments with a bow an arrow ...yet...well maybe this post is it.......I've been hunting with tradition equipment for about three years now, This will be the first year with a self bow that I feel confident enough with letting an arrow fly at a deer.  I have never released an arrow at a deer in the last three years.  :embarassed:  I have a lot of respect for those critters.  But after many years of gun (muzzleloading) hunting I know sh#! happens.  Once a big old doe surprised me and came up from behind, I shot at her at about 15 yds away with my 54 cal Hawkens  and completely missed.  She just looked around like noting happened, it was very windy and noisy that morning.  I stayed very still for it seamed like forever.  and she went about eating acorns under the tree that I set up on.   I waited long enough until I thought she was comfortable and I got a chance to re-load.  I couldn't believe it!  She never gave me a chance for another shot and ended up walking away.  Busted that morning.... but that's hunting.
DBar

[crooketarrow]

  There's been lots of miss's but 3 have stuck out though the years.
 
 When I was 11 or 12 in the early 70's I was hunting with a BEAR BOW off the ground. I'd already killedc a buck and a doe the last year. So I was a bow hunter I thought. I set up and had 5 does come down my trail at 12,13 yards. I shot 3 times at the second doe as she looked me over. Twice at her fawn and 2 times at there tails as they left.

  Switch to my last year with a compound. Almost 30 years ago. I was up in a 20 foot in a homemade latter stand. I had a eagle bow. A 9 point came by following a doe. I missed him a 30 yards. They ran to almost straight downunder me, I was setting down. The bottem limb hit my knee as I shot at him hitting the doe in the between the eyes. Sending me to he DOC. 2 DAYS LATER.

  The next year I switched back to a recurve. I was in a climber 25 feet up. When I had a 6 point come 5 yards. I had 4 arrows when I finished shooting my 4 arrows. HE WAS STILL THERE. He ran off as I climbed down. A few mintes later my friend missed him also, running him back. I shot 2 more arrows at less than 20 yards. If he's stayed I'd shot the other 2 again.
  SEAMS FUNNY OW BUT I STARTED CARRYING 6 ARROWS AND DID FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.

   I guess I should tell you all this one. I'd been hunting with a self bow for 15 years at least. I'd killed at least 20 bucks with a self bow by then. I had a stone points and dog wood shafts.  I had a decoy set up 20 yards faceing me in a wide open cut bean field. The biggest buck I've even shot at with a self bow, a heavy 10 point,6,7 year old, 140. A 140's not unreard but a true pig for my part of WV.
   HE WALKED ALL STIFF LEGGED 6,7 YARDS AWAY BETWEEN ME AND THE DECOY. STANDIND STILL, BROAD SIDE ,LOOKING AWAY.  Just like he's read the scrip. I missed him clean shot over him 5 or 6 inchs.
  It took me salking around the rest of the season to get over that one.
  If I had'nt aready arrowed and killed a 4 year old 7 point I'd likely cried.

[lesken2011]

I good buddy of mine and I were sitting around the camp house after a big lunch one weekend. We were the only ones left at the camp that weekend of bow season since we had taken an extra day off work. After trying to decide whether to take a quick nap or head to the woods, we decided it would be better to be in the woods and if we got sleepy we could always catch a few winks with nature.

While riding the 4 wheelers several miles from the camp, we came across a huge white oak on the 4-wheeler trail that was dropping acorns bigger than your thumb like a candy machine. It was a very active feeding area and there were deer droppings everywhere. The spot was where the trail skirted a large cut over. Still full from lunch, and wanting to catch up since we were both from different towns and didn't get to visit often, we came up with a plan. There was a logging road leading straight from the cut over to the white oak tree that was covered with tracks. There was a bend in the road about 30 yards from the white oak tree with a small row of bushes along  the road next to a couple of large trees and a pushed up dirt and debris pile. The perfect ambush spot!

We decided to team hunt 'em so we could shoot the breeze and weren't really taking the whole thing too seriously so we sat our camping chairs right along the edge of the logging road behind the bushes. After whispering for while I thought I heard something to my left (my partner was on my right and responsible for anything on that side). I looked over at him to "give him the nod" and he was sound asleep. I twisted myself around to the edge of my seat to prepare for a shot and could see legs coming around the bend just before the debris pile. A huge doe around 175 to 200 lbs rounded the corner making a bee line for the white oak. She walked by so close I could have held one end of my bow and touched her with the other end. I was so freaked out, I drew and fired and shot right over her back. (my windage was perfect though! ). She spooked and ran off down the hill through the woods.

By then my buddy was awake and we were laughing about it when I heard something again. I don't know if it was the same doe or her twin, but she came around the corner again. I told my self this time don't shoot over her...don't shoot over her....aim low. Then this little voice in my head said don't shoot under her either. Then I promptly shot over her again in the exact same spot! It was a good hour before dark and we were laughing so hard we didn't get a bit of hunting done the rest of the day.

[lostarrow]

Two years ago I had a fine large mature doe just appear out of nowhere and stand broadside at 15 yds completely unaware of me 12' up in a treestand. It was opening day and I thought the gods had given me a gift. Never had a
deer allow me to take three shots before but this one did. All broadside between 13 to 15 yards. Shots were 12" high, then 6" high and the third one flew wildly by her head as the stone point had loosened when I yanked it out of my quiver and was apparently askew on the shaft. She finally ran off when the third one whizzed by her ears.

Heres another embarrassing one. Fast forward a few weeks and I'm in the woods at daybreak scanning the woods
with my eyes and see a coyote moving down a trail in the hardwoods in my direction. I take a knee, nock an arrow and he is quickly closing the distance. When he is 8 yds away, moving and unaware of my presence, I draw back, mouth squeak him to a stop and nail him right behind the font shoulder with a very well placed arrow. He runs 50yds, stops and looks back in my direction then trots off looking unharmed. I go to where I had hit him and find  my arrow laying on the ground with the leather sheath cover still on it. Seems I forgot to remove the sheath in all
the excitement of the hunt gods giving me another gift.   Arrow just bounced off the yote.

 We're not allowed to practice catch and release hunting up here, but it sounds like good practice for the deer you really want to shoot.

[Roy]

LMAO, Kenny:)

[JW_Halverson]

Then I promptly shot over her again in the exact same spot! It was a good hour before dark and we were laughing so hard we didn't get a bit of hunting done the rest of the day.

You shoulda moved your chair over a foot or so, your second arrow followed the last arrow's trail thru the air!

[4dog]

Coupla friends of mine took me to a spot to look for pig wallows for a hunt , all of us packin our bows,, we start lookin around and cottontails are everywhere..for those of you that never took a shot at a bunny they have invisible shields around em...anyway we all emptied our quivers at the bunnies it was hilarious, take a shot at 20 yrds bunny moves two feet..then it all starts over..gonna invent a foolproof bunnie shield buster, oh wait..too late..its called practice. Heh

[Marks]

Coupla friends of mine took me to a spot to look for pig wallows for a hunt , all of us packin our bows,, we start lookin around and cottontails are everywhere..for those of you that never took a shot at a bunny they have invisible shields around em...anyway we all emptied our quivers at the bunnies it was hilarious, take a shot at 20 yrds bunny moves two feet..then it all starts over..gonna invent a foolproof bunnie shield buster, oh wait..too late..its called practice. Heh

shotgun. not primitive but you didn't say primitive shield buster