To begin I'm 28 yrs old and I started hunting about 5 years ago. Killed a doe that year with my rifle and haven't really hunted much since this year. I bought a bow before this season and have been practicing a lot. I don't have a lease so I have been primarily hunting cahaba WMA. My dad has been putting a camera out for the past couple of years behind his house just to see what was there. He doesnt have much land but the woods behind his house connect to a much larger area of woods. He has seen some pretty big bucks over the years but always at night. This year he has been seeing one big nine point on camera. I have never hunted it because it's in a very resedential area, an area you wouldn't believe would hold numbers of deer. For that reason I haven't hunted it because i know how hard bowhunting is and I wanted to be in a place that gave me the best chances to see deer.

This morning I get up early and set out to cahaba. I get 20 min down the road and realize I left my bag of camo clothes back at the house. I get off the next exit, which happens to be my parents exit, to turn around and go back. I start thinking and remember I have my thick coveralls in the back of the truck but wasn't planning on wearing them this morning because I would burn up. I decide to just wear them and go give the woods behind my dads house a try. Behind his house is one BIG ridge. On top it's pretty flat. I start walking in about 5:45. I'm sweating and having to take breaks because the ridge is huge And I have a head cold. Finally find a tree and start climbing. Get about 12 feet up and realize there is a branch blocking the rest of the way up. At this point I sweating bullets so I say screw it im staying right here. After 45 mins my heart rate finally slows and I can relax......
7:30- 3 does walk to my right about 50 yds. I'm pumped just to see deer.

7:35- the does start running away from me out of nowhere. I pull up my grunt call just to try and get them to react and then I see him. The big 9 point. He was slowly following them across the ridge. He gets to where they were, stops and looks there way, then turns and heads directly towards me. I CANT believe. The closer he gets the more I realize he is a once in a lifetime deer. (By the way, I have never seen a buck while hunting) He gets 20 yds directly in front of me, I stand up, he then walks to my left then I draw. He stops in an open spot about 18yds away. I put the pin on him and let it fly. First ever shot at a deer. I can't believe it's gonna be a giant buck.

I am sitting on my knees in the woods right now wondering what I did wrong.

First shot right over him. He breaks away and stops about 10 yds away. I get another arrow and wait. He still doesn't know where I am. I watch him look around and after about a minute he calms and starts walking back to where I first shot. I get impatient and take another shot. Probably 30 yds and through some brush. Hits a twig and flys off to the right. He runs off. I have checked for blood and both arrows are clean as they can be.

Obviously I'm pretty down right now. I am thinking about what i could've done different over and over in my head. I have never practiced shooting from a tree stand. Only from the ground. I guess that's part of the problem.

I know this morning will be in my mind for a long time, but I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to see that animal and have this experience. That's what I keep saying to myself anyway to keep me from beating myself up lol.

Sorry for the long post. Just needed to vent.


This is him

Did you draw like normal and then bend at the waste down towards the deer for the shot. If not and you bend down then drew this will cause you to shoot high

I'm pretty sure I did not bend at the waist.

Maybe you moved your bow during the release to see the impact?? Hard to say what went wrong. Don't beat yourself up, you had a cool experience. Plus, everyone misses sooner or later, you just did it sooner.

12 feet up shouldn't be much bending unless he was right under you.

maybe anchor point problem in excitement from seeing the buck. easy to happen

sounds like a fun hunt

My guess is buck fever.... My First deer I ever shot at was 52 steps away. I used my 20 yard pin and spined it. Thank Goodness for range finders now.

They not hard to hit, just easy to miss!

The more I think about it, I just don't think I put a enough time and practice into shooting from a tree stand. On top of not bending at the waist and buck fever. All I can do is laugh. I have been on this forum and listen to you guys preach about bending at the waist and practicing from a stand. And then when the moment comes, all I can think of is draw and shoot.

Definitely this. You probably didn't do much wrong other than rush your shot and not pick a "spot." I still get in too big of a hurry when the shot opportunity presents itself. At 12 feet, there is no reason to bend at the waist. If you get another opportunity...SLOW DOWN!!!!

Now, the good news...doesn't sound like he's too terribly spooked and he's ripe for the picking. I'd spend as much time in the tree at your dad's as you possibly can.

Great write up and a cool story! I hope we see you with him dead in the next couple of days!

Yeah he didn't seem spooked after the first shot at all. After the second he trotted off. Leaving for gatlinburg in the morning. I'll be back in the tree as soon as I get back.

Great story! You'll get him.. Keep at it

Keep at it. We all miss. I am a fan of practicing in the same conditions you hunt; clothes, stand, blind, etc.

The first deer I ever shot at was my largest buck and first buck ever with a bow. I shot a ft over his back. Boy was I down. i read something on here I believe by Shaw that said go through a few steps in your mind before each shot and have done that since. Calm down, bend at waist, follow through. It does help but I still miss some times

You didn’t do anything wrong that 2nd shot man. Its buck fever and it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system that regulates fight or flight. Look, the first shot on a deer like that is tough enough even for the most experienced hunter, much less a circumstance where you get a 2nd shot. That is near to impossible if you haven’t hunted much.

Also, if that’s your first shot on a deer (I believe you said it was), don’t feel bad about shooting over him either. I would be willing to guess that’s the direction of most first time shots. Most hunters I know shot over their first deer. Shooting out of a treestand in general is much different even without adding that buck into the equation.

If he wasn't scared out of his mind he'll be back

From now on practice from an elevated position and bend at the waist. This has been repeated here over and over. If you practice and bend enough it will become second nature. Then you won't be writing excuses, instead you'll be posting pics of your kill. Anytime you are elevated you should bend, under you or not. Once you decide to kill the buck, stop looking at it's antlers ,that only gets you excited. Get a handsaw for those limbs. Good luck and hunt safe

Buck fever

Man, I hate that I've been there. Keep at it.

That's what makes bow hunting so exciting. Get back out there and don't get discouraged. If does are there, he will be back. Deer get stupid during the rut.

I made a bad shot on a good buck last week and didn't recover him. I've killed a lot of deer with a bow and it still happens. That is the fun of bow hunting, it takes a special skill set, as well as keeping it together on the deer. A rifle is just point and shoot most of the time

Better luck next time....

Thats a bruiser there

Do you shoot with your nose on the string?

First off, to start, don't beat yourself up. You shot at him with a bow, he will be back. May take him a day or two to get calmed down, but he will be back for those does and the saftey that ridge provides to him. He doesn't know any better. So don't worry about that.

I will say that you learned a hard lesson about being ready to drop the big one every time you step foot into the woods. I say it time and again on here: hunting is as much of a mental game with yourself as it is a game of pursuing and killing deer. Overcoming those nerves is part of it. And being ready, every time, as mentally exhausting as it can be, is key to killing large deer IMO. It's a hard lesson to learn for hunting newcomers because you really only get to learn the lesson after you get put into a situation like yours.

Give yourself time to calm down next time. Observe the deer for a while, take some deep breaths, and then start your process. I'd bet you messed up your anchor points during all the excitement and that's why the shot went high. Are you using a single pin sight? I had issues missing high or low early on when using a single pin because I would get caught up in the excitement of seeing deer and wasn't taking my time to range them first, stay calm, then start to think about drawing on them.

I'll finish with this. I've had more than a couple bow hunting sessions similar to what you went through. I haven't missed on a huge buck, but I have had some sessions where I have missed twice clean, missed THREE times clean, etc. So I know how it feels. In that same spot where I've messed up I've now killed a decent buck with a bow and another good buck with a rifle. A hot spot is a hot spot, go hunt it again in a few days when the wind is right and kill that deer.

I'm betting buck fever took over and shot at him with both eyes open. I had the same thing happen one time on a buck. Went home shot my bow and it was on. Asked the guys at the archery shop about it, and they said I didn't anchor right or had both eyes open. I've always used a kisser button so that only left one thing it could have been.

I love it!! I know, that's cruel, but we've all been there! You will NEVER get over this one!

Five years ago this week (it was actually on New Years Eve) I was hunting one of my favorite spots and heard deer coming, it was 3 does. I stood up and grabbed my bow, then I heard grunting and more footsteps...when he came in sight I nearly crapped myself, a legit 140/150" deer (I know that's correct because he was killed in the training area next to this two days later) Main frame 8pt with split brows and forks on both G2s, I think he was like 144. I'm sitting on a dim roadbed full of scrapes and the does walk right under me and then veer up the ridge just behind my tree. He sees them going up the hill, so instead of following them exactly, he cuts the corner and walks 15 or so steps straight in front of me, I draw and shoot!!!! I thought I center-punched him, but I watch him run like his hair is on fire for 200 yards out of sight. (I didn't think that was a good sign) All I had done was hit him through the top of both front legs.

I was guilty of not AIMING, in the rush and excitement I don't remember ever aiming at the deer, I just pointed and pulled. The ONE deer I wouldn't want to do that on!!!! Happens to all of us!

Been there before. 2 things...First, you should practice using conditions that simulate real hunting situations. Practice from an elevated stand with and without a range finder to the point where yardage is never an issue. Actually climbing and shooting at randomly set targets would be ideal. Wear the same gear so things feel familiar. You probably just altered your anchor point slightly with things like nerves, gloves, gator, being elevated, dip in your mouth on anchor side, etc. Also, yardage looks very different during dusk and dawn so keep thst in mind. Second, look into joining BHA and shooting at the events. This was the turning point in my bow hunting learning curve. BHA will give you alot of confidence in your ability. I put it to use a few weeks ago when I hit a small doe too far back as she turned on me when I released. Took me 2 hours to find her about 200 yards away but still alive down in a hole but above my level and only about 10 yards away. Her head was the only thing I could see. Thanks to BHA I was able to finish her off with a headshot rather than risk bumping her again. Prior to the shooting experience gained at BHA I would never have been comfortable or successful with something like that.

Something else I do from time to time is when a spike or any deer I'm not going to shoot cruises by I will practice by visualizing the shot, getting in position, going through the motions as if I'm going to shoot the deer without actually drawing. This has helped me learn how to manage my nerves, learn my limits on movement with different situations, and get used to actually going through the process without actually shooting the deer.

It happens to the most experienced hunters. I missed a big 10 point earlier this season because I didn't center my peep with my pin housing. I beat myself up pretty good because it was a rookie mistake and I have been bow hunting for 15 years. I learned from my mistake. Keep hunting and you with connect on a big one and believe me it is an awesome feeling.