Ya know I read through all of this all the while thinking about my own experience two weeks ago.
I will say that I am relatively new to archery compared to a whole lot of folks. However, the concept of hitting what I am aiming at has always been something that came very naturally to me.
I got into archery hot and heavy last year with a not so expensive set up. IT was a Bowtech Tomkat. It was good enough to get me into hunting cheap enough that if my elbows couldn't handle the strain I wouldn't loose my rear.
This year I purchased the Admiral. After setting it up the way I liked, I went on to adjust and tweak it, until I was hardly able to shoot groups under 30yds with out fearing ruined arrows. I mostly practice groups at 40yds, and even with this I cringe with every cracking noise that come back from the target. So, a couple of weekends ago, I was sitting in one of my stands, more or less just looking to see what might ba around for youth weekend when i get the grandson out. Well after seeing doe with young one, after doe with twins, after doe, I decided to pop the next one by. So along comes a doe and yearling, which is plenty big enough to make it on it's own. So I finally decided nothing else was coming by and since these were standing broadside at 25yds under a feeder oblivious to the fact I was even in the world I would go ahead and take the big one.
No pressure, no excitement other than a slightly racing heart, I drew, held the aim got very comfortable, settled the pin just as she slightly turned away giving me exactly the shot I was looking for, and I slowly tripped the trigger. The impact sounded like a brick hitting soft clay, and she hobbled around the trunk of the tree, and slowly down the hill working hard to get there. I sat motionless for almost 20 minutes before calling the wife on my cell to come pick me up. When she arrived, I eased down to the feeder and found my arrow covered in blood stuck in the ground right about where it should have been from the angle of the shot. I then eased along the trek the doe took finding 3-4" splotches of blood on both sides of the trail. At this point I headed to the truck and we went to the house and had supper, I changed, and even called and talked to a friend before heading back out. Some hour or more had passed, since I had been picked up.
When we got back it had started to drizzle rain and the bigger splotches had already started to thin out and soak into the ground. The deer had turned into some pretty thick stuff requiring me to get almost on my hands and knees to follow. The area was protected by the thick canopy, and the blood continued for close to 50 yds, growing smaller and smaller in size as I went, until it was only a drop every 5 - 10 yds. At about this point the deer came to an opening in the woods which was around 30 or so feet across and covered in about 2' tall grass, but surrounded by the same type thick stuff I just came out of. At this point I lost all blood, tracks, or anything else that would or could have been related to a deer. It was as if it was simply picked up from that spot and taken away. There was nothing, nada, zilch. I searched until 11:00 that night, returned at day break and searched until noon, when it started to pour down rain. Shoot I even brough my dog out there to hopefully try and find something I was missing. He got to the same point at the grass and lost the trail as well. Granted he isn't specifically trained to follow deer, but he has one heck of a nose on him and will follow blood of any type.
Am I confident that I hit where I aimed, yea I am, but it sure as hell don't make me feel any better about the shot or the deer. Would I take it again, yea I would in a heart beat. I shot a couple of hogs this past weekend with much more demanding circumstances and easily and cleanly took two of them out to 35yds and both were down within 30 or so yards of the shots. I am not sure just what happened with the deer. We never saw any buzzards the following week, or have found anything since the initial blood. I know for a fact that the Grizz Trick head I used can and does put a massive hole in things. Generally they do not go far at all.
I would feel completely confident shooting out to 40yds on a relaxed deer like that was, under the same conditions. However, I have hauled in my humility, and decided that for any further deer this year they will be at or under 20yds. For the hogs however, they best stay clear of me within 40yds or less.
