Indecision

[TomD]

This is my first season Bow hunting :-D  I've been practicing several days a week for 7 months. I do not practice beyond 30 yds as I will not yet shoot past 25yds in a hunting situation. CT bow season is 4 weeks old, I've hunted about a dozen times and I have done nothing to cull the abundant deer population as the land owner has asked me to do.

I'm hunting a 200+ acre horse farm and I'm the only bow hunter :grin: I've seen deer & turkeys every time I go out which makes even failure fun :?  If I was rifle hunting these past 4 weeks, I could feed the hungry of CT twice over. But this Bow hunting is tough. I've been at full draw several times but Old hens, smart does and my indecision has foiled the kill.

Saturday evening's hunt is going to stick in my craw for a long, long time :evil: After moving on from my original spot early that evening due to unscheduled farm activity in my field (and I still had does at 40 yds), I sat at another ground blind on a new rub line that I recently discovered. After getting to that spot late, and not getting the warm & fuzzy's, I went on the stalk as I headed back to the truck with 1/2 hour of legal hunting to go.

As I approached my target area, a large corral on the edge of the woods at the base of a ridge with 10 yds of grass, then 50yds of thickets in between the woods & the corral, I had the wind with me. As I slowely walked down the edge of the woods, I was looking right, I then panned left, and there he was, a nice 6 pointer staring right at me - broadside. He didn't move, I didn't move. I knew that I had the wind in my favor. After about 20 seconds I slowly started to raise by bow. He's still there. I attached my release. He's still there. As I'm doing this, I'm estimating the distance at 30ish yds...yikes. I start to  sight him in and it hits....INDECISION :twisted:  Is it 30 yds or 35....with less than 30 minutes of light left and the showers starting, do I want to chance this distance and wound him before dark and rainy tracking conditions...Is it really 30 yds or further.........then, HE BOLTED ON THE ROOKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The mental picture of that deer has not left my minds eye for one second since he bolted!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wlscott]

Welcome to bow hunting!!!

That kind of situation is not specific to rookies, I promise.  All you can do is make your decision, and go with it.  Just remember that you also have to live with your decision.

[TomD]

In the back of my mind I know that I made the correct decision (or it was made for me). For me it is easier to live with a no shot - no deer scenario than to live with a bad & wounding shot - no deer scenario.

I think that I need to practice more to get my confidence in my abilities higher!!

[New Hampshire]

I ain't bowhunting yet and I can tell ya you made the right decision!  If you read the post I made a bit further down called "my ethics rant" you know about a certain bowhunter I work with.  He keeps telling me things like "you'll see when the time comes" when he wants to make excuses for his shoddy hunting style.  All I can say is that the same situations may come up, true.  But I am positive I will approach it with a better head than he.  If its iffy it ain't worth the risk.  You made a decision you could live with.  No deer, but a clear conscious.  Thats something you, and I if I were in your shoes, can live with.
Brian M.
P.S. Good luck my friend.  May your seasons be hearty with good friends, big deer, and great times.

[TomD]

Yes NH, I read your rant.  I also have to deal with a couple of hunters with questionale ethics on the Private Property that I have the permission and the priveldge of hunting. I have stated my opposition to some of their practices, but they are family friends of the land owner's wife and everytime I open my mouth I jeopardize my hunting privledges as I am a guest and the odd man out.

One of the main reasons that I took up Bow hunting, beside extending my hunting pleasure, was to avoid as much of Rifle season as possible on the property as 1) I fear for my safety and, 2) they have no respect for another hunters hunt. I'll get to my stand over an hour before sunrise and sure as s$!t one of them will walk right under my stand 2 hours later.

I actually volunteer my time (to the amazement of the land owner) and work about 10 hours a month on the farm. I put up fences, load wood chips in the barn, clear land, shovel snow, etc. I know its appreciated as the other hunters don't do squat. They show up for a day in October to set-up their stands and then they're not seen until opening day.

Oh well, it beats hunting public land and I can only control my own behavior.

[New Hampshire]

I know exactly how ya feel.  There is a farm my work/hunting partner and I like to hunt for turkey and Pheasant (which unfortunatly the state no longer uses that farm as a release site thus no more pheasant,) and we want to hunt deer on it this year.  So this weekend we will drive out there and pick out trees for our climbing stands and we are going to talk to the land owner to see if its all right to trim some trees if necessary.  We know he will have no problem with it.  But its simple courtesy.  Most guys wold go in chopping and leave it at that.  As it was my friend asked them for permission to Pheasant hunt back those 2 years ago when we started.  I doubt ANY other of the hunters bothered to ask, they just assumed.  By law we are not even REQUIRED to ask......alas it all comes down, once again, to common courtesy.  We all dream every other sportsman is like us, courteous, smart and thoughtful.  But alas Ive had the unfortunate luck to see some pretty shameless stuff out in the woods (we wont talk about the guys using their rifle scopes to spot with.....still gives me shivers.)  At least we can take solace in the fact there are still some great guys out there, like the folks who frequent this forum.
Brian M.