Archery Whitetail Tribulations

This is my first season bow hunting for whitetails here in SD. I've got permission to hunt a section of farm land my buddy owns and no one hunts. The goal is to kill some whitetails with the bow before trying to take aim at an elk.

Here's how my season has gone thus far:

#1 Couple weeks ago - Nice little 3x3 (I'm not going to be picky with my first buck) walks up to 45 yards and stops broadside to stare at some does. Being my first encounter, I rush the shot and miss low and right.

#2 Monday - a REALLY nice 4x4 comes running through this ravine. I get him to stop with a grunt. Miss calculate that he's at my 35 yard mark (he's really at the 25 yard mark). Arrow flies straight over him.

#3 Tuesday - I'm seeing nothing all morning. Listening to a podcast and watching a far off tree line full of does and small bucks. I hear brush crashing in the tree line I'm sitting in. The buck of a life time, no joke, comes running through the ravine. I grab my bow, he sees me, and it's over. Never get to draw, nothing.

I'm here at work just wanting to be in the field. Man what a rush. The agony of defeat only has me more motivated to get better at this sport.

I just needed to tell someone about these opportunities I've blundered. I think my wife is sick of me talking about it.

Sounds like you've got a great place to hunt. Know your equipment, take ethical shots, and put in the time in the stand and it will all come together eventually. The first one with a bow is almost always the hardest.

Good luck!

I can still see the huge muley buck I missed my second year of hunting. Looking back, it should have been an easy shot but I was inexperienced, too slow to get set up and using a rifle that didn't fit me all that well. By far the biggest buck I've ever seen while hunting. I think pretty much everyone has a story like that, so you're in good company. Not archery, I know but "the one that got away" is what keeps hunters coming back for more!

Get all your ranges before a deer shows up. Even if there aren't trees or fence posts to range, just range a clump of grass that looks slightly different.

In my experiences, if you have to range an animal, you're screwed. Know all your distances within 5 minutes of getting to your stand.

We've ALL been there so I am NOT bustin your bawllz here... BUT... like was said up top:

"get your ranges BEFORE you need them".
Easier said than done, but don't rush your shot.
KNOW where your arrow will hit and at what distances.
Be realistic about how far you can ETHICALLY and repeatably place your shot.
And call me the old guy that b1tches about kids on my lawn but get your head in the game and get the headphones outa your ears. That "buck of a lifetime" could be at the taxidermist right now if you hadn't been distracted by the podcast.
I'm not just in the woods to kill an animal, I'm in the woods to enjoy the experience, I can't imagine listening to anything other than the sounds of the hunt!

I am not saying I have all the answers, but unless I am doing an ALL DAY sit, I very very rarely hang my bow up. it's in my hand / in my lap. If I am doing a morning sit and an evening sit, I will spend 99% of that time standing, with my bow in hand checking and rechecking scenarios, shooting lanes, likely avenues of approach, and doing my best to not be taken by surprise.

Like I said, I a NOT busting your chops, everyone starts somewhere and EVERYONE misses and makes mistakes! Just do your best to eliminate the EASY mistakes so you can put the odds in your favor!

So... get your ranges, practice, and get back out and scan, scan, scan, and listen closely to what nature is giving you! Sometimes a barking squirrel will tell you something is coming in.

Keep us posted.

BDB