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Just curious: when you started bowhunting, how many stalks did you take before sealing the deal? What was your first successful archery hunt?
I'm thinking about spot-and-stalk, not tree-stand hunts.

I'm a new bowhunter and so far...unsurprisingly...have yet to be successful with my archery equipment. I am NOT deterred.

I’ve been bowhunting 43 years. Have never spot and stalk killed a whitetail. Have killed many from ground blinds and tree stands.

Lots of answers here. What are you trying to kill maturity wise?

I only stalk mature mule deer bucks in the Arizona deserts. Glassing and then solo spot and stalk from mountainous country. I get about 5-8 stalks a year in 30 days or so of hunting, solo. I get a shot about once a year or every other year. But my terrain and country is tough to get close and get clear shooting lanes...

On elk I typically can get a shot at "any legal elk" in about 10 hunting days. Shot my first elk the first year I bowhunted them but it was 46 years ago. Don't remember the day count but likely around 20 hunting days. On bighorns it took me 5 seasons and about 65 hunting days to get my first ram. On Stone sheep it was 8 backpack hunts and again, around 65 days to arrow one. Grizzlies were 5 seasons and about 60 some hunting days. All in all it takes time to stalk and shoot a critter with the bow....most of the time anyway. I always got lucky on Mt Goats though!

I have been bow hunting for 32 years, started when I was ten years old. The first six or seven years hunting from ground blinds and tree stands for whitetails. As I started hunting other game, my methods changed, spot and stalk has become my preferred way to hunt. Location and terrain play a large part in one’s ability to be successful. I like open country that allows game to be spotted, while offering enough topography to conceal a stalk.

I believe I made 10 or so unsuccessful stalks before a spike mule deer stood there and looked at me, 10 yards off the road. I was 16 years old, I believe.

Whack!!!

So far I've tried black bear and sitka blacktail deer. I stalked to apprx. 30yds on one young and dumb black bear but I knew going into the stalk that it was smaller than I wanted -- I was just practicing. Black bear it's gotta be a mature boar. Deer I'm fine with a doe, again as long as it's a more mature animal.
And I've been successful with my rifle so the stakes are low; I'm just curious about the experience of other folks.

Those hunts sound amazing, and I am envious of your time in the field.

ME NEITHER on whitetail deer , you try staking on whitetail deer in Minnesota you will starve to death

On trophy mule deer, it seemed like it took 12+ stalks for the stars to align most years. Stars aligning meant a shot opportunity, not a kill. Was usually busted by swirling winds or bedded deer we never saw.

Been bowhunting since 1979.

I've done one spot/stalk on a whitetail and he didn't survive it. It's not my preferred type of hunt at all.

Stalk on a mature whitetail buck? Good luck.

I've slipped up and shot 4 deer while they were laying down with a bow, countless others while they were standing, walking or eating. My Pop always said, slip through the woods like your a tree and keep your eyes peeled.

deer in Minnesota have a natural predator after them all the time in northern Minnesota called timber wolf so don`t think you will do well sneaking around with a bow to shoot a whitetail deer = it ain`t happening !

Or a mature Whitetail doe for that matter! Good luck!

you might have a slim chance on a year and half old buck or a fawn > but never a old adult doe or a old mature buck

I shot the first deer I ever tried to purposely put a stalk on. I saw her go into a thick area of beauty berry from about 300 yards and not come out. I had some good camouflage on and just thought I'd give it a try. I shot her with a crossbow because I had a shoulder injury but was only about 10 yards away.
The next one I was successful on was many years later. I got a nice buck from about 25 yards after about ten messed up stalks that morning. I've never seen so many deer that I had a chance to try a stalk on as that day. I was hunting in Texas on an area that was managed for quality deer. Not high fenced, just a lot of deer. There are just so many things that can and will go wrong.

I’ve managed to Indian up on 3. Luck mostly, busted many times.

LOL. Quality deer means not many deer, lots of deer rarely means quality but I get what you are saying.

Whitetails are wired. Everything has to be just right. The fact that they see every movement makes it tough. The fat we aren't patient enough to move slow enough hurts.

I've moved slow enough, so slow they get up and feed off before I get close enough. But then again my personal limits on archery are 15 yards and in basically. I simply won't shoot further as spooky as TX whitetails are. Getting to 30 yards is one thing. Its not all that complicated sometimes. Getting to 15 or less is rough.

Standing still or still hunting and having one move by is simply luck. Skilled luck at times, but still luck mostly.

Stalking a bedded whitetail is tough. I have only been lucky having them move by close. I have "stalked" a few times during the rut , seeing a buck and doe, and working my way to intercept, but not bedded down. Same with turkeys, I can move to intercept but not stalk...

Honest Man, and Quote!

Nothing wrong with sitting on stand, weather it's in a tree, or a ground Blind!
Different Strokes!

We've all been busted trying this, and a few times Successful on Occasion, if and when we got lucky!
Most people don't have the patience or the will power to even attempt it!
You have to be willing to walk away, when conditions change,(wind), weather and such.
It is Harder with a Compound vs. a Crossbow, just because of Logistics, and trying to sneak and Crawl, and such, etc...............................
Horizontal vs. Vertical, and Range Considerations!
Not every one can even imagine being of Sniper Material, let alone a Hunter, and not just another Shooter!
Watch a Cat sometimes, outside, their slow and stealthy, not always getting their prey!