Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Two most dreaded words in bow hunting

To be honest I haven't seen many "good" shots come from these clowns on the shows. Most are too far back.

Not nearly as much lung behind the shoulder as most believe. 3-4" back is getting into liver territory, especially if low and back.

Take that and then an arrow that may kick back a little at impact and we now have a lovely gut shot.

I will stick with my straight up the leg and low with a bow.

Yep "bad hit" and "variable"
I dread seeing the milkweed I tossed an hour ago come flying past me the other way.
Suppose the most dreaded word that runs through my head is "BUSTED"

I thought “no deer” or “saw none” would top the list. Hard to be successful with no targets. “Bow broke”. I’ll take light and variable every time I’m out if I see deer and have no equipment issues. 😎

> for a true bowhunter it will always be = GUT SHOT "its a sick feeling to us " and after 55 some years of bowhunting still is.

"I Missed"

Would rather hear that, than to hear over the phone at 2AM "still tracking."

"Scapula" is the one I've heard more than few times as excuses

Dry Fire.

Seasons over! Even when I am punched out I generally dread Season end for me.

Gotta know when NOT to. Have to do it all the time while guiding and some of the clients get ticked... but later on when we make it work they aren't ticked...

A true bowhunter with some trailing knowledge knows that a gut shot is one of the easiest deer ever to find.

I've not seen a single one make it past 100 yards and generally less than that. Unless you bump them. Then give them 8 hours. FULL 8 hours. Dead inside of 100, usually inside of 75. They won't go far from the hit. Even in open country. But if they see you or if you are dumb enough to even attempt to trail them any less than 8 hours it won't be good.

Can't understand why folks think its hard. I've been at this since a teenager and approaching 60 now. And guiding has also been a big part of it. IE I"ve seen a LOT of game shot and trailed.

yes that might be true with little deer like in Alaska or Texas , but big whitetail bucks can be tough to kill if gut shot, i have been on some long blood trails and lost big whitetail bucks you probably have not. up in northern Minnesota these big bucks are smart and we don`t bait deer but we do have plenty Wolves so deer are spooky on the release of an arrow. i started bowhunting without any bait since i was 9 or 10 years of age living in the country legal age meant nothing when your a young boy.we never heard of such a thing as feeding deer to shoot them like a pet.

Bait? Yup some do hunt bait. I've hunted bait. I find it much more productive to not hunt bait. Most places I guide in don't allow bait. So you can drop that BS.

I've easily found big animals much bigger than any whitetail ever thought about growing to be.

You simply don't have a clue on what to do when you gut shoot something. Neither did I for a few years until I read enough and applied it to real life.

Bait isn't even the topic here and you miss the point with your bragging of penis size. You don't have to kill a big or small whitetail if gut shot. They die on their own if you understand what to do. I don't enjoy the wait part. Its hard. Or the fact you can't go look even feet down the trail, I've had to sneak out of areas, wait until dark to crawl down from trees. Etc... Tough. Really tough. Harder than most have the drive to do IE wait. It works on all animals.

As to spooky, yes any animal can be. Wolves or not. I'm just a tiny bit familiar with spooky. Its why I understand what to do with gut shots. Unfortunately.

I can tell you if you jump em from the first bed it can be a mile or even 2/3 before you kill em or find em dead. I don't know that we've ever found one or killed one more than 3 or so miles away but BTDT and learned a LOT... there is no need to jump em.

Wolves are the same as coyotes and pigs too. Yes if you wait you may not have a deer left. But I've seen both on deer less than 30 minutes after the shot too on dead deer. Half eaten when you get there. Also have a trailing dog and come upon the same.

but if you go after em right away you mostly won't get them either. Take your chances. They have been in the same bed even after a severe thunderstorm out in a mostly open field.

The only real option if you fear for them to be eaten is at least 2 baying dogs. Have a guy in TX that has a pair of walkers that does well at that. Have been priveleged to see a catahoula do it by himself quite often.

But then again when I've seen the amount of animals taken that I have you learn.

Read here. Learn. Might help you with the deer most important to you in the future.

No blood

your full of B.S. as a guide

You know a BS guide would not last long. I"ve guided since the 80s. And been involved in shooting and recovering likely well over 1000 big game animals. Probably more. I was over 100 personally with a bow, including instinctive bows before I quit the counting nonsense. Modern arms there is no telling. I still get called quite often to come find an animal for people.

You simply have not tried the correct way with some things and it shows. I've also done the same and had horrible results.

Difference is some of us learn and continue to learn. We owe it to the animals we shoot to kill them as quickly as we can and recover them to utilize what we have shot the best we can.

Thats where it pays to pay attention. You do your thing. It works fine. If its hard and you enjoy fine. But if you have lost one to a gut shot the simple answer is here. You can pay attention or pass.

Tagged out!!

Those are my favorite words. If gut shot isn't bad enough, how about "not legal"....not that I'd have any first hand experience with that or anything.

AGREED !