3 Strikes, I'm out! ... of real scenario practice

This is the deer I missed 3 times!

Yesterday I failed. I was not ready for the situation that was presented to me.  I was set up in an old wooden home made tree stand that has been at this location for many years.  It is the typical 2x4x16 legs with 1x4's screwed to it for the ladder  and a flat plywood top secured to the tree with more 2x's and a old lawn chair strapped to the tree to hold it in place.  This spot has produced many kills as it used to sit above a  corn feeder that is no longer there but now because of it's location on top of a well traveled ridge, it has become a fairly well traveled corridor for the herd of deer living in the area.

In the southeast we have not had the best deer hunting weather for the 2018 archery season so far, the weather has been so hot the trees are still green as ever and we are now into the second week of October, the heat has kept deer movements to a minimum and kept the bugs crawling and buzzing around you the whole time you are in the woods.

It was probably the best day so far for comfortable travel for deer, the clouds stayed low and seem to trap a cooler moist air below the tree tops.  By cooler I mean 60's, we haven't dipped below 60 degrees yet this year.  I was feeling confident I would see more that just that back of a deer over a ridge, which is all I have seen all year while still or stand hunting.

Sunrise is late this time of year, 7:21AM for yesterday so I was in the stand waiting by about 6:08AM, plenty of time for the disturbance of my entry to ease away if any curious ears or eyes were around as I walked in and climbed the stand.

In the stand the wind is right, blowing in my face and away from the area I suspected  traffic enter my shooting range.  As the light increases I remind myself of known distances to reference trees so I can choose the correct pin if I am to get lucky enough to take a shot.
By 8:30, unknown to me, a group of 3 does is walking my way, directly at 12 o'clock. Something alerts one of them, I hear one blow and then all three take off to the right.  As far as I knew, the wind was not blowing towards them and I can't remember making any movement to give my position away, perhaps one of them knows to look in that tree and recognize that the shape appears different and therefore, RUN!

I bleated back at them to hopefully ease the forest tensions but they continue along their way around me possibly carrying any male stragglers with them.

At about 9:30, as I slowly scan the depths of the forest behind the greenery that blocks the clear view of deeper ranges, I see a rump and tail pass by on my left, it is to far and way to dense for me to see anything more so I wait but am certain that the direction it was travelling was going to put it right in my scent since the wind was still blowing at my face and heading directly behind me.

Noticing the sound behind me

After about 20 minute I hear that sound, the one you hear when its probably a deer and not just a squirrel messing with your head.  That slow soft leaf rustle. The sound is directly behind me and the tree I am sitting in.  I begin to contour my neck and body slowly while forcing my eyes to the far corners so I can see what this noise is. As I scan around behind me there a buck stands about 40 yards downhill in one small clearing with a small window of branches I can slip an arrow through.

I think because I was surprised, I had a split second of buck fever take over and my heart pounded for a minute. I contemplated not taking a shot because it would be difficult to get into position while bending around this fat white oak I am perched in.  I think the internal debate calmed the pounding and as I looked back to reconsider, he was still there, moving around snatching up white oak acorns but staying right in that opening.  This convinced me to give it a shot, he was broadside and it was within my comfort range for an ethical shot.

I prepared myself to draw back but this shot was in unfamiliar territory and I was trying to minimize my movement so I stupidly tried to draw sideways like Clark Kent ripping his suit open to reveal Superman.  As the string pulled and the cams turned I hear and internal, CRUNCH of my shoulder tendons grinding around and giving way!  An old shoulder injury didn't approve, pain shot through my shoulder and I quietly suppressed the urge to vocalize the pain.  I gathered myself and looked back and he was still there.  This time I was going to draw facing forward as I normally would and then swing around the tree fully drawn to sight him in.

I twist my body around the left and duck just a bit under a small branch that is blocking the way.  He was about 40 yards but downhill, I figured on using my 40 pin but low to bottom of the chest area.  I try to center and level it up and then let it fly.  The arrow flies right below his chest and in the ground, he jumps up and disappears to the right.  I wasn't 100 percent sure if I missed but didn't hear him trample trough the woods far so I waited a minute before I got down to check.

I secure the items in my pack and unleash myself from the tree and tree harness and shifted to turn around and begin reaching for the first ladder step with my foot.  As I am reaching for the step I am now facing back towards the tree and there he is, back in the same spot.  That confirmed it, it was a miss! I quickly nock a second arrow and think to myself, OK, adjust a little higher this time.  I slide back up in the chair and go through the same motions, draw facing forward and then spin to sight him in.  The second arrow flies and thud, it hits the ground again.  The buck jumps over about 10 feet but is confused.  I think because he is eating acorns from beneath a white oak that the large acorns are falling around him.  He again, walks back to the same spot as if mother nature is taunting me with the fact I haven't prepared for this scenario. I load up a third, surely I will get him this time.  I turn around facing straight, get to full draw and spin.  The arrow flies and again, Thump!  Right in the dirt and he does the same thing, scrambles over about 10 feet and looks around.  Confused but not alerted.

I have become frustrated at myself in the stand but slowly load the last arrow in my quiver if this guy was willing to go another round. I wait but he is gone, he has had enough of this game.  He slowly made his way off into the forest not ever really knowing what was going on.

Each of the arrows dug out of the dirt in the forest floor.

For me, after realizing he was not coming back to this shooting lane of disappointment, it was time for me to get down and examine my failure.  From the location of the arrows in the ground, I was probably short the entire time, perhaps I had a bad range reading, perhaps I chose the wrong pin while fighting off a small dose of buck fever, perhaps I bumped something on the bow and need to re-sight or perhaps it was natures way of telling me to stop practicing ideal straight shots and practice for uncomfortable twist your body, crick your neck shots.

They say practice make perfect but nature seems to always present imperfect situations. I am going to attempt some real life off the wall practice shots for future hunt preparation. I am sure I will miss again in the future but hopefully if I am given this opportunity to miss and have a follow up shot, the follow up correction is all that is needed for a clean successful shot.

Using this or any other failure as a learning tool to improve is the best I can do. As for the shoulder and neck, they are both SORE! But don't tell my wife!