I won't be sleeping tonight…

Well, I had an all time first happen to me tonight. Was out bow hunting and things were starting to heat up. Deer moving all around me. Had 4 different bucks come through that I have been watching on camera that I have no intentions on shooting this year. Out in the distance I see movement and can see deer being chased around. After a while they start making their way to the food plot for dinner. At one point I had 4 does and 3 bucks all within 20 yards. I see 2 more deer coming through a thick patch of woods to my right and and then I see him, the buck i’ve been after all fall. He is going to come out right where I want him to and give me the perfect shot at about 17 yards.

I was all situated in the stand and go to draw back right before he pops out. Thats when things went south, and i mean way south.

I raise my bow to draw and for the life of me can not get enough pull to get my bow drawn back. I gave it everything i had and could not get it.

Out he comes and stops right where I wanted him to. And there i am unable to pull my bow back.

Fast forward to now and as i sit here and write this i think of all the possible reasons that this could happen. Was i just cold and my muscles were weak? Was my jacket limiting my ability to pull the bow back? Was I stiff from working outside all day in the cold temperatures?

Anyone else every experience anything like this?

Its called buck fever.

I am no expert but I have been bow hunting since 71 ,what you can pull back easily in warm weather,is not all way’s the same as cold weather. Your muscles get stiff , tense up your muscles on stand, if you can flex your bow . People get crazy sometimes on poundage,i keep my bow at 60 lbs all year,i know I can do that when it’s cold. Good luck . DK.

I have had it happen more than once, it’s the pressure of the situation, the cold from sitting still, the fact that your target buck is right there all wrapped up in one and if you can’t get it drawn the first time it’s even worse on the next attempt. It’s a bummer for sure!! Hopefully you get another chance.

I had shoulder surgery a couple years ago and turned down my poundage to retrain my muscles. I got back up to 60 lbs and never went any further just for this very reason. I can still pull it at 70 lbs, but my speed and accuracy are almost identical at 60 lbs, so why would I pull 70 lbs.

catnip wrote:

Its called buck fever.

Yes this! Youll get him next time!

I’ve never had the opportunity at a mega large buck, granted I don’t get to go very often but I’ve had this happen to me on deer before. For me it’s always been too much draw weight for cold weather.

Something to think about. There was a thread on heated vests awhile back and I can tell you after purchasing one, OH MY! They are awesome. I bought one on Amazon for $28 and it works like a charm. I plugged in a Dewalt battery and it’d run on high all day. My days of being cold in a bow stand are long gone. Not to mention I can wear half the clothes now. Wish you luck next time.

If you can’t pull back your bow from the seated position without aiming for the sky and struggling you have the poundage set to high. Everyone thinks you need 70lbs 50 lbs with a cutting broadhead will zip right through deer. We found an unopened mechanical in my nephews 10 pt this week when butchering it I just dont trust them.

Mwal

Well, I had my second chance at the same buck that brought this post about in the first place. Had not seen him in shooting hours for about a month until tonight. After the first encounter with this buck and the not so pleasant ending, for me at least, i got all my issues squared away and was ready for another attempt. So I thought.

Had not seen a deer all afternoon and with about 5 min left of shooting time i catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I slowly turn and see that it’s the buck that got my undies all in a bunch the first time. Calm and collected i get stood up while he is behind a tree and has no clue i’m 15 feet above him. He takes two more steps and it’s game on. He’s got one more step and then clear for a shot.

And this is where I blew it for the second time.

I go to draw back and get about a quarter draw and “flop” there goes my arrow. When I hooked my release into the nocking loop i neglected to make sure it was all the way around the loop. I bet i will never do that again. When I started to draw the release let go and my arrow fell to the ground. Strike number 2 for me…

Plus side of the situation was that he only went about 15 yards after this and stood there trying to figure out what the noise was. Never looking directly at me. I don’t think i spooked him enough not to come back again but time will tell. I didn’t want to make tons of movement in trying to get another arrow out and spooking him anymore than he already had been. Then he slowly walked away with victory in his step. And by no means do i speak “deer” but i thought i heard him say as he was walking away “I have beaten you again my friend, this is starting to get fun for me”.

Ya, haha, tough luck. Done that once while trying to let off after holding for 5 minutes on a doe.
As tough as it is to focus on your shooting, and not necessarily the deer, that’s what I guy needs to do. “It’s just a target”, then go through your pre-shot routine, check arrow, hook release, take breath, pull, anchor, exhale, release, bloodshed…..
Good luck on encounter #3, and the best thing is what you’re doing. Learn from mistakes, keep trying, and don’t give up.

I remember when I first started deer hunting…
All in good fun. That is 2 major bummers for sure and the second one could really happen to anyone. Hopefully you get a chance for a 3rd strike.

Thanks for sharing, I’m sure we all have stories where things didn’t go according to plan. It probably doesn’t seem like it now, but the challenges and learning experiences (aka failures) is what makes it all the more rewarding when the plan comes together! Keep grinding!

The big buck that I finally got was circling the stand area I’d used all season, and he would stop and crane his neck looking in my old area and move and repeat. Long story short he walked right up on me and was still craning his neck down there. There is something to be learned here. Maybe back off and try it. Bow hunting kept me awake many nights, but consistency paid off that time. Good luck.

You’re doing it wrong!

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I have to share with others that actually understand what I’m talking about. My 5 year old asks for a report everytime i come in from the stand and I explained the second failed attempt to him. Typical 5 year old response, “why”, followed by about 9 more “why’s”, then back to destroying whatever he can get his hands on.

I try to explain it to the wife and get about the same response as my 5 year old. Just not so many “why’s”. Then back to ordering whatever the deal of the day on Amazon is.