Video: Rebounding from a bad shot during the whitetail rut – Outdoor News

I was set up in my hunting saddle on a crisp Nov. 4 morning as a light wind blew my scent over the river from a tree that was overlooking a funnel between bedding areas. 

It was a perfect scenario for the whitetail rut, but my heart was not in this hunt. The day before, I had rushed a shot on a good buck, and that’s what I was dwelling on. 

That buck came to the base of my tree, smelled my ground scent and spooked. He ran out in front of me and stopped in my shooting lane less than 20 yards away. It was a perfect broadside shot opportunity, but instinct told me I needed to hurry the shot.

That’s not true. He gave me plenty of time to settle the pin of my bow, but I still rushed it. 

The shot hit very high. The arrow traveled through the meat above the spine. That’s what I felt after reviewing video of the shot (see below), and it is also what a dog tracker who has seen every kind of shot on a whitetail told me after reviewing the same footage.

We took my dog, Gus, out to track the deer, hoping I had gotten lucky in some way. Nope. Gus’ body language told me we were not tracking a dead deer. We found a few drops of dark red blood, but otherwise there was nothing to go on.

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At this point, there were two options: refocus and get back in the tree, or let this ruin a three-state hunting trip during the rut that I look forward to all year. I got back in the tree, but in all honesty, it took me a while to refocus.

I don’t bounce back immediately from a bad shot, even in a situation like this where I am confident the deer likely survived. Years ago, I went through a terrible bout of target panic with my bow that I worked hard to overcome. 

Through shooting thousands of arrows and focusing on my mental approach to archery, I have been able to make a lot of good shots on deer over the past five seasons. It stings when that training falters and a bad shot occurs.

But one rule I believe in with bowhunting is that your last shot — good or bad — does not matter. The only arrow that matters is your next one. It takes a focused approach during each opportunity to pile up positive results. 

I got back to that mindset a few days later, and on the morning of Nov. 14, I got another opportunity. My setup was 65 yards from thick security cover that serves as a great bedding area. It’s a spot that produced good bucks for me in 2020 and 2021. 

My tree here is overlooking a perennial scrape in a funnel. Three fresh scrapes had popped up in the week leading up to this hunt. 

A fork buck came in and smelled the licking branch above the main scrape a couple minutes before first light. Then a doe did the same thing about an hour later. 

At 10 a.m., just as the wind was about to shift and force me to get out of the tree, a good buck came out of the bedding area. My first thought was, “He’s heading straight for this scrape.” The buck did exactly that, trotting in to smell the licking branch 15 yards in front of me.

I drew my bow as he approached and settled the pin on the vitals above the front leg after he stopped. From there, my focus shifted past the pin to that area I wanted to hit. That’s where the arrow drove home as it zipped through the buck. He ran 20 yards, stopped and fell.

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The seconds leading into the shot

The process of completing the shot — those seconds between when we know we’re ready to take an animal and that arrow or bullet is released — is often glossed over.

The reality is that those few seconds are the most important part of the equation. What good does it do to get on deer if you can’t consistently finish the job with a quick, clean kill? 

Not every situation in hunting is perfect. I get that. Misses, and unfortunately, wounded animals, will happen sometimes, but we should do everything in our power to avoid them. 

As I look back on two shots that went so differently, here are a couple of factors that stand out. Maybe they can help you on your next hunt. 

It’s very much mental 

My ability to get over target panic years ago stemmed in large part to understanding that archery is more of a mental pursuit than it is a physical one. What I mean by that is that it’s important to not let autopilot take over in a bowhunting situation. 

Think about how you shoot in the backyard. You probably go through a routine that takes nearly the exact same amount of time each shot before that arrow is released. 

What happens in a hunting situation when you draw back, that time elapses and the shot opportunity has not presented itself? So often, your mind is screaming at you, “Send the arrow!” That internal clock yelling at us that we don’t have time leads to rushed shots.

Do whatever you can to stay present in the moment of truth. I talk to myself, basically giving commands I need to follow. “You’re going to get your shot. Stop him in your opening. Focus above the leg. Let the pin float.”

I failed in doing this on that Nov. 3 buck and was much better with it on the Nov. 14 shot. Simply put, this is hard to do with so much adrenaline rushing. But I promise if you work at it and can keep your mind on the task at hand, you will consistently see better shots. 

Draw on more deer

There is a risk to drawing your bow back on deer you don’t intend to shoot. 

They could bust you and blow your cover, but you can typically tell from a deer’s body language if you can get away with this or not. Don’t try it if they are on high alert. 

I drew back and settled my pin on about eight deer that I had no intentions of shooting in the 10 days between shot opportunities this year.

It’s not a cure-all. You know you are not pulling the trigger, so it’s a different feeling than in the actual moment of truth. But watching that pin sit right where you want it, knowing you could execute the shot, does not hurt in building confidence.

Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/11/25/video-rebounding-from-a-bad-shot-during-the-whitetail-rut/