Yesterday I learned a very hard lesson and figured I'd share it with everyone in hopes that someone else won't make the same mistake.
Back in October I missed a doe at 15 yards. I shot high and figured I just screwed up. 15 minutes later I missed another at 25 yards, but this time I pulled the shot to the left when I looked up to see where the arrow was going. I wrote both misses off as "not concentrating" and figured my target panic issues were the cause. I went home shot and shot from my roof and thought I confirmed this theory when I was shooting good.
It has been a tough season and yesterday was the first time I had another doe come into range (I'm hunting an area that you have to shoot a doe before you can kill a buck). I had a four deer in front of me (down wind, thank you scent smoker) and after 30 minutes the mature doe presented me a 20 hard chip shot. My form was perfect and I was focused like a laser, but when I shot my arrow flew about six inches to a foot over her back!
I was pissed, but figured I still had the other two deer, now bedded up at 25 yards, to redeem myself. 1.5 hours later a BB present me with a 15 yard shot which I took (fell off wagon) and again my arrow flew 6-12 inches over his back! I almost threw my bow across the woods when I noticed the third deer, a doe, came over to check out what that noise was. She milled around and stayed in the cover, but eventually present me with a 25 yard shot. I took this one, but as my luck would have it my orange vest got caught in my bow string and I missed again; making 5 missed deer total this year.
I was just sick and was ready to sell all my trad gear and go back to the compound world. I had another 1.5 hours to hunt and being a glutton for punishment I figured I'd hunt vise calling it quits. While sitting there feeling sorry for myself I started going over possible causes as to why I was missing so much. I shoot great in my back yard and from elevated positions. I know my hunting and practice arrows shoot the same, but then it hit me..... I'm using Luminocks in my hunting arrows and not in my practice arrows. Could the 40 grains in the tail be the problem?
I carry a blunt tipped arrow for squirrels and it doesn't have a Luminock so I figured I'd test my theory on a dirt patch near where I had missed the BB. Guess what? I drilled it...... Next I pulled out one of my Luminock arrows and shot..... It flew about 12 inches high!!!!!
Holy Cow!!!! How could I have made a mistake like this!!!! Common sense says to shoot the same set up in practice and hunting. I did test shoot them back in summer, but it was only with field points. Needless to say I wont be using them anymore.
Back in October I missed a doe at 15 yards. I shot high and figured I just screwed up. 15 minutes later I missed another at 25 yards, but this time I pulled the shot to the left when I looked up to see where the arrow was going. I wrote both misses off as "not concentrating" and figured my target panic issues were the cause. I went home shot and shot from my roof and thought I confirmed this theory when I was shooting good.
It has been a tough season and yesterday was the first time I had another doe come into range (I'm hunting an area that you have to shoot a doe before you can kill a buck). I had a four deer in front of me (down wind, thank you scent smoker) and after 30 minutes the mature doe presented me a 20 hard chip shot. My form was perfect and I was focused like a laser, but when I shot my arrow flew about six inches to a foot over her back!
I was pissed, but figured I still had the other two deer, now bedded up at 25 yards, to redeem myself. 1.5 hours later a BB present me with a 15 yard shot which I took (fell off wagon) and again my arrow flew 6-12 inches over his back! I almost threw my bow across the woods when I noticed the third deer, a doe, came over to check out what that noise was. She milled around and stayed in the cover, but eventually present me with a 25 yard shot. I took this one, but as my luck would have it my orange vest got caught in my bow string and I missed again; making 5 missed deer total this year.
I was just sick and was ready to sell all my trad gear and go back to the compound world. I had another 1.5 hours to hunt and being a glutton for punishment I figured I'd hunt vise calling it quits. While sitting there feeling sorry for myself I started going over possible causes as to why I was missing so much. I shoot great in my back yard and from elevated positions. I know my hunting and practice arrows shoot the same, but then it hit me..... I'm using Luminocks in my hunting arrows and not in my practice arrows. Could the 40 grains in the tail be the problem?
I carry a blunt tipped arrow for squirrels and it doesn't have a Luminock so I figured I'd test my theory on a dirt patch near where I had missed the BB. Guess what? I drilled it...... Next I pulled out one of my Luminock arrows and shot..... It flew about 12 inches high!!!!!
Holy Cow!!!! How could I have made a mistake like this!!!! Common sense says to shoot the same set up in practice and hunting. I did test shoot them back in summer, but it was only with field points. Needless to say I wont be using them anymore.