I was hunting from my blind yest, which is exactly 30 yards back from a timed feeder. Measured distance, perfect angle, but still a challenge because the deer are crafty. They seem to know i'm there, so nothing even comes there except the fawns. But, yesterday a young doe followed cautiously behind her fawn. I find it exceedingly difficult to draw in that blind and have to point the bow toward the uppermost left hand corner otherwise it's too cramped.

So i did that and i zeroed on the doe and took my time and even checked for level. Perfect. I let it go and whack! I never heard a shot make that much noise... but then i never connected before so i wouldn't know. The doe jumped and ran fast for about 20 yards till it got behind some brush. When it emerged, i saw it stumble, but it regained its footing and slowed to a walk. Losing blood and getting weak, i figure. I got my binoculars out to look for the arrow but it must have passed through. The stumbling doe continued over the hill below probably looking for a place to die. But then it stopped to smell around and graze. Not acting very wounded. So i'm forced to consider the possibility that i missed. I was looking to see where the arrow went through the mesh window, but there wasn't any hole. I glanced out at the ground and there's my arrow 4 feet in front of the blind! How'd it get there without making a hole in the window? Then i saw a hole with triangular slits right at the bottom of the window in the canvas. Now it makes sense why i felt my bow hand knuckles sting when i shot. The arrow had fallen off the rest because i have to contort the bow toward the upper corner in the cramped confines. It was probably resting on my hand when i let it go. I wonder if it is possible to shoot yourself with your own bow?

Plinker

Oh yeah...its possible. I have a picture and story of a fella that shot himself through his bow hand. Doesn't look fun.

If I get a chance to hook up my scanner, I'll post the story.

Cheers,
Canuck

I have seen reports of that and that is why I do not Bow Hunt. I am the only thing close enough to me for me to hit.

Don't worry about it sooner or later evey hunter does something dumb.

All the perfect hunters of the world have 4 legs not 2.

Plinker, I had to laugh. Done that, been there.
I shoot longbows and selfbows. Don't have to contort to draw but I have drawn and shot at turkey and deer moving in front of my blind. I have shot the zippers, wall next to the window and a tree next to the window by concentrating on the target and shooting. I have some camo duct tape in the side pocket of the blind I fix my stupid mistakes with.
Good luck next time. Maybe you need a lighter bow for hunting in blind or get one like my buddies that is 6' tall and we draw longbows with no problem.

Mike

Plinker,

Thanks for sharing, there is scorre of missing items on our check list.

Do You want to her of another failing?
My good friend Jean Louis is scared by rushing wild boars during driven hunts. Last Year he came with a splendid new hat. A KOLOSSAL KAPITAL wild boar, adorned with tusks like sausages, ran past him. He had the guts to try a shoot. No luck THE STRING PUSHED THE BRIM OF HIS HAT ON HIS EYES, he could never shot.

Trial and error. The more we are learning, the best we are becoming.

I know a very famous bowhunter who still has a broadhead imbedded in a steel fence picket that was used as the frame for a shooting window in a hide in S. Africa. He said you couldn't believe the dust that came out of the blind when that happened!
I shoot recurves and longbows, no chance of me shooting myself. I'd NEVER shoot an overdraw bow!

loboga, That wouldn't be a guy with the initials "Tink Nathan" would it?

I had arrows come off the rest before I went to the QAD UltraRest. Now it is not (CAN NOT) be an issue. Just one of the benefits I find with this rest.

Nope it was actually the 8th Dwarf, he blamed it on the window being to high! I do have some really interesting Tink anecdotes though!

Reminds me of the time I went to a 3D shoot and shot a tree 4" in diameter. Never seen it! The arrow was stuck halfway through the tree. It took 3 of us to get it out. I was shooting 82# with fingers and was beating everyone, they didn't like me one bit!

I use a Muzzy Zero Effect rest. You can't make the arrow fall off the rest short of turning the bow up-side down.

Penny, something these guys have missed is that you inessence had a dry fire. Were I you I would check the limbs for potential damage. derf

Well, i do a lot of dumb stuff...would like a little dumb luck. Anytime soon would be good.

Yeah, those broadheads can really go deep into wood. Can sometimes get them out by taking a cordless drill and drilling holes all around it then cutting through. Reckon you'd need a chainsaw for the 4" tree, though.

Derf, i hear you about the dry fire, good observation. It went through the canvas, but it did make a loud noise. It might have been a partial dry fire with such a sloppy fire.

Penny

I can claim the dubious honour for having shot myself in the bow hand when I was a small kid.

Wondering around some bush out behind the house, daydreaming. Half drawing the bow here and there imagining shooting at lions and tigers and bears(oh my!) when I tripped, fell and found the arrow ebmedded in the heel of my thumb. Exactly how it happened I'm not sure. It was a three blade broadhead, the one piece kind which I haven't seen for ages now and a small fibreglass kids bow which I could bring back to full draw. Maybe the arrow had been shortened? Cutting the target tip off and sticking a braodhead on doesn't sound like something I wouldn't have done back then...

Anyways, I have the scar to proove but no lasting damage was done.

Penny, no problem about dry firing because the arrow was still nocked. The stinging you felt was from the vanes touching your hand. When I was a kid, some of the bows didn't have a rest so the arrows had to lay on the finger. Feathers did a job on that knuckle.
The arrow I shot through the tree had a field point on it. MUCH harder to remove.
Why don't you get an Ultra Rest, it captures the arrow.