Hey Bill- one of the things I admire most about you is your courage to always be real, vulnerable and honest about everything you show and talk about. Thank you for for that.

Best episode yet, Bill. Incredibly relatable for all bow hunters. Thanks for sharing.

Practice practice practice. Draw early and hold. Know what shot is deadly and take it. Be confident and competent. Thanks for a great tutorial.

Sorry you were not able to get him Bill, but I could listen to these stories all day every day.

A smart man learns from his mistakes! A wise man learns from others mistakes! Thank you for the lessons your teaching.

Boy have i been there done that, great topic, great story, well done and said.............

invaluable information. can’t thank you enough Bill. thank you thank you!

Incredible lessons and honesty! Thank you so much, Bill.

Thank you for such a great story and the lesson learned.

Absolutely great story. And a great lesson. Thanks for sharing

Really enjoyed seeing the story and maps on the old farm!!!

Thanks Bill, Good story with more than one take away.

Thank you Bill. Really enjoyed your humility. Wish I could have seen this when I lost my big one not too many years from yours. I know I learned a lot from that missed buck and I approach all my seasons differently

Great advice Bill. I learned a long time ago to take the first good shot you have. I learned that the hard way. But those are the lessons that stay with you.

Made me think back on some hunts that your tips applied. WOW. Both tips certainly had dictated some deer not being taken. Take that first opportunity your comfortable with and the bow needs to be drawn to give you That chance. Thanks Bill Great story 🦌🇺🇸

Look forward to these videos so much- thank you for the lesson Bill.

4 great deer that’s happened to me over the years. Thanks for sharing because that’s a tough lesson in bow hunting. That’s why I always rehearse when I’m settled in tree each of the distances and angles that I have a shooting lane.

Thanks for sharing Bill, great tip’s as always.

Okay that lesson is gonna stick with me more than most, thanks.

I’ve always felt that if I get drawn back undetected and did that at the right time, he’s a dead deer. Of course their have been a few poor shots over the years but on some of them I’ve been lucky and the rest, like you, they haunt me. It’s all part of the learning curve. Sitting in the tree stand I now go over shot selections, distances and visualize the deer coming in and when I would draw back. It’s worked a few times now. Plus it helps pass the time. Thanks Bill!

Good story. Told very well. Very helpful.

Awesome video and advice Bill!! Thanks

Incredible story. Thanks for sharing.

This topic sets the great hunters apart from the good. Loved the story 👍

Great words of bowhunting wisdom, Bill. This sums up hours of discussion with my bowhunting group! Thanks, Bill!

Fantastic insight - this maybe one of the finest bow hunting videos that I have ever watched. Thanks so much Bill!

All good for me.. Thanks Bill for the story and tips. We all have that one that got away just most of us it wasn't that big.

Thanks for that video Bill, I had a similar experience this yr on last day of season & it's the last thing I think of at night. It's been almost two months & still bothers me.

I always draw my bow when I see a buck coming in and not aware of my presence…like yourself Bill learned this lesson yrs ago…Good info🦌🦌🏹🏹🏹

Thanks Bill! That was really a good message to instill in all of us. I don't know about others but it seems the older I get the easier it is to pick up bad habits or fall back into them. Stay vigilant and practice. Another thing I feel many young guys make is thinking they have to draw heavy poundage. I believe this changes when a guy will draw because it's such an effort they almost dread it. This leads to hesitation or blown hunts because their having to jerk their bodies all around to get the bow drawn. Especially late season or buck fever. Enjoyed this video alot thanks for sharing!

100% a fact Bill always take your first shot been doing this 30yrs plus this season Like you I have come to the same conclusion! great video as always!

I remember years ago reading an article from Randy Ulmer in Petersons on the same topic. I even recall Fred Bear making similar remarks. You will seldom get a perfect shot on a wild animal. Understand the anatomy of what you are hunting, shoot your dadgone bow enough to have faith in it and take the shot you have. Quartering too, quartering away, broadside, frontal, etc. Great video Bill!

Great episode. 100% agree and I know and understand that feeling. I like your perspective too about not letting any animal have that kind of power over your enjoyment of the hunt and hunting. Great insight. Appreciate that honesty.

These moments are so fluid…a blend of unconscious action based on experience and instinct keeps the situation from unraveling into the deer’s favor. Turkey hunting without a blind is also very similar: “How did he get away this time?” Look forward to you analysis on string jumping…which is also a huge factor as you let they arrow go: male/female…head down/head up…alert/relaxed…

You are so correct in "taking the first shot you can take". This past season I had a very nice 8 point CHOCOLATE racked buck at 27 yards, broadside, and at ease. So much at ease that I was video taping him for twenty minutes while deciding whether to shoot him or not as I kept thinking "What if I wait another year?". When I did finally decide to take the shot, a doe showed up and he decided to chase her! So instead of an easy 27 yard broadside shot, I ended up taking him as he RAN past my blind. BTW, this was a rifle hunt, and the shot was perfect, taking out his heart and I watched him drop at 50 yards. But I wanted to thank you for keeping it real, and reminding us that "things happen".

This is a great reminder for even a more seasoned archery hunter

Wow Bill that sure is an awesome buck! I wish you would’ve got him. Great advice man.

Good lesson, Bill.

Great Advise. We learn from our mistakes

Great tip Bill. I know this feeling all too well after this past fall the day before rifle season with my Hoyt compound. It was the perfect storm, I was on the ground and I rattled in my target buck to 25 yards. My gut told me to draw while he was behind a black oak. I thought I had made the right decision when he stopped behind it. I elected to wait because I was anticipating that “perfect moment” and that buck came walking in at 18 yards. He locked up as I was trying to draw my bow, he bugged out and bounded off out of site. I have replayed that moment over and over in my mind. It all comes down to one common denominator. Trust your gut and take the first good opportunity you have to draw and execute the shot you’ve practiced.

Bill great msg. This is the exact advice I give and even the way I phrase it. Despite having much success with a bow I also crippled the biggest deer I have encountered from not following my own advice. I passed a makeable 27 yard shot and botched a awkward one when the deer got in a weird angle close to me and I lost my cool. Haunted me for a long time also.

Thanks for recounting this story for us. I always enjoy listening to you tell it how it really happened, and never have to wonder "is he exaggerating that?" Easy to hear the genuineness in your tone. Those big buck always keep us humble, and always have something to teach us 👍

Very good tip bill I've been working on it for years staying alert seems the second you stop they sneak in

Yes, where I hunt, very high pressure! I say to people that I hunt with, you get “One move, on a mature buck” (doe too) if you’re not standing w bow in hand. It’s over !! After 40yrs I seen it and done it 😢 Durn the first & last hour on stand, bow in hand and release on. Or stay home. You’ll never see that deer from that stand again.…. Don’t educate them. I been bag by mature deer 100 yds out, sometimes they’ll come, but they’re watching (they saw you stand or grab the bow) One move! Good vid, keep it going.

Great advice.

Great tips on NOT getting too wrapped up in any deer. That’s a big problem with today’s bowhunter. The experience, stewardship, successful plan of action is the reward! The shot is only seconds in time. God bless!

Excellent advice Bill. I’m the same way now with trying to be ready for the first shot I know I can make instead of waiting for a shot that may never happen. I’ve missed out on a number of opportunities and it leaves a bad taste watching that chance slip away.

Always easy to second guess ourselves. Had similar experience. Life goes on. Thats why we practice and hunt. Respect for the animal is what keeps me up. Have always preached. TAKE THE FIRST GOOD SHOT. Honesty goes a long ways.

Bill, I can’t tell you how much I share your pain!

Yea sir. Great advice. I try to teach young bow hunters the same thing. And I stress to my wife. Don’t let the shot opportunity pass. Be ready!! She killed 4 this year! I killed 1!! Great advice. I also practice holding for super long times then shooting. While practicing of course. When we are practicing I’ll ask everyone hold till their shot breaks down. Then let down. Then repeat. I’ll hold up to 2 minutes then shooting at home. Because you never know what they will put you through. Love bow hunting. Love your videos. Luke 9:62

Bill, I have been guilty of this more than once. However, the most dejecting incident happened two years ago. I had been on stand the evening before this hunt and was caught in the rain. I decided to sit the showers out until dark. Everything was soaked. It was well below freezing the next morning, and about fifteen minutes after shooting light, the biggest buck I have ever encountered came in from behind me. I had plenty of pictures of him and was my dream buck. I went to attach my release onto the string when the caliper wouldn't close. Apparently, there was enough moisture left inside the release that it froze. I did everything possible to get it unstuck, and by the time I did, he was forty yards past my stand and angling away...too risky of a shot at that point. All I could do was watch him slowly walk away. Lesson learned. Double and triple check all your gear before heading out to the stand. Something as simple as moisture trapped in the caliper of a release can and will cost you a trophy of a lifetime. I feel your pain.

I always take that first shot opportunity. BUT the thing is....I forgot to nock an arrow. Biggest buck of my life too. 17 yds broadside, I was already at full draw, settled the pin on his armpit and squeezed the trigger and followed through. Shot sequence was perfect. But no arrow left my bow. I can't win Bill. Some bucks can't be killed. They're demons.

Appreciate the knowledge

I know your pain Bill. I have one that still haunts my dreams.

Thank you 🙏🏼

I took a 7.5 year old this year. 1st time I ever laid eyes on him after being on and off the farm for 4 years. He was just so unpredictable. Finally he crossed a bean Field I was watching at 7:30am behind 2 does. It was a running shot at 140 yards but the 450 bushmaster caught just enough of him to close the curtains on 4 years of a great cat and mouse game. Gotta love targeting specific deer and making strategic moves. Greatest lifestyle in the world!!!

Bill that's unreal a 230nt as a 4 year old. I know the area and even there that's a giant. I'm still reliving a shot on a potential top 10 typical I shot in Illinois in 2006. Rattled him into 12 yards and was at full draw and he never knew I was there. At the sound of the shot or on his own he stopped walking thus me hitting him too far forward. We never found him the arrow or anything. Recently got some leads on a handful of guys who may have the deer. Giant 200 plus 6x6 that still gives me nightmares

Hi Bill, great video. I think sometimes people don't get ready because of a lack of confidence in making the shot. For me I used to be really confident in making a shot within 40yds and would be ready as soon as I thought the deer was moving towards an area I could get that shot. Seems now I don't have the confidence I used to and that makes me a little more hesitant in picking that shot. I practice from early July to the end of the hunting season 4-5 days a week. I shoot pretty good out to 60yds but still have that feeling something is going to go wrong. Maybe I need to shoot more does. Thanks again for the video. .

Its good to know im not the only one who makes mistakes. Ive been trying to kill a " big" mature buck behind my house in Georgia for 5 years. The afternoon of November 9th I was in the stand in a great spot about 4:00 and a "big" antlered buck comes from my left down a path that Ive never seen a buck come from. I was looking at my phone(big mistake) go it put away. I ended up drawing and stopping the buck about 30 yards out but I was shooting through a hole in some tree limbs. I hit the buck farther back than I was aiming ( assuming it nicked a branch). Buck took off and I backed out after an hour not even looking for my arrow. I searched the next day for 4 hours and followed a blood trail for a quarter mile that I couldnt pick up again. Really questioned why I was even hunting making such a bad decision. I did kill a buck later on some different land in January though not anywhere near the caliber. Thanks for being transparent Bill👍

Dream Big man 🙏

agreed ! also after the first shoot get another one in them bow or gun . bill in the 90s shot a buck breeding a doe that buck was shot about 1/3 the way up in the lungs both lobes, had infection on outside of his ribcage . he might have died but was still alive maybe a week after being shot in the lungs.

Great lesson today, very true advice. I have followed your content for a long time, do you have any regrets selling your place or miss it? Thanks for always sharing great videos Bill

Ya know I had the same thing happen to me . I had the biggest bodied and antlers buck I had ever seen come in chasing a doe and I had a 50 yard shot I know I could make but didnt take it bc the doe cane right to me at 20 yards I thought hes going to come into 20 and hes dead. Well a smaller buck cane in behind him and he took off after him and took the doe with him . I regret not taking that shot that buck was soo big it wouldve been my PB. Glad I watched this

Boy after watching this I think I'll be able to let some heartache from yrs past finally go. Thanks Bill

Definitely understand this feeling. I passed up a 4.5 year old in 2021 and i had him at 40 yards three times but with only one shot at him. I wasn’t comfortable with the shot especially with him being right there at 40 yards but it was in timber and it’s open some but enough that wasn’t comfortable for me. He turned into a giant this year but unfortunately the neighbor killed him.

Thank you for this video, I had a couple of bucks that I could not recover, this past season, It’s been very hard to get over, considering I shot the deer and they probably died. Thanks for the lesson I will take that advice.

I know what you went through. I choked on a 5½ buck in the 2021 season and didn't take the shot that presented itself. It haunted me the rest of the season and up until the 2022 season. The buck is still alive and is 6½ this past season. I passed him twice as a 4½ year old in 2020. I hope I get a shot at him next season at 7½. If I don't I won't lose any sleep over it.

Great advise, how do I know let me just say I know what staring at the ceiling is like.

God, My PTSD of my own Giant buck Frig up just came back...........

That was absolutely riveting Bill. Until u said those words, 'the neighbor'. I knew it wasn't going to end well but u seem to get some nice pics of those long beams. U always say dream big. But I think that buck was Dream Beams. That year I lost my hunting buddy to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He had great instincts as a hunter. That year I didn't have a target buck to chase or dream about. For my fallen friend I shot a body deer. That deer & I had some history. I watched that deer when he was a buck fawn following his mother across the road. She jumped a barbed wire fence in the ditch & he tried going between strands. He damaged his pedicle on the right that he had 2 antlers that didn't match. He was very territorial & he never left the area he was born on. I believe his mother must have died so she never got the chance to chase him off. I got the hunt on video & made a good shot & he went maybe 40 yards. This year I'm going to shoot more & hunt with a new recurve/arrow setup I'm building now. Something that I've always hunted fish with that I'm going to incorporate into deer. With the recurve that first shot snap shot takes away all the what-ifs & really makes u focus like Tom Brady throwing a laser pass over the middle. It's the only way I can run 2 cameras that I haven't been doing as a solo hunter. One thing I've said about whitetails is that u can't use the words 'never or always" about them. They just have such a survival skill that is so unique that with the best laid plans with a late evening thermal they have a 💯 to one advantage over us & that makes it challenging & fun all @ once. Thanks again for another real-life story & take care.

happened to me last fall, seem him at 50 yards, he came to 14 yards, however was a real quite evening and i couldn't draw without him hearing me so i didn't , he made the deer season and i got both of his sheds on the 3rd of January 6x6 with match spilt g2's sheds were 75 - 72 rough gross score around 165. Maybe if drawn at 50 i would of got him :)

Bill, where is that rack now ? I remember reading a article you wrote which you included this story. You mentioned it could of been a Iowa state record typical bow.

He has the same look to his antlers as the general buck.

I did the opposite.😢 given mechanicals and dumbly shot quartering too off ground on first available shot at 15 yards.. First time ground blind with a decoy.. thought he was going downwind and he was coming up on decoy.. never shot mechs before and shoulder screws me. Walked in front of my camera right before I shot him.. biggest deer I've ever had in range. 160" 8 point. 🤮

I learned over forty years ago to take the first good clean shot any animal offered. That was before I was really into bow hunting hard. Bow hunters need to be as ready as possible every minute in the field. It takes many encounters to begin to learn about their movements and habits so as to be able to take the shot. I’ve missed opportunities many times because I hesitated just a few seconds too long. It’s really a no win win scenario so many times because the animal moved and I wasn’t drawn and ready. All a hunter can is try their best to take that first ethical shot.

Dang you know what would be cool?? If you uploaded your older videos!! Like the classic hunts from early 2000s. Be cool to see a younger Bill shooting big bucks lol.

I had a buck walking into me. I was watching him threw the binos, it was to late when I went to grab my bow and he caught me. Lesson learned I blew it lol

Had a similar situation this past season he dropped hit him high barely any blood I figured he was alright 2 weeks later found him what was left anyways coyotes cleaned him up for my european mount.

Did you get to keep the rack?

Been there a few times :(

Mr. Bill, does Mrs. Bill still hunt? Why don’t you ever see any of her hunts?

Had the same thing happen to a buck I watched for years. Of course the evening I shot him I was walking in. Hit him forward and he leaped through a cedar thicket. I waited 30 minutes before going to look for the arrow. When I got to that spot he was bedded about 5 yards inside those cedars. He ran and I never saw him again. He was about 8 years old and declined to 175”. After that I never lost sleep again over a buck. It can get personal for us. Makes for misery

I can honestly say I've never passed up an opportunity to shoot at a 225" whitetail😅

Did anyone else think the title said 225 Inch deer give away? I about fumbled my phone into the sink trying to figure out how to enter. Lol

Bill Holy Smokes...145" 2yo! No way he was 3yo at that point? Not doubting, just trying to learn. Would that be an anomaly even in Iowa? That'd likely be a 4yo deer in NJ!

id say ive drawn too early a few times, cant say i ever drew too late

Bill, the way that hunting sometimes goes, you very well could have taken that first shot and something would have went wrong. You'd be saying in this video, "don't get hasty, don't take a shot you're not 100% on. Wait for that perfect shot" lol

Great advice but…Ain’t quite the same with a recurve

I had an opportunity on a deer and rushed it the first shot. The second encounter I had with him I pulled It off. Now granted, the deer I shot Wasn’t near as big 😂 you guys can watch the whole thing on my channel. Self filmed.

I've been deer hunting for nearly 40 years..bow hunting for 35 plus...serious trophy hunter for over 20 years... ..25 years of competitive archery-3D shooting.. and ill argue with anyone...deer don't "drop" at the shot..they "drop" hearing the arrow in flight...period..