Over before it started... Please learn from my mistake

[Deer Tamales]

This happened a couple weeks ago but haven't talked about it til today. I made a huge mistake, a $2200 mistake. It was something that never crossed my mind as potentially happening but it did. An accident, but please let it be a lesson to all of us.

I've been shooting my bow for over a month to get ready for the upcoming season. This day, a Sunday, I decided to go shoot 10-12 arrows for my daily practice as it was over 100 degrees out and i wasnt gonng to be back home til late. Now i want you to know I've shot hundreds of arrows in my backyard before this incident. Well, as I drew back to take aim, before I completely drew back I bumped my release and flung an arrow that missed my target high by a couple inches. What happen next was one of the worst feelings ever. The arrow went through the wooden fence into my neighbors yard and finally rested inside their a/c unit after piercing one of the coils. I know my neighbor well as the husband used to work for me. I immediately jump the fence and freon is spewing out makin a huge white cloud. The wife comes out and is freaking not knowing what is going on.
To make a long story short I ended up replacing the unit for them as the wife had become extremely angry with me.

I never wanted that to ever happen.

So please always make sure you are shooting in a safe environment. It could have been a pet or worse a child and my life would have forever been changed. $2200 is alot of money but I will eventually recover that so I'm lucky it was just monetary. I've lost my interest in hunting and especially bow hunting for the time being which I thought I would never say.
Again, please learn from this and be safe folks.
_________________________

[AndyRealtree]

Thanks for the reminder. You're right, it could have been significantly worse. Glad it was just an AC. You'll get your huntin mojo back bud

[M.E.B.]

Did the same thing to my dad's a/c when I was 16.

Bought my first "real" bow and did not understand that it had a little
more ump in it. Shot through the target and into the a/c.

My dad was angry too.

[Rack'em Jay]

my brother did that with a throwing star when he has about 8 years old cost $400.00

he missed the tree and it went into the coil

[Coach W]

That's kinda funny.

[RackstackerG5]

Dont be to hard on yourself bud. We are human and it is that which allows us to make mistakes. It could have been worse. But it wasn't. You seemed to have learned a valuable lesson, and your sharing your experience with us. That is what makes you responsible, trustworthy, and an upstanding person. We all make mistakes but the only true mistake is not learning from them!

[JHT]

That's kinda funny.

Here's your sign...

[El Viejo]

Shouldn't homeowners insurance cover something like that?

[docmay]

We have a lot behind our office I shoot in a lot. Our contractor had a water trailer sitting out there. I think it was a thousand gallon tank. I shot at a prairie dog and the arrow skipped up right into the tank. A montec will penetrate a plastic tank and the three blade hole is very hard to deny. Luckily he is a friend of mine and they were able to repair it. Really have to be careful.

[flyby]

I have a huge open field behind my house which makes it east to see anything beyond my target. I shoot caddy corner across my yard, so misses would go behind my neighbors fence into the field. Couple years ago I had a release that started sticking on me. After it did it the second time I should have tossed it, but a little oil and the next three shots were fine. Shot four hung just long enough for me to try to let down before in released- causing the arrow to deflect off of the side of the target and go clear through the fiberglass sailboat my neighbor had behind his fence.

Fortunately, we are good friends. He had patch material at work and hadn't used the boat in several years. After patching it he gave the boat to a friend of mine.

Don't let it change your hunting- let it change your practice.

[ckuehl]

I think this happened to another member as well. I just remember sing the pictures and hearing the story from a friend at work.

Don't sweat it. I have done so many dumb things I could probably be a millionaire by now.

[mathewsoutback]

A cold steel blow gun will do the same thing...

[AndyRealtree]

A cold steel blow gun will do the same thing...

Hahahahahaha

[Bowhuntamistad]

Van when I was about 10...still see the van around town with the hole in it

[flywise]

Everyone has some sort of similar story, missed the target, early release etc.
It could have been worse... but it wasn't, so get the bow back out.
I have an old heavy rubber truck bed mat hanging behind my target to stop strays( which are very few). You might get something like that