First Bowhunt

Went out with my bow for the first time on the Thanksgiving long weekend, solo too. Saturday weather was great, Sunday snow in the morning which turned quickly into rain all day keeping me tent-bound, Monday fogged in couldn't see more than 30 yards. Got within 60 yards of a spiker whitetail buck, saw me and ran off. Pretty happy with that as my first stalk closer than 100 yards honestly. My max range is 50 yards for a comfortably ethical shot currently. Small game running everywhere! Rabbits and grouse a plenty. Got a shot off at 2 grouse, but here's where the problems came...

I'm shooting 58lbs compound bow, G5 small game heads, both grouse shot at 15 yards. Both impacts made a good "thwack" so I know that I hit, and there was an explosion of feathers, but both birds flew up and into the trees while my arrow kept going beyond. Went after the birds and they just vanished without a trace, spent a while looking for both but came up with nothing. Found my arrow both times and there's no blood or sign of hit on them, just feathers on the ground where it stood. Do you guys think it skipped off the back of both birds and just took some feathers out? I'm baffled as to why they disappeared. The small game heads I am using blew a good hole through a watermelon, so I know they do good damage. Aiming for the head next time is all I can come up with.

Either way had a great time, learned a lot, can't wait to get out with the bow again!

With grouse you need to pin their wings or hit them high in the chest or in the neck/head. Hit them low you are not going to find them. Odds are you hit them low. Personally I shoot for where the neck meets the body

What Wild One said. Wings, upper chest/head, base of neck being the best. I hunt Grouse with high velocity 22lr hollow points and if I don't critically disable or instantly kill them, they will fly off, rarely to be seen again.

Sounds like fun...last year with my recurve I belly crawled to within 25 yards of two whitetails (20 yards is my max comfort range)...took me over an hour to stalk that close after spotting them, but one of the funnest hunts there is..