This wide, last day caribou provided the author with plenty of excitement on his hunt in Quebec. After missing the bull low, the author had the opportunity to follow up with a second shot, a shot that he made good on.

In many archery hunters' minds, bowhunting is a lot like cooking a steak. You only get one chance to get it right. Second chances are as rare as a snowstorm in Florida. And for better or worse, this is certainly true. We practice hard during the off-season to make that prospective one shot, the first shot, count. But with any rule, there are exceptions. For archery hunters that means a second shot is in the cards at times, and occasionally the second arrow can make the difference.

Big Game Shootout
Throughout North America and Canada, each big game animal requires its own set of rules and circumstances for hunting techniques and methods, but the end result is just the same. Whether you're chasing caribou across carpet-like tundra, elk along steep slopes of alpine-infested timber, or mule deer on the open plains, botched first arrows come with the territory. And that means you need a second, and usually you need it quickly and quietly.

Rifle hunters have it easy. Their follow up is either a quick bolt exchange or simply an automatic feed. Whether you need it or not, is not entirely the question. It's just sound hunting skill to have a follow up shot ready. For some archery hunters this isn't a problem. But, for the majority of other hunters a second arrow is strictly an afterthought--particularly for whitetail hunters. If you've ever chased wild hogs or migrating caribou you know that arrows can vanish like puffs of fog, so perhaps the best way to go into any hunt is being conscience of a second shot. Here's some advice on the seemingly quiet subject…

Set A Routine
I once stalked a caribou and dropped down into a cluster of blueberry bushes as the bull neared. I took my quiver off and laid it beside me, inconsiderate of my other "ammo." The bull moved a bit so I had to crawl about three feet to my left. I shot and missed the bull low, but he didn't spook. Now the problem was that my second arrow was out of reach. I hadn't given a follow up arrow any forethought. The bull left before I could worm back over. I was steaming mad. It was a tough lesson to learn, but it hasn't happened since.

You can eliminate this problem by either leaving your quiver on or getting good with another brand of off-the-bow-quiver. In the end, when the moment arises and you need a second arrow your routine for grabbing it should be as fluid as when you reach around to pull out your wallet. This is not an article on quiver options. It's about taking whatever quiver you choose and learning to be an effective hunter with it. That's just good hunting technique because it gives you access to a possibly needed follow-up arrow at the drop of a hat.

Skilled archery hunters know what kind of quivers work best for them. These quivers should carry arrows securely at all times, even though nasty brush.

"I use a hip quiver for all of my bowhunting. I dislike using a bow-mounted quiver," said Archie Nesbitt, a well-traversed Canadian archery hunter. "I can hunt and shoot much more effectively with my quiver off of my bow. I've needed a second arrow many times hunting different animals all over the world, and I've never neglected this aspect of the chase. My second arrow is always within easy reach because I always make sure of it. I've taken some of my best animals with a second arrow.

"No archery hunter, particularly when you hunt a plethora of different sorts of game, should handicap themselves with the mentality they are only going to use one arrow, so forget about the others. That's not a good way to look at things. Most of the time it can seem that way but certainly not always," adds Nesbitt. His statements are that of a lifetime of bowhunting wisdom. A boy scout's creed is to always be prepared. Successful archery hunters drink from the same well.