Are you a good shot with a Bow?

[ublyhunter]

You're a person that shoots consistent 2-3 inch groups with your bow at 20 yards...Does this mean you will more then likely harvest every deer you reach full draw on? Or are there other factors that make you good at hitting a deer other then being a good shot? I know what it took for me to be "almost" consistenly successful every time I draw at 20-30 yards....What are your thoughts on this? What do you need other then confidence in your equipment to double lung anything within 20 - 30 yards?

Make a list for me..I'd like to compare my experiences with yours.

Thanks!:evil:

[Bwana]

I took up bow hunting this year. I have been practiceing, but to consistently hit 2-3 inch groups at 20-30 yards I need divine intervention at this point. Theres my list, hope it helps.:lol:

[Tom (mich)]

In my opinion, there is only a minor coorelation between those who "group" well on the range (motionless target, big colored circles), and those who can consistently make a clean kill in the field. Clearly, it's very important that one can shoot straight, but in bowhunting, I believe it's more critical to know WHEN to shoot.

[Erik]

I'm a very good shot when I practice. I have trophies to prove it. Doesn't mean anything when I hit the woods though. I have a hard time keeping calm when I shoot at game. It's my one major nemisis and its not because I don't hunt very much cause I do. I'm just easily excitable I guess. When I'm just watching deer I am calm as calm can be. But as soon as I get ready to make a kill I fall apart inside. Bucks or does, it doesn't matter. Even turkeys, and to a much lesser extent even small game sometimes. I have never to date been totally able to overcome this problem, but I am getting a little better at it I think. Like someone else said, I pray for devine intervention. I also repeat these words in my head over and over as I come to full draw. "Full draw, concentrate, follow through". Another thing I started doing this year is sometimes while I'm practicing between shots I'll run around the yard to get my heart pumping hard and then force myself to shoot while I'm still out of breath. Still not quite the same, but I think I am getting a little better at it.
For what it's worth, even with my little problem I do still manage to take game every now and then :)

[SR-Mechead]

I'm a very good shot when I practice. I have trophies to prove it. Doesn't mean anything when I hit the woods though. I have a hard time keeping calm when I shoot at game. It's my one major nemisis and its not because I don't hunt very much cause I do. I'm just easily excitable I guess. When I'm just watching deer I am calm as calm can be. But as soon as I get ready to make a kill I fall apart inside. Bucks or does, it doesn't matter. Even turkeys, and to a much lesser extent even small game sometimes. I have never to date been totally able to overcome this problem, but I am getting a little better at it I think. Like someone else said, I pray for devine intervention. I also repeat these words in my head over and over as I come to full draw. "Full draw, concentrate, follow through". Another thing I started doing this year is sometimes while I'm practicing between shots I'll run around the yard to get my heart pumping hard and then force myself to shoot while I'm still out of breath. Still not quite the same, but I think I am getting a little better at it.
For what it's worth, even with my little problem I do still manage to take game every now and then :)


I don't think that is a problem .I think that is hunting. When I stop getting excited when I see a deer I will walk away from the sport. I have been bow hunting since 1972 and I still have to tell myself to calm down when I see a deer. To me that's the fun of it. I think of myself as a very good shot at a target but put the real thing in front of me. My heart starts pumping , my as!! feels like it's coming out of my mouth. But I do have some great stories to tell when I come back to camp. Damn now I can't wait tell next year. :lol:

[Adam Waszak]

First is confidence in equipment yes but also experience, not a ton but some good success for experience. It took me 4 years to get my first deer with a bow and I was thinking it was impossible to do it. As soon as I did it, I began killing them on a regular basis. Also being able to shoot once and make it count not warming up to a 2 to 3 inch group but making the first cold shot count. Patience is always a plus when waiting to draw holding draw and picking a spot. Calm and collected, most deer are lost or missed because someone could not keep calm and or focused on the task and calmly releasing the string and following through. It takes a lot and I think you can do it for years and eventually make the same mistake you did when you were 12 :lol: That is what makes the sport so great because you never truly master it you can always improve but without a little luck and right place right time, you won't be successful at all.

AW

[8POINTSorBIGGER]

I shot a doe this year at 37 yards hit both lungs and just missed the heart I've shot my bow so much I think I could take the peep and sights off and still shoot good:)

[ublyhunter]

Great answers! I agree with all of you. Adams comments were like a mirror image of my thoughts on deer vs. target. With time comes experience and with experience I think you develop more of an instinct as to what you're doing. You don't have to think too much you just sort of make it happen.

SOMETIMES!!! I make it sound easy...some days I climb out of my stand and just scratch my head and wonder how I could be sooooo stupid. The truth is..if I didn't get a pounding heart, or sweaty fingers tips every time I heard a branch break I'd take up some other hobby....

[Trushot_Archer]

"Bowhunter" and "Archer" are certainly not synonomys ;)

I know PLENTY of bowhunters that regularly take big mature whitetails year after year after year that I could smack around on the 3D or Indoor spot range.

....and I've yet to take a big muture buck.

Scouting, timing, mental state, focus, buck fever .....all play a part in the game.

[Joe Archer]

First off I have been been bow hunting with a compound since the early 80's and have won trophies on archery leagues. Give me three shots at your knock from 20 yards and you will be replacing it. However, I limit my shots at deer to 20 yards or less. The longest shot I have ever taken with a bow was 25 yards, and only on one occasion.
As for your list....

1) Confidence in your ability to make a clean and humane kill...
a. An understanding of deer behavior and reactions to know if a
situation is "green-light" or "red-light"
b. Know when to draw, and have a basic understanding of deer anatomy
to allow propper shot-selection. Know where to aim!
2) Understanding of the psychology involved and realize that the subconscious voice that tells "SHOOT! this animal is so big there is no way you can miss", is wrong.
a. You have to realize that you have to know the distance, pick a
single spot, aim and follow through.
b. In other words, inexperienced hunters see a gigantic animal.
Experience turns this animal into the size of about a quarter.

Oh, and 8pointsorbigger.... I don't use a peep site ever... or a release ;) <----<<<

[mich buckmaster]

"Bowhunter" and "Archer" are certainly not synonomys ;)

I know PLENTY of bowhunters that regularly take big mature whitetails year after year after year that I could smack around on the 3D or Indoor spot range.

....and I've yet to take a big muture buck.

Scouting, timing, mental state, focus, buck fever .....all play a part in the game.

:yeahthat:

[NorthJeff]

When to shoot, when not to shoot, knowing your limits, knowing your equipment, accuracy of equipment, level of expertise, experience level, number of animals taken, ALL come into play. But you just never trully know how your mind and body will react when the moment of truth arrives. A poor archer will never be a great archer under pressure, but there are pleny of great archers that become poor archers under pressure.

Tournament pressure and leagues are a couple of the best ways to get used to the pressure. Indoor spot leagues is one of the best ways to get used to the pressure....it can make you or sometimes even make you develop bad habits and break you. Personally, some of my best shots have been brought out under high pressure tournament or hunting situations....but in the past some of my worst shots were under the same situations. There is no subsitute for time and experience...especially pressured experience, and there is not quick route for success.

[SR-Mechead]

Jeff I agree with what you said. I have shot in many and I mean many archery tournaments and I have won a lot of them, but when I see horns and only I know the felling. Things start to happen inside me that alot of people don't understand. Now put 50 doe in front of me at 20yds and I will have 50 dead deer. I love to see bucks in the woods just for the reasons I said above,and they don't have to be monster bucks. :lol:

[Gobblerman]

The adrenaline rush that you get when that nice buck or doe is working their way towards your stand is what hunting is all about. I've only been bow hunting for 6 years and previous to this year I have only taken a couple of does and 1 spike with a bum leg. This year patience, knowing your distance and when to draw were the keys. I was able to take 2 nice 8 pointers, and both of them were great hunts. If it ever get's easy or there's know excitement in the hunt then it's time to quit. Patience is the biggest lesson I've learned along with almost always practicing from an elevated platform verse's the ground.

[dtg]

I think that if you can group 2-3"s, and have a fairly flat shooting bow, it greatly increases your odds of bringing down a deer properly. As for being at full draw, A few years ago I pulled back on a heavy 6 pt.. All he had to do was take a couple of steps forward and the hanging branch would have been out of the way for me to make a clean kill. Before he could take those couple of steps, he whips his head back to look at the woodline and there stood the biggest buck I've ever seen. I think he had a shrub stuck to his head. Anyway, that 6pt took off on a dead run into the woods. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that just because you're at full draw, are capable of making an ethical kill doesn't mean it's in the bag. You NEVER know what's going to happen.

[plugger]

One thing to remember is you will never be a better shot on deer than than you are on a target. If you can get to the point where you are shooting for the exit rather than the entrance you wont have problems with poor shots. Naturaly the more deer you shoot the easier it becomes. Being patient and not forcing the shot is important. Practice as much as possible on a three d target vs shooting at a spot or bullseye.

[TnRidge]

Like my signature used to say " Archery is seeing how far away you can hit the target . Bowhunting is seeing how close you can get to it ." ;)

I'm a decent shot , but I don't shoot groups that often when I'm practicing for bowhunting . It is better practice to rove around and shoot one arrow at a unknown distance at different angles on different size 3-D targets . I setup a small 3-D range in back of my house with about 6 or 7 3-D targets that I shoot at from various shot angles and distances .
I had one of my best seasons last year as a result .

A deer is not going to stand still long enough to allow you to shoot a group ,so make the first arrow count everytime .

[john warren]

i took 4 squirrel last weekend with my recurve, so i concider myself a fairly good shot. everyone gets the same nerves when confronted with a beautiful buck. the poor shot as well as the good shot. individuals with nerves of steel aside,,,,(not me baby!) who is going to do better? the person with the disapline(sic) to practice , take lessons, do what ever it takes to get good? or the person that is satisfied with being a poor shot?

you owe it to the animal to be honest with yourself. if you have doubts about making a clean kill you have no business shooting an animal.
i know thats an easy thing to say,i struggle with it at times myself. in fact i just have to admit, much as i love my pistol, and would love to take a deer with it. my .44 belongs only on the practice range, not in the woods.

[john warren]

P.S. my heart pounds like mad for both squirrel and deer alike.

[dtg]

I'm one of the fortunate ones that is extremely calm before my shot. However my legs go to jello after the shot. It's so bad that I couldn't get out of my stand after shooting at my first doe. I don't know if it somes from going to boot camp years ago or what, but I'm thankful that I can keep my wits when the horned ones come by.

[john warren]

i keep my wits too...well,,,the half of them i have left anyway

[jme]

Great posts! Adam-your comments were very similar to my experiences. After getting that first one (took me more than 4 years, though), the floodgates opened and success has been very consistent. A few things I do that are pretty helpful:
-shoot a lot of "first shots": only take one shot, put the bow down, shoot again 20 minutes later. I shoot down my driveway and take several 'first shots' when I'm working in the yard, etc.
-on my bow is the message: Concentrate, Focus, Aim at a Single Hair.
-aim twice: It's easy to aim "at the deer" when the moment of truth finally arrives. After putting the pin on the deer I move the sight a foot over its back then drop the pin back into the vitals (time allowing). It helps me.
-it goes without saying that you need to practice with the broadheads you'll use while hunting, shoot from elevated stands, wear the same thing you'll wear while hunting, etc.

Go for it,
John E
Ypsi

[Chuck]

I hunted for 3 years before I shot a doe and the shot looked perfect. Even when she ran off and stopped 50 yards away I could see a red spot right where you want it. I waited for an hour and tracked her amazing blood trail for over 800 yards and she never bed down. I looked for 3 full days and couldnt find her.

The next year I practiced more and everytime I drew on a deer I couldnt make the shot becouse I made all kinds of excuses in my head why I shouldnt take the shot. The next year I connected on my first archery deer and now I have shot one every year, plus 2 bull elk in Oregon.

So I guess for me it was building confidence and experience with my equipment. I have always shot alot and practice every year from sitting position and in different locations. As some else said I only count my first shot. As the season draws near I shoot only one arrow at a time from a different distance every time. With a deer you will only get one shot most of the time.

I hunt state land so my chances are few and far between so it creates alot of preasure to make it happen. Once I let go of that I havent had any problems.

Things I focus on during the shot are drawing the bow slowly, lining up everything and aiming for a small spot on the deer not at the whole deer. This last season I made an amazing shot on a buck at 29 yards. I was on the ground and shot threw a small opening in the brush. The center of the opening was right in the middle of the bioler room. SO I didnt even aim at the deer but aimed and concentrated on the center of that opening. It was a perfect hit and the buck ran 50-60 yards and died. He was also eating acorns and not moving. I also practice shots like this all time out to 40 yards so I knew I could make it.

But later in the year I shot at a huge 8pt (I was on the ground again) that was walking by in the open at 18-20 yards and I stopped him to soon before I was ready and rushed the shot and missed clean. I sat there in complete disbelief that I missed such an easy shot. But the big boys have a way rattling you and cousing you to make stupid mistakes.

I guess thats hunting :)

[djkillaz]

well i consistantly practice from 15 to 40 yds. can hold good groups. but the main prob. I used to have is that shooting at a target and a deer are 2 different things. i picked up a idea that dan and guy fitzgerald do. i will run 50 to 100 yds then make a shot at different yardage. trying to get as close to the pump you get when a deer shows up. i noticed it does help you prepare better. also, trying to pick a small spot to shoot at on the deer. rather than an area. when i was young i used to just aim at an area. and lost deer too. picking a small spot and concetrating on it. just like target shooting. picking your spot and ignore the horns or the deer at all.

[Gobblerman]

picking a small spot and concetrating on it. just like target shooting. picking your spot and ignore the horns or the deer at all.

Well said djkillaz, once you can focus on a spot verse the whole the deer the better shot placement you will have.

[TnRidge]

Simply practice like you hunt .;)

[john warren]

? tnridge,,,you mean i should wander around in the mud and lose all my arrows while i practise?

[mich buckmaster]

I think too many people put archery and HUNTING in the same category, but I don't.

I don't care if you are a PSE, HOYT, or MATTHEWS shooter. It takes a lot of breath control, poundage cranked down, a setting where you shoot standing upright, and many others to mention to shoot a 1-2 inch group at 30 yards.

BUT IN HUNTING:

way too many things to mention. A great hunter doesnt have to be a great target shooter. The lungs of an animal give you a 12 inch or greater to HARVEST that animal.

There as an olympic shooter on a video once that missed at least TWO FEET over the deers back.......................TWO FEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That guy can shoot your eye out at 60 yards. BUT hunting is defferent!!!

You have to get that deer in range, pull that bow back, and shoot behind the shoulder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just some FYI!!

[safetreehunt]

I would think that a reasonable assessment of how good a shot you are and how good a shot you THINK you are could be determined from a simple format.


Go to a local 3D shoot and run their course several times over a few months or so. Ask the guys that run it if you can find out where you scored relative to the rest of the shooters. Obviously the more shooters the better the comparison too.

What you'll find out is that are some really good shooters at events like these, a bunch of average shooters, and some not so...I'll use the term accurate or consistent. See where you land in this group and then you'll have a better idea of How good a shot you are.
Now if you're talking shooting at deer, well that's a whole different issue though.

[Bowhunter30]

I don't necessarily go for groups, but shoot for particular spots on the target. I try to use the same anchor points everytime, same follow through, etc. Big difference though once you are in the field shooting at the real thing though. ;)

The deer doesn't stand broadside and normally when I shoot at targets, my heart is not pounding out of my chest. Buck fever is not something to take lightly, I know from this past season, when a 10 point stepped out about 30 yards away. Biggest buck I have ever had a shot at and totally muffed the shot. Some how I hit something vital and the thing dropped about 20 yards in the thicket in front of my stand. Did not realize he did because I was so devestated from the shot I let go, that I wasn't even paying attention. All that was going through my head was "I had just lost the biggest buck I have ever seen from a stand, because I couldn't handle my emotions!"

That is when I realized that you can practice all you want at a target. But when the heart is pounding so loud you think the deer can hear it, palms are sweating, you are breathing like you just ran the 100 yard dash, all the practice in the world isn't going to help you. Because two weeks prior to this, I had a 7 point that I double lunged, never blinked an eye.

So, I would say you will know how good of a shot you are the day the big one presents himself. I now know that I am a terrible shot and need to keep my emotions in check if I ever get another opportunity at a bigger buck.

[TnRidge]

? tnridge,,,you mean i should wander around in the mud and lose all my arrows while i practise?If you hunt 20 feet up in a tree , practice from a treestand set at that height and at several shot angles and various distances .
Most hunters miss shots ,because they fail to bend at the waist on close shots ,miss judge the yardage , or fail to pick a spot .

It serves no purpose to practice shooting groups at known distances day after day for realistic bowhunting practice . You must add some realistic shots ,and hunting type scenarios to your practice ,and shoot only one arrow for each target or shot angle .
Deer are not going to stand still long enough for a hunter to shoot a group .:)

[Gobblerman]

If you hunt 20 feet up in a tree , practice from a treestand set at that height and at several shot angles and various distances .
Most hunters miss shots ,because they fail to bend at the waist on close shots ,miss judge the yardage , or fail to pick a spot .

It serves no purpose to practice shooting groups at known distances day after day for realistic bowhunting practice . You must add some realistic shots ,and hunting type scenarios to your practice ,and shoot only one arrow for each target or shot angle .
Deer are not going to stand still long enough for a hunter to shoot a group .:)
I could not agree with you more. Well said.

[fairfax1]

I've read and heard of the above standard as defining a 'skilled' archer. Meaning, at 10yds a 4 arrow round should group within 1", at 20yds group within 2", an so on.....And that's not Olympic or even tournament champion calibre - just 'skilled'.

I'm not that good, though I've been shooting for 37yrs. I consider myself a steady 3" at 20yds,, 5" at 25yds shooter. I'd describe myself as 'competent' to 25yds.

And yet, even if not at a 'skilled' level, I know my shooting is good enough to kill the deer I choose to shoot at.

For deer hunting from a treestand, for me, the critical two steps to making my shot are: first, getting the draw completed to a comfortable anchor; and second, concentrating on that tiny tiny aiming spot. When both of those occur I get my shot.

But if, after the scrambling animal is gone, I know that my draw/anchor was rough or my concentration on THE spot wasn't complete....then I know even I didn't see the strike that it wasn't the hit I was striving for.

Now, to be sure, the deer is most always killed anyway because I was "close enough"....but still, in those cases, I don't feel so much a "competent archer" as I do a "a lucky guy who just got away with one".

[beisch]

I have been bowhunting for about 25 yrs and i have to agee with all you hunters when i dont get excited just being out in the woods i am done . i think just figuring out where to put up your stand is half the fun. i practice at work at lunchtime and am able to shoot from 50yds, talk about humbling! I would never consider shooting that far at an animal,but practicing that far away does seem to make 25 yds seem easier

[Trophy Specialist]

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is not practicing enough the right way. If you are a new bowhunter, then you will be dealing with a high level of pressure and anxiety when the moment of truth happens. There will also be distractions that some archers have never dealt with before. The only way to practice for pressure situations is to shoot your bow in front of a crowd, the bigger the better. Competitive shoots are great with 3-D tournaments being great practice. The best practice I do for pressure is a fun shoot with a bunch of my friends where everybody watches every shot and spectators heckle the shooters before, during and sometimes after the shot.

The next form a practice is simulating hunting scenarios. I hunt from both ground blinds and tree stands. Most of the deer I’ve arrowed while sitting. Very few people practice extensively from sitting positions even though sitting shots are more accurate and reduce movement by the hunter. I shoot roughly half of my practice shots from sitting positions. I also shoot over a thousand arrows from a tree stand every summer and fall. I have a couple tree stands set up in my back yard and they feature shots through brush, branches and tall grass at 3-D deer targets simulating hunting shots. I also practice from my climber every year and take plenty of shots from enclosed ground blinds to get used to that scenario too. I shoot so much from so many different positions that I don’t even have to think about the fundamentals of the shot any more (been bowhunting for over 30 years). It’s instinctive for me to go through a shot cycle and my hunting accuracy a field is critical to my consistent success on trophy bucks every year.

[mich buckmaster]

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is not practicing enough the right way. If you are a new bowhunter, then you will be dealing with a high level of pressure and anxiety when the moment of truth happens. There will also be distractions that some archers have never dealt with before. The only way to practice for pressure situations is to shoot your bow in front of a crowd, the bigger the better. Competitive shoots are great with 3-D tournaments being great practice. The best practice I do for pressure is a fun shoot with a bunch of my friends where everybody watches every shot and spectators heckle the shooters before, during and sometimes after the shot.

The next form a practice is simulating hunting scenarios. I hunt from both ground blinds and tree stands. Most of the deer I’ve arrowed while sitting. Very few people practice extensively from sitting positions even though sitting shots are more accurate and reduce movement by the hunter. I shoot roughly half of my practice shots from sitting positions. I also shoot over a thousand arrows from a tree stand every summer and fall. I have a couple tree stands set up in my back yard and they feature shots through brush, branches and tall grass at 3-D deer targets simulating hunting shots. I also practice from my climber every year and take plenty of shots from enclosed ground blinds to get used to that scenario too. I shoot so much from so many different positions that I don’t even have to think about the fundamentals of the shot any more (been bowhunting for over 30 years). It’s instinctive for me to go through a shot cycle and my hunting accuracy a field is critical to my consistent success on trophy bucks every year.

I agree 100% Good Post!