Having second thoughts and need to vent!

[shortstroke 91]

I've had my Longbow now for 2 years, I try to get 3 or 4 practice days in per week and normally do. My practice sessions consist of about 5 to 20 shots ranging from 5 to 25 yards. Normally I only shoot 1 arrow but every now and then I'll shoot 3 just to mix things up.
My delima is that one day I can put every shot within 2 inches of the exact spot I'm aiming @ and the next 2 sessions I can't get within a foot after 10 yards. I know I could just limit myself to 10 or 15 yard shots but having been a compound hunter for the past 15 years I've never had a shot under 20 yards. I've lost confidence in my ability to place my shots where they need to be and keep looking back @ my 06' fully rigged compound knowing that out to 50 yards I can place 3 arrows inside a coffee can lid. I really love Trad shooting and the Gang here are the best bunch of people I can imagine but with only a few days a year to hunt I'm thinking of keeping the trad stuff @ home and going hunting with the things I have confidence with. I feel like I owe it to the animals to be proficient. Thanks for listening, any encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

[McDave]

I can only tell you how I feel about it, which may be differently than you do.  For me, shooting a traditional bow is not a means to an end.  In other words, I don't shoot a traditional bow in order to be able to take game at so many yards, or in order to do well in a tournament.  I shoot a traditional bow because it is a joy for me to shoot arrows.  Because I shoot a lot of arrows, and because I am open to improving my form, over time I have gotten good enough to confidently take game out to maybe 25 yards.  Heck, I've nailed squirrels in my backyard further away than that!

Frankly, after 2 years, practicing the amount you do, you are about where I would expect you to be.  If it were me, I wouldn't worry about it; I would just keep shooting arrows.  But you're not me, and you want to get better.  This is how you can get better:

1.  Shoot a lot more arrows than you already are.  Enjoy observing the flight of the arrows instead of analyzing every shot.

2.  Have someone who knows good form coach you.  The reason you're performing well one day and not the next is because something in your form is breaking down, and you're not noticing it.  Or maybe your concentration is off.  Or maybe you're too worried about getting somewhere, and not enjoying just shooting arrows.

3.  Continue shooting traditional bows for the joy of it, but hunt with your compound bow.  We won't hold it against you.

[BLACK WOLF]

I totally agree with what McDave expressed.

I would also suggest learning a different aiming techinique to help with your consistancy if you're only aiming Instinctively.

Practice sessions that include only 5 to 25 shots are not going to improve your aiming ability...especially if you are aiming Instinctively. Unless you're gifted with exceptional hand and eye coordination...it can take 100's or 1000's of shots to teach your subconscious mind what the proper sight picture and body position needs to be to hit a target for a certain distance. Whereas with the other techinques it should be a matter of only a couple of arrows to figure out proper aiming.

You may be having problems with your form and/or concentration. If you're having problems with either one...it's going to effect your accuracy and your consistancy...no matter what aiming techinique you're using and it only makes matters worse...if your trying to learn Instinctive Aiming with inconsistant form...especially at great distances than 10 to 15yrds.

Ray  

[BLACK WOLF]

Someone just posted that Howard Hill shot about 24,000 arrows per month...something to think about  

Ray  

[Blasterjdh]

shortstroke 91 -- I'm practically in your same boat.. I am new to Trad and enjoy it a lot.. That would probably be an understatement..  However - Working 55-60 hrs a week, sick kids, family duties, etc. all total eat up my time. I have an exceptional "better half" who take most of the load. However - I've been thinkin that the only way to get to where I feel I'm decent - is to find a mentor to show me the ropes initialaly and then set up a night range (lights,clear area, etc) that way I will have the time before shutting down for the day to relax and shoot. Unsure if you are in the same time restraints - but I feel this would help (me at least) get some time to practice and enjoy the time.... Just my 2 cents....

Anyone in Southern California willing to coach? (hmmmm)

[MI_Bowhunter]

Practice more.  I have limited time myself and only get to shoot a few nights a week.  When days get short or I can't get to the range I'll often shoot in my basement.    Even 5-10 yard shots are better then no practice at all.   The fundamentals of the shot are the same at 5 yards as they are at 50 yards; the only difference is where you are aiming.

[Jon Christensen]

I'm no expert at this stuff but here's what I've found makes a difference for me.
Practice doesn't make perfect, "Perfect practice makes perfect".
I started treating every shot like I was hunting. All my concentration into every shot. One shot and then retrieve my arrow or at least move to a new location and shoot again. It may sound too simple of a solution  but I know it's helped me tremendously.
Jon

[MikeW]

2. Have someone who knows good form coach you. The reason you're performing well one day and not the next is because something in your form is breaking down, and you're not noticing it. Or maybe your concentration is off. Or maybe you're too worried about getting somewhere, and not enjoying just shooting arrows.

I agree. When ever I'm having one of those days when I'm like "What the heck is going on!" I really concentrate on my shot and form,pick a spot and shoot. That usually gets me back on, if that don't work I go back in the house.   :D

[shortstroke 91]

Thanks guys, I talked to Jay "The Target Panic Dr." and got some of his tips and exercises. After doing the exercises twice this morning I went back out to shoot 30 arrows.
10% within 1 inch
43% within 2 inches (size of a heart)
70% within 3 inches
87% within 4 inches (size of the lungs)
I had 4 fliers but I'm putting them off on fatigue since I've drawn my bow about 75 times since this morning.
I couldn't be happier and am in the process of getting my confidence back.
Thanks to everyone for the help!

[Downsouth]

Went through the same scenario myself. I went from shooting a compound to just a longbow and slowly watched my confidence and accuracy deteriorate over the course of a year. It was just plain frustrating! I picked up a compound again this year and practice with both at the same time. It's a psychological advantage for me to shoot my compound which I can bulls eye to 30 yards non stop and then shoot my Cari-Bow at 10-20 yards for practice. When I'm out hunting I take whatever bow is appropriate for the situation. If I'm sitting in a tree stand in a wide open area, where my shot will be 20-40  yards, I take the compound, and if I'm say...on the ground behind some brush, where my shot will 20 yards or under, I take the longbow. I really like the aspects of trad hunting... honor, respect for the animals I'm hunting, great web sites like this one    etc! I also like shooting and tuning my compound and the ability it gives me to shoot ethically at longer distances. I am deer hunting to put food on the table. In this as in most things it's balance that works for me!

[WestTnMan]

Over the years my problem was not holding my bow arm until the arrow hit the target. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. To force myself to do it I would shoot and hold the arm on target till the arrow hit the target and count one Mississippi longer.  Hold that arm up. Just video tape yourself shooting from several angles and study it. Helped me realize I was dropping my bow arm. It will show you stuff you wouldn't know you were doing. Good luck. It will work if you want it too.

[Ssamac]

I take a flintlock and a 30 30 lever action deer hunting during rifle season. Depending on where I hunt, I might want to rely on the 3030 to make a clean kill. But the flintlock is my preferred rifle.

For muzzleloading season I take my flintlock and my bow. Under 30 yards I use the bow. There's no sport to shooting  deer at under 30 yards even with a flintlock.

For bow season, I now hunt on the ground or in a blind. With the bow. I only take a close and sure shot. I don't want to wound an animal And guess what, I don't really care if I don't bring one home. It's the doing that counts.

As for consistent shooting, you have to shoot like every once is a hunt. If I were you, I'd practice with one arrow. Make it count. If you do, fetch it and shoot again. Make it o****. I learned to shoot that way from my dad. One bullet. BTW, I only chamber one bullet in the 3030 and only take one broadhead bowhunting. One shot or the deer wins.

Otherwise, I plain love to shoot this thing. I had a recent health issue and had to cut back my draw weight. I don't care. I'm shooting every day at the lower weight and having a great time. My son and I stump shoot. Great fun.

I do admire your ethical approach, however, and if you don't think you can make a clean kill with the longbow yet, hunt with the compound but don't skip the hunt, man, do it. Next year or the year after you will feel ok about hunting with the longbow, and you won't go back

sam

[Soilarch]

I had this exact thing happen to me this summer with my compound.  You described what was happening to me perfectly, except I ALWAYS nailed that first shot of the day.

Here's what I did and it worked.  Heck if I know it will work for you.

-Didn't shoot for about 3 days
-PURPOSELY changed my fletching, knowing full-and-well it had nothing to do with fletching. (You've lost confidence in yourself and/or the equipment...so change the equipment)
-Went out with ONE arrow.  
-Shot ONE arrow.  Went back inside. ("""...so change the you.)
-About an hour later I'd take ONE arrow and shoot again.

This meant I shot a total of 2 or 3 arrows a day for about a week.  But it worked.

[Ssamac]

Way to go. I'll take a dozen arrows in my quiver now, but until I got the jist of it, I practiced like my Dad showed me. One at a time. If you are not shooting right or consistently, and you shoot a lot of arrows, you are just practicing the wrong thing so that you do it better and destroying your confidence. Even though I carry a dozen now (not for hunting mind you, just practice) I still think about them as one at a time because that's how I learned it.

sam

[O.L. Adcock]

"I feel like I owe it to the animals to be proficient."

Yes sir....We all have our limits no matter what we have in our hands. The trick is knowing it and the discipline to stay within it. Even that's not going to prevent us from screwing up occasionally. We all go through those cycles. I tend to "know" when I'm not comfortable at a given range and pass on those shots. It doesn't matter what that range is, could be 10 yards or 50. I let a 400 class bull "walk" at 25 yards one time, never regretted it.....O.L.

[KellyBender]

Here is my $.02.  It isn't meant as being condescending or derogatory to either stick shooters or compound guys.  I have been shooting a recurve and, like you (and probably like many new stik shooters) came from a compound background.  

For me, when I first started shooting a recurve, I did like everyone said...started real close to the target, one arrow at a time and got decent pretty pretty quick...shooting good at like 10-15 steps after a month or so.  At that range, it seemed so rediculous to think that you are "getting good" since even a beginner compound guy can easily shoot at 20-30 yards with very tight groups within an hour or so (compound mentality).  

So then once I got good at 10-15 yds, I then move back to 20 and realized...man...this is not going to be easy....the flyers are what put the seed of doubt in my head.  I would go back to 15 yds...shoot good again...then go back to 20 and it was like the movie groundhog day.  Even though I tell myself that this is not a compound, there is a part of me that says I "should" be able to shoot at that distance - or longer - if I practice and plus...lets face it...it was ONLY 5 yards.   on one hand, I keep telling myself to limit myself to 15-20 yards or closer but I can't help the temptation to feel as though I should/can shoot at longer distances as long as I practice more...cause lets face it, when you shoot a compound at 20 or 30 yards and then add 10 more yards to it, basically, all you are doing is using a different pin.  

For me, there is a world of difference between 18-20 yds and 25 when I shoot my recurve.  Most compound guys would laugh at that statement.

Shooting a recurve/longbow takes incredible practice and dedication to become even an average shooter at 20 yards.  I think most guys - me included - who came from the compound ranks are in denial with how much practice it actually entails and the dedication to feel comfortable even at 20 yards.  For me - and I would guess there are lots like me - it really took a changing of mindset (maybe denial) to actually accept what it takes to shoot and hunt with a stik.  I also think there are a lot of guys who wind up going back to a compound because after a couple of years of shooting and still standing there at 20 yds shaking their head as to why they can't put every arrow in the spot.  Then they wind up go back to compound because a compound is a fairly easy weapon to get proficient with (getting and keeping confidence) and a stik bow is a weapon that requires dedication and commitment (even with that dedication and years of practice, confidence is constantly being tested).  

One thing that helped me was Rick Welches shooting video.  Lots of great advice in it.  Good luck.

[KellyBender]

Also meant to add..there is nothing wrong with going back to a compound.  Hunting is supposed to be a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be fun.  Choose whatever is best for you and don't let anyone try to sway you away from that.  Good Luck.

[shortstroke 91]

Kelly
I believe you put my delima in words that fit my thoughts exactly, glad I'm not the only one.
 
I've been compairing Traditional archery to golf, it's a constant challenge to get better and at first you learn quickly but then you plateau or stall and that can be extremely frustrating. The biggest difference is that when you make a bad shot in golf the worst thing that could happen is loosing a ball, in archery the worst thing would be obviously wounding an animal and causing undue long term suffering.

[KellyBender]

Shortstroke...misery loves company!!

 

[Junction hunter]

I've been hunting with the recurve for 4 years now and still haven't got a deer with it. With the compound I got one during bow season for 18 years running sometime more than one. This doesn't bother me as much as it use to because I love shooting trad. The challenge of the hunt has become more important that the kill. Even if I didn't hunt with it I'd still shoot every day.
Besides if you need the kill do it during gun season.