Real World "hunting" practice tips/pointers?

[slivrslingr]

Slow down, most of us walk way too fast when hunting on the ground.  As a recovering rifle hunter, I've learned this the hard way.  Most the other stuff has been covered!

[Charlie Lamb]

Get a 3D deer target. Really helps familiarize your self with picking a spot on the real thing.

[steadman]

Learn to picka spot as mentioned. Acouple ways to practice this is, one when watching a hunting show, pick a spot as if you were the camrea. This aslo helps with angles. Two is pick a spot on everything. especially animals. Our eyes are trained to see the whole picture. When you drive by and see an animal, pick a spot on the animal, don't just look at the whole animal. I live on a farm, and the cattle are fed right by where I shoot. I constantly pick a spot on the cows. They are angus, so pure black, this aslo helps in picking a spot.
I still don't do it enough, but it helps.

[reddogge]

Hunt groundhogs.  If you can kill them you can hunt anything.

[RC]

I carry toilet paper in my right cargo pocket when I`m hunting on foot. Things happen real fast sometime and gets confusing at time to trail. When I get lucky enough to sneak within range and get a shot . I watch the animal leave and take a compass bearing of the last place I saw and heard it. Keep in mind I hunt thick places and usually can`t see very far. If your in wide open country this may not help. ..When the animal is gone and all is quiet I take a piece of paper out and put it where I`m standing. I walk to where the animal was standing at the shot and drop a piece. Then I go back to where I was standing at the shot. Follow my compass bearing to where I last saw the animal and drop a piece of paper. I look for blood there. Usually I find blood there and take up the trail if the sign and hit looks good.In hot weather this little bit of a jump in bloodtrailing can save time that a critter needs to be on ice.I also got a bearing where I last heard the animal I`ll go to that spot and walk the bearing . Often you`ll see the critter there. I don`t wander around there for fear of messing up the blood but often will cut blood here as well and save more time. The Compass thing I give credit to Mr. Womack. The man has forgot more than most seasoned bowhunters know ...me included.Its very rare I leave the truck without two. One around my neck and one in my pocket.Using this method I probably end up bloodtrailing 2 of 10 critters I shoot. Usually walk to them running a compass bearing.RC

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I can't believe nobody has posted stump shooting and roving. I stump shoot all the time. This helps me in judging distance in the woods cause it's alot different than in the yard. It also helps to put you in different positions for the shot and helps you to focus on a spot.

[Arkansaslongbow]

All advice that has been given is very good especially the stump shooting; know your limits and stay within those limits; you are also doing the right thing by asking "how"; there are MANY experienced hunters here on this forum and they sure don't mind helping those who ask;

I hope you have a great season and please feel free to ask any questions......  

[Bjorn]

Practice as much as you can with the broadhead you are going to hunt with, and don't practice shooting groups especially with broadheads.

[Bowwild]

Of course the #1 recipe for bagging a deer is to put yourself within your effective range of at least one deer you want during the season.  Knowing your hunting area, having stands in proper places, and then getting in and out of them without alerting the herd are all important.  After that I think competence with  your equipment is key. Today, in fact I began stepping a bit closer to my 3-D targets as I start to eliminate the competition-type shots in favor of bow range only and ethical angle shots.  This is a huge difference by the way between my return to recurves and my compound bow.  With my compound I would still be shooting 50-60 yards on targets and almost never shooting closer than 30 yards even though 95% of my bowrange shots are less than 20 yards and I've never shot past 33 yards in 45 years of bowhunting. I can't do this with my recurve.  I have to really foccus on the real-world ranges and angles.  It takes far too many shots at longer ranges to program my eye for those. I make sure when I tune my target arrows (field tips) that they also shoot broadheads in the same place. I only shoot a broadhead pointed arrow now abot once or twice a week because I know they shoot like my field tips and the broadheads are tough on targets and arrows. While I have many up and down shots on my 3-D trail, this week I will build an elevated platform on my deck so I can shoot over the rails (didn't need to do this with my compund). I will place 2-3 targets at 10, 15, and 20 yards from this deck location. The shot will be from about 14-20 feet (my yard is sloped down). When I awake every morning I will warm up my muscles with a String Bow or isometrics (2-3 minutes) and then shoot one arrow at each target from the deck to track my effectiveness. I'll shoot more shots after these 1st ones to perfect my technique. But that first arrow is KEY! I'll make sure some of my shots are taken while sitting. I'll also put up my blind and shoot from it since I intend to share time in tree stands and a ground blind for the first time this deer season. Shooting through the windows of a blind, especially with traditional, sightless equipment, can be very different. I need to practice it to be confident.

[Bowwild]

One more thing.  Today, on my trail I began repositioned myself for every shot to make sure I only took shot angles that I would take while hunting. No quartering towards me, no super hard going away shots. No need to practice a shot I won't take. I don't even want that "sight picture" in my mind.

[Jake Fr]

practice slow so your bodie gets good muscle memory from nocking while not looking to drawing to anchor to realse and follow threw dont rush the shot it will help a lot pluss every thing up top

[Don Stokes]

I walk with a judo arrow and pretend each shot is at an alert animal. I raise and draw the bow very slowly, as though the target might see me. Each shot is different, and I choose some shots that are "junky" so that I have to pick a path between the obstructions for the arrow to follow.