shooting from a treestand question

[medicineman]

should i draw first and then bend at the waist or bend at the waist first and then draw
(or does it matter)

[leatherneck]

I have found that being in position to shoot when you can is way better than trying to move right at the shot. Whenever possible get into position. Then take the shot.

[reward]

You really have to be aware of what's around you when you move as well, nothing sends a deer running like hitting the side of the stand with the end of a recurve!

[VTer]

I bend at the waist first to get that slower movement out of the way before I draw. Its natural for me to do it that way anyways.

[OVERDRAWING]

I find that I have to bend at the waist first. If I draw back and then try to bend at the waist I loose my shoulder alignment, then I have less chance of execuiting a good shot. In addition, doing it in that way looks like allot of unnecssary movement that deer can pick up on. I highly practicing out of a stand so you know how you can postion yourself with minimal movement and at what positions you can make shots. Make sure to use you safety equipment! There are way too many accidents!

[KSdan]

I really like to answer this. . . I know guys will differ from me- BUT. .

I was a high school and small time college quarterback and basketball player.  One of the KEY REASONS I went to trad was the simplicity and natural/instinctive ability that was like the sports I understood (I read a B. Wensel article in the early 80s that convinced me how this worked in trad archery!). You work on a form, but when it comes time to play the game you really do not think about all of that- a quarterback alters his form, adjusts, becomes "instinctive."  Basketball is the same way- you may fade, adjust for a hand, etc. The beauty is in the hand-eye coordination and the "magic" of how our bodies and minds were created to work in concert.    

This is the SAME way that I shoot/hunt with a bow.  I have been shooting trad for 20+ years-(and "instinctive" compound for 18 years before that!) and I have honestly never worried about "compensating" for elevation, out of a tree, etc.  I think my mind/body automatically does what it needs to as I spend time practicing/shooting year round in random but calculated type training.  In some ways I really do not shoot that much.  I shoot maybe 3-5 x a week with a typical practice of 25-50 arrows.  I just do lots of varied shooting; random stump shooting, off my deck, in the yard for form, varied distances out to 40 yds, including training my mind as Kidwell suggests in his book.  

So "No" I do not worry about bending, not bending etc. Like my athletic days, I can't imagine trying to think all that through when I am shooting a 15 footer or trying to pass to a receiver on an out pattern.  Just do it!  

My 2C
Dan in KS

[mcgroundstalker]

Right On Dan!    

... mike ...

[medicineman]

thanks to all, for your help

[Bowwild]

Many of us begin our aiming process (whether consciously or not) during "pre-draw" when the bow arm is outstretched towards the target. This means you should set your stance (including bending at the waist in a tree stand) towards the target first, extend the bow arm and then draw.  I know some folks teach pushing the bowarm foward as the drawing arm moves toward the anchor but this process doesn't allow for level shoulders. Some folks even teach begin drawing while the bowarm is down -- that really gets the shoulders out of whack. That's the form perspective. The comments about getting all movement except drawing the bow stealthily out of the way before drawing is certainly advisable.