Practice from your stands folks

[swampdrummer]

Just a general friendly reminder for folks, new and old.
I neglected to put a stand up in the yard this past summer to shoot out of and its cost me 3 deer in the last week. I missed a spike last Saturday twice over the course of a couple of hours and tonight I missed 2 does within 10 minutes. All of them well under 20 yards.

I practiced hard all summer. Working on my form and extending my distances. I'm slapping arrows together out to 30-35 yards, FROM THE GROUND!

Unless I pull off a miracle tomorrow this will be the first time in 3 years I haven't put meat in the freezer during archery season.
Only have myself to blame.....
Its still been a good season. I've seen a bunch of deer. Passed on shots that didn't feel right.Seen some incredible things while on stand in the last month. And I've still got till January to pull it off. But now its me against the gun folks from here on out.

So. Spend some time 15 foot in the air to make sure your hitting just as well up there as you are with your feet on the ground folks!

[ckanous]

I have been shooting out of mine for a few weeks now. I have been doing alot of sitting shots also because I plan on using my Rhino Cut-N-Run blind alot more this year. I love practicing hunting situations. Swampdrummer now you know what the problem is and got those bad shots out of your system. Hit it hard and get you a deer, bud!! I'm gonna climb a tree tomorrow morning for some treestand practice.

[Bud B.]

I did last weekend. I placed foam discs suspended at about the same height as the vitals that are about the same size as the vitals. I used stiff wire to suspend them like survey marker flags.

If I do as good on deer as I did on the foam discs I should have one down if it gets near the stand. My range, due to so many trees and scrub brush, is only about 15 yards though.

[vtmtnman]

Got a stand set up in the yard year round just for that reason.I'd practice in that stand before the ground,as most of my bowhunting is from stands.

[Coonbait]

Great Advice! And try and wear the clothes you plan to hunt in, especially the shirts, gloves, hats and headnet. Not doing this cost me a big black bear when my brass nock set caught on my headnet!
Glenn

[YORNOC]

I shoot from my roof. Nothing big enough to get a stand in.

[frassettor]

Were you missing them high or low?

[no]

good reminder

[bentpole]

Don't forget: Bend at the Waist!      

[ckanous]

Just came in from a good practice session from my stand. I had just set a stand yesterday for hunting season and tried to mock some of the shots from that stand. This will be some of my first sittings of the season so I figured I would just work it like that then change some targets to match other stands later.

[Bud B.]

I shot arrows yesterday from my stand. I was not perfect but a few inches off at most. One shot was at a leaf that was in the trail. I went about an inch low. I climbed down to get all the arrows. That one at the leaf was right beside a fresh dropping pile. Deer sign looks good       I can't get a shot longer than about 15yds from my stand anyway.

[Possum Head]

Good advice as I've shot all year from the ground and when I climbed 2 weeks ago everything went south. Things are better now but I will take advantage of the next month to prepare for opening day.

[Onlyaspike]

practiced from the kids playhouse the last 3 days( about 10 ft up)....My target is 25 yrds away and boy can I tell the difference in my groups from up there compared to ground level. On the ground at 25 yrds I can stick them in pretty darn tight but from up on the platform alot of my shots were low. Just to check myself I put my block out to my standard shooting distance( 20 yrds) and I was shooting GREAT( just as tight as from gound level)....I'm not exactly sure why I was having consistancy problems from the platform but I was. I did notice it was a little harder to concentrate on the "spot" from up there...

[njloco]

What bentpole said.