How Long Shooting Before You Hunt?

[Rob W.]

Nothing like taking a few squirrels to bring confidence back or build more.

Jump into the trad thing with both feet you wont regret it.


Rob

[gonzoso]

I harvested a deer with my lame bow at 8 yards, I'm going to be hunting with my recurve from now on.

[woodchucker]

WAY TO GO, gonzoso!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!  

[LookMomNoSights]

Missing is like.....well you know,   it happens!  Dont let it control you!  Shoot as often as you can.  Hang that wheel thing up (sell it and get another trad bow haha!) and shoot whenever you can,  even if only 10 mins here,  20 there.....get it in your blood so that shootin' the stick is like breathin'...ya just do it and do it well!  Point it,  shoot it and hit what ya want at any time and at a variety of distances.   When you get there,   its gonna feel great....and there will be no turning back!  I shoot every chance I can and try to every day,  at least 2 doz arrows or so.  Ive been soley recurve and longbow now for 4 years and I truely feel Im in a better place....a great place!  Im at the point now where even when Im having an off day,  Im still on!  Did take me lots of shootin to get there though....but it was all so much fun.   Bottom line is you cant shoot too much I dont think. Keep at it man,  trad archery is the truth!

[Bowwild]

I'm a think positive freak, "Aim small HIT small.

[reddogge]

It seems most are bolstering up your shooting confidence to overcome your miss but let me give you some different advice.

You made one glaring error in shooting at that deer. You deliberatly aimed for a heart shot at 15 yards thus taking a low percentage shot in hopes of a quick kill. With traditional equipment and no sights you want to aim for the center of the chest area so an arrow a few inches low will drop into the heart, a few inches high or forward will catch the top or front of the lungs and a few inches back will catch the liver. This is your best percentage shot and would have yielded a dead deer.

I don't know if you picked a spot either but you must do that too.

You can shoot OK but your thinking was flawed on the shot.

[Apex Predator]

Many of the most accomplished deer hunters I know aim very low, because most deer will always crouch at the shot.   I think you are ready to hunt now, but limit your shots to 15 yds until you feel more confident at 20.  Sell the crutch!

[awbowman]

Keep at it is the only advice I can give you.  The fact is that if you shoot enough, not all will be kills.  It's part of life.  All we can do is do our best at making the best shot we can and be reasonable sure in our ability to make the shot before taking it.

[BAK]

Forty Two years now but I'm still getting better.

[gonzoso]

Originally posted by Apex Predator:
Many of the most accomplished deer hunters I know aim very low, because most deer will always crouch at the shot.   I think you are ready to hunt now, but limit your shots to 15 yds until you feel more confident at 20.  Sell the crutch!

I don't think I'm going to sell the compound, it just wouldn't make sense.  I have about 400-500 dollars into it and the setup and there is no way I'll get that back.  I'd rather just have it and not use it much for the 200$ or whatever I'd be lucky to get for it.

But I got a deer so now I'm more relaxed and confident about the whole thing.

How long to shoot before hunting with a trad bow? Twenty some years ago I sold a bow, with arrows and lessons for less than half what it was worth.  I told the guy to use the blunts I gave him to take some shots at rabbits or squirrels to get the feel for shooting at game. He shot a rabbit his first morning out deer hunting, two squirrels the next day. Two or three weeks into the season he finally got a chance at a nice buck. It did not come close enough so he followed it. It went down to a pond, he got as close as he dared and waited. When it came up the bank, he shot it and it went down in less than a hundred yards.
If you want to build your confidence, shoot at something you can eat.  It does not need to be a deer.