Rock bottom

[buckeyebowhunter]

At an all time low with my shooting. Considering hanging it up for the rest of the year even though I have a tag.  Just been a brutal year, either can't hit a deer or when I do its been bad. It's hard for me to say this because I love this sport more than anything other than my family but I just can't seem to get it together. Helps to vent here sometimes. Anybody else been in this dark place? If so how'd you recover?

[Bvas]

I’ve been there Robert. Missing is hard on one’s confidence. Wounding is even harder.
You’ll never get your confidence back unless you shoot. Take some time and practice with all your hunting gear on. Then when you get back in the woods, make sure your next shot is close and good conditions. Don’t rush it. Make sure you do everything  the same as you do when you’re practicing.

[durp]

In the last 54 seasons I've been up and down like a yo yo...there ain't enough space here to tell about all my screw ups...but I'm still at it and will be till my arms fall off !!! 

Ya gotta put it behind ya and not worry about what might have been...think possative and keep trying 

[beemann]

Practice practice practice .  Get close and shoot and shoot some more.  We have all been there fight your way out of it...  Good luck...

[Texoma]

You've probably heard this before but it's worth repeating. Shoot your bow everyday if you can, doesn't have to be a lot ten arrows will do it. If I don't shoot everyday bad habits start sneaking back in.

[Kelly]

Been there, done that!

Do you know what is specifically causing the issues? Maybe I can help with some advice. If you prefer not to go public with specifics feel free to pm or email me.

[Bisch]

I have been there recently; to the point I seriously considered quitting, and dabbled some on the dark side!!!!! I felt like I was shooting OK when practicing, but when I would go hunt, it was like I didn’t know how to aim anymore! I am just like you, in that I love hunting with my stickbows more than just about anything else other than my family. I got a new recurve in Sept, and something happened! Like everything started working like it is supposed to again. All I can say is I totally understand where you are at, and I hope you get “it” back sooner than later!!!!!

Bisch

[azhunter]

Is there a good shooting coach in your area. Maybe just someone to eyeball your shooting and see if they can make a few adjustments to get you back on track.

[David Phillips]

No I can’t say I’ve ever thought of giving up. Your definitely not the only one though I’ve seen similar threads on several forums. I always wonder are you guys just shooting past your abilities or maybe getting shook on a large buck. How bout instead of giving up focus on making adjustments for success. Instead of taking a 20 yards shot(or whatever range you’ve been shooting) make a commitment to yourself and the deer not to take anything past a 10 yard shot....period. Learn to adjust your stands sit still use cover get CLOSE. If your having trouble holding it together if it has horns quit shooting at bucks and focus on filling the freezer. Get a couple does killed at 10 yards or less and your confidence will be back. To many people try to start from the middle instead of the beginning. Save them 25 yard hail Marrys and big buck pics for Instagram until you have some experience. If you can’t hit a deer consistently in a vital spot at 10 yards then you may need to think about hanging it up. It’s not a forum friendly topic but it is the truth not everyone is cut out for this some would do better sticking to foam targets or rabbits. 

[buckeyebowhunter]

Thanks for the encouraging words fellas. This is the first year in over ten years of shooting a trad bow that I've felt this way. I feel confident as ever on the range. So I'm ruling out a form issue.

I have not loosed a single arrow at a buck this year all does. The shots have ranged from 10 yards to around 20. Last night I took a shot that I knew was a little longer than I wanted but felt confident. My arrow kicked off something upon release, I'm not sure if it hit my bow arm glove or what. But resulted in yet another poor hit. I will leave out details. I have had many shot opportunities so maybe that's why I've had more possibility for failure. But it's really hit me hard.

Seems like everything that can go wrong has gone wrong this year. Maybe it's just 2020 taking its toll on my bow season. But to be honest I am just ready for this year to be over.

[GCook]

I'm not as experienced as some.  Only my 6th trad season.  But over 30 years of bow hunting. 
When I first started this discipline I wounded a couple.  I hadn't lost any deer with a compound in a long time and they were few and far between. 
That said my expectations of myself were unreal.  Guys like Buff and Bisch really encouraged me and helped me realize no one is 100% with a single string.
Last night I didn't get centered right in the blind and Hope caught the blind roof as I shot at a small pig at dark.  She is longer than my bows.  The arrow had fecal matter on it.  Yeah I feel bad.  But I also know what I did wrong and corrected it. 
I won't be able to enjoy those corrections if i don't shoot again.
Pigs are wonderful for working on that confidence level as well.

[Roy from Pa]

I would limit your shots to 10 yards or "less".
Get a couple kills under your belt then go for 15 yards or less.
Build your confidence back up.
I'm thinking your mind is focused on your past misses instead of picking a spot on the next deer.

[IndaTimber]

I’m sure we have all had our confidence shaken at one time or another. I too agree that you need to shoot your way out of this. A few years ago I was struggling with what seems like a similar situation as yours, I just didn’t get as many opportunities to mess up.

I decided I needed more shot opportunities at game, something that mattered, but like you, living in Ohio, what? I simply chose small game. I started setting up for squirrels using my same broadheads and everything I’d use for deer. I also set up in some spots I wanted to ground hunt and got after it.  After just a few weeks I honestly felt that if a squirrel came within 15 yards it was dead. My confidence soared and I reinforced “picking a spot”, a small spot.

I wish you much success!

[Tomas Stieber]

If I were you I would look in to putting a sight on your bow. This may reassure you at the moment of truth.

[frassettor]

In the last 54 seasons I've been up and down like a yo yo...there ain't enough space here to tell about all my screw ups...but I'm still at it and will be till my arms fall off !!! 

Ya gotta put it behind ya and not worry about what might have been...think possative and keep trying 

Well said

[JonCagle]

It has been said already but I would recommend trying to shoot some small game. Rabbits, squirrels, bull frogs whatever. I’ve found that stationary targets in a controlled environment don’t translate that well to game (at least for me). To be consistent hitting a squirrel you have to pick a spot. There is no time where you can look at the whole animal and expect to hit anything. A deer is big enough that you can forget to pick a spot and still hit it. Usually in a marginal area. Stump shooting is also good

[Petrichor]

7 seasons here and never got to even draw on a deer. Cheer up. Shooting squirrels are great low pressure practice and it's all I've ever killed with a bow. Aim small miss small.

[woodchucker]

Get a bunch of Judos, and go stumping in your deer woods.....
Nothing builds confidence like consistency!!

Sounds like you've already eaten your tag, who cares if you spook deer??
Grab your bow, a few broadheads and Judos, and go for a walk....

I know most folks take their hunting SERIOUSLY!!! However, this can lead to brain overload, and stress.
This is SUPPOSED to be fun!! Remember? Heck, you might even get lucky and bump into a deer? Maybe even kill it?
Happens all the time....
 

[buckeyebowhunter]

Thanks again guys it helps. Woodchucker you are right. I do take it seriously and probably too seriously. But like I said it's my favorite thing in the world. And yes I'm out to have fun and I always do. But ultimately you want success for your efforts. At this point I'm just pressing and it shows. Gonna take a few weeks off with the gun seasons coming and hopefully get my bearings and try to get back after it for the late season. Can't believe how fast this fall went.

[Dave Lay]

I with ya and have had a couple seasons like that. My confidence was blown and I was questioning why I was even out there if I couldn’t shoot any better than that, I owed the game better.  I did consider hanging it up for the season but decided to just take some time off, Do a reset and get back in a couple weeks. During my off time I tried to analyze what had gone wrong. I’ve always been a pretty good game shot and always stayed within my self imposed limitations. I did find I was pushing things some by taking shots I should have waited on or just passed up entirely, I don’t need a kill bad enough to risk a questionable, possible wounding shot.
   Just be sure you are in your comfort zone with bow weight and over all gear set up. I’m like you, this stuff is my life and I work all year on it then to screw up like that is tough.  You’ve proven in the past you can do it, in your time off, just work on the basics and upon return just be selective on shot selection and be careful on shooting at alerted game.