Missin' deer, can't seem to "Pick a Spot!"

[German Dog]

I'm no expert but i've been there, done that, and sometimes it still gets me.

I think pick a spot can be two different things.....
It can be hard to mentally pick a spot when your thinking "boy thats the biggest buck ive seen this year" or "that doe is nervous stay calm and don't move" and so on.
The other is when you just don't see that tuft of hair where you want to hit.

One thing that has helped me the most by far is during practice sessions is to pick a spot and draw but don't shoot. Then, let down and quickly pick another spot and draw. Sometimes only let half way down and re-draw. For one it just helps you get more consistant draw and anchor sessions and the other bonus is in hunting situations sometimes you have to let down because the animal moves and you need to draw again. Sometimes that might happen several times before you get a shot.
For me there's times where i will draw on a deer and anchor and let down cause it doesn't "feel right" and then i draw again and let it rip cause it felt right. I immediately know when it doesn't "feel right" and thats cause i see the whole deer.

[Kirkll]

Sometimes I find that it's a matter of staying with the shot, particularly with high misses.  Sometimes people put an extra little tug downward on the bowstring right as they release the arrow which causes the arrow to angle up.  Other times the bow arm is not as solid as it should be and begins to rise as you expand rather than staying locked on target.  What I mean by staying with the shot is to keep your head still and follow the arrow through your sight window all the way to the target, especially when you're shooting at an animal, which is when you're most likely to lose focus on your spot in the moment before release.  If you get in the habit of watching the arrow through the sight window all the way to the target it will be obvious to you if you do either of the things I mentioned because you will notice the arrow begin to drift off target and can stop the shot.

I would vote for reading this post a couple times… Follow through is a huge thing.

I’ve seen some very good archers that just fall apart in front of game and have the same experience you are having. Their adrenaline starts pumping and they are holding their breath and shaking like a leaf. Typically the shot was rushed and results were not predictable.

I’ve seen other archers who were “peeking” and dropped their bow arm or moved it to the side to watch the arrow fly. These guys had problems on the 3 D course as well as hunting.

I helped a few archers with this by using a piece of string. Put one end of the string on the shelf of the bow and hold it there lightly with your bow hand. Then take the other end and put it between your fingers like you would place on your fingers on the arrow on the string,   Now simulate coming
to full draw to your anchor point letting the string slide though your bow hand over the rest. You are not drawing the bow string at all, but simply keeping the string between your anchor point and the bow tight, And holding it there while looking down the string though the sight window at your target.

Looking down this string is what guides your arrow to the point of impact. So when you go back to shooting arrows pretend you still have that string attached to your fingers at anchor.

What this does is let you imagine guiding your arrow to the target with your bow arm and using the string in your hand still at anchor to hold it on target….

Of course you cannot do this and actually shoot arrows. But it sets you up for maintaining your form and follow through just holding that imaginary string tight and guiding your arrow.

It’s actually a pretty amazing drill that helps develop consistent back tension though the shot too.  Ive used this string drill to train kids to shoot sucsessfully too.

As far as how to pick a spot goes… I’ve always used that front leg and shoulder blade location to focus on. As the deer is walking I’m watching that shoulder blade going forward and back and pick the spot at the tip of the should blade to focus on. I want that shoulder blade forward at the precise moment of release and wait for it.

Sometimes the shot develops,  sometimes it doesn’t.      Kirk

 

[Tajue17]

Like someone mentioned above a huge piece of cardboard with nothing on it OR several hay bales again with nothing pinned to it,,,, now just start picking little things on there to shoot at and never i repeat never keep shooting at the center because your brain remembers that..... my 3d targets get shot everywhere i exercise my hand/eye coordination by shooting at eyes ears and noses and i like that behind that center of back leg too with broadheads,,, targets last forever...

[buckeyebowhunter]

You cannot take your eye off the spot, not even for a split second.

When I see a deer i want to take I look at only the vitals and my mantra is "eye on THE spot, pull through the shot".

I still miss em sometimes, all part of the game. Good luck.

[LookMomNoSights]

Once you've found you've been at this a bit,  you will hear comments or read about ......."I don't remeber the shot",  "it happened so fast,  I don't remember shooting"  or "I didn't have time to think about it,  I just made the shot."   
Why is that?  Why was no thought put into the execution of a shot and the shot resulted in a solid ethical shot and meat on the table?
Sometimes luck?  Perhaps ...... but more often and giving credit to the individual making the shot,  "luck" did not make up the brunt of it.  What did,  was lots and lots of GOOD practice on form and fundamentals,  so much so that it becomes "instictive".  Not instinctive aiming per say,  but the entire process of SHOOTING.   Perhaps the only thought was,  this ones a shooter.
If you are a good shot on the targets at the ranges and all that scenario,  and you really aren't thinking about it,  but you change that when a living breathing critter is out the back of your bow,  well ....... that can be a recipe for things not going how you want.
Also,  an older buddy of mine who has done pretty good for himself over the years has said on many occasion: "You have to kill deer to get good at killing deer."  Kind of cryptic I know,  but I know what he is trying to explain,  and part of that is that a target rich environment and getting deer in front of you to shoot at,  can help tremendously with getting over such a hump as not securing a harvest.  The more you shoot at deer (cuz we are talking about deer on this occasion),  the better you SHOULD get at shooting deer.   All this for what it's worth naturally,   just me talking .......... 

[Even]

I have a friend who is a deadly shot with a rifle, on a target, but as soon as he sees live game, his shooting skills go out the window.  Its an interesting mental game, finding what works for you to work through an adrenaline surge.  There are a few ways people react to adrenaline, and figuring out how to work through your own responses, seems to be the key.

I've played a little mental game with myself for years, wherein I convince myself that hitting or missing really doesn't matter.  If you think about it, most of the time these days, and certainly in my situation, its not survival on the line.  That would up the ante a lot, if it were.

Instead, I tell myself from the start of the hunt that it honestly doesn't matter if I take the animal, or not.   If not, the animal lives another day, and it wasn't its time.  Or mine to kill it. 

I found that putting "pressure" on the shot upped my chances of the arrow going where I didn't want it to.  A soon as mentally it became "just another shot", I calmed right down, and it really was just another shot. 

I guess I try to emulate what I do when I practice, right down to the mental state, because well... thats what we practice.   Change that, and things get weird. 

I don't have a large adrenal response either, though. 

[woodchucker]

Aim for the elbow 

[MCNSC]

Get a few judo points and go out and do some stump shooting. It’s fun , clears the mind and you don’t put so much pressure and stress on yourself. It’s a good way to build your confidence and without confidence it’s hard to shoot well.

[Kirkll]

Years ago they used to call it buck fever… didn’t matter whether it was a rifle or a bow, guys get rattled when the moment of truth is there…

A big part of marksmanship,  regardless of weapon used is breathing…. You don’t hear guys talk about this much when it comes to bows. But it’s the first thing you learn using a rifle….

 Same thing is true with a bow. Control your breathing, slow your heart rate down, and just concentrate on your point of impact and relax those fingers as your back tension peaks….  Pretty soon it’s all done subconsciously, and it  “Becomes Instinctive.”

Kirk

[PrimitivePete]

I'll likely get bombed for saying this but in my experience not everyone has the consistent ability to shoot instinctive. Some are naturally great at it and some are ok. I tried it and have great days and ok days. I wasn't comfortable shooting an animal unless I was 100% confident in my ability. So although I enjoyed instinctive shooting I moved on to a aiming system that has worked for me. I'm not saying in any way that my way is better than anyone else, we all have our own skill level. It's like saying we all played ball when we were younger and there is a reason most of us watch the game from home rather than being on the field.

[Russell Southerland]

Yes, not picking a spot is easy to do until you get it. Even after you get it, it can still happen from time to time. Don't give up. 

[dklug]

It's been mentioned here several times already and it works for me as well. When you first see the deer approaching mentally pick your spot and stay focused on it. Mentally train yourself this way; "I must pick a spot before I'm even allowed to draw the bow. No spot, no draw." You shouldn't be thinking about your shooting mechanics at all, think about them while you're in your back yard practicing. While hunting your subconscious should execute the shot for you. That's why you shoot those thousands of shots in your back yard all off season. You're training your subconscious. You've got enough to think about while shooting at a game animal. Don't let shooting mechanics distract you from the real issue at hand, putting that arrow exactly where you want it.

[Terry Green]

It's been mentioned here several times already and it works for me as well. When you first see the deer approaching mentally pick your spot and stay focused on it. Mentally train yourself this way; "I must pick a spot before I'm even allowed to draw the bow. No spot, no draw." You shouldn't be thinking about your shooting mechanics at all, think about them while you're in your back yard practicing. While hunting your subconscious should execute the shot for you. That's why you shoot those thousands of shots in your back yard all off season. You're training your subconscious. You've got enough to think about while shooting at a game animal. Don't let shooting mechanics distract you from the real issue at hand, putting that arrow exactly where you want it.

1000% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gordon Jabben]

Terry is right about everyone being wired differently.  I feel like I've taken my fair share of deer and I'm proud of my wound rate but I have never consciously picked a spot on a deer.  Actually, I can't remember much at all about the shot, kind of zoned out and in full auto.   

[Terry Green]

Jabber, I do pick a spot but I am so focused that when the window of opportunity opens most times I don't even remember drawing the bow.

I may start a post on how to pick a spot that people can relate to.

[Stringwacker]

Everyone (as has been said) is a bit different but I will share what really works for me well.

I guess I likely shot over the back on about 5 or 6 deer in a row out of a treestand when I first started bowhunting. I was lucky that we had a lot of deer at the time and a very long season...so I was still hunting in my first year despite all those misses. I'm not a brilliant fellow but after seeing the same thing 'over' 5 times, it occurred to me that I was always missing high. I thought it was odd as I could shoot out of a tree out to about 20 yards and hit a leaf just about every time. On my very first kill, I just aimed at a leaf on the ground in front of the walking deer and when the deer covered it up...I shot. Dead deer. I did that during my second year as well.... the favorable results repeated itself. I was always a bit challenging to time the movement where I was shooting behind the shoulder... and not in front of it. It wasn't ideal; but it worked.

Given the deer in Mississippi are born with combat helmets, they are about as jittery as an animal can get. I got to thinking, when a deer drops down at the sound of the bow... and I combine that with a natural tendency for me to shoot high out of a treestand... the answer was obvious. Instead at aiming at a deer like you would a 3-D target...just aim about an inch above the belly line (right at the heart). Between the drop and naturally shooting high, I always hit pretty much middle of the deer when shooting at 20 yards and in.

Over a 150 deer later I can remember only once that I actually shot under the deer doing this and I rarely miss a deer as long as it's 20 yards or less. For anything over 20 yards, I just shoot like I would on a 3-D target.

It's mostly a treestand technique, but it works fairly well off the ground as well. All this might not even close to working for you; but it just another log to throw on the fire to see if it works.

[Roger Norris]

Boy have I missed some deer....

I have come to realize that if I am thinking of ANYTHING other than "the spot"....literally a hair....I stand a good chance of missing.

I will embarass myself here with my most epic choke.

Years ago, at ShrewHaven, I was hunting in the evening in a favorite stand. There was snow on the ground, it was cold, and I was really thinking about supper at camp. That got me to thinking about everyone who would be in camp that night....Ron had invited our local UP friends, it was going to be a big fun evening.

At that moment, the best buck I have ever seen in the UP...before or since...walked up and stood broadside at about 20 yards. My mind was full of the thought of rolling into camp in front of 7-8 people with this massive buck in the bed of my truck. My thoughts were on "high fiving" Ron, Cosgrove, Ray, the whole crew. I was going to be a hero!!!

I shot low. Twice.

Everything is a lesson.....

[J. Holden]

I'm not sure I have an "answer" or a "fix" for you.  But, in my experience it's better to miss completely than to make a bad hit.  That's the worst feeling in the world.  I've been so grateful when I've made a bad shot and missed vs. a bad shot and connected.

-Jeremy

[Hud]

Are you right or left eye dominant?  If you don't know, find out. If you are right handed, and shoot that way; point at a small object 20 ft away and close your left eye, did your finger leave the object?

Second, if your using a tree stand, practice shooting from one, a deck or roof. Use a cut-out of a deer staked out at a typical range. Depending on the elevation, the size of the deer's body, may look smaller than if you were on the ground. Train yourself to pick a spot. Like 1/3 up and 1/3 back.  You can buy a Morrell Poly Target face of a whitetail from Cabelas for $12,  cut it out and glue it to cardboard, or use a 3D target. Use a life size target and change the angle and distance.  Change the angle of your target.  You may find there is an angle that is harder to score on.

https://www.google.com/search?q=life+size+deer+targets&rlz=1C1PQHA_enUS539US565&oq=life+size+deer+targets&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCjIwNTE5ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBcNWmfNXwHfo&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[SOLDIERII]

Stop focusing on the deer. Pick a spot and focus only on the spot. Get a 3d target and set up a stand in your yard. Aim small miss small does work.