Stick bow hunting

[2Blade]

How do you guys pull through at the moment of truth? How do you remember to pick a spot and use your correct form and proper follow through? I get pumped on deer ive never been in pursuit deer with a stick bow yet and I get pumped with a compound bow so I know with a stick bow im going to be a mess. What can I do to make sure I put a lethal shot on any game animal I hunt with stick and string?

Also what do you guys do to bag squirrels with a stick bow? Id like to try this they are a difficult target to hit because they are small and move almost all the time. If you could please answer my questions id be greatly thankful.

[BillyMarkwell]

In my openion the answer to all your questions on deer is...Practice, Practice, Practice.....the reason we shoot many thousands of times in the off season is to get to the point where it all becomes institive....that way when the deer of a lifetime does come along...you don't have to thiak about proper form and follow through...as for squirrels..I take estra arrows during deer season and shoot at squirrels if one give me a shot, but I don't set out to go after squirrresl only...

[TRB]

Like Billy said Practice-Practice-Practice, and when your done with that. Practice some more. How do I remember to pick a spot. About five years ago I missed a nice ten pointer. On the ground about 15 yards, a foot over his back. I was looking at the whole deer. Now on the back of the upper limb of my bow is the words "PICK A SPOT"

[OH at work]

2Blade, Practice will help but you must also develop the mental attitude that only comes from hunting and being up close and personal.  In the summer try to stalking up as close as you can to deer and visually imagine yourself drawing and aiming at the spot.  Hopefully, you will be more accustomed to this when hunting time comes around.  Also, take up photography and try to get as close as you can to the animal to get the picture.  A lot like hunting!!!

Joe

[greenie]

Whats already been said above. Confidence in your ability and equipment is #1 with me. This year in late season I missed a 150-160" 10pt. mainly due to not being able to practice enough. Attend as many 3d shoots as possible. Place pressure on your self to develop a high degree of focus, such as shooting in front of people. I hunted with a compound for awhile back in the 80's and still would, but I've convinced myself that with enough preparation the stickbow is a better allaround hunting bow. Find what works for you as far as shooting style. reading books, internet web sites and whatching shooting videos help to a point, but you develop your own method. So by the time huntin season starts it's no longer a thinking thing when the switch is flipped to draw on a live animal.

[dan ferguson]

2 blade, all of the above, I have found on deer If i,m able I start to focus on the hair I want to hit, nothing else when the shot presents itself its one fluid motion to the hair, this year honestly I don,t remember anything but watching the arrow fly, Buy the way the arrow flew Everything had to come together, thats when you relize all the practice paid off, as far as small game goes don,t short the sticks and strings, this group of guys will hold there own in any small game situation PERIOD. Have fun and practice.

[Tom Uselding]

Shooting targets is one thing.  Shooting deer is another.  I'm pretty good on targets.  I can sit and watch deer walk around me and under me and I'm OK.  But when I make the decision to shoot one of them I have problems with adreline.  The bigger the deer the bigger the problem.  When the dust settles I have to ask myself how I missed that shot and it usually comes down to loseing my focus and not picking a spot.

I don't get rattled on the yummy deer but when I'm in close on a shooter buck I get very rattled and the longer I have to wait for the shot the more rattled I become.  The closer he gets the worse it gets.  I keep telling myself "Aim small, miss small" but it doesn't help.  I miss big time.  Eventually I trust I will overcome this emotional malady and start dragging some of these big bucks out of the woods with me.

[BillyMarkwell]

Tom, I have experienced the same problem with adreline after making the decision to shoot...one way I've tricked myself is..every deer that walks past me...I pull the bow back and aim and anchor as if I'm going to shoot...this past season...I was lucky enough to have a lot of deer walk past my stand...after pulling and anchoring on dozens of deer....when the buck came along...I made a double lung shot without the adreline causing me to fall out of the tree...

[2Blade]

Ive actully drove around on my 4 wheeler and drivin to the deer and took out my recurve with out an arrow on the string so I didnt shoot on accident and drew on them. Shooting in front of people as mentioned above is tough for me but im getting the hang of it I think im more calm with a stickbow in front of people then I am a compound figure that out lol. Its odd now that ive been shooting alot it feels to natural to watch my arrow go in to the lungs of my deer target I rember when I first started shooting I was so scared of missing now that is not a factor. Is that a good start to getting the confidence to start shooting game?

[trh1]

All good advice. I would also add that you get a good 3D target and if you shoot out of a stand set up THAT stand and shoot at different yardage angles etc. Put the target around brush and up or down hills depressions or any other situation you can think of. Also shoot off the ground some. If you blind hunt do the same and when that moment of truth comes  hopefully the practice will pay off and usually does.

[Stone Knife]

Go out and do some stump shooting not only is it fun but it's great for not thinking too much when you shoot. When I'm not thinking about what I'm doing and just shoot i seem to do better, give it a try and see if it works for you.

[beaglesandbucks]

I think Billy said it all!!

With a compound....it's all mechanical...i.e., step 1, 2, 3, etc.

With traditional...it's all feel.  We shoot thousands of times to develop "muscle memory."  We do this so that when the moment of truth comes....all we see is "the spot."  We don't even think about the bow.

It's like throwing a baseball to homeplate from the outfield.  A player doesn't think about yardage, step one..two...etc.  No...he picks it up and fires it without even thinking about it.  And what produces that response?  Well..who knows how many throws home in practice.

No doubt about.  With a compound...you can go all year without practice...pick it up the day before the season...and you'll be good to go!

Don't try that with a stickbow.

Practice!  The good thing is....it's fun!!  That makes it easier.

Best to you!

[fflintlock]

I remember one day, a very long time ago, I watched the most perfect 8 pointer, for a solid hour, wonder around through an open area feeding, about 30 to 40 yds from me. I was on the ground still hunting when I noticed him. The first thing I seen was a flickering tail, then the head popped up and I could'nt take my eyes of those big ole horns he was sport'n. I surely thought after watching him all of this time, he would hear my heart POUNDING and my legs wobbling. As I said, I could not take my eyes off of those big ole horns. once he srtolled into range I loose an arrow at him. All I heard was the rattle, of the arrow finding it's way, through those "big ole horns he was sport'n".
 Don't laugh, that did not blow my chances with this deer !  What blowed my chances, is when I started laughing at myself. First is was a little chuckle, you know, inside, then a full blown out loud laugh, I thought, what an idiot !
 I had watched them horns so long, I was fixed on them when I drew down on him.
 What is even funnier, this has happened morre then once.
 I know try, to not pay a whole lot of attention, to them "big ole horns there sport'n"!
 I like the taste of deer meat too much, to worry about big ole racks. I just look for brown and make sure there are no spots, on the other end of the body !  
 I get the same nervous feeling each and every time I see a deer I'm about to shoot at. I haven't shot a lot of them, but I have a whole lot of fun just the same.
Jerald

[chrisg]

One thought I have used is to remember you are not shooting 'at the animal' you are shooting a vital organ/s inside the animal. It sounds  a bit gruesome but the whole point is to know what you are actually trying to achieve so visualise where inside the chest cavity is the best route through for the arrow. That way the problem of shooting at the whole animal or the horns is avoided, I don't mean it happens all the time!

[macbow]

Good point Chrisg. Once you start thinking about the organs you've started the process of thinking about the spot.
Once a deer shows up don't think of anything but the smallest hair etc. that you can see. The rest will follow.

On Squirrels, aim for a small spot. The spot is the same size whether it's a deer or a squirrel.
Or as Byron ferguson said the center of an aspirin is the same size as the center of a watermellon.
Ron

[mich-mtnman]

try going out with only 1 or 2 arrows.
 this always made me very picky about shot/shot placement.
 as fer squills....sit real still, and let them do there thing.even let them pass a couple of times...you do know you are sitting in there living room right?
 well after they seem to get used to seeing my presence around for a bit they dont mind you very much and go about there work. last year i had so many shots from 8-10 steps and less it was pathetic...so pathetic i watched this big ol fox squill eat a nut with his back to me!
 i made a couple of practice draws and everything i just didnt shoot. i guess i wanted a deer more than that squill!
 hey, with one arrow you get picky.
 thanks alot ferret, thanks a whole lot! for introducing something even more challenging than using homemade equip....using less  

[mcgroundstalker]

Sounds like you are ready to put your heart into this trad stuff...That's Good!...Everything will fall into place in time...Gotta just go through the learning curves...

Spend as much time in the woods as you can stump shooting...Use bright feathers so your brain tracks the arrow in flight and "remembers" it...Pick a SMALL spot on something, as you draw imagine your arrows flight into the spot and then follow through upon release...

Get the jitters when game is close?...That's part of being human...Hey, if I didn't get them myself I'd quit hunting!

Good Luck To You!
... mike ...

[2Blade]

For me personally I hate the rush it causes me room for error. Last year I shot my compound instinctively because I wasn't ready with my recurve yet I had a buck stroll in to 14 yards of my climbing stand he looked at me luckily I was 20 ft and so he didn't notice me. He got in to perfect position and stopped for several seconds I drew and picked a spot as I release I jerked my bow arm and hit a tree 5 ft in front of the deer the arrow exploded. I dont get real pumped until im at full draw because I know that's my chance to finish the job. I was very disappointed because I sat in that stand in rain and wind but I guess that's hunting.

With my recurve now its becoming second nature the 45lbs is great for me because I dont hesitate on my draw ive been really working on my form and its coming together I can confidently go out and take my first shot of the day at 30 yards without any target panic. Im thinking of trying to take a gobbler this spring with it but im still not sure. I know this is off topic but should I shoot just as good with a longbow or is that going to  take some getting use to? Im starting to realize I could kill a deer with that 45lb Howatt I guess the real question im trying to get across is this post is how do you guys pull it off without hitting bone? Im pretty sure if I hit bone with my Howatt id have a wounded deer what do you think?

[Doug Treat]

2 blade, it depends on what bone and how heavy your arrows are.  Several years ago I shot a large mule deer doe with a 2117 and Zwickey BH out of a 50# recurve (total arrow weight- 590 gr.).  I was a bit dissapointed because the arrow didn't zip right through... until I cut it up and found that my undamaged arrow and BH had broken totally in two the off side humorous bone on this deer which was about 1" in diameter.  It must've center punched it and it split that bone right in half (the doe made it all of 10 yds.).  Your 45# bow (it's probably faster than my old 50# bow) will do the same with heavy arrows and I assume, 2 Blade, that you'll use a 2 blade BH.

[Doug Treat]

As for the LB question.  Some guys pick them up and shoot great right away.  For me it took a little more time to get used to a different grip and smaller sight window, but I'm trying to make the switch this year myself.