Very Frustrated!

[fnshtr]

Most people shoot HIGH from an elevated position. Make sure you bend at the waist and keep good form... do not just lower your bow arm. The upper body must stay in the "T" form throughout the shot.

I think George and others said it best... PICK A SPOT! It is easy to get distracted in the "heat of the moment".

Good luck, keep the "faith", and you'll be fine.

[Fletcher]

Brian mentioned something that I wanted to second.  Whenever you spine hit a critter, get another arrow in the goods ASAP!  I learned it the hard way, too.

[Robert Honaker]

Don't forget, Your arrow will naturally hit high shooting from a stand also.

[Pinecone]

All of the suggestions mentioned have been excellent.  I would add that it helps to take the pressure off of yourself and to remind yourself that if you can hit a spot in practice, you can hit a spot in the field.  If you can get your brain to focus on the point of aim (you are trying to hit a dot, not a deer), it can help to calm your nerves as you shoot.  
That said...sometimes we just plain miss!  So, it's back to the practice butt to shoot, shoot, shoot!

Claudia

[Plumber]

I can say over the years the last 5 I have gotten better.however I shot over the back of the biggest deer I have ever seen I shook for 5 min.uncontrolably.I dont normally get that way.It is because I dont see deer that big.I freaked out an didnot pick a spot.There has been alot of learning going on this year for me.Every time I miss I useally know why in about 3-5 sec. after the deer bolts.This form of hunting takes alot focus an control.when my bow is tuned an I know I have good form then the rest is something I did not realize I was soooo weak at. focus an mental control.When I used a compound it was faith because I was relaying on all my gagets an when you do this you have very little control.so as a new trad hunter I had to learn stuff I was not use too. An frankly never gave it a thought at the time.

[wtpops]

Spot, a small spot, a tiny spot. the center of and asperin is the same size as the center of a water mellon.

Dont worry sounds like your in the deer, in will happen.

[frassettor]

Originally posted by HcSmitty:
Dont worry man, lol i have the same problem.  Slow it down, u and i both are gettin WAYYY to excited.  Ive even started lettin a few deer walk, just so they are in their n i look at em and get calmed down.  You and i both probally pick a spot n then forget about it as we rush to shoot.  I think we are tryin to hard.

Bingo!! I got all excited as well, and missed 6 TIMES  :mad:  Until.....I relaxed, and took things in stride. Then it started coming more easily.

[rickshot]

Firstly, congrats on your first trad deer. You now know that it is doable with the equipment you carry…that’s a plus.

I am very much in the camp that encourages drawing and not taking the shot. When I watch a gun hunting video and the hunter is young or inexperienced I often think how much easier it would be for them to steady the crosshairs, first, on something they do not intend (but still legal, of course) to shoot. And the point being that level of anticipation changes if one realizes the option not to shoot is available and is sometimes the better choice, at a particular moment.

Personally, I think “picking a spot” is a good recommendation, but I look at animals a bit differently than any other target. Whether the game is small or large my focus extends beyond the point of contact, to the arrow’s path internally and then the off-side. With small game I might be fixed on something the size of a walnut inside the critter and on large game maybe a softball, but it’s always suspended in the middle of the boiler room and my eyes stay riveted on only that target and the path to it, from every angle.

Lately, I’ve been examining how I look at things differently when I’m hunting. Most of the time my eyes are picking the woods apart, over and under everything in all directions and for as far as I can see. At other times I will look at something to shoot at and my mind plays through the shot experience…so it’s kinda like I am shooting half the time, even when I’m not.

And one more thing, that might tie some of this together. Probably the most common thing that happens to me every year is that I get my first shot of the season at a squirrel…and most of the time it’s a miss. From that point on, the next squirrel I run into is in some serious trouble…I will make up for the miss.

You are very fortunate to have had the opportunities you’ve had. Sounds like a bit more practice with your downhill shots and you’re going to have a lot of dragging to do. Good Luck. Rick.

[joevan125]

Im new to trad also and i missed the first 3 deer i shot at, all were to high. Then one afternoon i had 2 8 pointers and 3 does come in and i kept telling myself, pick a spot, pick a spot. I made a 25 yd shot on the biggest of the 2 bucks.

I think those first 3 misses i was putting to much pressure on myself and for sure was shooting at the whole deer. Pick a spot, pick a spot.  

[maineac]

A lot of great suggestions, and I am no expert, but you said your broadheads were on target, but have you shot a group of arrows with mixed BH's and field points from your stand?  Maybe they are actually shooting high.

[Basinboy]

I shot both broadheads and field points today. My broadheads were actually shooting lower than my field points.Shot pretty good out the treestand yesterday. today wasn't so good. All over the place. But my muscles were sore from shooting so much yesterday.

[peak98]

Any updates on your progress ?

[FerretWYO]

Originally posted by Earl Jeff:
A sure sign that your not picking a spot and concentrateing on it is shooting over. Pick a spot and concentrate on it till the arrow gone.

Rather till the arrow hits for me. I have this same problem. You are not alone. I have to tell myself everytime to pick a spot and follow through to the very end.

[Guss]

I don't like stopping a deer with a grunt or any other noise,  I would rather take the shot at a slow walking, or feeding animal than alerting them with a noise, as long as the range is short. I think this contributes to some of the high shots. The deer in my area are wired pretty tight, I guess it would depend on the hunting pressure in your area. Picking a spot is tough on a live animal, but that's the key!

[tawmio]

It'll come don't worry, been there done that....
I had an arrow setup i thought was good -i shot a two blade magnus i thought they came out nice but they dropped like a rock between 18-20 yards...and i happend to find out hunting. now i spend a lot of time practicing with my broad heads.

[ronnyg]

It sounds like you had an exciting day in the woods!  IMO after the first few days of bow season, the deer become much more aware of "predetors" in the trees.  If you don't shoot low, then you are going to shoot high.  It took me many years to covince myself of that.  At this point in the season ALL the deer are on full alert.  If they have picked you out and you shoot, chances are, they aren't going to be there when the arrow arrives!!

[thunder1]

A friend of mine (really) went through 2 years of non lethal hits on deer. I joked that the deer in our area have a beautiful plume of turkey feathers. He just did get his first trad his year. A nice six. He wasn't picking a spot those first two years.

[Hooked]

Great advice above, but I have another thought...

Are you shooting off the ground at home and then from a stand when hunting?  You might be dropping your arm to shoot downward instead of bending at the waist.  If you already know this it could be a combo of not picking a spot and not bending at the waist in the heat of the moment.

I am guilty of both!

[hunterace]

missing is part of hunting, everyone does it, and i mean everyone. i look at it after having some misses of my own that if God had wanted me to have that deer it'd be dead. i missed a small 4 or 6 pointer earlier this season, but it was a clean miss so i wasn't too disappointed. then later in the season i got the biggest buck i've ever shot. now it was with a compound( please don't kick me off this site) but misses happen, and it's for a reason, whether we like it or not. good luck it'll happen

[Basinboy]

Originally posted by peak98:
Any updates on your progress ?

Well, I have taken three hogs. Two one evening and one the next morning but they were close shots. I still haven't had the chance at another deer so we will see when the moment arrives if I can focus on the spot. Only a week and a half left in the bow season here to get it done.
Then I will wreck havoc on the hog population!
I got some good ones coming in!
 Looks like I need to be on stand before 7am!