shooting sitting down - anyone do it ?

[BradLantz]

Alot of it is mental, you have to be thinking not that you don't want to miss, but that you are going to hit them there and how hard you are going to hit them there

I'm almost afraid to shoot at a deer now for fear of wounding it ....... yes, its gotten that bad.   :(

[BigAl]

All my basement practice is sitting (false ceiling issue!). I don't really note any difference. When I start practicing from a tree stand come summer, I'll split it between standing and sitting.

[JDinPA]

Let me prefix this by saying I'm not trying to be a smartass...

But maybe you are not an instictive traditional archer. Maybe you need to use gap shooting or a bowsite.

[wapiti792]

Brad, I did the same thing twice this year. Backstrap trauma to both deer. Sickening, I know. Hitting ABOVE the spine on both does. Both sitting. The other 4 that I shot were all standing, only 1 hitting high the rest double lungers. I had changed these variables:

1. Standing instead of sitting (duh)
2. Insuring my anchor and "tucking my chin" as mentioned above
3. I shoot GAP so I picked my spot lower than I would on the ground to offset the height like I used to do with wheels.

Result, 3 dead does, and I hate to say, shoulder high on a giant. The latter was nerves and a slight deflection. I feel certain he would have ended up as dead as the rest if I would have kept myself under control. Now, I've been where you are it, and that last one 'bout killed me. It combined with the 2 earlier jobs had me thinking of quitting. It helped to see that big deer on his feet and healthy 2 weeks later (as well as the other night), and I have vowed to make myself a better bowhunter instead of allowing it to consume me. Get back on the horse and find your confidence. It's there, and a change in equipment might make things worse instead of better. If you are comfortable with the weight, I wouldn't go up. My 2 cents, only! Good luck.

[ChuckC]

Brad...a confidence problem is tough to just overcome.  By that I mean, you cannot just say..."OK...this one is gonna be right".  I truly suggest you get that bow out with you every chance you get and stump shoot or rove, or whatever you may call that practice.  

This will do two things.  First ...lots of fun practice. Don't make it boring.  Second, lots of DIFFERENT practice, uphill, down, sitting standing, heck even laying down if you want to have fun.  Point is you are practicing and it doesn't matter if you hit or miss.  

You will start to become friends with your bow and you will get to the point where you don't think when you shoot, you don't analyse (hold here aim there, tuck this, pull that), it just all happens because you have done it all a million times before.  

Everyone is different, and some will tell you they need to go thru a series of preparatory steps.  That's fine...for them.  I find that, if I am not thinking about it, I am hitting it.  It just happens.  When I start analysing and don't just let my abilities flow...well, anything can happen.

This season is over, work on next year.  Put in the time and practice.  See that you can hit what you aim at.  It will happen.
ChuckC

[LBR]

This will do two things. First ...lots of fun practice. Don't make it boring. Second, lots of DIFFERENT practice, uphill, down, sitting standing, heck even laying down if you want to have fun. Point is you are practicing and it doesn't matter if you hit or miss.

I'll add that, in my opinion, one of the best ways to do this is at tournaments.  Shoot at as many different ones as you can--that way you aren't picking the shot, or the way the target is set.  You will be in unfamiliar surroundings, and have a bit of pressure on you as well when others in your group are watching, plus you have folks there to help critique your form.

You don't have to compete, you don't even have to keep score (lots of folks don't).  It helped me a lot.

Chad

[gwhunter]

I shoot from sitting or standing.  Out of a treestand and ground.  I do practice all shots.  Sitting on the ground is my favorite because you can go undetected.  Place the bow horizontally to the ground and shoot.  I missed a shot on a turkey that way this year.  
You are putting yourself in the right position to kill deer.  You may just be over thinking it.  If you think you are going to hit high, you will!  Without fail.  Try thinking less during you shooting sequence.  JMHO.  Good luck.

[BradLantz]

But maybe you are not an instictive traditional archer. Maybe you need to use gap shooting or a bowsite.

Possibly so ...... although in practice I do well.

I can't leave what I'm doing alone - the results are NOT what I want.


ChuckC - not many people have shot as many arrows through a bow as I have this one. OL sent it to me in 2000 and its seen thousands of arrows go through it. I do stump shoot, practice varying ranges, in a stand, throughout the spring, summer and during archery season.

My practice is good, my shooting good, I know my bow and my arrows, my practice arrows go where they want to. And then, I shoot at a live deer and I hit high ? Not left and right ...... just high.

My lost KS buck this year was perfect arrow flight, right behind the shoulder .... and high. I thought the angle I should have killed him, even high hit, but I didn't get but a few inches penetration.

I'm wanting a 55-56# recurve with another 100 grains in my arrows to help overcome that potential problem.

But there still is the problem WHY I'm hitting high ?

I stay as calm as most hunters I've seen, I'm not a rookie. Is it truly just a focus issue ? I ran the shot through my mind countless times and then when I took it ... I shot high.

 :(

A single pin ....... to force me to focus might be the ticket, but I've shot instinctive for 5 years now, the switch would be very odd.

Better to re-learn how to focus, to re-find the ability to shoot and hit live animals where I want to.

 

You are putting yourself in the right position to kill deer. You may just be over thinking it. If you think you are going to hit high, you will! Without fail. Try thinking less during you shooting sequence. JMHO. Good luck.
 

gosh that sounds so easy !

I passed shots this year ya'll would slap me over. I had one 10 pointer maybe 6-7 steps out and he gave me all kinds of shot selections, to my left, and none just ever was perfect. I passed a nice AR buck because he wasn't perfect broadside. Most guys would have killed both those deer. I passed a 140" 10 pointer in KS as he quartered away .... I wanted broadside, dead stop in his tracks. Ya'll would have killed that buck.

I waited and waited, and got that perfect shot ...... and hit high. I have to change something to feel like I'm addressing this, you know ? I can't say "well, maybe next time .... " when I've lost 3 deer in a row. 2 of those deer likely lived, I'm thinking more and more this buck in KS I hit lived. Initially I didn't think so, but looking back I don't think I got even 1 lung. No way he went as far as he did hit that hard.


Anyway, thanks for the replied. I'm going to try some differnt things .......


* a few pounds heavier recurve (instead of longbow)
* 3D shoots
* McKensie target to shoot at
* standing instead of seating
* try a pin, what the heck