I have been shooting instinctive for about 13 years now. In those 13 years I have shot at 4 deer and missed them all. I can stump shoot fine I hit my targets, I 3d shoot and score well most times. I just can't hit a deer the closest I have come was with the last one I managed to shave its back because it jumped the string. I am starting to loose condifidence in my ability to harvest game with my favorite tool. Sorry for the rant but I don't want to quit the long bow. So if anyone else has had this problem and turned it around please help!
Shooting at a animal is a lot different then shooting foam. You have to concentrate more when everything is going nuts. Find you happy place and calm down!!
Then pick the hair you want to hit and don't loose that hair until the arrow hits it.
And don't worry about a few misses. Heck Rusty once told me when I was down about missing "You can't appreciate the hitting without the missing"
I don't know if it ment anything but heck it made me feel better. I'd missed a 5 pt bull elk that day.
Mike
Hit... whats a hit!! The first shot I took this year, I missed! the shot just skimmed her back! just hang in there cause some day you'll get it done and it'll be ooo... so sweet!! Jason
Hang in there Brian,It will all come together soon! Listen to wingnut and others here,they know there stuff! I'd offer my 2cents but I'm still missing off and on,but getting better! Enjoy the Hunt! Jim :archer:
pick a spot. keep your form. no negative thoughts. good luck
I have been at it 3 years... this was the first year to let go of an arrow... one morning two misses right over the back... I have yet to connect.
Only thing better than a clean kill is a clean miss...proves I have the skills to get close. Bow hunting has made me a WAY better hunter. I can guarantee the ability to close withing 50 yards of any deer, 40 of most, 30 of some, and 20 of a few.
I still rifle hunt during the late season and for hogs and it is just ridiculous how easy a 50 yard shot is with a rifle. Since bow hunting I haven't taken a shot farther than 65 yards.
I understand the aggravation, but look at the pluses. Also, I have but a piece of tape on my riser to kind of mark a gap at 20 yards. So if i do start to lose control ( I have had target panic) it gives me reassurance where I'm aiming.
If you hunt from a tree stand, it is a lot different from shooting on the ground. You will tend to shoot over the back. Practice elevated shooting. And there is always the use of sights if all else fails.
Brian it just like stump shoot pick spot and say prayer and shoot when it happens give thanks.Blake
I firmly believe that it is all right between the ears. If in the back corner of your mind there is a nagging thought about "I hope I don't miss" - guess what - YOU WILL MISS!
You need to convince yourself that you CAN and WILL make the shot. It's all about confidence in your abilities. If you are able to hit targets, 3D, stump shoot, etc, you obviously have the skills. Now just transfer that to hunting situations, firm in the knowledge that you WILL make the shot.
Even the best shots still have misses. But they dismiss those as aberations and still know without a doubt that the next shot is going to be good.
Archery is just like many other sports, probably even more so. It is 90% mental and 10% physical.
wingnut and whip got it right. Hang in there.
Joe
Its a whole nother level of concentration. There are a lot of things to distract you, especially when there are other deer you need to pay attention to and not spook when you start to draw. But when you start to draw you have to abandon everything else except that hair you want to hit. It aint easy but hang in there!
Have you tried practice shots from your stand?
I always have a blunt or 2 with me, sometimes before I get out of the stand (ground or tree) I'll pick a target and toss a couple blunts to make sure everything is still working right. That is the best practice shot you can take, full hunting dress..stiff from sitting in the cold motionless for a couple hours..now try and make your best shot.
Eric
Yep 99% of shooting is half mental.
One of my favorite sayings.
LOL
Mike
What helped me was to find a good coach. Since Rick Welch was only a short drive, I made arrangements and attended his school here in Central AR.
It was the best thing I ever did and since then I have been able to feel more confident in my shooting, which in turn has helped me tag a good number of animals over the last 2 years.
Good luck and don't give up, your persistence will be rewarded.
honestly I say this that you might be doing everything right!
easy way to tell is when you release the arrow you should still be focusing on "the spot" and when you do this do you see the arrow fly through? that spot where the deer may have dropped out of the picture???? I relaized with me I was shooting fine and the same as if it was foam but on the real thing that can HEAR the bow I needed to pick a spot in the low heart area when using 45-50# bows.
Bottom line is your arrow flying through "the spot" even though the deer may move out of its path is the arrow still going through it????
otherwise, it could be a number of things,, another common one next to not picking a spot is "overdrawing" that adrenaline can easily make you draw that bow back an extra inch and cause you to shoot over the back which is something I think is the #1 reason for missing and not what I think is really #2 and thats picking a spot)
pick the lowest spot in the vitals,focus, draw, shoot and while Still looking at the spot and NOT watching the arrow flight push your bow hand directly towards that spot,,, try this I think it will work for most people that already have plenty of experience shooting sticks & 3D's..
If you hunt from a tree stand practice from a tree stand.
What I did to help me when hunting and to keep from getting nervous, is I practiced drawing down on deer I did not intend to shoot. It teaches you have time and how to move. I bet you are rushing the shot when a deer is in front of you. As you draw you feel you have to rush the shot because you think they are looking at you. They aren't, it seems like they are. Draw down a few before you take your next shot and when you are ready to shoot at one aim at the top of the bottom third of the body.
This may not be your problem but it was mine a long time ago. I think you will find that if you get excited and rush the shot you shoot high over their backs. If you aim at the top of the bottom third and they are close and they jump the string you get a good lung shot and if you shoot too low you may get a clean miss.
I have been bow hunting since 1968 and I still do this every year at the beggining of the season just as a reminder. Once you see you can draw down on them without them reacting you will learn not to rush and be much calmer.
I hope this helps you, it helped me.
Gil
Well, I have only been trad only this year and i will say i have missed more times than i care to say. but, I will connect sooner or later. I hope.
Hang it there! It will happen! I lost all interest in hunting 2 years ago (I think mostly due to some family issues, death, sickness, etc.), didn't even bow hunt last year. This year I've taken a renewed interest in hunting (squirrel, deer, etc.), in a nut shell, I'm excited about it again! And what happens this morning, missed a doe right off the bat! Just went over her back. No excuses, she didn't jump, just missed. I'll be back out this evening to try again...It will happen!
"Yep 99% of shooting is half mental".
This made me LOL
Thank you all for your advise and encourgement I have some work to do I will just keep at this thing until it happens. I know it will now!!
picking a spot on a live deer when they are gray with no definition is tough, and my guess is that you are looking at the whole animal. I miss every time I do this, and high just over the back. Get them close, do your best to pick a spot, and don't shoot in low light as it just makes picking a spot that much tougher. Let 'er rip. Like Gil says, they aren't looking at you, and if they are and you are drawing...well, if you pick a spot they are too late >>----->
aim low and pick a spot just imagine its a target and that its not a deer and just be CONFIDENTE or just get a pistol lol