Trad Gang

Now that bow season is winding down for most, how was it? Your shooting, I mean. Every year I tell myself..."I'm going to work on perfect shooting this season"....well this year I did. I felt good the entire season, like I couldn't miss. I hope that doesn't sound like bragging, because I don't mean it to be. I just know that the effort I put forth this past summer seemed to have paid off.

One of the things I did....after a conversation with Fred Asbell about shooting gloves....was switch to a golf glove. He didn't recomend the golf glove, but he told me that the number one bad release issue he see's in his clinics was gloves lumping up down at the fingertips. The golf glove gave me the cleanest release I have ever had.

Oh well, I'm babbling....I just hope I can keep this going!   :bigsmyl:

My shooting was good.  3 out of 4.  Missed one walking at 20yrds.  2 were walking @ 5yrds and the third walking @ 20yrds in the heart.  I really don't like doing the Maaaa.  I think it alerts them too much.  If they are walking at a good clip I'll try and stop them.

My shooting was perfect  :)  1 arrow= 1 dead deer and the shot went off just like i wanted and hit her RIGHT where i was looking.

Good for you Roger!!

I had a few ups and downs this year with my shooting, and I am determined to improve.  I started out this spring not very consistant, but as the summer progressed I was really shaping up.  I was slowing down the shot and working on my release.  As hunting season came to a close (no animals taken) I fell into some old bad habits again. I am shooting regularly in the house and will do so throughout the winter and by my spring hog hunt I am plannig on have the kinks worked out!

Good thread!

Last winter, I put a target in the basement and shot all winter, working on form. It seemed to work, I started out better in the 3D season than I normally do. Come hunting season, I went 3 for 3 on game, 2 deer and a turkey. I just built a new frame and a new bag target, so I'm going to continue shooting, working on that elusive perfect form.

After reading a few things in the shooting forum and talking to Terry and a couple of other helpful tradgangers, I can say I feel the same way as you Roger--Like I can't miss! Now I am working on the mental side a bit more now that my form has become repeatable and the outcome is good.

I shoot almost every evening in my basement after my two little ones are tucked in. Need to find a target with more longevity! It has been 5 years since I harvested anything with a longbow so I think that will be my focus for the upcoming year. I just picked up a John Maus autumn storm longbow and we have gotten off on the right foot  :)

"My shooting was perfect  1 arrow= 1 dead deer and the shot went off just like i wanted and hit her RIGHT where i was looking."

Thats the best feeling, isn't it? When you watch the arrow land exactly where you wanted it? I too, killed one deer with a bow this year, and it was just that perfect, slam dunk, 7yard, no worries shot.

Something else I did this year was shoot A LOT throughout the season.....often I find myself hunting more and shooting less...not this year.

My shooting was very good, I just didn't get a shot at a whitetail buck. 8^).  I had one close several times, but never in the clear.  I'm confident in my shooting so I'm not concerned if I get a chance when our season comes back in the 26th.

QuoteOriginally posted by Footed Shaft:
My shooting was perfect    :)    1 arrow= 1 dead deer and the shot went off just like i wanted and hit her RIGHT where i was looking.

Same for me.   :D  

Drew on one deer this year,and it's in my freezer as I type.  :thumbsup:

After a horrendous season last year I really got serious about my shooting this year.  I read everything i could about shooting and tuning, tried a bunch of different bows and shot ALOT.  Fortunately it paid off.  I made a marginal shot on a javi which I lost, but everything else i killed cleanly: 1 whitetail, 1 hog and three kauai goats.  I'm happy with this years progress along the learning curve.

Probably my best year ever shooting after attending Rod Jenkins clinic. Still haven't had a shot at a deer in 2 years and tomorrow will be my last hunt until next year.

Was busy from July to September this year and didn't get to shoot as much as I would have liked. Also got a new bow later in the year than I would have liked and tried to make the switch. Only had one opportunity and it was a little long to be shooting but it was a clean miss (twice). Started teaching a NASP class at work in November and this seems to have helped my shooting.

My shooting at shoots was great after I got my widow but I missed a 6pt @10 yrds hunting I was so bumbed out. My faultrushed the shot and forgot everything I no. Widow

Three for three on deer, one for one on turkeys. I've only shot at one rabbit so far, and it's in my freezer too.

We won't discuss squirrels.  

Had a prefict season so far zero shots zero misses .Hopefuly the last season i get a chance.  :pray:

I shot great when I was practicing and did great on a tree rat but I didn't have any deer to shoot at so I have to work hard in late bow.

Four dead animals in Africa with 4 arrows.  Three pass throughs and one stuck in the offside shoulder on a gemsbok.  3 dead pigs and 1 Axis buck since then with 4 more arrows.  Thought I was hot as a pistol until last week.  Shot a nice 8 pt. whitetail a few inches back and did not recover it.  I tried very hard with help from one of the best trackers I know...decent blood and stayed on the trail for 400 yards maybe more.  Then it was like he got beamed up to space.  Sure did put me back in my place.  
I practice quite a bit but from time to time still forget to pick a spot and shoot an "area".  You would think I would outgrow this bad habit after all these years.

Good topic. One of my main goals is to get back to shooting like I use to. I like you, use to have confidence to the max years ago when I shot ALL the time but lately there seems to be too many other things that need done. I've bought a new bag target for the garage and plan on practicing form all winter long. I still went one for one on deer this year and practiced all during the season but I plan on working on my shooting intensely this year.

I did not draw on a deer or an elk, but my shooting in general has gone up a few notches. I made a commitment to switch to 3 under & I cant believe how much better of a shot it has made me. My windage is now normally right on the money, it has made a lot of difference. Now I just need a deer to stand still this weekend, it would be a great ending to the year.

6 for 8 on deer and 7 for 8 on pigs. Critters I missed I missed clean. Missed deer at 24 and 34 yards both a tad low and shot in front of a walking porker. And kinda like Jason on squirrels...they really can laugh you know.RC

I'm 1 for 3 on shots at 2 deer this year. I ended up getting the first deer with a second shot. My two misses were clean and just under them. My confidence is lacking right now as far as picking a spot in the heat of the moment. I would like to get a 3d deer target to practice on in the off season this year and shoot more 3d courses. My arrows are too weak as well, so I need to fix that next year.

Due to a shoulder problem I switched from right to left handed this year.  I spent a lot of time researching form, shooting a blank bale at 3 yards, attended a Rod Jenkins shooting clinic, used a glass bow instead of a self bow, switched to carbon instead of wood arrows, and went 6 for 7 whitetail deer so far (I still have one tag for late season does).  I missed the first deer I shot at then had six complete pass through arrows with a 52 # Tolke Whip.  It still feels strange to shoot left-handed but I won't complain about the results.

I think its time to make another selfbow, build some good wood arrows (just can't bring myself to hunt with carbons out of a selfbow), and start practicing with it for next year.

I shot terrible!  Now, only got to hunt for about 3 days, but had three shots one of those days.  I have no meat in the freezer if that tells you anything!

I killed every deer and groundhog I shot at (one of each) but so far, I've missed every squirrel I've shot at.  So - average, I guess.  Heh.

I know I have a long ways to go,I am having the time of my life. I killed a squirrel,Dragonfly,Jackrabbit,Antelope,the fence and the shed my duck blind that was in the shed and a Duck decoy that was in the shed. The shed makes a great backstop when the Door is close.

Don't know yet as I've yet to go deer hunting.  Next week will be the first in the woods.

No biggy as after Jan. 1 to the end of Feb is small game and hogs, then to May is hogs and turkey.

First year with a longbow, I shot all summer and was confident to start the season. First weekend, I missed a nice doe. How in the world? Kept shooting all season and telling myself to pick a spot. Finally, Dec. 19, I connected with a mature doe. Picked a spot, perfect shot!

Walt, glad to hear Rod's instruction is still paying dividends for you. Hope the shoulder stops bothering you. That's no fun.

I attended Rod Jenkins' shooting clinic this summer also. Before this I was an average shot. I'd have flyers now and then but shot ok. With blind bale practice, pulling through the shot with back muscles, working with a formaster, following through to completion, and going slow I have improved quite a bit...a lot more X's hit.    Thanks Rod!

This was my first full year with Trad equipment and I ended up 3 out of 5. Which I am extremely happy with.  
:bigsmyl:  

Shot my spring gobbler with my recurve, then I shot a nice 5x5 elk in CO. with my longbow.
I missed two shots at whitetails the same evening this fall, but the third time must be a charm. Because later that same evening I heart shot a nice tender button buck.

I'm working all the time trying to improve. I was shooting last night in the basement and my wife was wondering why I was shooting. I told her that shooting is like a stress reliever for me, to be able to follow the flight of the arrow.

I'm pretty confidant in my shooting out to 25yds, beyond that I still have some problems keeping them all in the kill zone of a deer target.

It's always a work in progress. I try to shoot a few arrows evey day in my basement. I find that the older you get, the harder you have to work at it. It's all good though.

Three for three. My confidence twenty yards and under with trad gear is better than it ever was with wheels and sights etc. I over shot two deer and two yotes previous season. So practiced elevated and focused on a low and tight spot not mid chest from stand. Let a flu flu fly everytime im done in the stand. Inside twenty yards im confident and i think that helps almost a visual hit before it flies.

sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never good enough, when I think I am getting good I watch some clips of the old timers and relize I got a long way to go. I did shoot 2 deer and two turkeys, one coyote, one badger, but I also shot under one deer and missed some turkeys, Turkeys will humble me alot, work to get in range, and then miss, something about there dark form I struggle to pick a spot,

Unfortunately my shooting was limited to only a few arrows in 2009 due to disc injuries (5 discs) received in an accident at work in Aug '08.  Been gimped up ever since.  That happened shortly after finally recovering from shoulder surgery that knocked me out of commission for most of 2008 too.  Docs can fix the discs in my neck, but won't touch the three that are damaged between my shoulder blades - they say too risky.  I hope that 2010 will be a better year.  I'm thinking that if pain is constant and unavoidable, I might as well be in pain doing things that I enjoy - so I'm going to try to start shooting again.  I'll be taking my tab and armguard down to Kzoo next month with hopes of trying out a bow or two - am plenty excited about that.  Not being able to shoot has been driving me nuts!  Hopefully I'll have a better answer to this question come this time next year.
Best to all.

I had a real good year for a not that great shooter.  1 elk, 2 deer, 3 hogs.  

Messed up a big 10-Pt on my farm in MO due to a high should shot and a "blood thirsty" rookie mistake of pushing the buck up that same evening, rather than coming back the next morning.  

When will I ever learn???

my year was good 1 for 1. four pointer down within  60 yards. biggest traditional buck for me couldnt be prouder. Good shooting and Merry Christmas to all!

Not good.  Waited all season to get a shot at a nice 8pt buck I had seen and missed him at 13 yards in a snowstorm and failing daylight from the ground.  I never saw the arrow after it left the bow so it may have hit a twig in the blind.  At any rate it will be scored as a big miss.

I had a pretty good year 5 shots at turkeys and 4 dead turkeys, 4 shots at deer and 4 dead deer. I usually screw up and miss more than that but so far this year I have done pretty darn good. I hope I dont screw it all up in the last month of the season after telling everyone here how well I have done.

really haven't kept count but i've killed a lot and haven't lost many arrows!i'm serious about practice and i think that helps a lot , no way around it if you want it and work at it you get it

One shot = one clean miss under a doe at 25 yards.  I shot like I was shooting at the 20 yard butt.  Drew looked at the spot, fired, and perfect right and left just under her chest and belly.  I neec to mix up my distances when practising.

I shot well but in the middle of the season I realized my arrow setup was on the weak side,not shooting enough gpp. After getting that in gear and really concentrating on slowing down the shot it's been great. I did make the classic error on a nice buck that I was confident I was going to kill. As someone said,I was already thinking about the drag out. Right before the shot I looked at his headgear.... and that's right where the arrow went! He was p***ed and I just had to laugh as the deer blew and snorted after running into the thick stuff. Really just need to keep it simple and keep looking at the spot you want to hit. Why does that become hard once a nice buck shows up? But the excitement is why I love it.

One shot, one kill (clean and quick) on deer.  Got something more like a bad baseball average on squirrel though.  Hitting about .215 or so there.  No lost ones though.  They either got away scott-free or stayed right there.  I'll take either one.

And 0 for 1 on duck.

At targets my shooting is better then it's ever been before, unfortunately at deer I still suck!  One of these days I'll keep it together when the deer get in front of me.

I had shoulder surgery March 31,started back shooting on June 20, quickest I could with extensive surgery. I had reviewed what I thought I was doing wrong/right while recuperating, and even though I couldnt shoot went to several shoots and took notes. I have shot for over 30 years, but changed several things. I went from split finger to  3 under, from a glove to a tab. While rehabing I started with #37, then #40 and worked my way up to #50 before season. I also have been coaching 4H this year and slowed down when shooting myself, worked on a solid anchor and pull through, and felt that I was shooting the best I had ever shot in my life, including compounds. I have taken 3 deer with 3 shots, 28, 30 and 35 yds, not that it matters when hunting, I shoot instinctive, jsut stepped them off to see. I also took 4  fall turkeys with 5 shots, missed one. I missed 2 rabbits, hit none. I felt pretty good going into season, felt even better after most of our season is over, still have one tag left, deer season closes mid janurary. I have been very satisfied with my shooting/hunting so far this year.

I started on a roll and kind of had the infallible feeling where you just know something wanders into range and it is dead.  And that's how I started:  five arrows, five dead deer.  

I have had a couple low misses here toward the end that I attribute to either too many layers of clothes or too little practice late in the year (probably the latter).  Daylight hours are less and my time shorter, and I have a tendency to practice less late in the season unless I really carve out time to do so.  And I have consciously shrunk my shooting distance here as our season winds down because of that.

Two arrows.  1 doe 1 buck.  Ain't trad. bowhunting great.

Not Good!!! Four shots at three deer. Three high misses and one high hit over the lungs. Back to the drawing board. I am switching from wood to aluminum arrows. More consistancy from arrow to arrow. I have an antelope hunt booked for next summer and I don't want to screw up any opportunity I might get. Lots of practice. Quality instead of quantity.  :banghead:    :archer:

One arrow shot and one deer dead.

Shooting was good two for two. The first just under 20 yards and the other about 34 yards.

My shooting was better than normal this year.  I went 7 for 8 so far.  Missed for the first time Saturday evening.

Scott

2 shots....1 buck, 1 miss

2 Shot's in 2 Day's 2 Nice Does with the Same Arrow,15 and 20 Yards,

Kurt

Missed another antelope, bull elk, and a bou.  Had fun except for the cold weather during MT archery.

doing pretty good this year. Started a little rough I missed two really good bucks in october, but redeemed myself making good shots on two nice bucks in november. The late season has been a blast, filling the freezer with four doe's three of the shots were great and one okay (liver) So in all I'm happy with my year 6-2 and am looking forward to improving a little more next season.

I think it was fairly good! I was shooting a new takedown TimberHawk longbow most of the year.

1 arrow = 1 alligator
2 arrows = 2 turkeys
5 arrows = 3 rabbits
4 arrows = 3 deer (the deer I didn't get was because a yearling was trying to pull me out of my treestand while I was shooting, hit her high and saw her later - she's fine)
Lots of Arrows = ?? carp (probably 75% hit rate)

One buck (9 point) one doe and one Gobbler.  Shot over a large bobcat and missed one piggie.  Plan to put a hurtin on the piggies in '10 so I am keeping them sharp.  Hope everyone has a wonderful 2010.  

WADE

Worse than most that have posted here.  I missed a shot at a hog early summer. Shot 5 squirrels with maybe 8 or 9 shots.  1 for 1 on a rabbit.  3 for 6 on deer.  Shot over a deer when it ducked the string.  Had an alert deer real close, and I got to thinking about those Texas deer.  Arrow went under the deer right where I aimed, but the deer didn't move.  Bottom limb clipped a tree on the last miss.  Missed the deer by a few yards, the bow came out of my hands and fell 20 feet to the ground, bouncing off of trees as it went.  The other 3 shots on deer were relatively short blood trails and decent shots.  Hopefully I'll have a better year next year.