How do you keep your confidence up after missing two in a row then on your third try put a bad shot on one and not find it....I did that today.
Hell, If i gave up that easy I would still be shooting training wheels. I have missed more with my trad bow than i shot at with a wheelie.
I am still hoping to make my first trad harvest.
Did you ever Date? :biglaugh:
Haha needed the laugh Ipcjon2 I suck at that game to.
Try having confidence when you havnt had a chance to shoot.Im only confident that I will freeze my a$$ off on my next trip...LOL
I was (and am) still worried about the same thing. I've only been out a few times..six to be exact. All these times deer came in that shooting them would have resulted in a fine. I used that opportunity to "go through the motions". Being quiet, drawing down on them, picking that hair and breathing softly all while my heart was pounding. The last one was a nice little 6 point that would have been dead (if I wanted to be fined). This really helped me out.
Now....to actually connect with a shooter would be nice. My confidence is up.
Next season I guess.
QuoteOriginally posted by lpcjon2:
Did you ever Date? :biglaugh:
I use the "Shotgun Meathod". Ask them all! One's gonna cave in! LOL
Keep practicing and hunting. I personally killed a doe my first year with traditional equipment. I didn't feel confident though until about the third or fourth year. One morning you will wake up pick up your bow and wonder what all the fuss was about. I still miss now and then but that is what it's all about.
pick a spot
Al
dont give up, im in your vote and it has just made the desire stronger.
QuoteOriginally posted by lpcjon2:
Did you ever Date? :biglaugh:
I would rather miss dear all day. at least they dont come back and yell at you for it.
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Originally posted by FerretWYO:
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Originally posted by lpcjon2:
Did you ever Date? :knothead:
lEVI---go to as many 3-d shoots as you can and get used to shooting at animal targets. Practice often and it will soon become second nature,you will hit where you are looking.----Bone
If you can identify the source of your errant shots then you should be confident that you can correct the problem and not do it again.
If you cannot identify the problem then you have some work to do.
Shoot at lots of little things. Leaves, dark spots on the ground, sqirrels, frogs, golf balls anything will do. Take lots of these shots and don't worry about missing them. pretty soon you will be hitting them most of the time. Also make sure you are confident in the arrow set up. I missed this year and I am pretty sure a lot of it was my arrows were not matched perfectly thus i didn't have the confidence I needed when I took the shot.
I ignore it. Learn from it. Find out where it went wrong. It's only your ego that decides whether it's a bad shot or not.
It's about reps. You gotta practice the shots you take in the field until you don't think about it. Also blank your mind when shooting at game. If you say too your self "Don't Miss" you brain hears "MISS!"
Yogi Berra said it best. 90% of this game is half mental.
LOL
Mike
I missed 6 in a row before I finally connected..Every time it was 1-2 inches over the back! Believe in your ability. I knew I had what it takes, it was just a matter of time. I started shooting a stumping arrow out of my stands (which I never did before), and then I started hitting my mark, and that "feeling" was back. That same feeling I have on the 3d coarse when you just know the shot is good. I didnt have that "feeling" on every deer I missed.
The most important thing I have learned is...Take it easy, don't get worked up. Your only going to shoot as well as you can concentrate. I was told from a few friends on here ( thanks Charlie, Ted) that I am trying to hard...they were right. Don't try so hard..it will happen..BELIEVE IT
I miss a lot - so heres the guru speaking ;) take it slow - hows the setup of the bow - is all ok? Hows the arrow flying, is it 100% perfect, how is your form? So slowly all the fundamentals to perfection and good and careful practice - slowly...I say you will connect. Period. :thumbsup:
I did that once but lost two in a row.It bothered me so much I set out hunting seson the next year and kept shooting to get it all together.When I started back I killed everything I shot at for the next 8 years.Sometimes you just have to regroup if it gets to you bad enough. :(
Most times it is something so simple like thinking about the deer instead of the shot.Once you can seperate the two and just see an animal as a target and nothing more you will seldom ever miss another one. jmho
The vast majority of missed shots are from not picking a spot and aiming at it. The whole deer does not constitute a spot. Another factor that is high is to shoot at a deer that is on high alert. Learn how to tell when the situation is right to shoot.
ChuckC
My hunting partner missed more shots than I have jokes about missing. He then went through a time of losing hit deer. This past season he made up for it. A couple of doe's and a nice buck. Remember there is always next year
In the yard I shoot good for my max distance.At shoots I don't.Hunting I've missed a couple and made a bad shot on one.I always went back to my compound.I sold my wheels and am dedicating myself to shooting my stick every chance I get.I will make it happen!
ChuchC said it best. If you pick your spot and focus the rest is just shooting like any other target.
Patrick
Dont feel bad for him, this is his first year with trad gear and he already shot a 115 inch buck.... lol
Four things I'd mention that really might help you a lot (it did me!):
1. Develop a little habit of practicing "picking a spot" on a variety of "stuff" as you go through the day. Do it all the time when bows or hunting come to mind. Pick out the screw on a stop sign, one brick in a wall, the knot of the necktie on a boring speaker, the center of the circle of a Cheerio on a cereal box on your counter... anything you can specifically sort out of the onslaught of visual input you get every day. Pick a spot on... the neighbor's dog, a hamster on TV, or the animals at the zoo! :eek: Do anything to shift your gaze from the whole objects to a tiny spot on them. It is my bet that THIS is why you didn't hit your deer where you wanted.
2. When you can, without getting in a wreck or something, imagine where you would "hold" if you were going shoot an arrow at the spot you've picked. It's amazing to me how much this mental image can help real-life shooting.
If you are somewhere where it won't get you hurt, arrested, or put in the insane assylum, actually practice draw on the spots you're learning to pick with empty hands ("air bow," I guess :rolleyes: ). Note: Probably better NOT do this one in the business meeting with the boring speaker's tie, or at the zoo (unless no one is watching!! :saywhat: ) Use good form, even though there is no bow in your hands.
3. When you are on the stand, "test draw" on leaves, twigs, grass clumps, or what whatever several times each session when things are slow and you are convinced there is no game in sight. It will help keep you warm, looser, and mentally ready. "Aim" S-M-A-L-L!!! This helped my confidence tremendously a few years back when I was fighting the same problem. It still serves me on every hunt to mentally know "I'm ready" and "I WILL make the shot if I get the chance."
Always have one judo or blunt in your quiver, and if it isn't too dark when your are done hunting, shoot a practice arrow from the stand before you leave. If you do this every trip, it won't be long until you KNOW you are ready to take a deer.
4. Finally, when you finally get a shot on game, have the discipline to utilize what you've practiced and PICK A TINY SPOT. If you can't do it, don't shoot. I imagine a little orange dot exactly where I want the broadhead to enter the deer, and it works. Read Jay Kidwell's book on archery if you want details of the idea....
Hope some of this connects for you! Best wishes in becoming a "dangerous" hunter!
Daryl