Ok what do you feel is the most important skill in trad shooting/hunting, physical,spiritual,and or technical
Mine would have to be having good form. :campfire: :coffee:
Without any other thought crossing my mind- Patience!!!!
patience indeed
I would say aiming. Picking a spot...and sticking to it.
-Mack
Most important skills: Draw, use your back muscles; anchor,to a consistant spot ;pick a spot, however you do it ; release, make sure it's "clean"; hold the bow,until your arrow hits the target.
reading sign and understanding it
Patience! Without, you'll never take full advantage of the skills you may possess and you'll never fully develop all the skills you'll need.
bow hunting- animal behavior and how to react to them, shooting- focus and reps
Practice...only AFTER you learn correct form and alignment.Practicing with incorrect form and alignment does you no good.
Yep patience and a good place to hunt. :thumbsup:
Mental focus !
I'm waiting on George for his seasoned opinion! :coffee:
The more I practice - the luckier I get!
the ability to prepare camouflage extreme foc single bevelled scent locked arrows ..... he he !
Seriously i think the most important skill is remembering to have fun ... that way i'm always good to shoot more arrows and spend more time afield ...
Ben
there are shooting skills and there are hunting skills - both very different, both very required.
Learning to shoot well comes first.None of the other stuff matters if you can't close the deal when it comes up. :biglaugh: Nothing more disapointing that doing everything right to get the shot you want and then blow it.A wasted day when that happens. :(
Getting close to critters and/or limiting yourself to close shots. That in turn requires hunting skill and patience.
Hunting and wildlife knowledge is most important. Most of us can deliver the goods if the animal is in range.
Everything! :-0 It all comes together to make that perfect shot, when needed! I do not think one is more important then the others. You may have to work on one more then the others! lol :thumbsup:
All of the above!!
It's all about hitting what your shooting at.
Knowing your limitations and hunting within them. Knowing the shot not to take is just as important as knowing the one to take.
Shooting - consistency in your form/anchor/release, whatever style it might be.
Hunting - knowing WHEN to take the shot, and WHERE to place it.
Hunting...PROBLEM-SOLVING.
Shooting...REPETITION.
All above mentioned points are on target. I like to think that with Trad Archery and Hunting you need to commit with your heart and soul to be successful. Yes... You must learn how to hunt and shoot first, but... Someone once said:
"Don't wait for it to happen. Don't wish for it to happen. Don't want it to happen. Just let it happen."
So... Keep at it until that time and have fun learnin' as ya go.
... mike ... :archer: ...
Iam going with
Wildlife behavior -- spend a 100 pleasant days STILL hunting squirrels--they'll teach you alot about opening up your senses, and strengthing keeness of observation, in addition to getting good shots off at live targets---a whole diff thing than hitting foam under static circumstances that you have total control over.(that foam will just sit there for you,until you're good and ready to shoot.) Also, you're going to be able to observe alot of deer-- how they move, and they react in a wide variety of circumstances.
Shooting - Perfect and consistent practice. Trying to make each and every practice session a little different so one can keep making improvements.
Hunting - knowing how to get real close to game. Having patience and confidence in yourself to make the shot.
For me its staying focused. W/O a site its easy for me to do.
That quote that mcfgroundstalker posted.... I'm not all that "laid back" about things when it comes to bowhuntng (deer especially). For me, things don't "just happen"... I MAKE them happen. You can go afield and just let things happen, or you go can go afield and make things happen. I prefer the latter, as it usually results in more opportunities.
QuoteOriginally posted by vermonster13:
Knowing your limitations and hunting within them. Knowing the shot not to take is just as important as knowing the one to take.
Very well put.......and my feelings exactly.
Winterhawk1960
that's an easy one. form,patience,picking the right spot and matching arrows to shoot from the bow.i feel alot of newer guys to the sport fall into the latter part of not matching the right spine arrow to their bow,thus resulting in arrow flight problems,then leading into frustration with the sport.
In hunting,waiting for the right moment to take the shot.Not pushing your limitations, because you think your chance may not come again.
I know a lot of good shooters. I know a few good hunters.
There's always a few who just seem to get it done......whatever the prey.
Quotethere are shooting skills and there are hunting skills - both very different, both very required.
Hear. Hear.
Being sneaky.
You need to have a spot before you can pick one! Preseason scouting is a biggie!
Mindset..... You hunt with traditional gear for any number of "personal" reasons.
I gave up bowhunting completely a number of years ago. I started hunting small game when I was about 6 years old with a Red Bear solid glass recurve. Killed my first squirrel with that old bow as well as many more. Rabbits,squirrels,and a good number of woodchucks all fell to that old bow and it's way overspined cedar arrows tipped with Bear Razorheads. When I started Big Game hunting I used a 50# Bear Alaskan and cedar arrows with Bear Razorheads to take my first 3 deer. In the late 80's I switched to a compound and I probly owned a dozen or more in the few years that I used them. I never really liked them which was why I kept buying differant ones.There was always supposed to be something "better" coming out.By 1990,I was done. I gave away my compound and quit bowhunting. In the late 90's I met a friend who was pestering me to get into bowhunting again..... I told him "Bob,If I ever get back into bowhunting again,it'll be with an old recurve and cedar arrows." In my search I found my very good friend,and fellow TradGanger,Joe Skipp. Joe sold me a 55# 1967 Bear Kodiak Magnum and a dozen cedar arrows. Finally,I had returned to my roots!!!!! I actually felt happy again while I was bowhunting.
Many people have trouble making the switch from compound to traditional bows. They remember the close groups and long shots,and are unable to make those shots with traditional bows. This leads to "flip-floping" back and forth,from traditional to compound. We see this every year in posts..... "I could have had him with my compound" etc. As I said,it's all about mindset. It is a transition period,but once you develop the "traditional" mindset,you will never second guess your traditional equipment,you will just comfortably chalk it up to "the one that got away" and "it just wasn't meant to be".....
Yup, If I had to pick the one most important thing..... I would have to say, "mindset" :archer:
Focus and maintaining form through the shot
enjoying the sport!!!!!!!!
Accuracy! I don't know how many chances I have blown over the years due to missing!!
Oh and yeah, everyone knows its really important to own the most expensive gear you can find. :biglaugh:
Patience is the operative word, and it appperars that most of us agree on that.
If you have patience, all else will come along.
The entire reason we shoot bows and arrows is to be able to put our arrow on the mark. Being able to hit where you are looking, without effort, is of utmost importance. This requires proper tuning, proper form, and the patience to work your way there. With out accuracy, we may as well just be flinging paper airplanes!
1 - Perfect practice in REAL life situations and then lots of opportunities hunting game.
If you tree stand shoots lots from your tree stand in the wind/cold etc. We can generally shoot pretty good if everything is perfect...but not always is it that way.
If we hunt in the mountains and have to shoot straight down at a sheep or goat...then you need to practice lots of that.
Moose hunting THEY ARE HUGE....and they seem to be closer than they are. You need to practice with a life size target some how.
Caribou feed/walk at 30 miles and hour it seems :) so you need to be comfortable with that. Set up a bag target on a long rope and have someone pull it down the rope so you can get used to shooting it on the move (just a suggestion).
Bears - hmm baiting - see tree stand - spot and stock WIND WIND WIND.
You get the idea right
2 - I think you can practice lots and then blow the real hunt just because of the rushhhhhh you get.
I think we can get all kinds of opportunites and not enough practice because (life happens) and then we can't deliver the arrow....
We need to find a good balance in these two aspects or something will suffer.
Mostly we are a time poor society so something always suffers...that's life so make the best of it.
Jer Bear :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl:
Try to learn something new everytime your in the woods. Practice practice practice. Drawing your bow and hitting your anchor point should be completely instictive.
And yes... patience
Tyler
Finding deer to shoot at in the first place is a good start,,,for me.
After that,shooting at the things is no different than shooting at any other target.
Shooting during target shooting and shooting during hunting situations are both identical to one another.
This mind set that they are some how different is one of the main reasons people continue to shoot "over the top" yet again.
If you shot your bow the same in a hunting situation as you do during practice or during target shooting,,,the out come would always be the same.
Your change your methods or mind set from one to the other,,,you won't get the same results.
Lets be serious here people,the only thing that changes from one situation to another is "your" mind set,,,nothing else.
...the skill of waiting for a "SHORT DISTANCE" shot !!!! Your homework will do the rest !!! :)
confidence in your shooting and plain ole' woodsmanship.
Hunting=getting close undetected.
Shooting=how to properly tune your setup
Shooting- Eye/Hand coordination
Hunting- Keeping the wind in your face...Unless your hunting somethin that cant smell you!
Hunting skills are multi-faceted. It's almost like asking which organ in your body is the most important. However, when I think back over the years my best successes have come when my shooting skills were at their best.
I say the best skill to have is being able to make the first shot of the day a good shot. Form, skill, everything aside. First shot needs to be a good shot.
QuoteOriginally posted by lpcjon2:
Ok what do you feel is the most important skill in trad shooting/hunting, physical,spiritual,and or technical
Mine would have to be having good form.
I think some of all of these is required.
Being physically fit helps you shoot more effortlessly without fighting to get the bow back.
Being spiritually right, and having faith that God will guide that arrow where you want it, and praising him for these abilities/skills/strength that he has given you.
And being techically competent to have tuned your gear to get the best performance out of it, and to maintain your equipment to keep it in good working order.
Mental.
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
there are shooting skills and there are hunting skills - both very different, both very required.
This is dead on Rob.
In shooting it is form and solid shots every time.
In hunting it is patience.
Hunting- stealth & confidence (including woodskills)
Shooting- confidence
You can be the best shot there ever was and if you ain't got woodsmaship you might as well stay on the shooting range.
WOODSMANSHIP, WOODSMANSHIP, AND OH YEAH WOODSMANSHIP.
Know your land you hunt and know your querry.
Hunter skills, you need to be able to get into that confort zone of the animal you are hunting that spends most of thier life not wanting anything to be there.
Once you get there every thing else happens on its own, seeing the spot, draw, anchor, release, for me any way all this part happens and most of the time i dont even remember it happening. But i can remember every detail of the stalk, the leaf that crunched to loud that stick i didnt see that brushed my pants ect.. ect..
practice/know your quarry. rick.
My ability to think......with my God given smarts I can master all the skills I need to kill and eat.
My 2 cents worth.
God bless,Mudd
Without good shooting form all the rest is mute.
Well I guess I can't really add to whats been said, all the comments on the pages before pretty much say it all...........ron w
I used to think that shooting skills and woodsmanship were equally important. Now I feel that being able to hit what you're aiming at is the more important of the two. Personally, I'd rather go an entire season without a shot than get one and botch it.
QuoteKnowing your limitations and hunting within them. Knowing the shot not to take is just as important as knowing the one to take.
What Winterhawk and Vermonster13 said :campfire:
Most important skill.......Get very, very close.
That covers shooting skill and hunting skill.
Get close and you will kill stuff.
Whump Sez: The one thing that helped me close the deal was making the first shot count when you practice. Shoot that first practice shot just like you are shooting at your quarry. If you have to shoot more than one time to get on target when you practice then you need to think more about the first shot you take at each practice session.When I say think about it--I mean sit there for 5 mins if you have to and concentrate on the shot--then pick a spot and shoot. I am not saying shoot one time when you practice and that is it, but don't take that first shot for granted. If you usually miss your mark on the first shot when you practice; what do you think is going to happen when you are shooting at a live target under pressure? When you are able to walk up to the line and shoot that first shot in the kill zone your confidence will be boosted exponentially and confidence is everything on a hunting shot. Hunt safe.
I've only hunted whitetail and smaller, but I (we?) put a lot of pressure on myself when that old moment of truth rolls around. Hours spent practicing form, pick a spot, money on the deer lease, gas, equipment, cost of kitchen passes, etc. etc. all seem to weigh down on me when a deer I want to shoot gets close enough. I don't think it is buck fever, but I can really start to feel that "bottom of the ninth, two strikes, two outs, score tied" feeling begin to pressure me to start "forcing" something to happen. Guess what I am trying to say is that letting the shot "come to me" and not letting my self-imposed pressure take over and rush something bad is the most important "skill" I need to master. I keep telling myself I don't need to kill a deer, squirrel, rabbit, etc. to have a successful hunt, and I have had tag soup for the last few years while having a great time in the woods. My friends all call me mental anyway, so put me down for "mental" being the most important skill.
As far as shooting....it's form.
"Hunting" is a whole different skill set.
Accuracy...this comes from starting out with a bow weight you can handle comfortably and develop good form. Start out with a bow too heavy for you and bad habits will soon follow.
Developing good form...coming to full draw, anchor for a second or two, aiming and a good clean release. All basics that can easily be learned. I can't stress enough, especially when I deal with compound shooters going trad...get a bow weight that is comfortable and you can handle easily. Once your form is down and you find the right aiming system, the rest will fall into place.
After you have the 'mechanics' down (setup, shooting skills) then patience, but along with that goes persistence. We are all going to blow stalks, have animals close but not a good shot angle, weather days, etc. Without persistence, we may be ready to cash in when if we hang on a bit longer, success may be just around the corner.
Shot placement with a sharp (***SHARP***) broadhead and knowing when to shoot.
Patience, good form, follow through and Aim Small.
pick a spot and concentration.
Consistency, being able to do the same thing over and over and patience.
Dave
Two things:
I think being honest with yourself about what kind of shot you should be taking or can make. I'm not talking about shots that you knew you could make but "go wrong" from unforeseen influences on the arrow.
I mean low percentage shots. If you blow it, will you do whats right and find that animal, no matter what?
And,
If you lose the animal and say something like "...I'd take that shot again..." that isn't really being honest about what happened. Either at the shot or on the recovery the ball was dropped.
I think these are very near the top in importance because every other skill is filtered throught that same lens that is either honest with yourself of not.
A high standard. Maybe I'm old school. I was taught to never take a shot unless you knew you could make it no matter how badly you wanted that trophy. I was taught that the hunt would not continue until the animal was found. If that meant the hunt was essentially over, than so be it. Tough love I guess.
Thanks Dad.
Joshua
Preparation... Accuracy, ethics, and patience.
what I think of to become more accurate or when its fallen apart for me is,,, upon release push the bow right towards the kill (no matter what distance its at push that riser right towards it) and do not move either hand or my head when the string pulls from my fingers--> don't TRY to watch the arrow but watch it come up and drop down to disappear behind my fist (hand holding bow) and I ussually start shooting a tighter group.
Again if it's one thing...get close and you will kill stuff.
Getting close to your intended target!
God bless,
José
You have to KNOW that you will be able to make the shot when it happens. This goes for hunting or tournaments. I've been around lots of guys who mentally talk themselves out of shots. Does that mean you'll never miss? Not at all, but you have to be ready for the next shot.
for me the difficult part is knowing when to draw your bow so as to not get caught by your quarry, for shooting , always hitting the same anchor point
Patience in every aspect of the sport. From shot selection to time to develop into a proficient archer. It just don't come easy. You've got to put in your time to get good.
Dedication and Practice......... :wavey:
for me, if you are talking about hunting situation, it's "picking a spot"
before, all you need it's a constant practice ...
The persistence to stick with it long enough to practice your shooting ,woodlore and patience until it becomes second nature. I have shot deer that came chasing a doe through the patch of woods I was hunting that I don't even remember drawing my bow. The focus , picking a spot ,anchor and selecting the shot is all natural ( Instinctive ) to me .Next thing you know is you see the arrow in the spot you have picked . When it all comes together it is what we do and I love it!
Small game hunting helps build this confidence, as does bow fishing. Rutting Carp remind me of rutting deer
:bigsmyl:
Jack
Spot on shooting is the most important. How many times have you heard. I MISSED!!!!! You can get as close as need be, but if you can't hit the ground if you dropped your bow what good does it do you??
My main concern in my "hunting skill" is concentration...My mind will take care of the rest
the first order of "business" is to get your rig tuned correctly and then get good with it. this will give you a tremendous amount of CONFIDENCE which will allow you to go forward to focus on the next stage which will be your hunting.
i truly believe a lot more folks would be doing trad if they had a bow that was set up correctly.
CONCENTRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Becoming efficient at X amount of yards. Getting within X amount of yards to your quarry. Doing both consistently.
Knowing when the only shot presented...calls for a pass.
I haven't read this entire thread, so it may have already been said. But to answer the specific question -- What is the most important shooting/hunting SKILL?
Without a doubt it's hitting what your aiming at! Whether your a proficient at 5 yards or 50 yards, shooting a self bow or 7MM, you HAVE to be able to hit what your aiming at...or else you should be hiking, NOT hunting. Even just in shooting...if you are hitting what you are aiming at consistantly (the other items have or WILL fall into place).
I understand the kill is not the only thing the hunt is about, but if you are carrying a weapon in the woods -- hitting your intened target is the first and foremost skill you need!
There are too many skills to name, but one of the first things that come to mind...well practiced and confident bowhunters that hold their composure when the oportunity presents itself is key. When it comes to Bowhunting, its all about getting close. Too many people these days have forgotten that.
Concentration and repeatability. I'm still inconsistant in the anchoring area, but I'm working on it.
Practice,patience,persistence,and confidence come to mind quickly
Having your whole Heart in that instance! We all know practice and persistence, confidence, etc is important. If your NOT their, your not!
If I'm worrying about home and work, it ain't going to happen! We all have done the routine, but at the end of the hunt, what reason were you out there?
It takes both hunting skills and shooting skills, but you must have patience to allow these hunting skills and shooting skills to come together on a close but unaware animal.
I got two..
Being able to hold it together at the shot.
Most importantly being able to enjoy the days with no shots thanking GOD for the blessings of the day.RC
Amen to that RC! Amen.
Shoot straight, Shinken
CONTROL
Patience, concentration, and hunting skills. Most everyone has a distance they can hit consistantly at but they gotta get close enough first.
Patience and concentration.
Most important skill? Observation.
Most inportant trait? Patience.
I agree with Rob- two different set of skills. With that said- I think we put WAY too much emphasis on the "form" idea (I know some would disagree with me!)
The reason I went to trad decades ago was my experience as a collegiate athlete. Watch golfers, basketball players, quarterbacks, etc. Believe me, I have taught the fundamentals in a variety of sports; but beyond basic/simple fundamentals, no two athletes look the same! The goal is personal consistency and confidence, NOT PERFECT form!
No two scenarios in the woods are the same- and I rarely worry about position, angle, etc. I hear guys talk about hitting high from stands, bending at the waist, etc. I have never worried about any of that. Like my basketball and football days- lean left, lean right, fade away, etc. etc,- After the basics (knowing your equip., consistent anchor, good release, trust), the rest is a "head" game. Any kid can make a free-throw. Now take that same kid with the last few seconds when the game is on the line. FORM has LITTLE to do with it at that point! Think about that! He can hit it all day in his driveway- his form is fine! It is a different set of skills to shoot under pressure. And that is precisely what we need as hunters.
I find few trad archers who even train/practice the "brain skills" needed to shoot when the pressure is on. I just think we try too hard to get the perfect form. I watch guys do it all the time, changing this and that. What most of us need is to train our brains as suggested by Jay Kidwell's book and other sports psychs. The difference between one pro and another is NOT form; it is their ability to control their thinking when the time counts.
My 2C
Dan in KS
persistance
Gosh...that's a tough one. I think it's a toss up between consistent form and complete concentration at the aim,release and follow through.
Claudia
I think 80% mental 20% physical if your mind is controlled the rest will come together. :knothead: :knothead:
Gettin Close!
Perseverance, knowledge and skill to stalk close or set-up a close shot at the right angle, the right wind, and familiarity with shooting through thousands of arrows down the practice range.
Not a skill but what I think makes everyone better...EXPERIENCE!
Tuning equipment and stalking.
I'm a terible shot! So for me my most important shooting skill is knowing my limitations. On the contary I am a pretty good woodsman (if I have to say so myself :saywhat: ) and that lets me be patient and confident in hunting situations to get within my effective range where I am 100% confident of my shot. :saywhat:
If I had to choose ONE most important skill in hunting, it would have to be the ability to hit what you want when the time comes.
We do everything we can to get a shot opportunity, and it all means nothing if we can`t hit the spot when needed.
have fun . if you do not get an animal on the groud who really cares.
for me it's all about being in the outdoors having fun.
the day that i'm upset about not grassing an animal is the day i give it up.