Ohio's season is two days old, and I've missed three does, well two if you count cutting hair a hit lol.I lurk on this site all the time, but I seriously need some empathy.I'm a relative rookie at the stick and string thing.I've only killed 2 deer in the last couple years.I'm a good shot out to around 25 yards in my back yard, but I'm really screwing up this season.All my shots are going high.yesterday morning my fletching scraped the back of doe #1 at 23 yards.Didn't pick a spot.Tonight I cut a chunk of hair off the back of doe #2 at 14 yards.Didn't pick a spot.Doe #3 comes by 30 mins. later.Anchor,pick a spot, anchor, pick a spot I tell myself.Anchored fine, release is dang near perfect, heck I'm not even shaking that bad, but the arrow soars a good 6 inches over the back.Didn't pick a spot.Come home and tell the wife I suck and that I have a perfectly good Mathews hanging in the baesment.She says "stick with the recurve".Which I intend on doing.
Just tell me I'm not the only one who has shot over the back of three deer in two days!OK, I'm done.I think...
Not three in two days, but twice in 3 minutes last year. More concentration on the spot and a few deep breaths before you draw is all I can tell ya.
Yeah, I've GOT to pick a spot.Its so easy on targets, not so much on deer.
Maybe you're just used to shooting really tall deer.
Ha!I told my wife I need to shoot at them when they're 40 yards out instead of twenty.Then I can shoot right under them instead of right over them.
I know it is not the same but if it makes you feel better. I almost completely missed a bale in practice today not once but twice. The bail measured about 4 ft wide and 5 ft high. I just lost focus. I shoot at a patch of grass 25 yds away and almost always hit my spot. I shoot at larger targets and concentration is shot. no pun intended.
Don't drop your bow arm, bend at the waist!
Been there ... pretty much sucks. Ok, if you can hit targets with regularity you can do it. You really can. So, stop thinking about hoping not to miss. If you think about missing, you miss.
Just saying pick a spot does not meant you believe you can hit the deer. So, really, look for the crease, look for a bulge or something odd near the sweet spot to hit. If you can not see that, try to hit just above the elbow.
You gotta believe! The next doe that walks by, look, feel, believe where the arrow should go and let it happen.
Good luck man!
Bob. :thumbsup:
You are definitly not the only one to miss deer. When I got rid of the wheels and started with my long bow, misjudging distance and missing was common. Some over some under. The more stump shooting I did the less I missed. The super computer behind the eyes needed to be recalibrated to a target that blends into the background with much distraction between the eye and target. You can't get that type of training in a well groomed back yard.
Shooting in the back yard is good for form. Shooting at the same target from similar spots only works for so long and 'presto' your brain has it wired. You can almost hit the kill zone with your eyes closed. Go shoot 3D and stumps, killing stuff helps too, although I personally am against shooting birds and animals which are not going to be put to some good use.
Might try picking a lower spot. Deer are prolly ducking your arrow.
I was / am in the same boat. I have missed more deer than I want to admit, and they all have been High...
G Fred Asbell describes it as not picking a spot, as you already know. He says that humans are naturally attracted to edges, and the most predominant edge on a deer is its back line. If you don't force your computer to pick that spot on the vitals, it will pick the upper back for you every time...
I missed a week ago, and knew exactly what I did, and it was the same dang thing I've done on every buck and doe I've missed... I didn't pick a spot...
Well I decided to take a white piece of paper and right "PICK A SPOT, SLOW DRAW, BURY YOUR FACE" and using packing tape, I put it on my upper bow limb...
Well I went out this past Weds and look what happened! It was hard to ignore it when the doe came by me... You can see the white paper just above my bow quiver and under the Bob Lee on the upper limb...
Good lukc to you... Shake it off and get back out there!
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=094084
Been there, done that. Frustrating when you know you can shoot better. Pick a spot and keep shooting it will come. :)
I have a whole shot process I go through. It helps make things less emotional and more mechanical.
Indecision or changing the plan can lead to lack or loss of focus.
After the shot is where I get a bit out of whack :)
Each shot is its own shot, so forget about what you did before, you know you can shoot, so focus and just do it.
With life's pressures and stuff we IMHO tend to make things way harder than they are.
Practice, get confidence, relax and just do it.
Because you can.
Thanks guys for the support and advice.Glad to know I'm not the only one who stinks from time to time.And truthfully, no matter how much missing hurts, I'd really rather that than a bad hit.
Bob B., I think you're right.I'm hoping not to miss.I know its not "buck" fever, as I've gotten myself relatively calm before each shot.
I don't know what's worse 0-3 or 0-0 (which is where I am at). You are doing some great things getting deer within range, and you're that much closer to having the jitters worked out. I have no other advice as I am working on my first trad deer too. Good luck out there!
my two cents worth, it sounds like you know how to shoot, i believe your already picking a spot, it's just instintive, i believe your major problem is follow through, follow through, follow through. for me it doesn't matter whether i'm shooting a target or deer, i'll be off a foot in any direction. for years i tryed to shoot to much pondage, my buddies called me "quick draw mcgraw", i might be at my 29" draw or at 26 or 27. funny but as long as i followed through i was still on target. i know it's hard to focus and watch the arrow disapear, but if you do you will have your kill. YOU CAN DO IT.
Maybe your mind is preoccupied, pick a spot and eat some red meat.Good luck.
Do you shoot split finger or 3 under?
Have you tried walking the string for extremely close shots?
I was having a small problem continually hitting high when I practiced from close distances like 10-15 yards, and I shoot 2 under. I've got 4 eliminator buttons on my string below my nock, I can slide one of those up into position anytime I want to, and I always use one under the nock anyway. I slide 2 more up to make 3 total under the nock and I put my finger tab directly under the 3rd one for point blank shots and point my bow hand right straight at the target....basically the point of your arrow dead on what you want to hit.
Then back to 30 yards I move my finger tab up to right on the bottom of the nock and still point straight at the target, no adjusting my hold up or down, just adjusting my fingers to the string.
Changing my finger position on the string changes the arrow's trajectory and enables me to shoot from 5-30 yards without holding high or low, just point and shoot.
I hear ya about the Mathews in the basement, except mine is a Bowtech in the closet......It's tempting sometimes. Believe me, you don't know how many times I've thought to myself......."You've got a practically brand new Bowtech Guardian in the closet that shoots over 300fps and can hit a coon in the eye at 40 yards....why are you punishing yourself with all this recurve/traditional nonsense?"
:thumbsup:
What everyone else said. I"m amazed at just how accurate we can be when we focus our attention on THE SPOT and nothing else. When I start shooting badly that's almost always the the problem "Lack of focus".
I'm 0-1 and can empathize. Missed the best buck I've ever seen a few days ago. I'm a trad rookie too. It's one thing to know that you need to pick a spot but another to do it. But like SEMO said, I'm gonna stick with it and make it happen. You will too!!
Oh yeah, I'd also like to mention that I haven't actually even seen a deer yet, I spooked one on my way out of the stand last night and it was nearly totally dark! What's a guy supposed to do??
I can't sit in the tree all night for crying out loud! :goldtooth:
If you do not practice from an elevated position it might help. Sometimes it is just getting used to shooting from a treestand... if you are? Remember bend at the waist and do everything the same as on flat ground and always always pick a spot.
I pick a spot BEFORE I even draw my bow. Pick your spot draw slowly, when you get to your anchor, you are already ready. Don't lose hope yours will come.
You stated that you were new to the sport. 20 + yards is tough for even the best of shooters. Try limiting yourself to closer shots to gain some confidence. You may be inadvertantly lifting that bow arm a little for the range. Try 15 yards and under. I don't recommend picking a lower spot. Look where you intend on shooting. Good Luck!
BTW- Sell the Mathews, it will put your mind fully on your curve.
i forgot to mention, i used to shoot split fingers on 3d courses, i was all over the place, once i went to three under i began even winning tornaments. i hold my bow up toward my target, draw slowly straight back looking down my shaft, and as i said follow through. if you try three under you will have to move your nock down about the thickness of a brass nocking piont. it's worth a try.
Hey don't get down, I've done it too. Things will turn around, just hang in there.
Don't give up, keep practicing and keep hunting. It sure says a lot about your woodsmanship that you got close to that many deer in such a short time.
-Brian
Thanks for your honesty. Exactly the ingredient & mindset differentiating hunting from target archery. IMO, hunting practice will do more for hunting situations. Stumpshooting & bowfishing are great hunting practice. Also, don't stress. Picture a "+" at your point of impact & turn it loose. The crosshair technique is easier the more you practice.
I say you go for a moose. They are tall. You could probably hit them.
Keep at it. You will get there.
Huntingnut.
This is a very common problem...hitting high at bow-range distances. If you shot sights with your compound then I'd bet the issue isn't one that will be solved by the usual great suggestions of picking a spot or bending at the waist. Of course both of those are perfectly correct things to do. I'd bet you are already picking a spot and you are bending at the waist when shooting at a downward angle.
If you used sights on your compound you are accustomed to having a specific aiming reference (the sight pin). This is the likely cause of your high shooting.
In the excitement of the shot on game you may be ignoring your instinctive or gap reference and subconsciously seeing the point of the arrow on the spot you are concentrating on. If your shots are less than 30 yards, your arrows are going to go high. (Your point on is probablay 30-40 yards).
One solution is to know this is what is happening and maintain your practice reference. For some people this means looking "low" rather than where you want to hit.
CAUTION: If you don't want to read about String Walking -- READ NO FURTHER.
For others, (me since August) we make the arrow point our vague reference by string walking. For instance, if you shoot three fingers under, place your index finger one finger width (or slightly more) below the nock of the arrow on the string. Then vauguely see the point of the arrow on what you want to hit at 20 yards. You should be close. You vary the distance of the finger placement on the string to adjust this.
I shot instinctive (really gap) from 1963-1981. Then I went to sights. I've been shooting recurves all this year trying to return to traditional since I picked up the compound in 1975. I was getting pretty good at 15 yards but not satisfied at 20. Then I saw my friend's video on Traditional Shooting by Tim Strickland (new) and learned that this 40-year archer, 10-year Olympic coach and now avid traditional hunter, string walks. I tried it and will never turn back. I'm now super confident at 20 yards (killed a doe last Saturday at 21 yards) and am 75% or better at 30 (I won't shoot game until I'm 90%+).
There's a trick to this though. If you concentrate (focus) on aiming insteand of follow through your groups will suffer.
I recommend anyone who wants to shoot better get Tim's video. I mailed mine as a loan to a fellow from this site in Colorado on Saturday.
I feel your pain,we all have days like that.Never quit and keep shooting and hunting and you will kill deer.I once called in a beautiful 6 point piebald buck to within 5 yards and then aimed too low and just shaved hair off his brisket.A friend saw the buck a week later chasing does so i know he was ok.He would of been a trophy of a lifetime.Don't get down on yourself too much and just enjoy the hunt.
I have empty my quiver 2-days in a row 6-arrows each time.It does get better I shoot lots of deer now.But last year I missed the biggest deer of my life.It still hurts to talk about an I mean it hurts.I can only hope I get another shot this year.I need something to stop the hurt.no drug will ever remove the pain! only a prescription filled by mothernature.keep huntin It will probally get worse before it gets better.good luck keep us posted.ED
Wow!Thanks guys for all the help.Since there are different questions about how I shoot, and the fact I'm pretty new here, I'll tell a little about myself.I've bowhunted since 1992 when I was 12.I've killed many deer with a compound.About five years ago, a buddy got me interested in traditional.So I bought a used Bear Kodiak Mag.After a couple years, I took it hunting.Killed a deer with it on the second day I hunted with it.Bought more bows, and killed a second deer.I guess I'd gotten pretty cocky.Til this year at least.
I currently shoot a Martin DreamCatcher that I shoot better than any recurve I've ever shot.I don't think I'm overbowed, I draw to 28" or a little past, and hold anchor for around 3 seconds before I release.I've had a couple guys who know what they're doing watch me and I've worked through most of the form issues I had, although I do still drop my bow arm when I'm tired.I shoot split finger, but I've tried 3 under.I've also tried string walking, gap shooting, but I keep coming back to just concentrating on a spot.I 3-D shoot quite a bit, and I stump shoot a whole lot.A pine cone at 30 yards is usually in serious trouble, but it would seem that a deer at 20 is pretty safe right now!
I'll keep at it.I know i did everything right in my draw sequnce on the three deer, but I KNOW I didn't pick a spot on any of them.And I'm perversely releived to know I'm not alone in my misery.
Thanks guys!
Guys, this is a REALLY good thread! This IS the heart and soul of this trad-gang site. I'm taking some advice from a number of you, because it really is sage advice. I'm a big fan of the "memo" on the upper limb belly to help "mechanise" the shot process. Besides..misery does love a little company every now and then. Glad to see Huntingnut owe up to his misses and and start the dialect. well done....jackdaw
I shot five arrows at a button buck at 20-25 yards a few years ago. Empties my quiver and never drew blood. He was either really stupid or really smart... No matter how you cut it, for a novice, 23 yards is a long shot. Keep it close (5-15 yards), pick a spot and bear down. It'll happen. I've killed a fair amount of deer and can't think of one that was over 20 yards. Most were between 10 and 15.
As you can see you are not alone.
Personally, I believe there are two aspects to bowhunting accuracy.
The first aspect, is to practice, and become a good shot. Being able to hit what you want at reasonable hunting ranges. Confidence.
The second, is the ability to "bear down" and focus when you are offered a shot opportunity.
Do not let the worry of a poor hit, or a miss cloud your ability to focus. Don`t worry about blowing an opportunity. Do not think about missing. It must not be anywhere in your mind.
Confidence.
If your arrows are tuned, and broadheads fly like field points...if your broadheads are sharp, and you can hit what you want, it is just a matter of getting game inside your effective range.
I can think back at some of my spectacular misses, and none of them were a surprise to me. I lacked the confidence in my gut, and I performed EXACTLY like I THOUGHT I would.
Same thing for some of the good shots I made. I HAD the confidence, and I performed EXACTLY as I thought I would.
:campfire:
Make sure to breath and follow through.Keep your head down after the shot. We all have missed just keep at it and relax,this is supposed to be fun!!
I must agree with the others, make a 15 yard limit. It want cost you as many shots as you think. Good luck
Shoot downhill, aim low. Shoot uphill aim high.