I do alot of hunting with a bow and when I shot compound I shot at least a few times a week, year round, dozens of arrows at distances out to 70 yards. I killed alot of deer in a 5 year window and just about burnt myself out. I quit using guns because shooting deer was so easy already. When bordom took over I decided to try traditional.
I bought and sold half a dozen recurve bows over the last six years before finding the one I have now. I shoot this bow with POC arrows and Grizzlys or Blunts depending on game. When I shot with a compound, it was like shooting a gun and you needed light to see the sights. When I hunt with my recurve, I never see the arrow, just the target.This feels so much more natural for me.
The hardest part for me is knowing my limits on yardages, but getting inside 20 yards on a buck is worth it!
Anyway, I shot for years before hunting with it because I felt I wasnt good enough. I still have doubts and have issues with shooting at "The Deer" instead of picking a spot.
On a recent Squirrel trip I posted about, I Took my limit of five Grays in 3 hours with only 4 misses. Now I think I should be shooting better, but others say its ok because Squirrels are so small. I think It was ok shooting but I expect more of myself. I dont shoot up in a tree, so I only take strait on or ground shots 20 yards and under.
I am interested in how good are you? How much do you miss?
BHD
The proof is in the puddin' as they say. You shot a limit of squirels with a tradbow. Who cares about the misses! :)
I hear ya, I just wanna know how far to push myself sometimes. Thanks!!
I'm never as good as I want to be, that is part of the journey... Hopefully I never become satisfied with my shooting. Keeps a guy hungry...
I think you are doing something right... I would say that if you harvested them at 5 yards, it is good... and if these shots were like 15 20 yards, your doing great! just my 2 cents
Not good enough. Ever.
I don't know how to answer your question exactly. How good am I? I feel comfortable with my ability and never take a shot at an animal unless the thoughts in my head are telling me it is a sure thing (of course, it is not always a sure thing but that is what is in my head as I take a shot at an animal). I shoot a ton of 3D and practice nearly every day. I know for a fact that I am not as good as I can be and am every day striving to get better. I still miss here and there, I still look at the whole animal once in a while insted of picking my spot the way I know I need to in the heat of the moment.
I will tell you this: Only you can decide when you are ready. Thereis more to it then just shooting well. There is a focus and a frame of mind that must be achieved to be "good enough" for the hunt. If you feel you are ready then go hunt. If something does not feel right when it comes time for a shot, then do not take a shot. I have passed more than a few shot opportunites because it just did not feel right.
Good luck and i hope to see your pic in the Highlights forum soon!
Bisch
I feel like Im a good shot but I miss critters sometimes, 3Ds too. I know a whole lot of fellers that are better than me but I keep myself having fun.
I dont think Ill get much better, think Ive maxxed out to my abbilities but Im loving life so much with a bow in hand right now and its good enough for me.
I never get tired of pushing myself to be be better! Thats half the fun to me!! I'm not the best, and if I could go get my limit in tree rats in one outing I would feel like the best!lol
5 Grays with a bow in a day,,,,,,your doing just fine, continue!!
I can usually hit what I am looking at. I do have those bad days still though where it seems my shooting goes to H*** but usually I just stop shooting if I am having one of those days and go back out the next day and am usually right back on target.
It takes - what - an hour to learn how to shoot a trad bow and a life time to learn how to shoot it better. It is a journey not a destination.
last summer was my first time bowfishing, now this is bowfishing... lol but i bet i shot 50-70 shots and did get a 1!!!! i know its terrible. rabbits i seem to always get and squirrels i never hit. but darn it if i take a rip at that clump of dirt, stump, or dandelion in the yard i center punch it! i really have trouble keeping it together on big game. i think its from lack of opportunities i have had. just dont get the experience shooting deer.
How good am I????????? I am fantastic, I even amaze myself at times. LOL.........Are we having fun yet
James
Not good enough :)
Thats what keeps it interesting ...
I find I'm a better archer than hunter, and I find that is the harder part in my case. Not so much the shot, but the process leading up to it :)
A limit of brushy tails is doing good. I have been shooting a bow for 47 years now, most of the time I hit what I aim at, sometimes I miss. Just part of life, just have fun with it and don't worry about missing so much.
I got 2 freezers, both full of Elk and Hogs. If I kill a Hog next week I have a serious problem.
I have been shooting for almost 40 yrs. and at my best i never thought i was good enough.And now,well ill never be as good as i once was.
Bjorn,thats not a problem,thats a blessing!
What James said. :thumbsup: :biglaugh: If it was real easy most would not do it.
I know when I put a good shot on a deer all I remember seeing is a patch of brown hair no head no tail just a patch of brown hair it is hard to committ to a spot with everything going on,but when you do it you will fully understand an it becomes eaiser.I like to shoot at 15yds an under.if they are at 22yds or so chances are they will come to 15-18yds be pacient an dont push anything,you do this an a whole new world will open up to you an a new level of understanding.other things can an will come into play that cause misses.but these are things we can seldem controll.good luck ED
I'm like batman, "the older I get the better I was."
Someone else said they didn't know exactly how to answer the question.
Well...I fall into that same category.
A head count of game taken doesn't mean much to me but maybe that's just my not fessing up to how bad I am...lol
I enjoy myself so I guess that's good enough for me.
God bless,Mudd
I don't know how far I can shoot anymore I shoot instinctive so that doesn't matter and I love to shoot so if I miss I get to shoot again and if I miss when I am hunting I get to hunt longer.
Some days I'm Howard Hill....other days I'm over the hill!
:D
I remain haunted by the very few arrows that did not go exactly where I intended.
I am killed deer at 40 yds and misssed at 20 feet. LOL
I killed an elk calf at 40 yards but, I have since rethought those longer shots. I am more of a 20yd and in guy now. I think a lot of the sport is about "getting stick bow close", not trying to shoot 40 or 50 yards. The time of flight on a trad arrow allows an animal to move a lot if he is beyond about 20 yards. Sometimes a long poke is your only chance and then you have to make a decision "a man's got to know his limitations" My question is not can I hit that animal in the kill zone but, can I put that arrow exactly where I need to to stop him in under 100 yards. Happiness is a short, heavy blood trail. I like to see the critter fall and then follow the blood trail. I like happy endings!
Charlie Lamb,,,, thats too funny. :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
When it comes to small game, my bow always shoot the arrow right where it is pointing. The problem I have with squirrels is that sometimes they won't sit where I am pointing.
Are you wanting to shoot targets or critters? I'm no target shooter so I concentrate on one arrow at a time. If the first one is consistantly good, I'm not too worried about the rest.
I agree with betts above, i can't hit crap on just targets, unless its got a hole wore out behind the shoulder. But i have cleanly taken many game animals, big and small, along with a few running and 1 flying shots. So i don't think I'm great, i just think I'm good enough, but this is why i sling dozens of arrows in my basement at night!
I concidder my shooting OK but not great.
Time & my natural abilities keep me from being as proficient that I want but then again like a few have said, if I got to that point I'd probably get bored.
I`m a deadly shot at big game at 10 yards...thats what I strive for. My shooting ability is not really "tested" like that.Now shooting tree rats consistent at 15-20 yards....I`d go hungry. RC
When I continually practice daily I am very scary accurate(2" groups 10-20YRDS), when I dont practice Im Mr. pie plate (10-20 yrds) Practice daily and you will succeed your expectations.
How does that Old saying go? "The Older I get, the Better I Was?" :goldtooth:
I have had good days and bad. I went a long time and did not miss an animal. I have missed my share though there is no doubt. As for how good I am. Never good enough to suit the critique of myself.
There is no such thing as being good enough with a trad bow. Traditional archery is a path, a hard and frustrating one at times, but always rewarding. We learn about our tackle about who we are when it counts. How can one ever be good enough at knowing that? If one shoots a trad bow to 'just' hit the 'X', there are faster and more efficient ways to do that. We like and understand the journey, and by definition, a journey is a process, not a destination. Keep walkin'
Marco
If I'm not shooting nearly every day, my shooting quickly gets totally unacceptable. I guess that means I am not a natural. :D
I once shot a hair off of a bucks back :D
QuoteOriginally posted by Jesse Minish:
I once shot a hair off of a bucks back :D
Jesse, I can relate to that! ;)
Not good enough to kill 5 grey squirrels in a hunt, carry on . . . .
Never good enough to suit myself.
Jason
I'm a legend in my own mind .... :archer2:
I can't shoot as good as i used to but I'm sneakier now than I used to be because I can't move so fast anymore
I don't shoot as well as I used to. Just don't put in the practice time that I used to. Still enjoy shooting, but is not as much fun in your own backyard alone. Shooting with a friend or group of guys is much more enjoyable.
I always have the goal to shoot as well as I did a few years ago.
I heard Jack Nicholas say onetime "you can never master golf".
I think traditional archery is much the same. You can never really master it. Some archers are better than others- but there is alway room for improvement no matter how good you are. My skills are much like others who have commented here, some days I can really drill it and some days it just "ain't pretty". I think that's what makes this so much of a challenge and so much fun.
Five T-rats in three hours,only three misses-I don't know if I could match that or not,but I do have a tendency to wack chipmunks with some regularity.Shot three in four shots one day.First one was sitting on a low tree branch. Shot him in the head at ten yards.Second one was at 15 yds.- ....missed em. Third one was at 15 yds.......center punched him. Forth one was at 20 yds.......chest shot him as he paused running along a log. Could I do that every day?- no way! Should we take some pride when we shoot well?-shur.Sounds like you shot well that day,and you should be proud.Like anything it takes time and effert to become proficient with the bow and arrow. Sooting while hunting takes different skills than target shooting and so forth...We can't all be Howard Hills', but isn't it tons of fun trying.
I think it boils down to the fact that many of us are better than we would ever admit, but, and its a big but, we take shots we are comfortable with more than the average crowd. I bet in a pinch, i.e. a hunting situation, a lot out there would make a 35 yarder look routine.
We just don't talk about it.
QuoteOriginally posted by joe ashton:
It takes - what - an hour to learn how to shoot a trad bow and a life time to learn how to shoot it better. It is a journey not a destination.
I like that
How good am I? Five squirrels with only three misses, I'm certainly not as good as you are.
if you killed everything you shot at with every weapon you use there would not be much sport in it. thats why they call it hunting. take flintlock out instead of your rifle next deer season and see if that puts the thrill back in it. sound like your a guy who likes a challenge.
whatever you do dont turn it into work. have fun with it. those squirrels you missed . a youth hunter may kill them next year. things happen for reason.
"whatever you do dont turn it into work. have fun with it. those squirrels you missed . a youth hunter may kill them next year. things happen for reason." troutguy
ROGER THAT, hamburger is cheap so, don't sweat the ones that got away!
Based on your initial comment, I you rush perfection with the trad gear you may get bored with it and you will end up hunting with a spear, and then bare hands! :) I have the same issue...tackle something new, get as good as you can and then take the next step...luckily traditional archery has provided continuous room for improvement and countless things to research and learn...enough so to keep me busy for the forseeable future...good luck! Also, the only way to not get frustrated shooting at squirrels is to not shoot at them at all....and what fun would that be!?
Practice makes perfect.Ho no, sory,perfect practice
makes perfect!!!
(http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq321/GUYDODIER/th_152.jpg) (http://s460.photobucket.com/albums/qq321/GUYDODIER/?action=view¤t=152.mp4)
LOL...
MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.
I'm as good once as I once was..
I'm not satisfied. Most shots are fine...but not all! I'll keep on working to improve.
Wow, lots of replies! Thanks!! Every reply is filled with experience and wisdom!
I believe that no matter how good a traditional bowhunter you are thatif you never missed then you would quickly become bored with hunting and shooting. I think that the experience is what we seek and if we do not succeed in it every time that is life. I have memories of the game that I have taken but I tend to remember the times that I missed or blew an opportunity and the deer or turkey walked away unscathed. It seems fitting that we should enjoy the experience more whether we are successful or not. Just my opinion and my thoughts on hunting.
StickBowManMI,I agree with you 100%!!
Very well said and thought!!!!
MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.
QuoteOriginally posted by bowhunterdave:
Wow, lots of replies! Thanks!! Every reply is filled with experience and wisdom!
Really glad you posted that because frankly I thought you just wanted us to tell you how awesome you did on the squirrels. :D
By the way, you did awesome on the squirrels! :readit:
Thanks again for the replies!!
I wouldn't starve to death! ;)
QuoteOriginally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Some days I'm Howard Hill....other days I'm over the hill!
:D
:clapper: :biglaugh: Well said Charlie! Same here. Some days ya got it and some days you don't. Misses happen and will always happen. It keeps us in check!
Personally I'm never satisfied with my shooting. I just keep pushing myself. Do I shoot well? Yeah I think so but it's never as good as I really want it to be and I don't think it ever will be to be honest and that is really what drives me to keep shooting. I want to be the absolute best shot I can so I just keep shooting and never let myself be satisfied with it cause in all reality I'm not. Just my 2 cents about myself!
...WHO SAID I WAS GOOD!.....oh maybe that one day i was......... :biglaugh:
Not sure how good I am but I have never once not hit where my arrow was aimed.
The older I get, the better I was
Its funny back in the days of my great sickness(wheely)in the offseason I had to make myself practice, once I started flinging them outta my Howatt hunter it became an obsession, now if I don't get at least an hour a day with it or the kodiak I'm in withdrawls and the funny thing is the more I shoot the better I seem to get, guess what I'm saying theres just something about the flight of an arrow out of a trad. bow that gives me my much needed me time and the bonus is better groups and more confidence, think if you really love doing something you'll do well at it.