I want to shoot a deer with my compound bow this year. I can get the shot in the kill zone 8-9/10 times at 20 yards. They aren't super tight groupings but it's in the killzone. My spots I will probably shoot at 10-15 yards. So how good do you have to be? Am I good enough?
My philosophy is that you can never be too good. In order to accomplish that lofty goal, you need to make sure your gear is well matched and your bow is well tuned. Then you assess your shooting form one aspect at a time....stance, bow hand, bow arm, anchor point, head angle to string, peep alignment, pin float, a squeezing the release with a good follow-through. To work on your form, some feel it is best to simply shoot a blank backstop and just work on your execution until you are very solid and consistent. Then move back from 20 at 5 yard increments to continually test yourself. When you are holding good groups at 35, 40 and beyond, 20 will feel like a chip shot. Before you head to the woods, make sure your chosen broadheads are flying close or identical to your field point arrows so your hard won skillset is rewarded on a game shot. If you hunt from a treestand, practice elevated shots and bend from the waist. If you are hunting from a ground blind, practice shooting from a stool while sitting or from your knees.
Practice, Practice, and Practice some more. Watch your form and pay attention to everything. Try to be detail oriented. Focus on your breathing, anchor at the same place every time. Practice different positions. When you think you are good, keep practicing. When you think you are great, keep practicing. An extreme example of this is Cameron Hanes. He practices everyday and can hit the kill zone over a hundred yards consistently. When fall is here you will be ready to hunt, but nothing really prepares you for the first time you shoot at an animal. I think that is something you learn from experience.
Everything that was said before if i were to add one more thing it would be this we owe it to the animals we hunt to be able to put them down as quickly and humanly as possible, that means make a clean shot so to answer your question could the way you are shooting harvest an animal yes but if i were you don't set the bow down and wait until season you always want to improve your hunting and that means doing all the little things like Alaska said. Good Luck and shoot true
I'll add quality practice over quantity of practice. Often times, 12 good quality practice arrows in a session will be more beneficial than 50 arrows where you practice to the point of getting tired. That's where bad habits can take root. To answer your question, I think that yes you are good enough to go hunting but you are right on the bubble and more practice is needed. I was at approximately the same level of proficiently when I took my first deer. This of course is only my opinion. Feel free to accept or reject it as you see fit.
I would also add if possible shot from the elevation you will be hunting from. The stepper the angle the smaller the target or kill zone.
The only thing I would add to what everyone is saying is there is no "good enough" for a bow shot, if you think you achieved that, you will diminish in your skill set and quickly end up wounding an animal. Im far from an expert so you can take that with a grain of salt but there is a reason Cameron hanes shoots EVERY day...and he is often regarded as one of the best bowhunters. Would I take you hunting with me with those shots?- Definitely at the yardage you mentioned, but dont allow that to think our A ok to stop trying to improve. Keep up the good work
It's totally mental when the opportunity arises, if you can shoot good at a foam target, it might be totally different when u can see there breath. I know, shot 3 times and missed 3 times when I was younger because I would forget what I practiced. Fell to pieces when it counted. But don't let that stop u, just remember, u can shoot good at home. Don't let nerves win !
I find shooting at targets and deer are two totally different things. I shoot targets to prepare myself to shoot deer. As a beginner(teenager) all I did was go out and shoot paper at 20 yards from flat ground over and over. Then I'd go climb in a tree 20 feet up and you wouldn't believe how many deer I shot right over the back of. I wised up and started practicing differently. Over the years I have extended my practice distance and varied up my angles, my stance, sitting, etc to prepare for those hunting shots best I can. Ultimately to be a good bowhunter it takes confidence in your ability, but also the ability to remain calm under the adrenaline rush of being at full draw on a live animal. I still get that rush of excitement but through practice I can keep myself together to focus on the shot. This took me some time and a few screw ups. I will say try stepping back to 30 and 40 yards and try to see how you do there. If you can get decent groups at 30-40 then when you step up to 20 it will seem easy. A good general goal to shoot for is 1" group for every 10 yards...so at 10 yards you should be slapping arrows and busting nocks off, at 20 yards eventually can get a little 2" wad of arrows, 30 yards 3" and so on. I can't say enough how having the right poundage and the right draw length make all the difference in the world. Make sure you get someone with experience to get your bow dialed in for you.
Good advice above from all. Consistency is Key. I would also suggest moving back to thirty and start practicing from there. Make sure you number your arrows so you can keep track of which ones group the best and if there are any flyers. Keep after it, the more you practice the deadlier you become.
the only shot that is going to count for you is the first shot. so judge your accuracy on your first shot of the shooting session. frankly I wouldn't shoot groups but shoot one arrow and go up and analyze how you did. when you are keeping that one shot in the kill zone, then you will be ready IMO.
I have known some people who can shoot the heck out of a target but fall to pieces when they try to shoot a deer much less a deer with impressive antlers. Mental prep is as important as physical prep so you don't mental misfire under pressure.
Keep practicing and improving, the better you can get the better your chance when the pressure is on. Shooting groups is fine, but I always concern myself with shooting individual spots. I noticed that after my first shot, I no longer aimed for the spot, I would aim for the nock of the arrow I just shot. So my groupings would be very inconsistent. It is almost impossible to simulate shooting under the conditions of a deer walking in front of you in your stand. Heart racing, adrenaline pumping, breathing heavy. You will be less steady under real conditions. Try to make yourself a little tired before shooting an arrow, jog around or do jumping jacks or something to get your heart rate up and breathing heavier. Than nock up an arrow and see if you still hit where you want on the first shot.
A little quote that my H.S. basketball coach used. "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect Practice makes perfect. Basically if you are practicing with bad habits you will keep those bad habits. When i shoot i look at more less arrows with better form. As soon i start getting fatigued and i can feel my form decreasing and groups fading i put the bow back in the case and walk away until another day
How I got my groups to tighten was to start practicing at 40 yards exclusively. The reason for 40 was simply because that is the longest all ranges around me get to. I just started my season prep schedule this week. I try to get to the range every other day after work for about 30 minutes of practice. I've gone 3 times this week and yesterday was the first day I took a shot closer than 40 yards. I found the extra range helps me notice the difference in my form and hold patterns which then helps me fix them faster. I know someone else said it but if you can, try to shoot for 1" groupings per 10 yards. Meaning 10 yards = 1" group, 20 yards = 2" group, 30 yards = 3" group, and 40 yards = 4" group. Once I get to about 3 weeks out from the season I start balancing out my practices with shots from different distances, angles, and elevations. Sadly the ranges don't exactly support the elevations portion so I have to run to my parents house in the country and hop on the old playset my dad and I converted into a bowhunting practice stand. :P Definitely helps get you in the mindset of shooting down at a target. Last bit of info I can give is to try and get out to 3D bow shoots. They are probably the best practice you can get. The ranges vary per target so you have to learn to gauge different shot distances. You're out in the woods so you're learning how to shoot around trees and other terrain you will deal with on a hunt. And lastly it puts pressure on you to perform. Now, the pressure isn't anything like it is when you have a deer in front of you, but it's a heck of a lot more than if you're at the range just slinging arrows! I can attest from personal experience, your grouping size basically doubles when faced against a live animal. The adrenaline and nerves get to you, so a good rule of thumb is to look at your groupings and double the size, then ask yourself if you would feel comfortable making a shot in that radius. I know for me it was a big resounding NO until I got myself in line with the 1" per 10 yards rule of thumb. I don't take shots past 30 yards and I know I can make a 2-3" grouping in practice, so 5-6" grouping against a live animal is the most I am willing to risk. Hope some of my wall of text helps. Don't get discouraged if you don't feel comfortable with your groupings right now. You are doing great! I'd bet if you keep practicing, come season start you'll feel more than confident enough to get out there.
