Ah, OK. A few tips: One thing used to happen to me- I would shoot thousands of shots all summer, tourneys etc. Then if a buck came in on me I would get shaky and not be able to pull the weight I pull all day in non-hunting scenarios. So one piece of advice is maybe back your bow down 5# from where you practicing. Yes you may have to move your pins a bit but it's worth it. Second thing is, when you get in the stand, pull your bow back a few times, aim at a tree, a rock, or whatever. Get any kinks out. If a yearling or little buck that you have no intention of shooting comes in; go ahead and treat it like a hunting scenario. Draw back and aim near the deer if you're comfortable with that. Practice breathing while at full draw. Take the shot in your mind. Ease down when you can- it's good practice. In your hunting career you will almost certainly encounter a buck that hangs up in a bad spot or just out of range while you are at full draw, and it's good to have experience letting down without getting busted. If you can take a doe and a buck; take the first pre-pre rut doe that gives you an easy opportunity. It always helps to fill your freezer; takes the pressure off, gets 50 points for the team, and pops your cherry. It gets easier after that. If you do see a buck, once you decide he's a shooter -DO NOT- look at the headgear again. Just keep your eyes on his eyes and vitals. You can't shoot the horns and his horns can't see you move. Don't worry about them. Don't force a shot that isn't there. If a deer runs past too fast or doesnt give you an optimal shot, don't take it. There's plenty of deer in the woods and one is much more likely to come by after passing up a shot than if you have to spend the next 2 days tromping around looking for a poorly-hit deer. That to me is much easier said than done and is the single most common mistake new hunters make. Don't hunt for the contest. Hunt for you. The contest is just for fun. Always remember, it is OK to make a bad shot. It happens to all of us. It is not OK to take a bad shot.
Thanks man that's some really great advice I really appreciate you taking the time to write all that. I really like the last part that is some true words to live by I have always been told a man who says he has never missed a deer hasn't shot at enough of them especially with a bow there is way more variables that come into place than shooting with a rifle. Once again a sincere thanks on the advice I will most definitely keep it in my mind when season starts in less than a month
my pleasure- couple things I forgot to mention is what to do right before and right after the shot. Right before- mark the spot the deer is standing in with a landmark. It will be much easier to pick up the trail. Once the arrow is released, watch the arrow into the deer and pay attention to where the arrow hits. Keep your eyes on the deer as it bounds away; do not take your eyes off it until you are sure it's out of sight. Then keep watching in the area you last saw it for several minutes. Sometimes they circle back; sometimes they bed for a bit to lick their wound and then get back up. Do not get down from your tree for at the very least 10 minutes. Preferably longer. For one thing; it's a safety issue. I've seen plenty of experienced hunters nearly go limp after the adrenaline dump. Last thing you need is to take a tumble because you miss a hand hold because you're still shaking. Unless you are 1000% sure of the lethality of the shot (as in you see/hear it die or there's buckets of blood on both sides,) don't take up the trail for at least 3 hours. If it's an evening hunt, unless you are worried about coyotes or the meat spoiling in the heat it is almost always better to let them wait overnight. A single-lunged deer can take several hours to expire and if you bump it it will likely disappear. I think there is a sticky thread on what to do after the shot....there is definitely more than one thread on that topic here. Read those when you can; there's a lot better/more experienced hunters than me on here and we all want every shot deer to be recovered if at all possible. https://forums.bowhunting.com/threads/official-what-to-do-after-the-shot-please-read.52643/
It will come naturally when it’s time. If it’s a buck of any size don’t stare at the antlers to much. Take your time and enjoy the moment Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I went through my cards and decided not to post any pics...so far there is really only 2 I'm really interested in taking and one is just a big clean 8 (might go 130 when he's done) and another that is a mainframe 8 with a long sticker off the base; with at maybe 10" brows that almost touch- on July 6! the rest of his points were just blobs at that time. The neighbor saw him earlier this month in the field and said his G2s are now at least as high as the brows. I am going up opening weekend; if he's still showing up on camera I'll probably post a pic after then. Our property is kind of weird and in transition. Historically it's been old growth mixed forest; a bachelor pad all summer with 10-15 regular bucks and rarely does; and then it's like an alarm clock goes off Oct 1 and they all disperse about a mile south into cedar swamps. But we've done a lot of logging, food plotting, and hinge cutting the past 3 years so things are definitely changing. This summer we got at least 3 does w/ 5 total fawns that are hanging around all the time. Doesn't sound like a lot of does but it's more than we used to see. No definitive bachelor groups but definitely several vagrants that are on camera 1-2 times and that's it. We'll see if that's a good thing this fall.
Best advice I can give to piggy back off of the other guys is to do everything you can in preparation for the hunt. By that I mean stand location, scent control, and hunting the wind. Doing those things well will decrease your chances of getting busted, and allow you to relax more before taking the shot. Having a deer come out exactly where you expect, with the wind exactly where you want it gives you all the confidence in the world. And DO NOT over hunt a good stand location. 9/12 of what I consider nice bucks that I have taken have come on my first sit on that stand for the year Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
No worrys there I only get to Hunt 6 days a month with the exception of Thanksgiving week and Christmas week
Can't speak to the wiseguy, but spot hogg makes good stuff. have you tried a thumb release? I made the switch several years ago and never looked back, I like being able to clip it to my bow and it is ready to rock, one less thing to think about when mr. Big walks by.
Whew! I can take a deep breath now. My mother and step dad are going to put the farm up for sale some time this winter. They said no hunting this year which really bummed me out. Well this past Wednesday my brother texted me that we can hunt it now as long as week help cut some trees. Even if I didn't get to hunt it I would still help out of course. As for my bro I'm not to sure. But anyways I am pretty excited to get one last season in. This farm is out in the western bluff country of Wisconsin. Plenty of big shooters. Last year I didn't get one but it was the coolest rut I had ever been involved since I started back in 1984. I hope for the same this year. I will get after on or about Sept 15th when our season opens.
Here is my delimma with the release I'm shooting with a tru fire right now I like it but I cant get it to sit comfortable where I have had it for 3 years now. When I buckle it where I like it its sliding to far down my wrist but if i go 1 notch forward it is to tight and makes it uncomfortable once i get to full draw
Hey everyone! Looks like I'm late to the party. Fitz checking in from northern MN. I can't believe that the season is almost here. Best get some trail cameras out soon! <-- My how the times have changed. The good news is that if I get drawn for a local city hunt, I might be able to, for the first time, shoot a doe & buck this year! ... assuming of course that I see a buck.
all those may be good points; but I don't recommend changing to a thumb release this close to season! (of course I am getting an entire new rig from bow to arrows; but that's not the point.) Going from a wrist to thumb release is a whole new world. Change your draw length, your form, everything. As to the OPs question specifically; I have not shot a SH release; but I do looooove their sights. Worth every penny. I shoot a TruFire Hardcore which has a similar 1-sided hook caliper. I like it a lot.
I went through the list and it appears that only w1ckstar and J_Carnley have yet to check in. Neither have been logged in since the drawing (think W1ck was Aug 6, J_ was Sunday.) I sent both a PM. I'd prefer to vote on team name/captain once everyone checks in. Also I think we are 1 short (pretty sure they plan on 12 per team; maybe 13 if they get enough alternates) and will be assigned at least that one from the alternate list.
