I've been practicing for the past 4 months quite a bit. I'm able to shoot a fairly close pattern at 30 yards but once in a while I shoot one past the target. Does this happen to everyone? My first hunt is next week and those occasional wacky shots are bothering me.
Yes. They're called "fliers," and they happen to everyone. Not necessarily with that frequency, but we all have shots that go wonky.If you can consistently put 90% of your shots into a four inch circle at a given distance, then you can hunt ten yards closer than that ethically. IMHO, YMMV, etc.
Thanks for the responses. Fortunately I'm really loving shooting my bow anyway so I'll continue to practice. I'm wanting to learn as much as I can so I can get my son introduced to bow hunting.
Sometimes we get tired...sometimes we don't pay attention and punch the trigger. Different reasons. The most important shot you make while practicing is the first one of the day, because when you are out hunting, most often, you only get that one shot.
Practice... the more you shoot and work on good repetative habits the more improvement you'll see. You want your first shots to be the best, if your accuracy starts to fall off after dozens of shots that's nothing to worry about. You do however want to be able to pick up your bow an immediately unload some good shots. When you're hunting you won't have a 23rd shot, only the first shot matters. So in some ways it's not that big of a deal if your consistancy slips after a length of time.
Usually it is after many shots. I feel better about it now. I really enjoy being outside shooting but I guess I should rest a bit after shooting for a while. The friend that's taking me on my first hunt this weekend has been bow hunting for 30 years so I'll have him check my form. Thanks for the advice.
Best word of advice I was ever given when i was just getting started was just a single word: repetition. Do it the same way every time and you'll become a good shooter. Concentrate on your anchor points making sure they're the same and you be successful. Eventually you'll draw back and it'll be such a habit you won't have to concentrate on your equipment, you'll concentrate on your hunt.
