or does it leave something to be desired? Are all you're arrows touching at 20, 30, or 40 yards? If not, do you feel they need to be....to be a good bowhunter? Also, I realize being a good shot doesn't necessarily mean you're a good bowhunter and vice versa. But do you feel guilty going into the woods not shooting to the best of your ability?
Honestly, I hope I'm never satisfied with my shooting ability but always extremely capable of letting the air out of anything I shoot at.
Not that i was trying, but i installed a new fall away rest and once i felt i had it dialed in at 30 yds i proceeded to hit 2 robin hoods within 20 shots..I feel that i shoot well, but like the others, there is always room for improvement..i am now going back to shooting different spots...
Congrats, Jeff. Seems like you're coming along nicely. Like both you and Dubbs...I don't think I'll ever be satisfied either. What makes me angry is the fact that I can't shoot as good as I once did but I'm quickly overcoming that. I've almost completely cured my target panic and my groups are shrinking back to like they were in the "old days." To answer my own question though...I think I would feel a little guilty entering the woods the way I am shooting right now. However, I'm confident that I'll be where I want to be come fall.
I am happy with my shooting ability at my hunting ranges but I am not satisfied with my overall shooting ability.
I am satisfied with my capabilities at hunting ranges, in that I KNOW I can make the shot when it is presented. But I will never be complacent to where I don't strive to become even better.
Finch..i went from a wiskar biscut (that i had loved for the last 3 years) to a QAD Ultra rest...i have never shot a robinhood in my life with the biscut although i had tight groups, but i am finding that with the QAD i am shooting darts...maybe its in my head some...but its on the paper also...lol
No I am not satisfied yet. I am plenty confident enough to go in and take a deer at 25 or 30 yards. After that I am less confident, so no, I'm not satisfied in that aspect. To be satisfied, I want to be consistent and confident at 40 yards. I see no reason to be shooting at an animal past 40 yards, cuz the whole reason I got into bowhunting was to get in for CLOSE encounters with the game. I will obviously have to practice at distances past 40 to become consistent at 40. I am not there yet.
Satisfied or Confident? I'm totally confident in my shooting ability. Satisfaction comes from every individual shot. I truly enjoy the release and flight of every arrow, I let go. It sounds fishy and cliche, but it reaches me! It's poetic.
I agree completely....I'm confident I can get the job done, but I too get satisfaction from every shot. There are a lot of things that go into proper arrow flight. The construction of the arrow(which I'm constantly tweaking), the proper tuning of the bow, the proper form and release. It is very satisfying to see an arrow fly properly to the target.
jkcmerg...I just had a friend who switched over to the QAD rest and he absolutely loves it as well. Have fun with it! Glad to hear that everyone is confident in their abilities. :d It sure has alot to do with how you shoot, IMO. Sometimes I think I try to be too much of a perfectionist while practicing. I've learned through past experiences that sriving to be perfect has adversely affected my accuracy. Trying to leave on that last perfect group has lead me to poor habits. Now, I'm working on undoing these poor habits
I agree alot with Rob, some days i just plain suck, but other days I do really good. Its just the state of mind im in that effects my shooting the most. But recently i have been having some bow problems that have effected my shooting.
Today, yes, at a shoot today from 20 yards I busted a saltine, then a small pretzel and THEN a cheerio.... all with my Longbow! Check back with me in a day or two....
I finally shot my bow the last two days for the first time since February. I busted a nock, and stripped at a vane at 30yds my first group. Beginners luck probably. In a few weeks I will be confident to enter the woods at MY effective range. I will never be satisfied, though. I hold myself to very high standards, and will rarely settle for anything less.
Wow, I am always satisfied with my shooting. Maybe its just me, but I never really notice being "rusty", I can pick up my bow and put a few shots in the bullseye any given day, no matter how long its been since I shot last. For me, I don't think that I need to practice everyday to be able to kill a deer, sure, it will help my long range shooting but all of my shots will be at 30 yards or less and I feel confident that I could pick up my bow after 12 months without shooting it and put an arrow into the killzone of a deer on my first shot. I don't really see the need to shoot everyday with a compound, it really isn't that difficult to me. Last weekend I picked up my bow for the first time since spring turkey season and my first three arrows hit the bullseye at 25 yards, I am happy with that.
