Bow hunting or practicing to me is kind of like golf. A mind game so to speak. Having the confendence to make that single shot is what really counts. I take a few practice shots before every hunt. I like to shoot from my elevated deck just before dark if I am hunting the next morning to simulate very low light conditions. I shoot more or less depending how welll I am shooting. I'll let one fly at 20, 30, 40, and 50 and tuck her back in the case if I am on. I don't like to end anything on a bad note.... Then again I've been known to play 45 holes trying not to end in a bad way.
If you're new to bowhunting, by all means shoot until you get sick of it... as much as you can, practice practice practice, get acclimated to your gear. Practice all angles, heights, distances etc. that you may encounter on your hunts. Then like Kodiak alluded to, get in the woods and reallly get to understand learn, know and become comfortable with being very close to the animals your trying to kill. Shooting at a target is a lot different than shooting at a live, moving, breathing animal. Live animals, terrrain, habitats etc. do funny things to archers minds when trying to make a good kill shot. A well placed shot is the best medicine, let that pin settle on the vitals.. and stare a hole through it then trip that release.
Shooting for me is essential. It gives me the confidence I need to be succesful. I shot a ton this spring and summer because I knew my time would be limited this fall due to new work contstraints. Right now, I shoot between 6-9 arrows a day, 5-6 days a week. It might not seem like a lot, but I shoot from elevation at varying distance. My shooting seems to be better this year even though I am shooting less. I am focusing more and treating each shot like it is a real deer.
ok vito you can rip me on this one. I shot my bow as much as I can because I like to. But as far as practice goes I think you really need to not so much for confidence but for muscle memeory. your bow needs to be maintained just like any other tool but once your are set it only changes if you change ( minus the normal stretch etcc.)
I shoot all summer long 3d league, i find that i am at the top of my game if i shoot at least 5 arrows a day, all though some days i can pick up the stick and string, and cant hit nothing at all and i was drilling them in the day before, I came to relize dont fight it, when you dont feel like doing it dont, u will just get frusterated and pick up bad habits that will take you a few days to get over, its a big mind game. Practice when you want, if your brain tells you, you can do it and you know your bow is in good tune and sighted in, go for it.
I agree with the general theme of most responses that practice is probably overrated for the EXPERIENCED compound shooter. I didn't shoot much this year until a month before the season and was pretty much right on all the way out to 50 yards from the start, but I did get more consistent with my practice sessions evolved. I felt very comfortable with all ranges in between as well and feel confident going afield that I can get the job done. However, I think most of the responses are coming from guys that have been bowhunting for many years. I have been bowhunting 13 years and practiced incessantly the first several years. I firmly believe ONLY because of all the initial practice when I first took up bowhunting along with now having taken many deer is why I can afford to practice very little now. And then there is the adjustment from shooting in shorts in the summer to shooting with a lot of clothes, gloves, facemask,etc.etc. that still needs to be done as the season progresses. And kudos to those that like to shoot your bow for the hell of it....I still enjoy it as well....I just have lots of other interest/obligations that limit my time available to shoot it.
Why would I rip you for that? If you need/want to practice often, good for you. If thats what it takes for you to make an accurate shot on the animal you are hunting, I say good for you for being prepared. My main issue is with hunters that preach to other hunters how much they need to practice, or chastise them if they hear they don't practice all the time. Not everyone needs to.
I think if more bowhunters had a clue about how to tune their bow and arrows, how to get it all shooting efficiently, then you might not see people preach practice as much. If a person has a good understanding of how the bow and arrow work together then they have a better understanding of, when they do practice, about why a shot was off and what is needed to correct it. I see a ton of posts by bowhunters before the season about why their BH's don't shoot with their FP's, about how their impact point all of a sudden changed or how their impact point is not consistant and more like that. All the practice in the world won't help because the problems start with the setup. Peep sights sliding up or down, spines way to weak or stiff, moving anchor points, etc. All that stuff would be helped greatly if the person knew how to setup and tune their gear. Then they probaly would not need to practice as much. As others have already said, IOM, practice is for establishing "shot execution memory" and, once that is set, then practice is for fun and for checking to make sure things still shoot like they should.
Not once have I seen someone giving that advice to an experienced bowhunter, nor have I seen someone "chastising" an experienced bowhunter for not practicing all the time. Then again, I don't spend as much time on internet forums as some do and maybe I've missed those instances. Seems to me that when I see the phrase "practice, practice, practice" that you dislike so much, it's practically always advice to a new bowhunter that has posted asking for suggestions. In that case I feel that it's sound advice.
I for the most part I go shooting to spend time with fellow archers and b.s with my friend who owns the archery range I go to. Now when it comes to me really practicing I spend about 3 days checking tune, sights, and I normally only shoot 60 yards when really practicing since that distance will show you all of your form flaws and inconsitancy. Don't get me wrong I shoot 12 months a year and almost everyday, 10 yards in my garage and only 3 arrows a day but that is more about going though the motions of a shot. Far to often I see guys practice far to much and changing how they shoot everytime because something is slightly off or their grouping different after they've shot a 100 arrows. They when the shoot the next time its off again because they are rested and back to their correct form.
since this is about practicing, how many people practice how they hunt? meaning you set up a tree stand in your yard, place tagets at various angles and distances then practice shooting as if it were a real situation both standing and sitting? i learned in the Army to train how we fight. i think the same thing applies to hunting. if you practice the way you hunt it should make you proficient and confident, epsecially for those that have never hunted from a treestand before.
I don't have any trees to hunt out of so all my hunting is out of a blind. I do place my blind up and practice different shots and angles out of it quite often.
I somewhat shoot the same way as actually hunting. In my outdoor league i wear my hat with the attatched facemask, and always have my camera mounted to my bow wether filming or not. Early in the season we go out to our actual hunting stands and shoot from them. Enough to make for a confident shot when it counts
Sometimes I think that shooting too much makes some people(me) get a little sloppy and careless with form. Some of my best target shooting is when I dust off the bow after it's been sitting for a few months.
Before every hunt I go on I shoot a half dozen arrows with my camo on before I leave. Sometimes I'll shoot from an elevated position, sometimes from the ground. Sometimes while sitting but mostly while standing. When I practice I simulate that I'm In a hunting situation. I draw back very slow and concentrate like hell and burn a hole In the spot I'm looking and release the string off my fingers. This works for me. It's my routine.
