I'm talking about at full draw, settling the pin... what's in your mind? Are you thinking, "I hope I make the shot" or "I'd hate to be that deer...?" So what is your feeling? No wrong answer here, there are a lot of people that don't have total confidence in their shooting ability... obviously this is influenced by shot selection and target distance, but what's going through your mind?
I am a lot more confident in my shooting right now than I was a year ago at this time. I was able to take a couple deer my first year going at it with a bow, but to be honest, back then I was thinking "please Lord let this arrow hit its mark". Even though I was confident I could make the shot, I still thought like that. I may still be thinking that this year to some degree, but I have a lot more confidence now and I realized Im able to get in a "zone", which helps my concentration during the moment of truth. In my opinion, experience and actual deer kills seem to be the factors that determine whether a bowhunter is confident or not. I am definitely not at the 100% confident stage, but its getting better. I'll never release an arrow without having confidence that I will kill the deer though. It is the anxiety part right before the shot that I'm working on. Scale of 1-10... I would say 7.5 or 8.
I be honest. In certain situations, I get rattled. Had a perfectly awesome buck run on to my scene last year. I didn't have to calm myself, it was get it done, or go home. I had my tail between my legs. In a situation where I can say, here it comes, I am killing that deer. I am confident in my ability.
I agree with most, I'm not letting go unless I'm ready to fire up the grill. Honestly, I think a lot of missed shots come from a lack of confidence in the mind of the shooter. It's no different in making a clutch free-throw, something you've done thousands of time but if you don't tell yourself you can... chances are pretty good that you won't.
I get locked in to shoot and kill. When I choose to shot I choose to kill. The deer is going to die. That is my mindframe.
Like the other guys, as soon as I draw my bow back there is absolutely no question in my mind that I will be filling out my tag and putting it on a deer. It hasn't always been that way with me, when I first started I had the "what if" thoughts running through my mind, after loosing two deer I had enough and my mental aspect of hunting changed entirely, since then I have been 100% on my shots and recoveries!
This will be my 5th season of "serious" bowhunting. My married years were lacking in dedication :d In the last 5 years I've moved from the 6 area to about an 8. I've killed deer every year and my confidence has grown tremendously over the past 2 years, thanks to 3D/year 'round shooting. I'm feeling quite 10-ish as this season approaches
Back when I shot compound I was just about 100% positive that when I let that arrow go It's going exactly where the sight pin Is and most of the time It did besides one bear that I peaked on. Now with my recurve It's a different story. I'm a fairly good shot with It but by no means Is It a guarantee or close to It like the feeling I had when shooting wheels when letting an arrow go on an animal. Form Is much more critical In shooting a traditional bow and that's what scares me the most and It's always on my mind. So far so good In the 13 years I've used my one and only recurve, zero wounds and one miss at 10 yards.
Game over, lights out. This bowhunting is a whole lot more mental than a lot of people think it is. Confidence but not being cocky is a big help in the deer woods.
Hmm... I've smoked the last 10 deer/hogs that I've shot at. Yet, every time, just before I drop the string, I wonder to myself "How am I going to screw this one up?"
I was honestly just thinking about this yesterday. I pulled out my bow for a little practice, and I wondered...why? Why am I practicing? Besides the fact that I just like to shoot my bow and to make sure my bow (and my shooting form, etc.) are still where they need to be, why am I shooting? I have all the confidence in the world in the shots I take at deer. I know my limits, and I stay within them.
