I was watching Battle of Bow last week to watch Zimmer's double doe kill and the lady before him said she was practicing pulling back on a small buck to get some practice. I was curious if anybody else has done this form of "practicing" in the field? There are multiple reasons why I don't and wouldn't and I was slightly shocked they showed this on TV.
I don't think I would but I really don't see a problem with it. I pull back and sight in on various objects from time to time while in the stand. As long as you are cognizant of your finger and its relation to the trigger I don't see the harm. If, for some freak reason, the arrow releases then, as in the example of the lady, she just used her buck tag on a smaller buck. I guess there could be a problem if you drew back on a deer you did not have a tag for but that doesn't seem to be the case in the example cited.
I will not do it. Many times when someone is locked onto a deer, there are other deer close by that are unseen. If I am not going to shoot an animal, I don't make a move.
Agreed, and if I'm not planning on shooting, I'm not even picking up the bow, I'll be grabbing either the video or digital camera.
Exactly. Also, we have a 4 point limit here in NW Mo so if I pull back on an immature 6 point or fork horn and accidentally kill the small buck I'm breaking the law. I also try to never educate the game of my presence whether it be doe or buck.
I don't draw on a deer unless I plan on shooting it. I guess I don't understand why that part needs practice.
I drew on a 2.5 year old buck that I was pretty sure I wasn't going to shoot. Aimed at him and everything. 12 yards... broadside... I let down while he was still standing there. He never saw me. I don't have much fear of my bow accidently going off.
I personally don't do it. I was kinda surpised to see Mike W. do it on a show one time. I am guessing it was probably for a filming purpose as to have him drawing in a clip. I really am not worried about my bow going off, but I am worried about who might be watching. (ie the buck I am after)
unless i plan on killing the animal, i don't draw on it. i used to years and years ago when i first started hunting, like stated above for practice. but i found fairly quickly that you gain nothing by doing it. i'm not afraid of accidentally shooting, which i don't think should ever happen, but spooking or alerting that animal or other animals around was enough for me to stop. if you practice shooting enough, you know you can draw quietly and shoot straight, that's good enough for me
You'd have to be under the assumption that everyone "practicing" this way actually had their pin on the deer....to have an "ethical" problem with it. I agree there are reasons I wouldn't. I also admit there are times when I have. No issue. I've never had my bow accidently discharge (OK....not true...I hit my self in the mouth the 1st time I tried a thumb trigger release) while hunting. And I never put the pin (when I used such things) on a deer I didn't intend to shoot. If not an "ethical" problem with this (in which you'd have to make some assumptions).....what's everyone's issue with it being aired?
I guess I have multiple thoughts on this. First, what practice am I getting from doing this? Am I assuming I would physiologically go through the same excitement with heart rate increase, shakes, increased breathing, etc... on an immature deer that I already know I'm not going to shoot? lf I'm not going to put the pin on it, then what am I practicing for? For less experienced hunters, I could see some positives from doing this, I suppose, with them unaccustomed to seeing deer in range but then there is the ethical side to it. I know most have said they don't worry about their bow going off but all it would take is one time and that isn't something I'm willing to do.
I treat my bow like a gun In a way. Guns go off accidentally, bows can just as easily. I don't care what other people do, this Is just the way I look at It.
The only reason I do not draw on a deer is I don't want to educate that deer or any other deer I might not see at that given time! If I get a deer in in my range that I'm going to take a shot at, I'm fairly certain I'll get to draw on him if needed!
Honestly, I haven't done this in a few years, now (drawn on one I didn't intend to shoot). But for a beginning archer (or someone who doesn't get many opportunities), I see no problem with it. You're practicing getting drawn, undetected. Nothing more (IMO). Putting the pin on the deer is really unnecessary. I recall vividly a time when I had 5 deer below me that I had no intentions of shooting (any of them). I got drawn, undetected.....and I remember having to prop my right leg against the tree (pushed as hard as I could) to keep it from shaking me out of the stand.....lol! That reaction has certainly calmed over the years......but that's like;y due to me getting multiple shot ops. If I only got 2-3 shot ops/season.....and I was sure there weren't other deer in the area (as much as I could be "sure"), I'd still do this. I see it as great practice. If you don't, no biggie. But, there's nothing "unethical" about it.
I would guess that most people who do this are practicing on the timing of the draw rather than aligning the shot. They are likely working on getting the bow drawn without being seen by the deer. You can practice shooting at a target all you want, but if you don't have experience drawing on an animal.....there can be several issues that cause you to get busted. I can see this being beneficial for some hunters as it helps them iron out issues on deer they don't intend to shoot so that they can correct those issues before the actuall moment of truth.
