Becoming a better Game shot

[Jesse Jaymes]

Inquiring if there are any ways to expedite becoming a better Game shot? Other than field time and reps. I am a somewhat accomplished 3D shooter. Won some shoots. But I am not really a bow hunter. I LOVE rifles and reloading. Long Range practice. Given the option I would always choose to use a rifle.

Shot a buck from a treestand last night. I made a 25 yards shot much harder than it should have been. Deer was recovered. Maybe 250-300 track. Very little to no blood at the onset. Liver and guts. Floored that was the outcome.

Looking down from the stand, the deer was much smaller in appearance than I expected at only 20-28 yards away. It wasnt a big, juicy Rhienhart at 32 yards on the flats. I was patient and waiting for a better angle. Both my 20 and 30 (as seen against the buck) were behind the shoulder and I was confident in my pin gap and hold and started with tension. Shot went off and I had zero follow through. No lighted nock and it was pretty dim.

Recovering the buck....entry was pretty much where I aimed. Lots of me is thinking that an expandable Rage SC deflected off a rib....as the arrow exited much further back from the angle I perceived the buck to be standing. Not sure that is normal or credible, but that's not how my mind processed the angle at all. Was quite confident it was with on leg forward and quartering away. Exit wound shows quartering On unless it deflected on entrance.

Other than cull hunts, hog hunts, etc.....is there any way to become a better Game shot? I can shoot indoor, Vegas, ASA and IBO stuff. It did not even come close to preparing me for this.

FYI I am not 16......I'm 48. Bowhunting isn't my 1st passion, but I fling arrows almost every day. Think this was the 3rd buck I've ever taken. One when I was 15......one in 2014....and this one. I quit the game for a long time, as Target Panic wasn't a real thing when I had it and couldnt explain to anyone why I was so F'd up and punching not even close to the target with a boat anchor type panic. (I had no punching or TP issues last night-just recall eing frustrated how small things looked from up in the stand in the dim light)

 

[Boxerboxer]

I'm too green to offer advice but I'm interested in the responses and also wouldn't mind seeing a picture of that buck.

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[bowtech840]

I quit shooting groups and it’s worked great. I shoot one arrow, walk, pull arrow, walk back, and repeat. I read an article years ago by Levi Morgan I believe about this method and it’s by far the most productive thing I’ve done for curing target panic. Haven’t shot a group in years.


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[Jesse Jaymes]

I don't have "TV" any longer and do not watch hunting shows, videos, etc. Seems the guys from the South get a thousand tags per year and grow up shooting truck loads of deer. Probably get pretty good, know when to do and not do things, and become calm over time.

Good friend and co worker grew up in Michigan. He has property he manages with his family for QDM. He doesn't tip Dinks. He has a ton of time with buck underneath him. Very patient and no longer gets "Stupid" like I do. I just don't know how to get that without sitting in a tree and drawing on deer. But my mind knows if I am Green Lighting a buck or just practicing.

 

[Zac]

I would read Joel Turner's book or simply download one of the many podcasts he's on. That is if target panic is your issue. I think I suffer from live target panic instead, still trying to talk myself through the shot process when my pin is on hair, haven't succeeded yet.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Not really a target panic issue on game.....simply panic. Only mentioned the TP to connect dots as to why I have so little experience in 35 years of Archery. Quit for a long time.

 

[Rob5589]

I don't tree stand hunt but I would definitely practice it if I did. Also don't rule out "buck fever" as it can happen to even experienced hunters. I also don't shoot groups. For one, to save arrows and fletchings from damage; two, your likely to only get one good shot. "Cold bore" shot, just like a rifle, is super important IMO. As far as your shot, could have been you, poor angle, struck bone, etc. Look at the positive, you recovered the buck, so the shot, while not as intended, did the job.

 

[Brendan]

I'll take target panic and buck fever out of it, but the short answer for those is you need a shot routine you can focus on and execute in the heat of the moment when you have buck fever... Sounds like you were good there.

Deer aren't 3D targets, and you don't aim where the 10 ring is on a 3D target at all times. Take one that has vitals appropriate for a broadside shot from level ground, then rotate it quartering to you, and take the shot from 25' up a tree - different aiming point. Rotate it quartering away, different aiming point again.

What I'd do is this. Drag a 3D target out into the woods and put it at varying angles. Then climb up your tree stand, in all your hunting gear, and shoot at the target under those scenarios. Envision where you want the arrow to exit, where the vitals are in the animal, and where you need to hit to get that result. It's a lot easier to have a form breakdown, or interference with your anchor or your bowstring on your bow arm when you're up a tree, wearing a harness, wearing a heavier jacket, etc, etc.

Also, practicing at real low light helps too. A bigger peep sight and bigger / brighter pins help here. And the short answer is your effective range goes down as light goes down towards dark. A good hunting bow, isn't always the same as a good 3D / target bow..

I've also switched to lighted nocks for hunting. It helps.

But, at the end of the day, you got him. He may have been turning, jumped the string, or more quartering to you than you thought.

 

[LostArra]

Sounds to me like you just need to practice like you hunt.
Once I return from elk hunting in September I only practice from a treestand at varied distances and angles at last light on 3D deer except for a few warmup shots at a blank bale.
Hunting just isn't as clean and neat as a 3D shoot. You shot the buck and recovered it. It's always good to evaluate your shot but I would consider it a good hunt.

 

[mrgreen]

... Maybe 250-300 track. Very little to no blood at the onset. Liver and guts. Floored that was the outcome.

Looking down from the stand, the deer was much smaller in appearance than I expected at only 20-28 yards away. It wasnt a big, juicy Rhienhart at 32 yards on the flats. I was patient and waiting for a better angle. Both my 20 and 30 (as seen against the buck) were behind the shoulder and I was confident in my pin gap and hold and started with tension.

...entry was pretty much where I aimed. Lots of me is thinking that an expandable Rage SC deflected off a rib....as the arrow exited much further back from the angle I perceived the buck to be standing.

Not sure that is normal or credible, but that's not how my mind processed the angle at all. Was quite confident it was with on leg forward and quartering away. Exit wound shows quartering On unless it deflected on entrance.

Bowhunting isn't my 1st passion, but I fling arrows almost every day. Think this was the 3rd buck I've ever taken. One when I was 15......one in 2014....and this one.

(I had no punching or TP issues last night-just recall eing frustrated how small things looked from up in the stand in the dim light)

I'm interested in your set-up (draw weight, draw length, Bow speed and arrow weight). It is very possible that the arrow deflected/turned on entry. I've had it happen. Sometimes expandable heads are not the best choice. That being said, if you recovered the deer within a few hundred yards I'd bet you also severed some major blood vessels.

I would recommend practicing shooting with both eyes open. Closing one eye when drawing on a deer really blocks a lot of your view at the worst time.

I agree with LostArra, it sounds like you had a quick recovery on an archery killed deer. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Oh, and at 48, it might be a good time for an eye exam. I'm older then you and only wear glasses in low light. Which means I always have my glasses on in the stand. looking through the peep can change things.

 

[Elkhntr08]

You may “fling arrows every day”, but perfect practice make perfect. I shoot out to 60 yards all summer long behind the barn, but when season comes, I have a ladder stand that I climb in to shoot. A 20-30 yard shot out of a stand in different than on the flat. Remember to bend at the waist, not drop the bow arm. I look for the exit angle as much as the impact spot. Will I get both lungs?
I enjoy long range shooting, but archery is my #1 passion. Something about the flight of an arrow.

 

[Beendare]

Yep... replicate hunting scenarios.....good advice^ Standing at 20,30,40 is good for form....but hunting is just plain different.

Sounds like you were shooting a mech head....how do you know that those fly perfect...have you BH tested them? Are you checking them for straightness?

Is your bow loud? Could be the animal moved on the shot. Follow through is not only critical for the shot execution...but also to see the body angle/body movement when your arrow gets there.Then there is the BH on a moving animal....I like a COC fixed as they tend to follow a straighter path.

Animals move wrecking perfect shots. I've had coyotes swap ends and take the arrow on the opposite side of their body from where I was aiming. ...thus, I'm a huge believer in a quiet setup.

...

 

[traviswdalton]

A good 3D setup isn’t necessarily a good hunting setup. Aiming points are totally different. A 12 on a quartering away animal will most likely result in one lung. As others have stated practice like you hunt.


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[menhaden_man]

Killing more animals always helped me... things that move with a heartbeat are better practice than paper or foam. Rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, etc. I shoot quite a few of those invasive Eurasian collared doves from my porch to keep my trigger finger happy.

 

[jmez]

When hunting, draw on every deer that comes into your effective range. Go through the entire process minus hitting the trigger. Pick your spot, draw the bow, settle the pin on the spot. This should help.

Also you always want to aim for the exit on game. If it exited too far back then you should have aimed farther forward.

 

[Nick Muche]

My best shots are made when I tell myself to slow down. A person typically works pretty hard to get an archery shot on an animal they'd like to take, don't rush the few moments of truth that will decide the outcome of your hunt. Doing that and doing it often as possible, on live game, is the only way I've been able to take control of the situation and do everything I can to make it count.

 

[Trial153]

I know some bowhunters that are flat out killers, they seem to make shots happen by the very will of their actions. And on the other hand some bowhunters are so tentative that they to act like failure is a forgone conclusion and when the shot does present itself they are surprised. Be the former not that later.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Appreciate the input. Things I THINK I know:

My eyes have taken a MAJOR shit in the last year. Archery has become much harder for me. Need a bigger Peep with more light. See the issue of Competitive Shooter vs Bowhunter question...lol

Grew up in PA and nobody shot 3D back in the day....but everyone had a Meat Bow. Thought I did. But I can change some things.

Bow is an Elite Option 6. 72lb DW. I know my DL mod is 1/2" too long. Isn't an issue shooting flat land. As I came to full draw on a downward angle my mind immediately thought "Schitt....it this thing EVER going to to stop coming back" Arrows were GT Pros with brass up front. In WA I have to make 6lbs per DW. So I think there are 472 grain. QAD rest and matching quiver B Stinger 10.8. Again...bought this off AT as I thought this was a turn key WT set up.

Mechanical head. Because there are PAGES of broadhead discussions and I didn't think it mattered for Deer. Didn't think I needed to invest $400 into Iron Wills and Bone heads and tune and have a shoot off and throw away $300 in the losing heads. Thought Rage was plug and play? Not sure I will do that again.

Going back to PA....don't flame me...as I've never done it...but there was a very reputable archery shop owner who at the time....took some of the biggest bucks that area had ever seen. His secret? He reportedly shot deer with blunt tip arrows often and practiced. Back they they were huge red rubber slip on tips. Probably got a ton of reps in.

Reading the comments....I think a larger peep is a MUST and first step. Aging eyes, dark timber and treestand hunting are not a good combo.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

yellow is my on side entrance. I thought just a slight quarter away and I was Money. Arrow exited much further back and lower

 

[5MilesBack]

I shoot enough that all my shooting is routine......i.e. don't have to think about it, just draw back, anchor, correct pin on target, and shoot. I like running 3D courses when no one else is around. Estimate range as you approach and already be nocking an arrow. When you get to the stake already be drawing back........and shoot. Run through 40 targets a couple times and call it a day. Man, I wish hunting provided that much action and shooting. Pile them up.