First, welcome to bowhunting. The first bow I bought is the same one you're shooting. It's a great bow to start with.

If you've got a big backyard or an out of the way state forest, I'm a big advocate of shooting from your stand. I actuallymissed the first two deer I shot at when I started hunting about5 years ago. Iwas living in a farmhouse at the time, andafter that spent some time shooting from one of the bedroom windowsat a 3D deer target. I would say I'm pretty conservative about taking clear shots, butit still made all thedifference, as I haven't missed a deer since.I've also never had one runmore than about 100 yards.

I learned early on that when it comes to bowhunting-repetition and practice is key-scent control, entering the woods undetected, climbing with your stand, grunting, rattling, and finally taking the shot all will go much smoother and with a higher rate of success, the more time you spend preparing and practicing.