I agree. Shooting arrows at foam or paper targets is a far cry from actually taking a living animal that can move, flinch, twist, or bolt away in a heartbeat. Plus you have the additional trauma of your own heart beating through your chest, and the pressure of the moment has as stated above caused many grown men to have their kness knocking---I' ve actually witnessed this on a fellow who was 51 years old and had been hunting only with rifle many years, but whom I got involved into bowhunting. He completely fell apart the first time he had a deer within 15 yds of his stand. He said he was so used to shooting them at 100yds or more, that he never thought they would get that close! It is some different when they get close enough to hear them chew on grass, (and you know they could hear you also if you make a wrong move, hehe! )

Seeing as you have shot deer in the past, I guess only you can make the decision as to whether you feel confident enough in your archery and hunting skills to attempt it right away. One thing tho is that we here do not know you, your skills, or your character, so I would suggest you ask this same question of those who know you much better than we do. Good shooting, Pinwheel 12