Drawing on a deer..........
 

Need some help from some of you experienced bowhunters. This is my 1st year and I'm getting frustrated! I've had deer all over me since the season started but just cant seem to get a shot. I had a doe bust me tonight BAD! The question I have is what do you look for in the deer when you need to stand and draw? Head behind a tree, looking down, facing away from you? Every time I see deer there are 2 or 3 of them and that is alot of eyes watching you.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

ideally you stand and draw when the dear's eyes are hidden behind som ekind of cover. you don't always need to have the deer hidden to draw though. the doe i killed saturday was with two other deer and all three were standing in the wide open in front of me 17 yds away. I came ot full draw and none of them knew i was there.
sometimes you just have to take a chance if you don't get the opportunity to stand/draw when the deer is behind cover.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

I practise shooting from a sitting postion and will do so unless I have to stand to get a shot off, but it's very tough to do so if you've got more than one pair of eyes to watch. Another thing to consider is the noise your stand makes when you move.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Welcome to bow hunting, just look at there eyes, if you can see them
they can see you. As hard as it is, you have to wait until they
are not looking your way, even if that means letting the deer go. Remember once a deer has spotted where you are they are like a elephant, they never forget.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

It was a doe with 2 youngins. She looked down to eat on some corn I had layed out and as I turned my bow to get it ready she busted me. Started stomping on ground and when my arm finally gave out from holding my bow with one arm for about 3 min. trying to be still, I got the snort and 3 white flags! Got to be more patient. Earlier in year I think I was to patient. Experience, got to learn by your mistakes.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

You'll learn through experience. Learn to shoot sitting. For 8 or 9 years, hunted standing up in my stand 100% of the time, you're always ready. Go higher with your stand, 17'-22'. Don't hunt in the same stand, keep moving it. Lastly, I've known guys who put stands in areas with no cover around, they're just in the open. I've known guys who hunt in such thick cover they might only have one or two 1' shooting lanes and can't even see the deer until its in that exact spot. Both of these situations are bad. You need a mix. If you have enough natural cover and are high enough, you can move around in the stand a fair amount.

Good Luck!

PRACTICE....PRACTICE....PRACTICE......SUCCESS!

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Welcome to bowhunting. It is the difficulty that makes it so great. Getting a deer gets easier with time but only because you made mistakes and learned from them. When you finally get that deer ... the success is so sweet.

Getting close to the game is what it's all about. Enjoy every day you spend in the woods.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Wwoodrow88,

You have to be ready when the deer reaches the point were you will have a shot. I have seen many hunters wait untill the deer are right on top of them to standup or reach for thier bow. Just this movement however slight can alert the deer. If you hunt a heavily hunted parcel the deer are more alert and do often look up when they hear you. I suggest that you need to be twice or three times more alert than the deer or they will bust you every time. When you set your stand make sure that it's high enough but not so high that you are skylined, put padding on the platform, and make sure your clothing and bow are dead silent when you draw. Hope this helps. Good luck and hunt safe.

Misplaced Buckeye

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Go higher...higher....higher....higher...getting the point?

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

My 2 cents - I always stand at the slightest movement or sounds. I get my release on at get the bow at about half position (not drawn). I practice standing, so I would rather be standing when shooting than sitting. I definitely recommend fixing in and concentrating on the deer that you want to shoot then the other deer coming in with it. They are more of a distraction then any thing else. If you get busted by them so be it. Wait till the deer that you want to shoot gets an ubstuction between it or you before drawing. But, if this does not happen, don't be afraid to pull back if it is the open. Just make sure it is not looking directly at you. If you have a compound you can draw much earlier then you can with a recurve/longbow. With my recurve, I really can't draw until I have an open shot. Hope that helps.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Lot of good advice here already, but I'll add my 2 cents worth. One thing that I've noticed is if you make eye contact with a deer, he gets a bit more spooky. If he looks up at you, divert your eye's away, but not so far that you can see the deer out of your peripherial (sp?) vision. When you see him move, then make your move. But, you have to be careful, if it's an experienced deer, it will make false moves just to see if you will move.

Using a head net will help hide your face.

Also, if your sitting, use a bow stand or hold your bow upright b/t your legs with an arrow nocked. This will also help minimize your movements.

Good luck!!

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> But, you have to be careful, if it's an experienced deer, it will make false moves just to see if you will move. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Great point. That stomp or one step always puts a :) on my face. Whatever you do, don't react to it!

Edited by - BobCo19-65 on 10/09/2002 08:03:26

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

All of these suggestions are dead on. One I'd like to add:

When I draw on a deer I make sure my bow is faceing directly towards it, that way the movement is slightly hidden by the bow as you're drawing directly away from the deer's eyes.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

I am right handed so I try to place my feeder to the left of my stand so that the deer will enter the hunting are from that direction. This setup allows me to draw on a deer without having to shift around a lot on my stand. I also shoot from a sitting position, and I usually only draw when the deer's head is down and feeding. At this position their ears are usually angled towards the ground which cuts their superior hearing just a little. Any little bit helps.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Found myself nodding my head all the way down this thread. Had an experience just like yours but had 7 deer come into the clearing. One stopped at the edge and started stomping and snorting. This was due to a very bad entry on my part, walked 50 yards past my stand and had to come back so leaving scent. A couple of the deer stopped and started sniffing the air. Then the dreaded eye contact, but i stayed still and they all continued about their business except the trouble maker, so I drew on the deer which had moved right in front of me but I kept my eyes fixed on the other so I could pause if she busted me again. Anyway I got to full draw and got my shot off. She ran 20 yards then dropped like a stone. They all scattered except 1 deer which just stood there looking right at me. I was half way down the tree before it ran, must have been real smart or real stupid.

X-Pat Brit Livin the good life in NC

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

I NEVER sit down! I'll stand in the &quot;stand&quot; for 3 to 3.5 hours at a time.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Lots of good advice hear. Outdoorsman and Texas Hunter touched on this but one thing I was slow to pick up on was that a deers eyes are set on the side of their heads like most &quot;prey&quot; animals. This allows them to see close to 360 degs. If you can see the blacks of their eyes, they can see you so if possible try to wait till their eyes are hidden as mentioned already.

One additional tip, if you set up in a tree that is too small the treetop may jiggle when you even shift your weight in the stand. I always try to avoid this senerio if possible but the main thing is to be aware of it. It may be tree movement that is spooking them.
Good luck all...Fletch

Good Luck All....Fletch

Edited by - fletchdp on 10/09/2002 13:53:03

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Well a tip if i were you that i would take is to practice sitting down. I can shoot just as good sitting as i can standing. and if you are standing then you should wait until the deer can't see you and then draw.

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Woodrow88,

Depending if your in a tree stand the guys have answered your question and fletchdp is correct about eyes. Don't make direct eye contact.

My 2 cents if your hunting on the ground is to get a few tips from:
http://www.hotspothunting.com/common...e.asp?id=23469

You don't have to do everything in there to be successful, just pick out pointers that you can use.

Good luck

The Ultimate Crawl

The only close crawl in archery

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

I watch a deer's tail as much as anything else but don't forget the swiviling ears too. Most, especially whitetails while feeding, will twitch their tail just before raising their heads for a look see or a sniff.

Bowhunter

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I watch a deer's tail as much as anything else but don't forget the swiviling ears too. Most, especially whitetails while feeding, will twitch their tail just before raising their heads for a look see or a sniff.

Bowhunter
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

hey, you beat me to it<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I was going to tell him that
[*]NRA Annual Member www.nra.org[*]TNUSA Annual Member www.tnugent.com[*]NAHC[*]GOA[*]IDPA

RE: Drawing on a deer..........
 

Thanks alot all of you. You've really been alot of help. Bowhunting is definitely challenging. With all this ya'll might have bumped my learning curve up a few years.