I think some of the hosts of different hunting shows should read this post. In the last three days I've seen two different guys take shots at deer facing head on. Taking a shot like that would never cross my mind.

In theory David has made shot placement quite clear. Obviously his 40(even years) of experience has given him the authority, and we should all be grateful this board has members like David who are willing to provide good guidance on whathas taken him years ongathering his knowledge.

On the other hand, when the time comes to put what you've practiced to the test--this is a whole different ball game.
We have all made mistakes, a common mistake made shooting at the 'real thing' is not 'following thru'. Moving the bow arm away to quickly,to see where the arrow hasstruct (or missed)--another good reason why shooting with BOTH eyes provide100% vision, as against the 50% vision you get when one eye is closed.
A 3D target is great for practicing shooting at thevitals of an animal--and should be used, but when the real mccoy stands before you, shot placement now becomes only 'part of the equation'. Many more ingredients are now included, that of zero sound,stealth, focus, staying calm, drawing your bow,picking a spot, following thru, controlling the nerves--it'ain't as easy as target shooting anymore. Of course the lucky breaks happens every now and again, but don't ever believe you're guaranteed an animal because you'vemastered a 3D target--it's not always that way.
Ihave seen quite a few Professional Target Shooters miss their share of big game animals--yes I have.
By the antis, the likes of PETA, we are misrepresented--not because we have a weapon in our hand makesit a signed deal. Certainly not, it takes more. We're tested on every shot, our talent and our skill and when we stand behind that animal to document the result--"We have darn well earned it".

Thanks for a great post Davidmil. My only bowdeer is a doe I killed last year from the ground. I have practiced from a 20' stand in my back yard all summer on a 3D deer but I still need all the info I can get. I'll be spending more time in a tree this year. I only had one stand last year, and now have 4. Your description makes it pretty clear and easy to visualize shot placement. And yes at times you have given me answers I didn't want to hear, like the one about spending 3 hr cutting an access trail. Although I didn't hear what I wanted to I took that info to heart and won't make that mistake again. With one year of bowhunting under my belt I may not still be a rookie but I sure do have a lot left to learn. Thanks for all of your help.

David:

I'd like to thank you for that last post. I took the angle into account......but I didn't (obviously) judge correctly.....or I just flat out made a bad shot (obvious).

Happy hunting.

jeff

I have to agree Thanks david!
The old saying is? Practice like you hunt.so true[&o] so true[&o]
Practicing correctly is one of the biggest keys to being a successfulbowhunter (imo)
The other Key is something that you can only find out from actually hunting and that is "learning to control Your Nerves".
Each hunter has his or her own way of dealing with it when its time to take the shot.
Your nerves can have a direct impact on the outcome of a what would have been a fun hunt and easy recovery.
But instead end up with a long blood trail or worse a blood trail that just ends without ever finding your game But knowing in your hart that this animal could be down And that is one of the worst feelingsany hunter can go through!
Nervescan cause a hunter to not focus properly, aim correctly,follow through ,Release the arrow correctlycausing a hunter toflentch, pluck or punch the release ect..ect..Resulting ina poor hit animal.
The advise given on this forum from veteran bowhunters like david is great.
It comes from yrs of trial and errors, Highs and lows
young hunters or someone who is just starting out can learn a great deal from these guys.
Verteran bowhunters if there wise? Can also learn and share there knowledge with each other to becomeeven better.
when i first came to this forum i thought i knew just about everything there was to bowhunting.
But what i found out was Just how little i really did know.
Good luck this season guys.

Great post and exactly why I have been practicing on my 3d out of a cheapo ladder stand (was given to me) in the back yard the past week. An effective shot angle when the deer is very close can be extremely tricky. Still, no amount of practice can lead to perfection. This being my second year, I've learned a lot by reading the other post as well and hope that I never lose a deer. But I can only imagine the way you feel SBGobblers. Good luck the rest of the season. I bet things will look up from here!