Yesterday on was on my pig stand and I had 2 come in. One was small but the other was a nice 70-80 pounder...perfect eating. I waited for at least 20 minutes for the big one to turn broadside. During that time I drew back twice and held waiting for him to turn. I had to let down both times because my arm was getting numb. He finally turned and I double lunged him. How long can you hold and still shoot accurately? I' ve never timed myself, but I' m going to tomorrow.

Only long enough to make that perfect broadside shot.


Brian

I can remember only a single time that I' ve drawn and waited more than 5 seconds for a shot, and that was because I suddenly saw a stick in my way and I had to find a clear hole to get my arrow through. My hunting style is to wait for the animal to present the shot and THEN I draw and shoot him. When I was coming up, pre-compound, a bowhunter had to know the right time to draw on an animal. I still believe that' s the mark of a true bowhunter.

That draw and wait B***S*** is for the guys making and selling hunting videos. They' re just holding full draw for a long time to heighten the suspense. Honestly, the whole draw and wait thing strikes me as totally amateurish.

Last season I had a really good buck come in and offer a shot, but as I drew he turned toward me and started coming closer, no way to let down without being seen. I managed to hold it for well over a minute, seemed like an hour, finaly I had to let down so when he went behind a tree I let down. He stopped and came out broadside about 5 seconds later, I drew again and made a great double lung from about 18 yards.[8D]

Being able to hold your bow back for awhile can be very helpful in situations like Angus described. Arthur, what happens if when you start to draw at the perfect time the buck turns and is looking right at you in the tree. It is impossible to let down without spooking the buck, and there is no shot So what do you do if you are not able to hold the bow back, shoot him in the neck. No way! You hold on him and wait until he turns and gives you a good shot. This is a situation where being able to hold at full draw becomes of great importane.

i once had a forkhorn come past my stand... when he steped behind a tree i drew and he froze.... so i held... i think it was probly about 2 minutes... when he all of a sudden turned and bolted... i made a bad decision by taking quick aim and releasing.... i' m glad i missed..... it wouldn' t have been a good shot... but i draw when i think i' m going to be presented a shot... if the shoot doesn' t coem i hold till i get one.

No longer than necessary for a Quick, Clean Killing . . . Broadside or Quartering Away shot. However bowhunting for some 40 years, experience tells me that it is critical that we be able to hold on occasion, for a minute or so. Knowing when to draw and when to hold or when to risk a letdown is the mark of a skilled bowhunter.

A buck I had been hunting finally came in (a few years ago) and I drew as his head went behind a tree. He stopped when his head and part of his neck appeared on the other side--COMPLETELY BLOCKING THE VITALS [:@] He eventually spotted me and after a hold of 1 1/2 to 2 minutes he started to bolt. He stopped about 30 yards out with only an inch or two of the vitals exposed--nearest the paunch. I took the shot and just barely touched the tree that was blocking the rest of the vitals. Luckily it defelected the arrow enough to miss him completely instead of a paunch shot.

Longest I ever held at full draw was 20 seconds. A 10-pt was coming in just perfectly to my shooting lane. As he passed behind some brush before getting to the lane, I drew. Then, he stopped and just stood there, not spooked or anything just looking around. Finally he stepped forward and I put an arrow through his heart.

Other than that, I' ve never seen any advantage to holding at full draw for a longer period of time.

If I get busted letting down, I lose the opportunity. That means I pitted my skill and luck against the animal and the animal won. To me, that is exactly what bowhunting is all about. KILLING a deer isn' t nearly as important to me as the way I do it. I' d just hunt gun season if all I wanted out of a hunt was meat and horns.