alright, my dad took up bow hunting a year or 2 after i did. He finally gave up on his Whitetail 2 and bought a new pse whitetail extreme. Anyways...he shoots with me every now and then, his bow is sighted in well and all. He has missed 3 deer this year and lost one. His problem is HIM not practiccing enough and rushing himself to take the shot. He cannot shoot groups very well at 20 yards and cant come close at 30, yet i watched him hit a deer above the spine from 30 yards while it was moving. When i try to help him he just gets mad, like he doesnt think a 15 year old should be telling him what to do. Ive tried as nicely as i can to get him to come practice with me(i shoot almost every day) but he is always too busy, and then get angry when he misses a deer or cant hit the target. He gets mad at me and doesnt want to shoot because im shooting tight groups and he is hittin all over. How do i confront him without making him mad and get him to practice.

Wow that's tough. He's your dad and respecting him just because of that is the way to go. Being older than you and a father myself, I can say that we dad's are real people too. Talk to him about it. Come out and say what's on your mind and that you only want to see him happy and get a deer. He may realize that you've grown up and really respect you for it and knock the chip off his shoulder.

I agree with the "saying what is on your mind" part for sure. The way you say it though is the key. Try to be casual about it rather than coming right out and saying "Dad, you really need to practice more since you have not been able to hit a deer with that bow." Ask him to go out and practice with you on occasion because "You have been having trouble getting your groups together like you once did." That would put him in the role as educator instead of his being the student. Even if he does not help you much in this regard at least it will let him approach the situation from an angle that he is comfortable with.

Second, you mentioned the Whitetail Extreme. I may be wrong but isn't that a Cabelas or Bass Pro special from PSE? If it is then did you have it set up correctly when it was purchased?

Mossy, I used to use an old recurve when my boy Joe decided he wanted to start hunting. He picked himself up a nice used PSE from a school buddy. He practised religiously and I did not. Dads sometimes just don't make the time to do what is needed to become proficient like yourself. After several misses with my ol' recurve and seeing my son become quite a dead eye I gave it some thought. He gently kidded me about some of my misses and half the fun of hunting with my best buddy was relaying my latest near-miss story and just getting the biggest kick over his laughter at the ol' boys expense. He decided the best way to get me out of the stone age and into the modern era of bow hunting was to present me with his used PSE. He had decided on a new Vortec. I gratefully accepted and it dawned on me that I had better get my butt out to start practicing this new fangled gift. Now I can put some tight groupings like yourself and my son can. Bottom line Mossy, treat your dad as your best friend, tread lightly, and get him to loosin up by having some laughs over those missed shots. Some guys are like the golfers who end up throwing clubs, etc. and end up miserable. Assure your dad that hit or miss you love him just the same. Make sure he knows that he does not have to be as good as you. The real thing I want from you dad is YOU!

YUP,... just try to explain to him. Tell him he can do it if he'll let you give him a little instruction. If a crotchetty old fart like me can whack 'em..... anyone can. There's NO reason not to be shooting great groups at 20 yards. IF he can do that he can do decent groups at 30. He's got to know his limitations and work with them. PERHAPS... the practice sessions should be him shooting, you watching and explaining what he's doing wrong and not so much WATCH ME DAD. Do your practicing on your own. First make sure the arrows and bow are matched to each other. EXplain that it doesn't take hours.... it takes quality shots. 15-20 great shots beats the heck out of 50 splattered all over the place. Start with the basics, stance, draw, anchor, site picture, release and follow through. Next shot... stance, draw, anchor, sight picture, release and follow through. 3 arrows... retrieve.... start again. There is NO reason someone who's been shooting 2 years can't hit a deer and feel confident it's going to happen. Work on him and his confidence will explode. I'm sure he'd want you to do your best at something you try.... he should to. It doesn't have to be a big long deal. Just a few arrows a day or 4 or 5 days a week.