badshotbob

Good post IBM.


As IBM pointed out though - unless the proficiency test is done on actual live deer in a real life hunting situation, what good would it really do? Sounds like the guys you know hitting deer all over the place need to rethink their shots (distance, etc.), or learn to focus. At the first sight or sound of a deer while on stand, I instinctively go into full alert in the zone mode - this stays with me all the way through the shot - concentrating on the deer and the environment in order to effectively be able to get at full draw. THEN, the focus must be dialed down - WAY down - to a puff of hair. People shoot at the whole deer - biggest mistake green bow hunters make. How is practicing all year long driving tacks or proficiency tests going to teach them to focus? That's one thing that shooting instinctively has taught me over the years - you can't shoot at the whole deer, or even the vital zone, but have to dial it WAY down to a very small puff of hair for example. That's why I shoot at 1" strips of orange tape both with my compound and recurve - to focus down, not at the whole target or even the bullseye area.

Question for you archers that shoot all year and then look down on my two week prep for season: Do you put as much time into scouting and stand placement? Is being an "archer" the majority of the hunt? More important than actually, "hunting"?

rybohunter

Stealthy & others,
I really must be losing the meaning of what I am attempting to convey.
I started out using a recurve when I 1st started bow hunting. I had much more time back then to practice every evening, all summer long. I had to practice more to feel comfortable setting foot in the woods, and I was fortunate to have the time to do so. Along comes the compund. I switch to that because it was a little more efficient. I still needed to practice quite a bit and made the time to do so. As years go by, and my skills as an archer increase, the practice sessions get boring hitting the circle every time. At that same time, my interests in other things grow, fishing, more intense scouting, and hunting other critters of all types. I am able to pursue those other interests because I can still be quite proficient with my bow in less time. I don't understand how efficiency is a bad thing. I have almost all but given up rifle hunting to use my bow. What gun hunting I still do is done with short range rifles and revolvers now, to put a bit of challenge back into it. If some magical law was passed that I had to use a recurve again, I'd Da#n sure find the time to shoot all spring and summer to be proficient enough to take to the woods in the fall. Yes my other passions would suffer, but BOW HUNTING is and always will be tops on my list. But as long as I can shoot my compound a few weeks before the season to gain the needed proficiancy, I will be happy I can partake in my other outdoor interests.

I don't think I can make it any more clearer than this.

CBM SC

No ! But is scouting and stand placement the only thing that is important and your equipment and practice just a formality ?


Bob.....if you have made poor shots before........can you say for 100 % that extra practice wouldn't have made a difference on any of them ?

Jerry/Pa

Quote[ I do not shoot my compound all year - I pack it in the day after the last hunt and get it back out the week before season to shoot it a few times just to make sure it's still on. I do not need to shoot all year to maintain precision shooting. The pins are on or they are off. I can drag the bow out after not touching it for 9 months and group 6 arrows inside a 6" circle. Does this mean I'm a bad or irresponsible hunter? ]

eth-ic /the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. : the principles of conduct governing an individual or group.

eth-i-cal/conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct.

This sport has changed over the years. Some good some bad. At one time bowhunters where thought of as "a cut above". Not elitest. Just hunters who thought that the preperation was the most inportant part of our sport. The scouting, the set-up and the approach,including the equipment and shooting preperation. Not a week before the season. That was the standard the gun hunters where use to. Do bowhunters need to shoot all year? It wouldn't hurt ,but no. A week you ask? Not hardly. Your ego may tell you that but you will not shoot with any consistency with only a weeks practice. The bows not even settled-in yet. A six in group at twenty yds. even with broad heads is not even par. Take that group to the woods and double it and thats probably your group when shooting at live game. Thats the standard we use to use. It dosen't matter what bow equipment you shot. A three in group with broad heads is what distance was standard. What ever distance you shot a three in. group at was your limit. If it was 10 yds or 30 so be it. We tuned our own equipment and knew every scratch on that bow. We seem to have more respect for the game we hunted and wouldn't think of walking into the woods not prepared. I taught that same ethics to my sons and still live it today. We called it hunting ethics then why would it change today. There was a time when I didn't have the time to practice or prepare for the season so I didn't bowhunt for almost 10 years. I hunted but did it with a rifle. When I got back into bowhunting my standard of preparation didn't change and found like minded bowhunters who live by those stanard to hunt with. So is poor preparation bad ethics?(pulling out your bow a week before the season) Personally I'd say "without a doubt". It's not golf or baseball it's killing live game. I'm not saying your not a good hunter. I'm just saying you might try a crossbow or rifle till you find the time to make the necessary preparations to bowhunt. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone but after reading some of the messages in this thread I thought it had to be said. Jerry

stealthycat

Now I want ya'll to really see what you and others are saying here. Is it a bad thing to want to be more efficient ? Is it bad to want to own a bow thats easy enough to master that allows you to pursue other hobbies ? Is accuracy paramount in bowhunting ? Do you have to "love" archery to bowhunter ?

Now how many of you are in favor of banning the guy who loves to gun hunt, bird hunt and fish, but wants to buy a crossbow to try and go into the field bowhunting early in the season with just a little practice and easily attained accuracy ?

ewolf

g

rybohunter

NO
NO, but to be honest it can take a good deal of time to get to that level where the shooter/bow combination efficiency gets to a high level.
I feel there are 3 things of equal inportance in bowhunting. 1 getting a deer in range, 2 making the shot, 3 finding the deer once the shot is made. If you hunt a thick enough area as some do, even a 35 yd run before dying can put the deer out of sight.
NO, you only have to be enough of an archer to cleanly and consistantly shoot within your limits.

Apples to oranges, crossbows aren't drawn with the deer standing under you. Put them in a ML or shotgun season, not archery.

stealthycat

rybohunter - You're classic man ! You want to capitalize on long archery seasons by using a bow that is easy to use, that you don't have to practice much with and yet when someone else wants to do the same thing you have a knee jerk reaction referenceing old wives tales about drawing your bow etc.

LOL - you don't have a clue, do you ? I personally think the modern compound bow has done more damage to archery and bowhunting that anyone can measure. By ya'lls own admission you don't practice much nor do you have much time or love for shooting your bows. What the hell ARE you then ? You're hunters who capitalize on long, early archery seasons and you use the easiest weapons you can that requires you to use as little of your free time as possible shooting.

You are no different than a crossbow hunter - none.

rybohunter

Even with a modern compound it has taken YEARS for me to develope to a proficiency where I only need a few weeks practice before the season. With a Xbow it would have taken me 3 hours to reach that same level, maybe less.

An old wives tale???? please!!! its the mechanics of the weapons were are talking about.

Why are you trying to bring Xbows into this anyways? ahhh because you have to find a fault with someone who doesn't fit your ideals and ways of thinking.

If I was trying to capitalize on easy and early seasons I'd hunt in our early ML season. I promise you I will NEVER partake in that because I prefer to use my bow. I'm not some greedy deer hog you are trying to make me out to be. If I was I'd be flinging arrows at deer 30-40 yds away. My personal limit is 25 under ideal conditions. 90% of the deer I shoot are under 15. That is what its about, getting em REAL close so you can't screw things up.

This thread was brought out to see if there were any people who didn't find it necessary to shoot a zillion arrows a year to be proficient enough to hunt. When a couple of guys expressed thier situations, you high and mighty arrogant stuck ups decided to try and berate us and portray us as lazy slobs who don't care.

IL_BOW_MAN

I don't know if this is directed at me or not.....but I will admit I don't practice as much as I would like (I never said I don't practice much). But is the amount of time enough? Yes and no....I have already admited to passing on shots because I wasn't confident in the shots (I say yes, cuz I know my abilities and no cuz I couldn't make the shot without a shadow of a doubt). Personally I think it takes a lot of respect for myself and for the animal to be able to this.

Not much love for the sport.....lets see, I bow hunt and then I bow hunt. I shotgun hunted 1 season and I didn't like it at all. So I am back to my bow season, my first true love and currently my only. I passed playing sports that I loved in highschool because it interfered with bow season.

Like others have said, shooting your bow in your own back yard by yourself gets pretty boring. The closest place that has any kind of league is 35-40 miles away. Our local shoot is once a month with any others being atleast 40 miles away.


That is never a bad thing. But how efficient is effecient enough? Who is going to make this call? Your buddies, some guy where you buy your tags, the government or yourself? The answer is always going to be yourself.

Also never a bad thing, why else do these companies keep coming up with new stuff. More accurate, faster and reliability. Reliablity is why any manufacturer redesigns 90% of their products!

Deffinatly.....but the shooter needs to know where their accuracy runs out and how to overcome not letting those shots fly that are not within their abilities!!!!

No!! Why do I love bowhunting? Seeing the animals in their own environment and not running from 3 counties away after being bombarded with slugs. Watching the sun come up and go down. Watching the squirells run and play. Watching the hawks search for food. Listening to the birds chirp as the sun comes up. Getting the opportunity to take a shot at the animal that has no idea that they are even being watched. The list goes on and on.

BUT......You have to love bowhunting enough to take enough time to prepare yourself for the Archery aspect of it. But once again comes back to how much time is needed. This is going to have to be up to the individual to make that decision.

And by the way Bob......you sure stirred the pot good with this post!! Keep up the good work!