atlasman

As far as shooting goes what makes you as good as you are? Is it equipment? Long hours of dedicated practice?? Just a natural? Lessons from a pro or someone else like dad??

For me I would have to say that equipment plays a big role in my skill level because I have been a good shot since the day I picked up a bow. Now I guess so many years of shooting guns had surely taught me good aiming techniques and I'm sure a little natural talent is there........without sounding cocky at all I have always just been kinda good at everything I try.......not professional good but better then average. I shoot 80's in golf, 200 avg in bowling, ski, basketball etc.........I guess I have been blessed with athletic coordination.

I do however believe that technology plays a big role. Both my brothers can shoot well.......not far behind me and sometimes just as good or better. I shoot a Patriot and my bros shoot a Martin Tracer Mag and my old Fred Bear TRX respectively. I think the speed of my Patriot gives me a slight edge and more forgiveness but they can stack arrows just fine. My bro with the TRX now was a TERRIBLE shot with his old bow that was a very dated Martin that was just junk compared to todays bows..........now with the TRX he shoots very very well and has tremendous confidence.

I just don't see the difficulty level of shooting a compound as being that high. The hardest part to me is getting the bow properly setup and once that is done all you have to do is put the pin where you want to hit and squeeze the release.

So, I guess I would fall under the equipment/technology umbrella first then natural talent second probably at a 60/40 split.



As far as being a hunter I would say that my dad taught me 90% of what I know most importantly the fact that you need to be focused when the moment of truth happens. Excitement never leaves and hearts pound and legs shake but when it's time to go to work you have to be steady and true. When I see that I have a shot opportunity I get as excited as anyone out there but I remain focused on a clear shot and a single hair right behind that shoulder........I don't count points, stare at racks, or take hasty shots because I just can't wait. I saw the biggest buck of my life last year and my fathers words of "Aim the gun kiddo" echoed in my head like the 1,000 times I had heard him say it.

Again, I think I have a natural skill level that allows me to at least be good at most things.........combine that with a focus on details and practice and I am a pretty darn good shot.


So for hunting skills I would say I had a great teacher and then natural skill/knowledge picked up along the years a distant second......probably 80/20.


I have friends who were not lucky enough to have a good teacher and I feel so bad for them...........they just don't know things I take for granted because my dad taught us all before we ever even touched a weapon.



So what about you guys?

Double Creek

The absolute love and obsession for bowhunting.

If you truly love the sport, the rest will fall into place.

rybohunter

In regards to shooting, I'd say my strength lies in a solid mindset and years of experience. Starting out, I wasn't the most consistent shooter regardless of practice time. It wasn't until I was able to bring a better focus on shooting, like I did in other sports, that I became more consistent. Although I do use a compound it has been far from the most advanced models out there. This mindset also carries over from the range to a live animal. Knowing when to pick my shots, and remain calm while doing so is key. So for me I'd say mentality is huge, with physical cordination and equipent being equal, but less important contributers.

In regards to hunting, I too had an excellent teacher. That along with plenty of time spent in the woods helped me to be the woodsman I am today. Along with just being in the woods, its figuring out why things happened as they did. It's not enough to just spend time in the woods, but I feel you must be good at interpreting what you experience in the woods and learn from it. I also feel that having a good teacher allows you to pick things up easier along the way. I know I've learned much more from the woods, than my Dad could ever teach me, BUT the foundation he laid enabled me to do so.

texasaggiebowhunter

I grew up bowhunting
Had a great dad that taught me everything about hunting
I have a passion for shooting
I shoot until i satisfy my self
I practice everyday sometimes twice a day
I was on a collegiate team for four years (only shot a custom takedown recurve, no compound), which was coached by an olympic shooter
Advanced technological equipment
I know the limits to my equipment
This is my only hobby (not really a hobby but its the only word that sounded good, but a hobby since i dont wack a little white ball with a club)
Plus some natural talent and a little bit of luck.

stealthycat

My choise of bows is a longbow right now. I am as good as I am with it because I have tried a LOT of bows and this one fits my style best. other than that - practice, practice, practice.

Some guys are naturals at shooting, some guys use high tech equipment .....

adams

Double Creek summed up my feelings. I do everything in my power to become a better archer and to me, more importantly a better hunter. None of this would be possible without the love I possess for archery and the sport of bowhunting.

PABowhntr

All of the above.

I definitely do not consider myself a "good" shooter in the sense of being competitive with others. Yet, I still consider my accuracy level in many situations to be more than acceptable for hunting whitetail deer. I would contribute this to year round practice and intricate knowledge of the equipment that I use.

idahoelkinstructor

Hi atlasman, hope you had a good weekend!
Good subject. I just read a article on this. I was with my wife at her doctor apointment when I read the article. I honestly don't remember if it was Outdoor Life or Field and Stream, it was one of them though. The subject asked what made people a better shot. It was refering to wing shooting, but the article stated that people who are good with a shotgun tend to be good at shooting rifles, archery, basket ball, throwing, catching, at hitting a baseball, golf, and flying airplanes (fighter pilots), etc. The common denominator that the article stated was excellent eye sight, super crisp and clear, and the ability to see and concentrate on several high speed objects at the same time. In combination with with with excellent eye hand coordination. It stated examples like Jerry Rice and his ability to run down a football field catch a speeding football and duck out of the way of a oncomming defensemen, all at the same time. It stated that it is true that some are just more gifted and talented when it comes to hand eye coordination but in shooting and a lot of sports that can be inproved with practice. But with eye sight either you have it or you don't. It talked about a prouduct (again don't remember the name) that gave you a clearer focus on a object in motion. It did state that a person needed to have good to excellent eye sight already for the product to work. I my self have 20/15 eye sight. I honestly believe that this article is correct. Now I'm not saying that equipment doesn't help. Bows today are much better than even 5 years ago. But if you gave 100 people, equal top of the line archery equipment and had them fitted for it, there will still be first place, second, third, fourth, ect, in a contest. Now everyone out of the 100 could be, and should be good enough, with an up to date hunting bow, to be accurate enough to harvest game. That is where the good equipment comes into play.
It makes the average people more equal in their shooting abilities, and the great shooters even greater. It sounds like you (atlasman) have some of that natural ability that makes you a great shot. I am a good shot my self even with traditional archery equipment. I just know how to aim like shooting a basketball. My father tauht me a lot about hunting elk, mule deer, and duck hunting with guns. I was a lucky teenager and harvested 5 elk with a rifle. But I taught my self how to archery hunt. My dad always spent September scouting for rifle season. I went with him from the time I was born. Before I was 12 I always asked my dad why we weren't packing bows. After all it was archery season. My third year of hunting was my first year of bowhunting. I have never looked back, I love archery.

atlasman

Yes.......I hope I was clear that I don't consider myself a good shooter like I could compete with others either. I can hit what I aim at with regularity but I won't be shooting any 300's in the near future nor do I aspire to. I wouldn't be afraid to shoot with anyone as I would not embarrass myself but that is not something that is important to me anyways.

atlasman

I am not a great shot by any means. I am a very capable shot. I would say I am a good shot with accuracy good enough to harvest deer at my known limits in range.

I have seen some people that are great shots...........and they ain't me