Why do you shoot over the deer?
 

Here is a tip that some new bowhunters might not be aware of when shooting down at a deer from a treestand.

When practicing do you notice your arrows hit over where they do when on level ground? This is not due to gravity!!

What I see normally is the bowhunter moves his arm down while continuing to stand erect in the stand. This changes the whole reaction from what it was when shooting level.

The arm and shoulder relationship to the upper torso when shooting level should not be changed when shooting down from a treestand.

The solution is to bend at the waist to keep this arm/torso relationship the same from the treestand as from shooting level.

You'll find you won't have to compensate much anymore. I learned this from shooting over 30 years in NFAA field archery competition on yardages (uphill and down) out to 80 yards. It works.

I don't shoot over a deer, its just that the deer drops down and the arrow goes over its back and the deer springs back up. Theres a lot of difference shooting at targets and then shooting at deer. :deer:

Bobby

If the deer does that there is some kind of noise coming off your bow.

Shooting is shooting, whether at a deer or target. :biggrin:

Theres noise off every bow, as the sound will travel faster than the arrow. At that last moment that deer knows something ain't right or else some how his within 10 yrds from you out of no where and he's right there. I've had three deer drop before my arrow got there but the deer were within 11 yrds out. They actually drop down and spring up and bolt and sometimes they might stop and look back. Seen it. Never seen a target do that.

Bobby

SAME AS HAVIN SOMEONE POP A BALLON BEHIND YOU WHEN YOUR NOT EXPECTING IT. WE FLINCH..SAME EFFECT..

HE IS RIGHT..YOU SHOULD DRAW AND THEN AIM DOWN USING YOUR HIPS TO GET THE DEER IN THE SIGHTS....UNLESS , LIKE I DO....YOU PRACTICE FROM YOUR STAND AND HAVE YOUR PINS ON TIME THAT WAY. CERTAINLY THAT WONT KEEP THE DEER FROM JUMPIN THE STRING. :popcorn:

The whole point of this thread was to help.

When shooting level the bow comes off the hand a certain way and the arm in relation to the torso. If you drop your arm to a different position the way the bow (and arrow) reacts changes, usually shooting higher.

This was a shooting tip and has nothing to do with the deer jumping the string. That's another topic in itself. I guess I should have given this thread a different title.

I've won two state championships, tied for third in a different state, won a five state championship, took 17th at the national tournament and shot 31 straight perfect 300's indoors one winter. I shot for Bear Archery as a pro and taught 3 state champions and I've killed deer with a bow. If you don't find this works fine. You're on your own.

I agree with all that and its fairly understood by most shooters you got to bend at the torso. But I find all the championships and stuff really doesn't apply for hunting. But you did add you kill deer with archery.

I know some great 3D shooters, and people who can hit a skoal can every time at 50 yards, but same people miss deer. boggles the mind. Deer hunting and target are entirely two different disciplines. I usually do not see both exclusively being good at the other. In fact, its rare. Usually see the target guys come out in the field wit a bow that looks like he is going to take on the clingons with 12" stabilizers and all that garbage.

Thanks for the tip.

Interesting. I have had just the opposite experience. "Some" of the best bow hunters were the best target shooters, mainly because they had their "form" so perfected and could apply it to hunting situations. But, being a good shot doesn't make you a good hunter. It just could help you be a better hunter maybe. Bottom line is any bowhunter needs to practice all summer (deer targets or whatever) to be able to skillfully hit the kill zone repeatedly. What I hate to see is the hunters who grab the bow and shoot 10 arrows the day before the season and call themselves ready.

I was a good target shooter but quit bowhunting because I just didn't have the patience it takes to sit there all day with the bugs biting me. I can sit in a comfortable box stand rifle hunting though. And I fell out of a tree stand climbing down and really wrecked my my ankle and to this day HATE tree stands.

Got a kick out of your discription of target shooters hunting equipment. That might be very accurate, LOL.

The original message put forth is very good. As Warbird said, the information is available and solid. Whether a person chooses to use the info is his own choice. Winners don't win by accident.

The comparison between shooting targets and hunting is also solid. Yes, they are two different venues, but the discipline of shooting the bow is the same in that the upper torso has to be kept in alignment to duplicate the shot no matter whether shooting level, up, or down hill if you want to hit the same spot.

True things can be different sometimes for hunting, but with diligent practice the mind and body will become disciplined, the muscles will develop memory and know what a proper shot feels like. So much so that it becomes even easier to vary a little for those awkward shots that hunting demands at times.

Train the brain and the brain will train the body. Following a consistent shot sequence rewards you with confidence. With this confidence in hand a person doesn't need things as lighted nocks and such to know where their arrow hit. It's right where the pin was when the bow went off. Too many people get concerned about where their arrow hit instead of how it got where it's at.

As to deer jumping the string? Different set of circumstances, but sometimes it's better to have a slower more quiet bow. And it's not always the noise the bow makes, but the kind of noise, but that should be in a different thread.

I agree that you need to bend at the waist to aim not raise or drop your arm to get on target if you do this it changes the angle of your peep and sights,almost like changing your anchor point. I started teaching my son to shoot this year and had a hard time teaching him to bend at the waist so I tried this little trick and it worked very well to get him to bend at the waist,I simply had him take a broom stick place it behind his neck and stretch out his arms to hold it and told him to try and point it at the target by just lowering his bow arm of course he couldn't,and it made him understand that you have to aim the same way! If you raise and lower your bow arm and DON"T keep that same left right arm angle you have bad form and will never shoot to your best ability.

I think you make a good point. I usually practice from the ground, just to work on my release, etc. However, the buck I shot this year was from a treestand. I managed to keep it together, had the buck sighted in at only about 15 yards or so, a nice quartering away shot. Right before I let the arrow go, I told myself, "Aim low." So I aimed at where I figured the heart was-- way low-- and let the arrow fly. I tried to bend at the waist, but in the heat of the moment, it's hard to remember exactly what happened. Anyway, when I recovered the deer, I was shocked how high the arrow hit! I was actually afraid that I might miss the deer low because of how I was aiming, but it ended up punching through both lungs. You can bet I'll be practicing from an elevated position this summer!

Thats the way to go,bending at the waist is only good form,but there nothing better than good old practice.IMO you should practice not only how you will be hunting,but also wearing what you will be wearing when hunting,finding out while practicing that your string hits your shirt or jacket is better than finding this out while hunting,I've had jackets,hats,gloves all effect how I shoot but thanks to practicing with them before hunting season started I never had to find out the hard way! And also practice with your broadheads I know alot of guys who will shoot 1-2 shots with there broadheads and hit the woods not me I practice the month before the season with nothing but broadheads,alittle added cost but well worth it! JMO

When the weather turned bad and it was hard to shoot outside because it got dark so early, I'd come home from work and shoot about 4 arrows in my basement with a bulky coat on. It was only about an 8 yard shot, but I think it made a big difference as far as being able to pull across my chest when drawing without running into all the bulk of my coat. I also learned to bend my elbow slightly so the string didn't hit it. Little things like that can really help.

Another thing that can help with string clearance on your arm (and also help you feel back tension) is stand at a slightly open stance.

Good on the arm. I know many archers have double jointed bow arms that actually bend farther then straight and that has to be a challenge to get around.

You are absolutely right about the reason for shooting high out of a tree stand because you have a tendency to drop your arm instead of bending at the waist. Your shooting form changes when you do not bend at the waist. I went to a Timberline No-Peep this year that will show any torque in your shooting form. It forces you to use the same form in a tree as you do on the ground. I love it!

I have shot and placed in state tounaments. Taught and been taught archery! Hunted and in Alaska been hunted (scary)! I have shot more animals with a bow in my younger years, killing more than 25 per year for several years. At that same time shooting state and local shoots. With the exception of Vegas, I have always placed high in the outcome. The one thing that sticks in my mind today, is something someone said to me, "you can shoot the spots off the 8 ball, but how are you at a real target"? He was speaking of live animals, and the first year we hunted together he took 7 deer more than me and 3 pigs more than me. He found out that just because I shot competition didn't mean that I can't take animals, but the lessons I learned from targets applied in shooting deer, and the lessons I learned from him about hunting still applies. No matter what the deer does after the shot, if you didn't aim at the vitals, you are missing a chance to harvest the animal. And if you don't keep the upper torso the same as when you are standing straight, it will be a miss. Archery, all, is a game of consistancy!!!!