Son has had two misses, clean thankfully, since he received his licence in early September. I know we have all been there and I keep telling him his day will surely come. He has a great ability to spot deer and stay still to get close. (Both deer have been within fifteen yards and we have had even more in close that we were unable to shoot.) I have been hunting for 29 years and I have never had so much riding on my resoponse. He loves hunting and every shot opportunity makes him want to practice more and hunt more. I am focusing on these and am just encouraging at every turn. Incidently, he shoots grapefruit sized groups out to fifteen yards every time we practice.

Anyone have any magic words of wisdom that I can keep in my pocket until I need them?

Greg

How old is he? What is he shooting, bow, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader. I' m not sure w/ grapefruit sized groups.

Just a suggestion, maybe the firearm is too heavy for him. 15 yds. is awfully close, he should be having an easier time hitting his target, and clean misses from 15 yds. says hes not even close. Maybe it' s just deer panic. We all get it sometimes

Just keep giving him encouragment no matter what happens in the field, encourage him to keep practicing. If he really enjoys hunting he will keep at it.

Please tell your son I admire him for his efforts. I do not know how old he is, but I am nearly 27 & taking up bow hunting for the first time this fall. I have gun hunted since I ' twere a kid. But tell him as an adult, I am certain I will have a few blunders, but the key is to stay out there & get better as a hunter & woodsman.

Your son needs to DEMAND RESPECT as a deer hunter. That is my plan this fall & I have to stick with it until the end. One cannot DEMAND RESPECT unless he has the heart of a warrior. I think this will allow him to see the ultimate goal.

Gryan I am assuming that you mean your son is actually bowhunting (if not, with only grapefruit sized groups at 15 yds it sounds like he has way to much gun or is simply flinching terribly, but I doubt that is the case). What kind of practicing is he doing? What kind of targets are you using? Many beginners that I help are guilty of shooting their first arrow " anywhere" and then actually get a group by shooting at their first arrow. Thats indicative of not aiming at a spot like on the target, but for some reason they can easily aim at that first arrow. Really I see it all the time. And its only worse on live animals. They simply put crosshairs or pins on " the deer" and let fly with hope and luck.

I would actually recommend you have him start practicing on white cardboard or posterboard that is just blank, something larger than just a standard piece of notebook paper. He needs a large enough blank area that forces him to pick a spot. Have him call out a specific " area" he is going to aim at before the shot. This will help him concentrate on " picking a spot" . And dont let him shoot at the same spot twice as that defeats the purpose. Simply turning large targets over that are blank on the backside will work as well if they are big enough. Once he gets a general feel for " picking a spot" , the BEST thing is to have him start shooting at fullsized 3-D targets. It would be worth your investment in a $60-$100 target like a McKenzie etc. This will truly train him and show him the importance of concentration on an " imaginary spot" . I also recommend he practice on that target while in a stand or somewhere off the ground to get him used to the different shot angle of a treestand.

Once he whacks that first deer, it will not only be worth ALL the work and practice, but he will be hooked for life and his confidence level will SPIKE greater than anything you can tell or do for him. PLUS you will have the most enjoyable hunting buddy of your life!!!

Whack em & stack em!
RA

RA and HFTFeds, thanks for the avice. My son is shooting a bow set at forty pounds which he handles with ease. He is ten years old and has been shooting a bow since he was three. He has accompanied me into the woods since before he could walk. We practice every night we do not hunt and when we hunt, we first shoot one arrow at a target I keep in the truck. I am a fanatic about shooting even once the season has started. I have been bow hunting since age 14 and have some unorthodox but effective practice techniques that my son thinks are cool. I never aim at previous arrows but pick a new spot on a new target. I have two 3-d deer, a 3-d coyote and a 3-d racoon staked out in my yard. (my wife hates the lawn ornaments!) With our in-season practice, we shoot four arrows per group, one at each target. All from an elevated deck that is the same height as our ladder stand. I could go on and on. When we were practicing form, I had him shoot with his eyes closed at a target butt five yards away to focus on what a shot feels like. We shot a candle light in the dark to learn to pick a spot. We compete against each other at my club by selecting tiny targets on various animals, target butts, bales, and such. To practice shots when our heart is pounding so loud we could swear the deer can hear it, we do sprints around the yard, pick up the bows and shoot. He loves all of this and we get to have so much fun while practicing. All that said, I know that beyond a doubt, he can handle a bow. Better than many that I have helped get into archery.

I am just looking for any advice on what to say when he misses. I know we all do. I' ve told him my old stories and he comes out of his " funk" quickly. He can' t wait to go next time and try again. Every one of us goes through predictable stages as a hunter. He is at the " get a shot stage." I truly believe he is happy to get a shot. He has a pre-shot routine that we have practiced since June. Draw, anchor, line up, deep breath out, tap the release, hold on target. He didn' t do any of this on the furry targets in the woods................Sound familiar?

I can remember shots that I don' t know what I did. I know what he is feeling because I have lived it. I just want to say the right thing. I have prayed for this time together in the woods since he was born. Of all my dreams that I have ever had, this one is very important and it is coming true. We will share the outdoors forever. I don' t hesitate to tell him this when he shoots and misses and even on nights when he doesn' t see a deer.

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greg

lol G NOW ya tell us!
Sounds like you are doing MORE than your part (and setting a FINE example for your son I might add!). If your son is' nt going thru his pre-shot " checklist" then he has no one to blame but himself. I say work on that more and once he DOES gig one, he will become an outright " killin machine" . Sounds like he has mastered everything but actually drawin blood. Confidence is simply a result of succesful past experiences. The emphasis, urge or desire to " stick one" is weighing him down and causing him to forget all that practice. Just be sure and emphasize that to him when that deer is closing in for the last 20 yds!

Mmmmmmmm that which is impossible is ALWAYS within you, [:-]
RA

I like that, confidence is simply a result of past success. I can use that one. That is exactly why I am so nuts about practice. In my early years I learned on my own and hurt a few deer in the process. That killed me and I almost stopped hunting with a bow. I had no confidence. Once I got my first one, my confidence grew, The more I did right the more I did right. I learned how to draw on approaching game, when to move and when not to and so on. I' m going to use that one. Thank you!!!

Greg

The only thing that comes to mind to me is that most hunters don' t get their first deer until they are probably 20 years old or older, and after several bow seasons. That should be encouraging to him, especially since he is so young at 10 years old. The important thing is the memories and to try overcoming challenges. If we succeeded every time, it wouldn' t be so fun! The cool thing is that he enjoys it.

Greg, sounds like he has the shooting thing down pretty well. Better than some that I know it sound like. Is he getting nervous because it is a live animal? Buck/Doe fever type thing? Even seasoned archers miss occasionally I know I have. Shot over the back of a beautiful 10 point 2 years ago and had to go by the name of bucky for the rest of the season[] We all miss due to varying reasons. Deflected shots, buck fever, etc... Tell him to hang in there and he will finally nail his first and it is all downhill from there.