question... shooting targets versus animals

[naturegirl]

I'm a great archer when shooting a target or on close up kills but twice now in the 30-40 yard range I skirted the vitals.

 

Why on targets can I pick a spot and hit it but on animals I pick a spot and my arrow seems to go left of where i want it to go?

 

On an elk and on a deer Ive veered left. The were facing opposite directions. I shot the elk too far back and the deer too far forward.

 

This is me on a target at 40.

 

 

[jmall]

My bet is you are holding the bow in your left hand and you are dropping your bow to the left when you shoot . When you are shooting at a target you consciously follow through. When you shoot at an animal you want to see where you hit. You are not concentrating on the follow through so you naturally drop the bow to your left.

[jmall]

you beat me to the post

[Sneaker]

Disregard this if you already know, but FYI, the vitals on your target aren't drawn anatomically correct either, I would say. They should be around 4'' further to the left, and maybe a tad down too.

[J.S.R.]

Were the animals you shot up or down hill?

[More D]

Practice is ALWAYS on flat ground, little to no wind in the back yard, the same position, same everything. Try mixing it up??

 

 

More D

[naturegirl]

Follow through makes sense to me. Wind wasnt an issue either time. It was dead calm the morning I shot my bull.

 

I would or could think mechanical issues but if I practice ok then I should be able to shoot an animal ok equipment wise.

 

I always shoot a couple broadheads prior even though I'm use the same ones.

 

Excitement I can't help although I seem to do pretty well maintaining my composure mostly. Photography is helping me a lot with that just through so much close up exposure, trying to get a "shot," patience, etc .

 

Follow through on a live animal...there's not much way for me to work on that now that I've scared all the yotes away.

 

Speaking of which I missed left on yotes a lot too.

 

Mental note made.

[naturegirl]

Were the animals you shot up or down hill?

I was on a field on Illinois and a pretty flat area with the bull. He may have been ever so slightly higher than me. Pretty much flat ground.

 

I can hit a javi at 5 yards running above me on an incline. Go figure.

[CouesPursuit]

If it's not this,

Broadhead not tuned properly. Etc.

it's some level of control as mentioned variously above.

 

For me:

As fluttered with butterflies and excitement as I may feel, or have imagined it, I'm taking something's life.

I'm not thinking 'I hope this ends up well, I hope it doesn't move, oh my goodness..'

NOPE.

I am thinking 'I know this arrow will hit its mark, this animal is (expletive) mine..'

Everything in my body goes numb except that little piece of working brain I have left and my trigger/release finger. For that split second, I treat that innocent critter like it murdered my family. Works for me

[naturegirl]

If it's not this,

 

Broadhead not tuned properly. Etc.

 

it's some level of control as mentioned variously above.

 

For me:

As fluttered with butterflies and excitement as I may feel, or have imagined it, I'm taking something's life.

I'm not thinking 'I hope this ends up well, I hope it doesn't move, oh my goodness..'

NOPE.

I am thinking 'I know this arrow will hit its mark, this animal is (expletive) mine..'

Everything in my body goes numb except that little piece of working brain I have left and my trigger/release finger. For that split second, I treat that innocent critter like it murdered my family. Works for me

Confidence

[jmall]

We used to hunt goats and pigs on Catalina island. Very target rich environment gave us a lot of practice shooting at live animals. That really helped me learn how to keep my composure when shooting at a live animal.

[Swivelhead]

I always strive for a relaxed shot + an amazing follow through. Covers a lot of form flaws.

[mattys281]

[quote name="naturegirl" post="583143" timestamp="1440100127"

 

Confidence

 

Bingo. I used to come apart shooting at anything that was alive. Rabbits squirrels deer... didn't matter. Just had to keep practicing and shooting at critters until I hit a few and learned how to calm down.

 

If youre not already doing it, talk yourself through EVERY shot, especially at animals: "draw, aim, squeeze....." THWACK! Yummmmm... backstraps..... (picture homer simpson drooling)

[kwp]

Don't forget about your stance. When you practice you turn your feet so they are pointing 90deg from the target. Your upper body follows your lower body and mechanics are sound.

When you are moving in on an animal you are likely facing it. It can be very easy to forget about your stance and rotate your upper body without your lower body. When you shoot your upper body twists back into alignment with your lower body, impacting your follow thru. If you are a right hand shooter this will cause you to miss left.

[Red Sparky]

Here is a suggestion for future. Make a life size target from 3/8"-1/2" plywood, seal it for the weather. You can find how to do it on youtube. Cut out the vitals and then cover the whole target with carpet as close to the color of the animal. Make it look as realistic as you can and put your arrow backstop behind the vitals as the carpet won't stop your arrow especially with a block wall behind it. I speak from experience. Practice picking a spot, or even put a bullseye on the front for a while. To me this does two things. I concentrate on picking a spot and watch the arrow hit that spot to help with follow through. It also keeps me in practice of knowing where the vitals are on an elk. On the back side of my target I have painted in bones, liver, intestines so if I miss the vitals I can look at where the arrow would have hit an elk as I have a nice hole in the plywood.

 

Then it is a mind game when you are hunting you just convince yourself you are target shooting in the back yard. Every animal I have shot I have mentally put a picture of the target I normally shoot on the animals body. I make myself believe I am target shooting and not shooting at an animal. I have done this for 30 years. I have not been bowhunting that long, (2nd year), so take it for what it is worth.