how long?

[kc0myy]

How long should you shoot your bow before you go out bow hunting? Because I told my teacher that I was going out bow hunting and he said I should shoot my bow for a year before I go out. but I was getting tight patterns with my bow.

[delmuts]

KC. that is totally up to you. my rule is that when you KNOW that you can make a KILLING shot, and what your maximum range is for making that shot is; and you feel confident about it. then go for it. just don't allow your self to go with the idea that you think you can HIT the animal. if you can't make a killing shot, don't take it. del

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm going with Del on this one...We really do owe this to the animal to give it the most quick humane kill. By putting hte arrow in the right spot. For some people, that may only be about a month of practice(however, a lot of practice in that month)for some a year is a good ammount of time.

The thing that people who have just started dont do enough is practice judging distance and know how low or high your arrrow is at different distances. Just because you can shoot a tight group at exactly 20 yards does not really mean you are ready for the woods...

[Pistolero]

I took up archery last spring and shot a couple times a week until the fall hunting season. I practiced at different distances, and I’m not just talking about the standard distances either. I also practiced in ALL types of weather and most shooting was done outdoors. The more practice the better. You owe that to the animal that you are going to try to take. Make sure that you know your limitations before you go into the field to hunt.

BTW...how are you at judging range?

[Stratosman]

Did you just start shooting recently? If so I would forget about the last day of hunting this year and focus on getting ready for next year, a good idea would be to find an indoor range near your home and shoot a few times a month throughout the winter, then come spring hopefully you have a place you can shoot outdoors, like the others have said, don't go unless you are 100% certian you can kill a deer at the yardages you practice.

[ghotierman]

All excellent advice, as usual. I would add, after working with several new shooters, and a variety of skilled archers....shooting tight groups at any yardage is only a small part of being a bowhunter. As the other posts mention, you need to judge distance, angles, conditions, know your adversary....habits, movements, wind, shot placement...broadside, quartering away/toward, when to pass up a shot...you may find it may be a long time before you even draw on a deer, let alone loose a shot...before you make the first kill. it's a very solitary and personal vocation....very different from rifle/slug hunting.

take the advice given here...keep shooting regularly...AND spend as much time in the woods scouting, researching, learning....and HAVE FUN doing it!

find a winter league to keep sharp... and keep posting here...

good luck...

[Royce Aardahl]

Man just get out there and HUNT! If you are getting a descent group go for it. Too late this year but if you have the bug get out in 2005. Back in 1996 I was shooting 600 to 800 rounds a week a messed up a 20 yard shot on a 150 class buck. So even if you practice till you bleed things can still go wrong. Use the advice you read here that makes sence to you. If you plan to wait till you are 100 % sure of a kill each time you release an arrow you'll never get into the woods. Good luck!

[bigbucks]

I'm closer to eyeguy54 than the other guys on this one. You have to be confident of what your accurate range is & try very hard to learn to estimate distance accurately too, but you'll learn the most by spending time in the field, where there are deer. You can't shoot a deer sitting in your living room or on the practice range.

In my opinion you can kill more deer by learning where & when to hunt & getting really close easy shots, with average shooting ability. It's important to be a good shot, but the best shot in the world with lesser hunting skills & deer knowledge can't shoot deer they don't see. Even if you can can make clean kills at 60 yards wouldn't you rather shoot them at 10-15 where there's much more margin for error?

The other thing I'd say is always go to the woods ready to shoot a deer, but not necessarily expecting to shoot one. If you're absolutely sure you're going to shoot one when you go out, you're likely to start taking some very marginal shots to try to accomplish it. If you ever take those, pray you miss completely.

I've known an awfull lot of bowhunters who missed the first deer or two they shot at, self included, even when they were close, open, "easy" shots. There's no way to know what adrenaline is going to do to you the first few times you have deer really close & are trying to shoot them with a bow.

[jlm]

I would recommend joining a league. You will have guys around to help you out and give you tips and you will shoot a bunch of arrows. This will help you get the mechanics of you and your bow fine tuned. When you shoot with a little competition, your skills will improve even faster (in my opinion). Plus, you will have a scheduled shoot once a week throughout the Winter months (some leagues vary). Its a great opportunity!