It takes many hours of practice to become a top of the food chain predator with a bow and arrow. But practice alone isn’t enough, you have to reinforce the right techniques – the ones that have been proven to produce success. Eventually your natural shooting form will take on these qualities and you won’t have to think about it. When the moment of truth comes, you’ll be able to act quickly and decisively.

Relaxing Through The Shot

Concentration on a single small aiming point is the aspect of shooting that brings all the other elements together.

Tension in the bow arm makes steady aiming difficult. Any tension in your body is transmitted through a rigid bow arm right to the bow, as if it were a hyper-sensitive antennae. If you can keep your bow arm very relaxed throughout the shot your accuracy will improve greatly. Consider bending it slightly (just enough to unlock the elbow) so it be softer and act as a tension insulator instead of a tension transmitter.

Many bowhunters have the bad habit of dropping their bow arms just after they release. Eventually this creeps into the shot earlier and earlier until it becomes a chronic problem. My buddy Dan does this, and it has cost him two really nice bucks during the past two seasons. On both bucks he shot just under the deer’s chest at less than 20 yards!

The shot isn’t over until the arrow hits the target, so hold your form with a steady bow arm until impact for optimum accuracy. Increased strength is the key to relaxing at full draw, so maintain a regular practice schedule. Your maximum bow weight can make a difference here too. It’s impossible to hold your aim steady if you’re straining with too much poundage. Sometimes being over-bowed even prevents you from getting a shot. Being involved in the warranty department at PSE, Terry Ragsdale hears many strange claims, but he remembers one in particular.

“A hunter sent back his bow, claiming that the cams were freezing up,” he said. “With absolute sincerity, the hunter told of a nice deer approaching his stand, and of his inability to draw the bow. Even though they worked fine before and after that incident, he honestly believed the cams had somehow locked up. Cool weather and excitement got the better of him, and he didn’t have the strength to draw.”

Letting Go
Because the timing of the shot is often more important than pinpoint accuracy under many bowhunting conditions, your release method is likely to be a bit more abrupt than if you were focusing on target shooting form. Don’t get jerky, however. When shooting a release aid, keep the trigger pull smooth, but don’t get too hung up trying to squeeze off a surprise-release. With fingers, get into the habit of relaxing the back of your string hand to trigger the shot rather than trying to voluntarily open your hand.

Focus Brings It Together

Ragsdale is widely regarded as one of the world’s best bow shots, and he is quick to point out that there is no such thing as perfect shooting form. “Walk up and down the line of any major tournament,” he said, “and you’ll see people shooting with all different kinds of form, but they all shoot very well. Consistency is more important than any particular form.”


On the other hand, Terry is a firm believer in “aiming hard” when shooting at targets, as well as game animals. Aiming hard is his term for focusing undivided attention on the small spot he wants to hit. He feels it is one of the most critical skills for the bowhunter and surely the one element that brings everything together for a great shot at game.


Realistic Practice

Just as you wouldn’t expect a professional football team to head into a big game without at least a certain amount of full-dress scrimmaging against the “scout” team, you shouldn’t enter the bow season without a few dress rehearsals of your own. Duplicating the conditions of the hunt during practice pays some very important dividends, as I found out (once again) a few seasons ago.

The grip should be relaxed. Let your fingers hang naturally without forcing them to straighten. Avoid grabbing the grip when you release the string.

The big 10 pointer was following the line of does past my stand toward the unharvested bean field beyond. With only a few minutes left in legal shooting time, I was glad they were walking quickly. Just before he got to my shooting lane I drew my bow and aimed through the peep sight. I was shocked to find that the buck was about as well defined as a drifting shadow. The pin was a fiber optic model, but not one of the brighter styles on the market. I could barely see the pin as I aimed. Thrown off by the situation, I failed to concentrate well enough. OK, I panicked. As the buck passed less than 20 yards away, I rushed the shot – sending an arrow right in front of his chest.



I had gotten lazy in my preparation for the season and had skipped my usual low-light practice sessions. I should have discovered the pins weren’t bright enough, and the peep too restrictive for optimal hunting. It was a painful lesson I won’t soon forget.



Not only should you practice in low light, but you should also wear your hunting clothes a few times. What you find out in late summer and early fall may prevent your string from catching a loose flap of cloth, or a chest pocket, ruining your shot at a giant buck. If you’ll be hunting from a tree stand, practice from an elevated position. For many bowhunters, arrow impact changes when they shoot down at the target. Make sure you find this out before the season.

“Consistency is more important than any particular form.”

Practice at unknown distances in order to improve your range estimation skills. For most experienced bowhunters, getting the correct range is the hardest part of any accurate shot in the field. The more you can practice this important skill, the better you’ll perform this fall. 3-D shooting is the perfect tune-up for hunting. You’ll become better at judging distance, and you’ll have a great opportunity to debug your hunting bow. Everyone seems to be using customized tackle in an effort to score higher in this summertime sport. That’s great, but if you do that, just make sure to switch to your hunting rig as you get closer to the season.



When practicing, focus all your attention on each and every arrow. According to Terry Ragsdale, “As the season approaches you need to bump up the practice regimen. Shoot 75 to 100 arrows each day, for the last week or two, to gain the strength needed to hold the bow steady. Don’t get lazy on a single shot; shoot each arrow with intense concentration. Find something small to aim at with each shot and focus hard on it.”



There are few things more exciting than making a tough shot when the chips are down. But the satisfaction comes with a price tag attached. To be a consistently deadly bowhunter, many hours must be spent during the off-season perfecting technique.

If you are shooting downhill at 20 degrees treat a 40 yard shot as if it were 36 yards.

You will probably achieve better accuracy in the long run by rolling your elbow out and shooting with a fairly straight wrist. This reduces the amount of hand you place on the grip which should reduce the tendency to torque the bow. Eventually, you’ll build up more strength in your wrist and the new position will feel natural. But if you really can’t get the knack of it, continue shooting the way you are. Just be very careful not to change your grip position once you start to draw the bow.

Answer:
Much of determining an anchor point is personal preference, but there are some good suggested starting points. For years the standard starting point for the finger shooter has been the index finger in corner of the mouth. A higher anchor, such as the middle finger in the corner of the mouth, may be a better anchor for the instinctive shooter. The release shooter should try to get the last (largest) knuckle of the index finger back around the ear lobe. You may also consider placing the thumb of your release hand behind your neck for a solid reference point. This will stretch out the draw length, increasing arrow speed slightly. These three anchor points will allow you to use your back muscles properly and to point your elbow straight behind you for best accuracy.

It is a reality that despite our best intentions and efforts, not every animal we shoot at will be double-lunged and fall within sight. Blood trailing is a part of bowhunting, and with plenty of blood sign to follow, the odds of finding the animal quickly are much improved.
The vast majority of bowhunters pursue whitetails from tree stands. Many of the shots taken this fall will be at ranges of 10 yards, or less from stands 15 feet or more above the ground. Such shots create a sharply downward angle for which an exit hole is critical to the blood trailing process. It takes a hunting outfit set up with penetration in mind to do the job under these conditions.

On a marginal hit the most important thing is penetration. There’s no such thing as too much penetration. I hit a nice eight- pointer a few years back right through the lower part of his shoulder. I wasn’t planning to hit him there, but I did. My arrow not only cut deep enough to punch both lungs, it actually passed all the way through the buck and was laying on the ground on the other side. That’s one trophy that may have gotten away (the trailing process would have been much tougher with a single-lung hit) if I hadn’t been thinking penetration when I put my hunting rig together. I was shooting a heavy draw weight bow and conventional fixed-blade broadheads.

Increase Your Draw Weight

For every pound you increase your draw weight your penetration energy increases by approximately 1 ¾%. You can see that a couple of pounds may not make a big difference, but five pounds, or more, starts to have a significant effect.

Sharply downward shot angles make it more difficult to achieve full penetration unless you select your hunting rig with care. An exit hole under such conditions is important to the quality of your blood trail and the ease of recovery.

Shoot the heaviest draw weight you can handle accurately under all hunting conditions. There are many different standards floating around to help bowhunters determine their maximum accurate draw weight. One says to shoot the highest weight you can draw without having to raise your bow arm above parallel when you yank the string back. Another recommends the maximum you can draw sitting down flat on the floor with your legs out in front of you. I personally believe you shouldn’t shoot a bow that you can’t hold at full draw for at least a minute without shaking. Regardless of how you achieve your maximum draw weight; make sure to get in plenty of practice before and during the season to keep your shooting muscles strong.

Increase Your Arrow Weight

With all the unfounded hype surrounding arrow speed vs. penetration, it’s no surprise that many bowhunters believe dropping their arrow weight by 50 grains to pick up 10 extra feet per second is killing their penetration energy. In truth, a heavy arrow does absorb more of the bow’s energy when you release the string, giving it more in-flight (kinetic) energy, but the differences are much less significant than you may have been led to believe.

Based on efficiency studies performed on various bow styles shooting mid-weight arrows, (450 to 600 grains) a 50 grain reduction or increase in arrow weight results in a corresponding change of roughly 1 to 1 ½% in penetration energy. To pick up any real advantage by increasing arrow weight you would need to bump it up dramatically – to the tune of several hundred grains!

Even though the goal of this article is to look for ways to increase penetration, we shouldn’t overlook the important fact of knowing where not to look for it. Unless you’re already shooting light arrows, (under 450 grains) to give up 10 fps for only a one percent increase in penetration is a mistake.
Tune Your Bow Perfectly

In addition to being more accurate, arrows that fly perfectly penetrate better than those that slash their way to the target. When the arrow hits an animal with all its momentum directed right down the shaft, as it does when flying straight, penetration is maximized. Plus, straight flying arrows carry their speed better down-range, which also improves penetration.

For a quick reference on how to tune your bow, refer to edersbow archives and search under the key word “tuning”. For a comprehensive study on the subject of tuning, request Easton’s Arrow Tuning and Maintenance Guide. (There is a $2.50 charge for this 32 page brochure.)
Experiment With Different Shafts

Several years ago I witnessed testing conducted by AFC Carbon Arrows (before the product line was sold to Game Tracker) in which a couple of interesting outcomes were noted. Carbon arrows and aluminum arrows of exactly the same weight were both tuned and shot from a shooting machine at various distances into a wide variety of materials including sand, ethafoam and even beef livers. In all cases the carbon arrow penetrated more deeply (as much as 25% more) than an aluminum 2312 of the same weight.

How this correlates to performance on live animals is still inconclusive. No one has been able to perfectly duplicate the conditions of actual penetration on game in a controlled test environment. It is logical, however, that smaller diameter shafts would penetrate better than larger diameter shafts in many different mediums due solely to their reduced surface area. I’ll leave it you to arrive at your own conclusions as to whether carbon out-penetrates aluminum in real live game.

For what it’s worth, the test also showed that 40 yards down-range the smaller diameter carbon arrows retained about 1 ½% more of their initial velocity than did larger diameter aluminum arrows of the same weight.
Use The Best Penetrating Broadheads

We can shoot all we want into foam bales and measure how far the broadheads bury, but foam isn’t the same as an animal’s shoulder. Unfortunately, tests using foam and other inanimate materials are all we have to work with, so we have to make the best assumptions we can based on the information available.

All else being equal, broadheads with small cutting diameters penetrate more deeply than heads with large cutting diameters. It is purely a matter of the amount of tissue contacted. Heads having blades with a low angle have the potential to penetrate better than heads with a high blade angle and the same cutting diameter. In most cases, two- bladed heads will penetrate better than three-blade (or more) heads of the same cutting diameter. Under the majority of conditions, mechanical heads don’t penetrate as well as fixed-blade heads. And cut- to-point broadheads have been shown in testing I’ve seen to out- penetrate all other styles.

In other words, if you want a broadhead that promotes better penetration try any combination of the following styles: fixed- blades, fewer blades, cut-to-the-point designs and/or a smaller cutting diameter.

Penetration is an important part of equipment selection, even if all you hunt are whitetails. By doing all the things listed here you’ll greatly increase your penetration on game. An exit hole will be more likely on downward shots from tree stands and your chances for making a clean kill should you hit your buck of a lifetime in the shoulder could not be better.

There are few things in this world that you can really count on. Death. Taxes. The wind switching at just the wrong moment. And Randy Ulmer making the shot.
Whether it be in the final round of a high-dollar professional 3D tournament, a big money “dot shoot” against the world’s very best archers, or an weird-angle, wind-howling, through-a-hole-in-the-brush shot at a small piece of a monster bull elk’s chest, Hoyt USA Pro Staff member Ulmer makes it look easy. He’s also one of the classiest men you’ll ever meet, someone who’s always accessible and willing to help others become a better shooter.

Here’s a typical Ulmer bowhunting scenario:
“A couple of years ago I shot a really nice bull elk in Arizona,” Ulmer said. “I got into his herd at first light on opening morning, but things just weren’t right and I couldn’t approach them. So I had to follow the herd for maybe a half mile through the thick junipers. Pretty soon I could hear the bull start to violently rake a tree. When this happens, it’s generally a great time to make your move, so I slipped in on him really quick. I got to within 12 yards, but I couldn’t find any shooting lanes in the thick brush. Finally I got down on my knees and looked down below the brush, and found was one small opening. By then I was sitting down, and had to cant my bow significantly to the side to make the shot through that six-inch hole. I was actually shooting uphill at that point. Even though I was shaking like a leaf, I concentrated, and my arrow found its mark.”

Realistic Practice A Must
Ulmer tells the story to illustrate the key component for consistently accurate shooting at game — practice under simulated field conditions. “For bowhunters, it’s very important to practice to be a good target shooter, but both bull’s eyes and 3D are not all the practice you need to have ,” Ulmer said. “In those games you shoot most all your shots from a standing position from flat ground. As a bowhunter it’s very important to practice all sorts of off-balance shots, including uphill, downhill, kneeling, sitting, torso twisted around, off-balance, and so on. You have to learn to let your bow make the shot even when you’re in an awkward position.”

First, however, you have to build an equipment base upon which to take your shooting to this next level. “First and foremost, you have to have good equipment that’s well tuned and functioning properly,” Ulmer said. “Most bow makers make a good product today, if you buy at the mid-price point or above to ensure you have a quality bow. You need to make sure your bow-and-arrow set-up is well-tuned, because even if you make a good shot and it isn’t properly tuned you probably will not hit your target.”

The Mental Check List

Randy Ulmer is one of todays most accomplished archers. As one of the top 3-D shooters in the world, his tips are valued by bowhunters and tournament archers.

Ulmer concentrates on relaxing his hands and shoulders. “I take a deep breath as I nock my arrow and hook my release up,” he said. “Before I draw the bow I take another deep breath, and as I let it out I try to relax everything, but especially my hands. I draw back, anchor, as I anchor I make sure I’m looking through the peep’s center. I check for relaxation in my hands again, and also my face . I’m trying to allow the bow to shoot itself. My only job as a shooter is to point the bow. If I do this my equipment will do the job. One thing you should always remember is that if you have well-matched and properly-tuned equipment, if you don’t do something wrong during the shot, the equipment will hit where you want it to every time, assuming your yardage guess is right.

“It’s also important to let the bow ‘float’ — that is, don’t try and make it hold still on the exact spot you’re trying to hit,” Ulmer said. “No one can hold a bow totally still. The key is to not decide when to let the arrow go, but be a bit surprised when the arrow does finally take off. It’s a lot like squeezing the trigger on a rifle. I figure that as I’m aiming my bow I have somewhere between 5-10 seconds when the arrow will leave the bow, I’m just not exactly sure when. Now, in a hunting situation you obviously have to control that release moment sometimes. But when ‘building a base’ to learn to shoot well, it’s important to learn to shoot a surprise release.”

Proper Shooting Form Critical
Ulmer is a stickler for proper shooting form. “Without good form, you’ll never reach your full potential as a shooter,” Ulmer emphasized. “To simplify good form, think of your body as a capital ‘T.’ As you stand you want your shoulders over your hips, which are over your feet, so your entire body is straight up and down. Don’t lean back. Your arms should form almost a perfect ‘T’ with your torso when you’re shooting, with nothing out of alignment. Your release (trigger) arm elbow and forearm should be in perfect alignment with the arrow shaft, and on the same level as the bow arm.

Keep the feet comfortably spread, about shoulder width. The bow hand should be placed into the bow so that it won’t torque the bow at the shot. Also, there should be no interference with the bow string on it’s entire path, whether it be face, nose, chest, or forearm. The string must be free, which allows the bow to perform without interference from the shooter. And in everything, make sure you have ‘light’ touch, with no overbearing heavy-handedness.”

The key to perfect shooting is to release the arrow exactly the same way, every time , Ulmer said. “By using proper form, it will make it more likely for us to repeat every shot the same each time,” he said. “Really, shooting a bow is very simple. We just often try too hard to make it happen by grabbing it and forcing the bow, rather than relaxing and letting the equipment do the work for us.”

Controlling Buck Fever
If you don’t get buck fever, you shouldn’t be bowhunting, Ulmer said. The key is controlling it. “The best way to control buck fever is the same way we control the rest of our shot — through realistic practice ,” Ulmer said. “The more you do something, the easier it will become, over time. You learn to deal with it. Of course you’ll still get nervous, that’s part of the game, but that’s OK if you can make it a positive, not a negative.

“The way I do that is during practice sessions at home,” Ulmer said. “Conjure up a situation, make yourself nervous. That’s a positive, if you maintain your shooting form and concentrate. I like to practice with friends, and find that really helps, too. We have little competitions where we can say anything we want to each other when at full draw and aiming. It’s very tough to keep from losing composure when you’re trying not to laugh or they’re making fun of your chicken legs, but that helps you keep your composure when you’re thinking about something else or when your concentration has been broken.”

Tree Stand Shooting Success
“When shooting from a tree stand, remember the ‘T’ form,” Ulmer said. “Bend from the waist, and try to maintain the relationship between arm and torso. Even though you’re bent at the waist the arms should still be a 90-degree angle from the torso. Bending from waist is the key to consistent shooting from elevated stands. Remember, we’re trying to maintain the same form as it relates to the bow on every shot. And it’s the same for uphill shots.”

Two weeks later I was faced with the truest test for my new shooting style. A nice 12 point buck had run to my grunt call and was now standing along the edge of the wood lot, only 10 yards away. He was almost completely obscured by brush. He had scented my entry trail and was now looking side-to-side carefully and sniffing the brush. It was just a matter of seconds before he would blow out. I was already at full draw, searching for a hole to shoot through. Finally, leaning to my right I could make out a hole about 2 inches in diameter, perfectly centered on his vitals. I moved my sight pin into position and completely relaxed my now-quivering shooting muscles. The pin stopped bouncing, and in that split-second only one thought ran through my mind. I remember it as plainly as if it were yesterday. “If you don’t keep your wrist straight you’ll hit the brush.”

The grip hand is an important part of the follow-through. One way to achieve a better follow-through is to think of the shot in different terms. The shot is not over until the arrow hits the target.

I repositioned my wrist and squeezed the trigger. Instead of watching the deer for signs of a hit, I studied the small twigs surrounding my tiny shooting port. Nothing moved. I had him! Even as he broke out into the picked corn field I knew he wasn’t going far. He didn’t either. Only 100 yards from my stand he slowed, wobbled and then fell on his side. You’ve never seen a happier bowhunter.

If you can eliminate bow-hand torque you’re on the fast-track to better hunting accuracy. Here is a break-down of what causes it and how to get rid of it.

Handle-Grabbing Is A curable Disease
Akin to target-panic, handle-grabbing is a spastic involuntary movement that always results in diminished accuracy. Instead of keeping the bow-hand relaxed throughout the shot, the afflicted archer snaps his hand closed at the exact moment he releases the string. Watch 10 average shooters at the next local archery tournament. I’ll bet at least five are grabbing the grip on every shot. Heck, we’ve all done it, and I used to be one of the worst offenders.

As you snap your hand around the grip the bow turns slightly, and generally this disturbance occurs while the arrow is still on the string. It doesn’t take much bow movement to throw an arrow off-line by several inches at 20 yards. It is obvious that both consistency and arrow flight will suffer from such a sudden change in bow position.

Pay particular attention to this aspect of your form next time you practice. If you find that you’re one of the many handle-grabbers, first try simply concentrating on keeping the hand relaxed throughout the shot. To make this work you’ll probably have to force your whole body to relax.

Adhering to the fundamentals of shot mechanics can have an instant affect on accuracy. The bow hand should be kept relaxed and dead throughout the shot. To eliminate handle-grabbing, think of the bow hand as nothing more than a pad that the bow rests against.

If this simple solution doesn’t produce the desired results, try adding a wrist sling to your bow (if you don’t already have one). A wrist sling prevent the bow from jumping out of your hand and bouncing down the range when you release the string without wrapping your fingers around the its grip section. For some shooters this simple accessory offers all the peace of mind required to relax fully.

In the ’96 Olympic games Linford Christie, an English sprinter, was DQ’d for false starting in the 100 meter dash even though a clock built into his starting blocks indicated that he started forward fully .086 seconds after the gun fired? Studies had proven to the satisfaction of the track & field community that anything less than a .1 second reaction time was anticipation, and therefore should be categorized as a false start. If .1 seconds is the quickest reaction time of the world’s best athletes, think how far down the range an arrow can be before you’re able to react to a surprise release.

I think you get the idea: a surprise release will completely defeat the handle-grabbing tendency. Without the knowledge of when the string is going to zip forward, you won’t be able to anticipate the action and thereby ruin accuracy by grabbing the handle.

A surprise release with fingers is difficult, but it can be achieved through the use of solid back tension and a smooth relaxing of the back of the string hand. However, it is much easier to execute a surprise release when using a mechanical release aid. Simply squeeze the trigger slowly – just like when shooting a rifle. A true surprise each time takes patience and steely nerves. Another method will almost guarantee the desired results.

A back-tension release similar to the Stanislawski, Carter Solution or Fail Safe Convertible or Whisper makes anticipating the moment of release very difficult. Shoot one of these models for only two weeks and I know it will change the way you shoot a bow – dramatically for the better. When you go back to a command release, such as an index finger or thumb-triggered model, before hunting season, the handle-grabbing tendency will be under control – as well as all other forms of “target panic”.

The second method for reprogramming the nerves is to view the shot differently: Too many bowhunters assume the shot is completed as soon as they mash the release trigger or quickly open their fingers. This isn’t true. The shot isn’t over until the arrow hits the target. By simply thinking in these terms, you won’t be as likely to do anything, including grabbing the handle, until after the arrow hits the target.

Hand Position

A high hand position with a mostly straight wrist produces the best results for most archers. Without a hinging motion, your wrist is more likely to remain steady throughout the shot. It takes some time to build the strength to draw and hold the string while gripping in this manner, but it will come with practice. You can always turn your draw weight down while making the transition.

How you place your hand on the grip itself is crucial to accuracy. You can introduce torque by inconsistent hand placement. As you experiment with several grip positions, strive to find the one which allows you to feel the force of the bow being pulled straight back against a small point in your hand. Keep your palm from contacting the grip. You definitely don’t want to feel any stretching in the skin of your hand – that’s the feeling of torque being built up. When you release the string the stretched skin will spring back to its normal position, taking the bow with it.

Eventually you won’t even have to look at your grip to know that you’re lined up properly – you’ll be able to instantly feel any small change in hand position. This is where getting used to a specific bow has its advantages.
Grip Design
A narrow grip improves your sense of feel and helps you to achieve consistency. This is one reason that such styles tend to reduce bow- hand torque. The fact that they also keep your palm off the grip is also a reason for their advantage. A grip’s design can effect accuracy in other ways, as well.

I’ve got a bow that was very difficult for me to tune because of the way the grip felt in my hand. Every time I shot an arrow through paper I got a nasty tear to the left – about three inches long. I can come close to bullet-holing only if I grip the bow in a very unorthodox manner – at least it is unorthodox for me. I’m sure if I shot the bow a lot I would eventually get used to gripping it in the method required for good arrow flight, and I wouldn’t be able the shoot the bows I now shoot well.

One of my hunting buddies recently had this problem when going from one bow style to another. By simply applying a little pressure to the side of the grip with his thumb, he went from a nasty right-to-left tear through paper to a perfect bullet hole. This is something that can take a long time to learn, and is why I think many bowhunters quit on a bow and deem it untunable or unshootable long before giving themselves enough time to get used to the nuances of its grip.

The same bow-hand torque that makes a bow more difficult to tune also makes it less accurate in the field. By taking the steps to eliminate bow-hand torque you’ll be much effective on the 3-D course this summer and in the field next fall.

To see what near-perfect form looks like in slow motion, watch the video below.

Visualize the events unfolding. If you’re hunting from a tree stand, go through a mental checklist for every possible direction a buck can approach. When will I draw? What lane will I shoot through? How far is the shot? Quickly reherse each shot to make sure there’s room to draw your bow and a good lane to shoot through. A few minutes of this type of preparation each time you go on stand will make you much more instinctive and automatic when the buck shows up for real.

Your first aggressive action during the moment of truth, and possibly your most important, is drawing your bow. It is a basic truth that you’ll never shoot anything if you don’t draw your bow. But, you have to have a plan because proper timing is everything.

Let’s look at a typical situation of a big buck approaching your tree stand. You’ll probably see him well before he gets within range. Spend a few seconds gauging his pace. If it’s steady, draw when he’s still beyond your shooting range (assuming you’re using a compound bow), but make sure his head is behind something or his attention averted. If his pace is slow (or if you’re shooting a recurve or longbow), wait until after the buck comes within range before making your move.

We’ve all heard it said but it bears repeating. Take the first good shot; it may be the only one you get. Too many bowhunters wait for a perfect opportunity – a buck at 15 yards, broadside in a wide shooting lane, looking the other way. It makes for a great mental image, but it rarely happens in the real world. Don’t force things, but if the animal’s vitals are exposed and you know you can make the shot, stop waiting and take it.
Read The Body Language

Two pictures of the same deer. Neither shot is ideal-in both-the deer is quartering towards the hunter...however; on top, the deer is walking slowly but not alerted, if you have practiced this shot you can take it safely. The deer on bottom is tense and alert, you should wait till it calms down before attempting a shot.

Quick decisions have to be made, and the only source of information available to help you make them correctly is the actions of the animals themselves. Several of the bucks I’ve arrowed through the years were the direct result of reading the deer’s body language to determine what it was likely to do next. At each decision point I had only to interpret the animal’s body language properly to be ready for the shot opportunity. Whenever things don’t go exactly as planned, study the animal for clues of what it will do next so you can react accordingly.

Two seasons back I was aiming at a doe that seemingly disappeared in a cloud of leaves when I released the string. The arrow hit right where I was aiming, but she was gone! I should have known from her body language that she’d “jump the string”. Just the sound of my bowstring being released was enough to cause her to simultaneously drop and wheel as she loaded up her legs to bolt. When you read the warning signs of tension – an intensely focused gaze, jerky movements, cupped ears and sometimes foot stamping – compensate for the natural dropping motion by aiming for the very bottom of the animal’s vital area.

Other tell-tale body language can help you during the moment of truth also: a tail twitch means the deer will move very soon, raised nose means the deer has caught a light whiff of something (assume it’s you) – you’d better shoot quick, raised tail means the deer will move off but it probably won’t blow out immediately and ears forward stare means something has alerted the deer but not necessarily alarmed it. Don’t panic on this one you probably still have some time.
Should You Stop A Moving Animal?
Whenever possible, stop a walking animal for an easier shot. After getting the bow drawn and in position, make a loud grunt with your mouth. But, be ready to shoot because the deer probably won’t stand still for long. If the animal immediately looks tense instead of curious, you also have to consider the possibility that it will jump the string.

During the rut, big whitetail bucks rarely stop for long. More than half of all my shots at deer have been at moving targets. I’ve learned the hard way not to try to stop walking game when I have only narrow shooting lanes available. If the animal takes an extra step and freezes behind a screen of cover, I’m sunk. Instead, I aim at the center of an opening in front of the animal and shoot as soon as its shoulder appears beyond your pin. As long as the animal’s pace is leisurely and the distance short (20 yards, or less) I’ll make a double-lung hit.

As a rule of thumb, stop a moving animal in each of the following situations:
1. When you have ample shooting lanes.
2. If you lack the confidence or practice to time the shot at the moving animal.
3. If it is moving faster than a walk.
4. If the range is past 20 yards.

A Clear Sight Picture
A few simple changes to your sighting system can make your sight picture a lot clearer during the moment of truth.
Sight pins: Two years ago I missed a really big buck right before the end of legal shooting time. Since then I’ve switched to a sight using large, .060″ diameter fiber-optic pins, and have not had any problems with pin visibility. Many shot opportunities come during low light conditions when game is moving naturally. Modern fiber sights are excellent at gathering and concentrating scarce ambient light, offering an extra 10 minutes of accurate shooting time every morning and evening.

Simplify your set-up. Two pins will work great for most whitetail hunting situations (set for 10 and 20 yards, or for 20 and 30 yards) and a third one set at a longer distance is a good idea when hunting open settings. If you want to use only one pin, set it for 25 yards to give yourself the greatest margin for error in range estimation for shots from 15 to 30 yards.

Peep sights and kisser buttons: Peep sights will lock you into a consistent anchor point at full draw, but they also restrict the amount of light that reaches your eye, resulting in difficult low-light shooting. Look for peeps having an orifice diameter of at least ¼ inch or choose designs such as the C-Peep that permit greater amounts of light to enter.

Kisser buttons attach to the bowstring and contact your face in the same place every time you reach your normal anchor point. They don’t force the same level of consistency as a peep sight, but they don’t reduce the amount of light that reaches your eye either.

The grip should be relaxed. Let your fingers hang naturally without forcing them to straighten. Avoid grabbing the grip when you release the string.

Many archers go wrong by grabbing the grip when they release the bowstring. It is an involuntary reaction that naturally creeps into the shot and destroys consistency. Focus on keeping your bow hand relaxed throughout the shot. Use a bow sling so that you don’t have to worry about dropping the bow while working on this important skill. Don’t force your hand to stay open, just keep it relaxed and let your fingers hang naturally.

Tension in the bow arm makes steady aiming difficult. Any tension in your body is transmitted through a rigid bow arm right to the bow, as if it were a hyper-sensitive antennae. If you can keep your bow arm very relaxed throughout the shot your accuracy will improve greatly. Consider bending it slightly (just enough to unlock the elbow) so it be softer and act as a tension insulator instead of a tension transmitter.

“Focus on keeping your bow hand relaxed throughout the shot.”

Many bowhunters have the bad habit of dropping their bow arms just after they release. Eventually this creeps into the shot earlier and earlier until it becomes a chronic problem. My buddy Dan does this, and it has cost him two really nice bucks during the past two seasons. On both bucks he shot just under the deer’s chest at less than 20 yards!

The shot isn’t over until the arrow hits the target, so hold your form with a steady bow arm until impact for optimum accuracy. Increased strength is the key to relaxing at full draw, so maintain a regular practice schedule. Your maximum bow weight can make a difference here too. It’s impossible to hold your aim steady if you’re straining with too much poundage. Sometimes being over-bowed even prevents you from getting a shot. Being involved in the warranty department at PSE, Terry Ragsdale hears many strange claims, but he remembers one in particular.

“The shot isn’t finished until the arrow hits the target. Hold your follow-through, including a steady bow arm, until impact.”

“A hunter sent back his bow, claiming that the cams were freezing up,” he said. “With absolute sincerity, the hunter told of a nice deer approaching his stand, and of his inability to draw the bow. Even though they worked fine before and after that incident, he honestly believed the cams had somehow locked up. Cool weather and excitement got the better of him, and he didn’t have the strength to draw.”

Letting Go

Realistic practice in hunting settings and wearing hunting clothes will improve your confidence and help you deg your gear and technique.

Because the timing of the shot is often more important than pinpoint accuracy under many bowhunting conditions, your release method is likely to be a bit more abrupt than if you were focusing on target shooting form. Don’t get jerky, however. When shooting a release aid, keep the trigger pull smooth, but don’t get too hung up trying to squeeze off a surprise-release. With fingers, get into the habit of relaxing the back of your string hand to trigger the shot rather than trying to voluntarily open your hand.

Focus Brings It Together
Ragsdale is widely regarded as one of the world’s best bow shots, and he is quick to point out that there is no such thing as perfect shooting form. “Walk up and down the line of any major tournament,” he said, “and you’ll see people shooting with all different kinds of form, but they all shoot very well. Consistency is more important than any particular form.”

On the other hand, Terry is a firm believer in “aiming hard” when shooting at targets, as well as game animals. Aiming hard is his term for focusing undivided attention on the small spot he wants to hit. He feels it is one of the most critical skills for the bowhunter and surely the one element that brings everything together for a great shot at game.
Realistic Practice

Concentration on a single small aiming point is the aspect of shooting that brings all the other elements together.

Just as you wouldn’t expect a professional football team to head into a big game without at least a certain amount of full-dress scrimmaging against the “scout” team, you shouldn’t enter the bow season without a few dress rehearsals of your own. Duplicating the conditions of the hunt during practice pays some very important dividends, as I found out (once again) a few seasons ago.

The big 10 pointer was following the line of does past my stand toward the unharvested bean field beyond. With only a few minutes left in legal shooting time, I was glad they were walking quickly. Just before he got to my shooting lane I drew my bow and aimed through the peep sight. I was shocked to find that the buck was about as well defined as a drifting shadow. The pin was a fiber optic model, but not one of the brighter styles on the market. I could barely see the pin as I aimed. Thrown off by the situation, I failed to concentrate well enough. OK, I panicked. As the buck passed less than 20 yards away, I rushed the shot – sending an arrow right in front of his chest.

I had gotten lazy in my preparation for the season and had skipped my usual low-light practice sessions. I should have discovered the pins weren’t bright enough, and the peep too restrictive for optimal hunting. It was a painful lesson I won’t soon forget.

Not only should you practice in low light, but you should also wear your hunting clothes a few times. What you find out in late summer and early fall may prevent your string from catching a loose flap of cloth, or a chest pocket, ruining your shot at a giant buck. If you’ll be hunting from a tree stand, practice from an elevated position. For many bowhunters, arrow impact changes when they shoot down at the target. Make sure you find this out before the season.

“Consistency is more important than any particular form.”

Practice at unknown distances in order to improve your range estimation skills. For most experienced bowhunters, getting the correct range is the hardest part of any accurate shot in the field. The more you can practice this important skill, the better you’ll perform this fall. 3-D shooting is the perfect tune-up for hunting. You’ll become better at judging distance, and you’ll have a great opportunity to debug your hunting bow. Everyone seems to be using customized tackle in an effort to score higher in this summertime sport. That’s great, but if you do that, just make sure to switch to your hunting rig as you get closer to the season.

When practicing, focus all your attention on each and every arrow. According to Terry Ragsdale, “As the season approaches you need to bump up the practice regimen. Shoot 75 to 100 arrows each day, for the last week or two, to gain the strength needed to hold the bow steady. Don’t get lazy on a single shot; shoot each arrow with intense concentration. Find something small to aim at with each shot and focus hard on it.”

There are few things more exciting than making a tough shot when the chips are down. But the satisfaction comes with a price tag attached. To be a consistently deadly bowhunter, many hours must be spent during the off-season perfecting technique.
Handling Uphill And Downhill Shots

If you are shooting downhill at 20 degrees treat a 40 yard shot as if it were 36 yards.

Whether your shot is sharply uphill or sharply downhill, the challenge is the same. Unless you remember to compensate by aiming low, you’ll miss high.

Downhill: When shooting down a 40 degree slope you must use your 30 yard pin to hit right on the mark at 40 yards. Most bowhunters wouldn’t allow for this much compensation – a factor that has, no doubt, contributed to the longevity of more than one bull elk or wide-racked muley. If the downslope flattens to 20 degrees, you must treat a 40 yard shot as if it were only 36 yards.

Uphill: Intuitively most bowhunters wouldn’t expect the same situation when shooting uphill as downhill, but from an aiming standpoint, they are nearly identical. Your arrow will hit high unless you aim low. A 40 yard shot up a 40 degree slope requires you to aim as if the intended target was only 31 yards away. If the upslope is a more gradual 20 degrees, aim as if the target were 37 to 38 yards away.

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