getting my draw

[daviddickdpt]

was hunting this morning and had 2 bucks come up on my right. both 6-pointers. i was facing more left and had to try and adjust. best i was able to do was turn my body right and got my bow up. held it for about 3 seconds then tried to draw back and they were gone!

looking for suggestings on how to better set myself. i wasnt sure if it was just because there were 2 there and i had very little cover from movements.

either way i was pumped! second day out in the stand ever so i know theres a lot to learn.

[charlie 01]

That's just one in the hardest part of bow hunting, when to draw on an animal. More than one deer, more eyes to see you. I like to keep a constant vidual. Eyes and ears on full alert. I keep my bow hanging close to me and first seeing movement or sounds of something comming my hand is on the bow. As soon as I see something I will try for, the bow comes off the hook and I wait for my opportunity. I find that if you move slow and deliberate, you can get to where you want. Not all opporitunities work out.
If you are one of those guys that have to point the bow to the sky to draw it, then you are going to have some problems somewhere down the line.

[bmstaaf]

I do the same as Charlie, if I hear deer coming I will stand up and grab my bow slowly, if it is something I will pass on I slowly set my bow down and observe..it gives me practice on slight movements, to me moving the body slow was one of the hardest things to get use to...its so easy to focus on moving your body slow and you catch your head moving to fast...use small deer or deer you tend to pass up as practice.. its so easy to practice, but if you don't you may mess up when the opportunity comes...I know every situation is different, but when your hunting find where the deer come from pick out objects they walk behind and use that to your advantage...one other thing when putting up a stand make sure you have some sort of cover between you and the deer, I know this is hard sometimes...an example I use if I have minimal cover bt me and the deer I go higher in the tree, if I have branches hiding me I use this as an opportunity to keep the stand a little lower...some guys swear by hunting 20+ feet in a tree, but if you don't feel comfortable your just adding another barrier to the equation.. it is all about the expierances you have, you need to learn from them!

[Ohio farms]

Assuming that you are right handed, that turning to your right is a tough one. It takes a lot of movement for a right hander to do that. I always try to keep that direction down wind when I can. That's great to see two buck your first time out. Any time that you get to draw is exciting. Good luck the next time.

[kellory]

Assuming that you are right handed, that turning to your right is a tough one. It takes a lot of movement for a right hander to do that. I always try to keep that direction down wind when I can. That's great to see two buck your first time out. Any time that you get to draw is exciting. Good luck the next time.

I agree, also this may sound stupid, but sometimes it is easier to turn left far enough for the shot, than to turn right, and less obvious.

[daviddickdpt]

great feedback...sit more right because turning left is easier. thanks for all the help guys.

[Deebz]

I've missed a lot of opportunities in the past for the same reason... One of the things I do when I first get into my stand the first couple of times i hunt is to practice drawing my bow at various places i'd expect to see deer. It seems to help when there's actually deer in front of me if I've already drawn down in that particular direction.

I also try to draw my bow as early as possible when the deer are further out... I'm sure lots of guys will disagree and say that holding for extended periods affects accuracy due to shakes and such. However, my bow fits me so well I really feel that I can hold full draw for quite a long time... The very first deer I ever killed with my bow came in out of the corn field in a group of 8 does... I was at full draw as the first one entered the timber 40-45 yards away... I had an opening at 30 yards, but all 8 ended up circling up in the clearing in front of me... they ranged from 5 feet to 15 yards, all looking different directions... I didnt' have to worry about trying to draw and get busted because i was already at full draw.

I should clarify that i do NOT try to aim at a deer at all until i'm ready to take a shot...

[kellory]

I've missed a lot of opportunities in the past for the same reason... One of the things I do when I first get into my stand the first couple of times i hunt is to practice drawing my bow at various places i'd expect to see deer. It seems to help when there's actually deer in front of me if I've already drawn down in that particular direction.

I also try to draw my bow as early as possible when the deer are further out... I'm sure lots of guys will disagree and say that holding for extended periods affects accuracy due to shakes and such. However, my bow fits me so well I really feel that I can hold full draw for quite a long time... The very first deer I ever killed with my bow came in out of the corn field in a group of 8 does... I was at full draw as the first one entered the timber 40-45 yards away... I had an opening at 30 yards, but all 8 ended up circling up in the clearing in front of me... they ranged from 5 feet to 15 yards, all looking different directions... I didnt' have to worry about trying to draw and get busted because i was already at full draw.

I should clarify that i do NOT try to aim at a deer at all until i'm ready to take a shot...

Deebz, we could not have more different shooting styles With a bow in hand, I don't move until the shot is right there, then it's draw and loose in one motion. If I hold more than a heart beat, I would be suprised. If the deer catches the draw, the arrow catches the deer. My groupings will not be as tight as yours, but I am lethal enough, at shorter ranges.

[Deebz]

right on Kell... I got busted by like the first 5 or 6 deer i ever tried to draw on, so i started trying to draw earlier... it's backfired on me once or twice when the deer change direction and i have to try to adjust at full draw, but it's kind of habit now...

That's one thing about this endeavor that I keep noticing though... no matter how one person finds success, there will be 10 other people using 10 other methods to achieve their own success...

[Joel Spring]

I think that drawing on game in bow range is the hardest thing to learn, and the only way to practice it is to have the experience happen to you several times.

I usually try to wait till the deer is within thirty yards or so and the first time its head disappears behind a tree (even a small sapling or bush), get that bow drawn. Trying to do it when the deer is in full view is, for me, a recipe for disaster. I've done it, and killed deer that way with a very quick release, but I've also been busted.

This past Monday morning, I had a doe sneak in behind me (thanks to a half dozen noisy squirrels) and she was under my stand before I knew she was there. I had to wait till she walked out about 20 yards, before I could even grab my bow. As it was, I blew the shot by deflecting on branch and burying the arrow at her feet, but she just trotted off and looked around. Startled but not shaken.

Had I tried to draw on her at 1 yard....it would have meant a spooked deer.

It's all about patience and quick, fluid motions when -- and only when -- the time is right.