Help! I keep missing shots lately!

[gostovp]

Ok this is kind of embarrassing but I want to figure something out soon … something is going on with my shots on wild game in the last couple years… I’m 1/5 on whitetail shots in the last 3 (years… 2 archery misses, 2 gun misses, and 1 archery kill), and this morning i totally whiffed with a shotgun on a Turkey…
I’m 48 and have been hunting since 12 and have harvested many deer and turkeys, and I’m a decent shot and practice with my weapons…and while I’ve always gotten excited when hunting, in these last few misses I have been me totally rushing the shots and I don’t know why…. Kinda like when an experienced golpher gets tips I guess…
Does anyone have any feedback or help or suggestions on how to take care of this and get me back to not completely breaking down during the actual shot sequence? Something to get my shot sequence back under control? ( the good news is all of these have been complete misses and I didn’t wound any of the animals…)… it literally feels like ‘buck fever’ but I’ve got many deer under my belt and been able to keep myself contained before…

 

[ScreamingPotato]

At 48, you get your eyes checked lately? I've been having an issue with my non-dominant eye taking over and have to be careful how I setup.

 

[gostovp]

I haven’t had an eye test lately
I have to use 1.25 cheaters to read stuff up close, but my distance vision seems okay.
How could you tell your non dominant eye was taking over?

 

[Tod osier]

Ok this is kind of embarrassing but I want to figure something out soon … something is going on with my shots on wild game in the last couple years… I’m 1/5 on whitetail shots in the last 3 (years… 2 archery misses, 2 gun misses, and 1 archery kill), and this morning i totally whiffed with a shotgun on a Turkey…
I’m 48 and have been hunting since 12 and have harvested many deer and turkeys, and I’m a decent shot and practice with my weapons…and while I’ve always gotten excited when hunting, in these last few misses I have been me totally rushing the shots and I don’t know why…. Kinda like when an experienced golpher gets tips I guess…
Does anyone have any feedback or help or suggestions on how to take care of this and get me back to not completely breaking down during the actual shot sequence? Something to get my shot sequence back under control? ( the good news is all of these have been complete misses and I didn’t wound any of the animals…)… it literally feels like ‘buck fever’ but I’ve got many deer under my belt and been able to keep myself contained before…

Flinch is my guess. I've been there.

 

[gostovp]

Yeah i 100% agree it’s a flinch, I need to figure out how to get over it / overcome it

 

[George Hamrick]

For your archery misses, are your shooting an index finger and punching the trigger?

 

[Fogalo]

Yeah i 100% agree it’s a flinch, I need to figure out how to get over it / overcome it

When he says he’s rushing the shot why would it be a flinch? That doesn’t make any sense at all.

Sounds like you need to practice more or better or both. I almost missed an elk at 3 steps with a bow and missed at doe with a bow at 30 yards by 8 feet. I’m 20/20 since.

Here’s a baseball analogy then I’ll explain how I translated that to hunting. In high school batting practice was simple you jumped in the box took your swings, got into a rhythm, and got out. When I got to college batting practice changes. You had a limited amount of swings and before each one you were presented with a situation and had to execute. What happened was when I stepped in the box during a game in college my mind starting evaluating the situation and how to execute it. Because batting practice was changed to be more similar to the game.

Practicing shooting is the same. Keep in mind I had shot a few dozen animals before I missed that doe by a wide margin. What happened was I got caught up in feeling the need to get the shot off. Basically came to full draw saw the target and shot. Didn’t aim really. Just flat out rushed. On the elk I came to full draw and was about to shoot when I realized I wouldn’t have hit it. Forgot to look at my peep. At moment I realized what step I needed to add. A “shot execution step”. I don’t know if I had gotten too comfortable with shooting at game - maybe because I duck hunt a lot (I usually don’t remember aiming at ducks - I just pull up and shoot). But that’s what it was for me. I added a the thought of where the shot was going to go through the animal and exit on the other side. By forcing myself to think about that it slowed down my process and made me a better shot. The moment I decide I’m going to shoot I also start concentrating on that process.

To practice this I will shoot one arrow before work. Think of your process through one shot. Any sort of rhythm in shooting practice is your enemy because that never occurs in hunting.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tod osier]

Yeah i 100% agree it’s a flinch, I need to figure out how to get over it / overcome it

When I had a bad flinch, I could not look at an object (just pick any old object) and keep my eye focused on it and pull a trigger finger without my eye twitching. Literally could not make a cowboy and indian fake gun and pull the trigger without a physical response.

What I did was a combination of dry fire, air rifle, archery, .22 practice and just pure working through reality of what was happening in my head. Saying in my head that I was going to shoot properly and not flinch was a big part of it, but also getting on the target and purposely following through after the trigger pull (locking my eye on the target and not reacting, the physical feel of doing it right was important).

I'm actually a pretty good shot with a rifle, I can tell if I've shot too much these days and am starting to get squirrely before it shows on paper, so I stop.

 

[galamb]

Leave your safety on - that way when you rush it the trigger won't pull and you have to take a second to think, regroup, switch it to fire and you will be more focused on what you are doing because that "first impulsive reaction" will have been stopped by the safety.

 

[Rich M]

One thing that always works is to watch the bullet/arrow/shot hit the target thru your sights/scope.

I stopped using 30-06 due to flinching, now using 350 Legend and .357 mag rifle. No more flinch. But when I did use it - have to really focus on keeping the gun up and following thru. if I did, the critter would fall on the spot.

 

[gostovp]

I use an index trigger release, but I’ve used thumb and hinge…

Some great suggestions here everyone; thanks!

 

[jimh406]

I suggest changing your practice methods. Shoot one shot a day until you are methodical and can hit consistently. Don’t practice shooting typical targets. Make a cardboard cutout with no aiming points.

 

[MeatMissile]

I’d ask Jobu to come and take the curse off your rifle. Offer him a cigar and rum. He will come.

 

[George Hamrick]

I use an index trigger release, but I’ve used thumb and hinge…

Some great suggestions here everyone; thanks!

Do you have a shot process you go through in your head before you shoot archery wise? I started using back tension and just having a 5 step process in my head last year. Helped me a lot with buck fever and not punching the trigger.

 

[timekiller13]

Been there. From target panic while shooting archery tournaments and completely whiffing gimme shots on big game. It was beyond frustrating. You get inside your head and start doubting yourself.

Dry fire drills helped. Trigger control, keeping my head down. And going back to shooting lots and lots of 22 LR. Started back shooting from a bench and just sending rounds down range, focusing on the fundamentals of shooting. Same with archery. Standing 10 yds from the target and focusing on not where the shot went, but in the basics drawing, anchoring, squeezing the trigger and following through.

It took some time but finally got my confidence back. I still miss occasionally, but now once every 3-4 years, instead of 2-3x a season.

 

[gostovp]

Do you have a shot process you go through in your head before you shoot archery wise? I started using back tension and just having a 5 step process in my head last year. Helped me a lot with buck fever and not punching the trigger.

What is your shot process?

 

[Red Letters]

What is your shot process?

this is a really good video for breaking down the shot process, I personally was skipping what I now feel like is the most important part of taking a shot with my compound and a rifle. I have had a bad habit of rushing my shot with a gun and it cost me a great buck once.

 

[George Hamrick]

What is your shot process?

Nothing fancy really. I just go through a couple steps. In my head I just say bubble, relax, breath out, and pull. Basically just a checklist to make sure my bubble is level, muscles aren’t tense, and I start pulling when I breath out. Getting a surprise release has helped me tremendously with buck fever.

 

[BravoNovember]

I always think through my shot process, even when shooting a deer. I also visualize the where the exit of the arrow or bullet will be to ensure I have good shot placement, based on the angle. Tends to help me a lot.

 

[Mikido]

Keep it simple. Count to 3 before you shoot.