How to practice for the big moment???

[D_wit22]

Alright so I have a dilemma for all you professional shooters. I’m a decent shot when I’m at home practicing. Like softball sized groups at 70 yds. I’m heading out for elk in September, and I know from my whitetail hunting days that when that big buck/bull elk is standing in front of me it is waaayyyy different than shooting at a bag. I shoot with a diaphragm in, mew while at full draw, and practice all sorts of stuff like that. But what else could I be trying? Running to get my heart rate up? I feel like that’s different from the adrenaline dump when the animals come in range? Thanks guys for your advice

 

[Speaks]

Add a shot timer.

A rifle drill the STH guys set up involves a few sets of shooting at different size targets standing, seated, and prone with different time internals. Could not directly adapt to a bow but maybe something like this.

Softball size targets set at 30, 50 and 70 yards.

One shot from preferred position at each untimed.

Start with pack on and bow how you carry it and get off one shot at each in one minute (total for all three shots).

Same as above but shoot from kneeling.

Same as above but spring 100 yards first.

Total possible score of 12 hits, keep practicing drill until you can consistently get 9/12.

It adds in stress, fatigue, and time limit. Not a perfect analog for hunting but adds something closer.

Want to up the stress? Start a thread here to post videos of this and post every attempt regardless of how good or bad it goes.

 

[Sbird2019]

I will do a draw-hold-let down cycle enough times to where on my last draw, I can barely get my bow back, and that’s when I shoot and score my shots. I’ve found that’s a pretty good proxy for the adrenaline spike and dump if you have to let down and then immediately come to full draw again

 

[D_wit22]

Good stuff. That timer idea has me thinking…

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Shoot 3d for score

 

[jimh406]

Don't shoot for groups. Shoot one shot and move. Ideally, wait between each shot.

Hunting doesn't usually provide warm up shots.

 

[Dennis]

I am not a professional shooter, but a lifelong elk hunter and archer I like to practice on shots ranging from 5 yards to 45 yards which are my most common shot opportunities. Like jimh406 says shoot one arrow and move is great practice. Add drawing and holding for extended time frames and then taking fairly quick shots. Timers can help help create pressure with random settings. I like to add awkward shooting positions like leaning, kneeling, sitting, uneven terrain and twisting etc. on 3D targets etc. I like rangefinders, but like to practice not using them about 50% of the time. Just guess and shoot that one arrow. Then try ranging and take a few steps backward or forwards. Elk can change distance very quickly. I will devote some practice to shooting 45 to 60 yards which is far enough for me on live animals. Once I get within about a month of season I primarily only shoot broadheads. The cold bow challenge is a good starting point to consider.

 

[5MilesBack]

Do some "draw and hold" drills. Sometimes you get stuck at full draw for a couple+ minutes. I'll draw and hold for two minutes then shoot one BH tipped arrow at 60 to make sure it's still in the bullseye.

 

[Fullfan]

We killed 4 bulls last year, furthest shot was 37yds. The key is to have the caller way behind the shooter. The draw and hold drills are very important. Don't overthink it, shoot relax and try not to develop bad habits.

 

[Dos Perros]

One thing that works for me, is when I draw back I intentionally have zero expectations of success. I literally in my head say "I can't wait to see how I screw this up," and then I make a calm and relaxed shot. I've killed every animal I've shot at in this manner. Conversely, I've had plenty of times I've snuck in close and been sitting on them for a while waiting for them to stand, and in my head I've already shot and recovered them and packed them out and hung them on the wall. I miss those shots at a pretty embarrassing rate, because I get all jacked as I'm drawing, too amped, and miss.

 

[Cfriend]

Some great suggestions here I will try myself.

One thing I've started doing to simulate the pressure is to add a consequence for missing. Every shooting session, I will put a balloon on my target (makes it more fun), then go to my max range and shoot a broad head. Consequence of a miss is that I lose $5. A few misses can add up quick, so it puts some pressure. Another option is a steel plate with a hole in it. Miss the hole and you destroy your arrow - that really puts the pressure on especially if using a broad head.

 

[Terrapin]

Shoot for money… make it competitive & the risks and rewards escalating.

I used to shoot indoor with a bunch of nationally and internationally ranked shooters. They shot for raw score & then had a handicapping system to ensure everyone was in a shoot off at the end. I believe everyone put in a dollar. It took about thirty minutes for the group to shrink to just two shooters, competing for maybe twenty bucks.

It was designed to be extremely stressful & the adrenaline was pumping. I hated it, but repeatedly putting ourselves into that situation made it much easier to endure the stress of competitive situations. It also payed huge dividends for staying calm in hunting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TaperPin]

One skill that can be practiced while shooting or just in daily life is the ability to consciously chill out when stressful things have emotions ramped up or we’re overloaded. The more it’s practiced the more natural it becomes. I really like how Dos Perros takes the stress off. It’s the same thing - finding a way to release the stress of the moment.

Competitions are a great way to have a stressful situation to practice relaxing at.

Visualizations and practice help a lot - I’ve made a shot a thousand times by the time it actually happens. Spending more time with elk without a bow also helps - not everyone has that option, but if seeing elk is so common it’s almost boring, shooting at one is a lot easier.