Successful Trad Hunters: How do You Train? What are your Habits for Success?

[swampmountaineer]

@flyboy214 this is awesome and it seems like other people are getting something out of it as well. Gonna shoot you a PM.

 

[Beendare]

Out of breath? I can't think of a situation like that while hunting with a recurve.
Typically it's a slow stalk...or I'm set up for a shot.

The things that helped me go from sloppy to successful is the good form comments above- I had a mentor...and then utilized free Youtube resources like Jake Kaminsky and Arne Moe RIP.

Having a shot sequence that I can fall back on was a big key. I consciously walk myself through the key components of my shot and practice it. It helps you calm and focus at the moment of truth. It has to hit the key elements for you- and it has to be quick- typically just a couple key things.

The main thing for me was to realize, this ain't walking around with a rifle or compound and shooting stuff at long distance. Trad hunting is all about planning for a close in shot....or analyzing terrain that is stalkable.

 

[Wrench]

Find every single thing that moves when you draw. I've had to draw wearing my pack as often as not......everything wants to grab your string and make noise.

Run your shot process EVERY TIME.

Aim small.

Freakish training is great for getting to the animal habitat, but ninja skills and patience are far more important.

I wear a size 36 waist jeans and am far from a fitness freak, but I put myself in position for great opportunities more than most guys. I know when to press and when to pause.

Keep your skills sharp by stump shooting daily. In a typical elk season I'll shoot .75 times at an elk. During the same season I will fire 50 arrows at grouse and kill 30 or more. I will hit a lot of stumps. Keep your field skills sharp......and when you are sitting there waiting for prime time or taking a break.....strop those heads!

 

[ledflight]

@swampmountaineer I have hunted trad since I was hunting but that's only 6 years. After some harvests
I had a run of misses the last two years before connecting again this past fall.

First, it's been discussed, but you need to practice how you hunt and that means the angles. I missed a buck 2x in 10min in 2023 b'c I hadn't shot elevated in a couple months. So find a way to do that.

For me, I go on my roof and shoot backyard targets at various ranges.

Range finders help - I skimmed the back of a doe at 6yards from my tree b/c I aimed like she was 9-10.

Lots of other good advice here.
Tuning is important. If "Precision Tuning for the Diehard Bowhunter" by the PUSH wasn't mentioned then consider it.

 

[Wrench]

For tuning....don't waste your time as a new shooter getting completely dialed UNTIL YOU HAVE GOOD FORM.

I, like most guys have a pile of arrows cut to solve problems that were actually my form.

I suggest a super slow mo video shot from above, behind and beside you to help diagnose your form. Paper is great, but was the arrow stiff or did you collapse a bit.....the camera shows your form and the paradoxical correction to answer the question.

 

[ledflight]

.I suggest a super slow mo video shot from above, behind and beside you to help diagnose your form. Paper is great, but was the arrow stiff or did you collapse a bit.....the camera shows your form and the paradoxical correction to answer the question.

yes, I agree. Most phones these days can provide excellent slow mo video and I feel like this tool isn't promoted enough.

 

[bisblue]

Get a well tuned bow and arrow and a sharp Broadhead, all the rest, heavy FOC, light FOC, single bevel vs 3 blade is the remaining 3% of the equation. people have been successful with all kinds of arrow set ups. 10-12 grains per pound and 15-18% FOC is a good middle of the road place to start.
I also have a 30" draw and I love an arrow like the safari tuff taipan where I can tune with various field point weights, then change the insert to get the right flight instead of cutting arrows.
Joel Turners shot IQ or Tom Clum's archery class are amazing.
For backpacking, find something you like to do that mimicks what you need to do hunting. If you don't have elevation you'll probably be stuck working out on a machine.
I haven't killed a ton of stuff with a stick bow, but I've been lucky enough to spend my career working outside in the western landscape and feel pretty comfortable moving in the mountains. The more comfortable you are the longer you will stay.

 

[GLB]

Lots of good advice on tuning, shot sequence and preparation to make the shot. Very important stuff. I’ll give my 2 cents for hunting with a stickbow. Hunting with a recurve or longbow can be very effective and certainly most rewarding.

However it does have its challenges. Hunting with a stickbow you have to create a lot more opportunity than you do with other methods. You do this by learning animal behavior, getting close and being patient.

Regardless if you hunt from a tree stand or from the ground you have to figure out how to put yourself in the position to make a shot on game at close range.

Time and persistence will teach you that. Hunting small game is a great tool to learn how to hunt bigger game. Most of all have fun with it. Get out there as much as you can and soak it all in.

 

[swampmountaineer]

Out of breath? I can't think of a situation like that while hunting with a recurve.
Typically it's a slow stalk...or I'm set up for a shot.

I'm mainly thinking about scenarios where I walk up on something, which isn't totally out of the question where I hunt. The opportunities I've had have been slow stalks like you've described, but my adrenaline was pretty high despite the fact that I wasn't necessarily physically worn out.

I hunt a lot of rabbit and hare and have been trying to push myself to take the recurve out instead of the shotgun. I assume just go a lot slower and use blunts?

 

[swampmountaineer]

@ScottinPA @Beendare @GLB @bisblue @Wrench and everyone else who has commented so far, thanks a ton.

To distill what folks have said and what is possible for me at the moment, I'm going to take some more time to perfect my form over the next few months and then dive into tuning in early summer. I've taken a few lessons and it seems I should take a few more, as well as use my phone to check form, before I get into bare shaft tuning. It looks like there's a pretty strong consensus that the process is worth it the time, but more effective the better my form is.

I'm going to build a platform in the yard to give me a few different shot positions where I practice. I'm blessed to live at elevation and close to public, and it seems a big part of tightening my practice is just about putting the components together, shooting more stumps while I hike or dragging a target somewhere scenic. I'm a pretty obsessive rabbit/jackrabbit hunter and I'm going to push myself to really practice stalking/terrain/game behavior as some have suggested. Grateful for pointers in hunting anything Lepus-like with a recurve.

Still curious about how y'all deal with and prepare for in-field repairs on a bow. Is taking an extra string set-up on a multi-day overkill? Maybe I'm paranoid here because my area has shredded all of my gear with catclaws and cactus thorns over the years. If anyone has an in-field kit that they wanna share, I'd be all ears.

 

[Beendare]

The opportunities I've had have been slow stalks like you've described, but my adrenaline was pretty high despite the fact that I wasn't necessarily physically worn out.

Gotcha.

Yeah, thats where having a mental shot process shines. It gives you a mental checklist to help keep your focus and concentration....and thus helps calm us down when shooting at a critter.

Listen to Wrench, he is giving you some excellent advice.....

 

[Wrench]

@ScottinPA @Beendare @GLB @bisblue @Wrench and everyone else who has commented so far, thanks a ton.

To distill what folks have said and what is possible for me at the moment, I'm going to take some more time to perfect my form over the next few months and then dive into tuning in early summer. I've taken a few lessons and it seems I should take a few more, as well as use my phone to check form, before I get into bare shaft tuning. It looks like there's a pretty strong consensus that the process is worth it the time, but more effective the better my form is.

I'm going to build a platform in the yard to give me a few different shot positions where I practice. I'm blessed to live at elevation and close to public, and it seems a big part of tightening my practice is just about putting the components together, shooting more stumps while I hike or dragging a target somewhere scenic. I'm a pretty obsessive rabbit/jackrabbit hunter and I'm going to push myself to really practice stalking/terrain/game behavior as some have suggested. Grateful for pointers in hunting anything Lepus-like with a recurve.

Still curious about how y'all deal with and prepare for in-field repairs on a bow. Is taking an extra string set-up on a multi-day overkill? Maybe I'm paranoid here because my area has shredded all of my gear with catclaws and cactus thorns over the years. If anyone has an in-field kit that they wanna share, I'd be all ears.

I take extra strings, serving, points, tabs......anything that I can lose or break. I mark my braxe height on my bow limb so i can make a string to check and i mark every arrow with the brace mark.

Last year I broke a riser.....but had my spare Whistler to fling with.

 

[swampmountaineer]

Thank you, that's about what I planning on for this year, with a set of spare limbs in the truck.

 

[bisblue]

I take extra strings, serving, points, tabs......anything that I can lose or break. I mark my braxe height on my bow limb so i can make a string to check and i mark every arrow with the brace mark.

Last year I broke a riser.....but had my spare Whistler to fling with.

This is a great list. A string you've already shot a bit and a spare tab are key.

 

[flyboy214]

On my wooden arrows, I crest them so the lines mate up with the back of the riser at the correct brace height.

 

[Wrench]

Spare nocks are the thing I use most. I stump and grouse shoot a lot and hard landings toss nocks. I also run a small band or footer around the back of my arrow to avoid shaft split.

One year I developed a crack and was not willing to stop shooting with my grouse arrow.....so I wrapped the shaft with serving as tight as possible after putting a dab of super glue in the crack. After wrapping it tight for a half inch or so, I set a nail knot and glued the thread. It lasted for the rest of the season.

Super glue is a must. Cuts in skin, random repairs....it is light and effective.

 

[Btaylor]

As for the anxiety of watching an animal before you have a shot opportunity. Remember that until that animal is in your effective range, you are still hunting so relax and enjoy the encounter cause you cant kill him yet anyway. Once you or it is in your effective range is when killin time starts and that's where having your shot process down cold will really pay off. It gives your mind a task to complete so you dont have a free mind going all willy nilly because a target animal is in range. A good shot process will keep your mind focused on your only job and that is putting the arrow in the exact spot in the vitals you intend for it to go. I learned to do this years ago by deciding beforehand that I was not going to kill certain animals and would just watch them. Once they got right for a shot, I would go through my shot process and draw on them and then let down. There was no pressure because the decision to not shoot had already been made. What I learned was that the animal is going to do what they do and I only have to do what I am supposed to do. All that anticipation and anxiety just gets in the way of execution when and because we dont have control of the mental aspects of our job.

 

[Beendare]

As for the anxiety of watching an animal before you have a shot opportunity. Remember that until that animal is in your effective range, you are still hunting so relax and enjoy the encounter cause you cant kill him yet anyway. Once you or it is in your effective range is when killin time starts and that's where having your shot process down cold will really pay off. It gives your mind a task to complete so you dont have a free mind going all willy nilly because a target animal is in range. A good shot process will keep your mind focused on your only job and that is putting the arrow in the exact spot in the vitals you intend for it to go. I learned to do this years ago by deciding beforehand that I was not going to kill certain animals and would just watch them. Once they got right for a shot, I would go through my shot process and draw on them and then let down. There was no pressure because the decision to not shoot had already been made. What I learned was that the animal is going to do what they do and I only have to do what I am supposed to do. All that anticipation and anxiety just gets in the way of execution when and because we dont have control of the mental aspects of our job.

Great post^ and so true

Buying "stuff" is OK...but doing as Taylor described to improve your technique is far more important to your success. It's the difference between Always missing...and always hitting.